The Clone Wars has been greeted by a massive outporing of dislike from critics and Star Wars fans alike. Not since Star Wars: The One With Jar Jar Binks In It (aka Episode I) has there been such a negative reaction to a Star Wars movie.
The one thing you’re probably already aware of is the fact that it is not a live action movie but an animated one. The style is something between a conventional cartoon and the more realistic CGI of Pixar et al. From the stills that I saw online prior to getting this DVD, I thought that it would really annoy me. The characters looked weird indeed. However when you actually see it in motion the CGI isn’t nearly as disconcerting as that. In fact, it’s actually growing on me.
The plot, it has to be said, is fairly weak. It is essentially just a by-the-numbers attempt at fitting all the desired elements (opening space battle, ground battle, air assault, lightsaber duel, end of film) into the hour and forty minute running time. This only strengthens the hand of those who claim that TCW is really just an extended opening episode for the new TV series. In a TV episode, a plot which only serves as a means of connecting different action sequences is largely acceptable, because the more involved plot is handed out in small helpings throughout the series to come to a climax in the final few. TCW, being a one off film, doesn’t have that advantage and is left looking a bit weak in the story department.
The only significant new character, Ahsoka Tano, is done quite well. Aside from the times when she calls Skywalker “sky guy” (which is wooden and forced to a greater degree than any of the scenes fans love to hate in the Prequel Trilogy). You may at this point be thinking that my mention of Jar Jar Binks was just the typical Star Wars fan’s swipe in The Phantom Menace’s direction, but there was a point to it. As unlikely as it may seem, TCW has actually managed to come up with a character even more irritating than Jar Jar. Ziro the Hutt is Jabba’s ‘uncle’ - at least that’s what the characters say. Evidently nobody told the production team, as the Ziro actually put into the film is female. Why nobody at Lucasfilm noticed this slight (!) discrepancy before the release is quite beyond me. Let me make it quite clear, however, that as an irritant Jar Jar is pollen to Ziro’s sulphuric acid. I cannot begin to explain just how utterly infuriating it is to have Ziro on the screen. Jar Jar at least managed to be funny from time to time - Ziro is more grating and less funny.
Now on to the central issue: the action. This is, on the whole, excellent. My one concern is that some of the lightsaber action (mostly the first duel) is animated in a very jerky, stunted way. This is obviously supposed to give the impression of a frantic, desperate duel but doesn’t really work. When the animators stick to emulating the lightsaber fights of the Prequel Trilogy, all is well. The conventional battle sequences are very well done indeed. Furthermore, because all of the participants (clones, droids, and starships) were done as CGI in the live action prequel trilogy, they look more or less identical in TCW.
Overall then, TCW doesn’t have the plot strength to compete with the live action films. It isn’t as good as it could have been. Nor, however, is it the cinematic carbuncle that the critics and hardcore fans will have you believe.
Rating: 
