Star Wars - Clone Wars, Vol. 1 - Review
Published March 23, 2005
I'm a big nerd.
I don't want to be excited about Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, I really don't. Lucas' last two movies have dulled what was a bright spot of my childhood.
So why am I watching the old movies (yes, even Episodes I & II), reading Labyrinth of Evil and playing Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy?
Somehow excitement about Star Wars stuff is just hard-wired into me, no matter how much Jar Jar you throw in.
Thankfully, Genndy Tartakovsky and crew have given me a new hope (pun intended) with the beautifully conceived Clone Wars, Vol. 1.
Airing originally on Cartoon Network and bridging Episodes II & III, Tartakovsky's animated shorts have the goods. Twenty episodes follow Anakin, Obi-Wan and a host of other Jedi as they wage the long awaited Clone Wars.
There's plenty to keep Star Wars aficionados happy. Memorable quotes include a few "I've got a bad feeling about this" and a nice homage to Vader with Anakin commenting "I have you now" with an enemy in his ship's sites. I'd have loved to have seen a nice stormtrooper head bumping, but what are you gonna do.
The episodes that impressed me most included the Kit Fisto underwater battle (this makes Aquaman look like a punk), the Mace Windu sequence (although I could have done without the doe-eyed anime child onlooker), and the hissing lightsaber duel in the rain between Anakin and Asajj Ventress.
George, buddy, take a cue from Clone Wars! Less political wrangling about separatists and more cool stuff like this that made Star Wars great in the first place.
(BTW, check out the latest episodes on Cartoon Network and at StarWars.com. You get to see C3PO showing off his new bod!)
Mark Anderson is a professional cartoonist whose family cartoons and business cartoons appear in publications nationwide.
- Star Wars - Clone Wars, Vol. 1 - Review
- Published: March 23, 2005
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Action, Video: Animation, Video: Fantasy, Video: SF, Video: Television
- Writer: Mark Anderson
- Mark Anderson's BC Writer page
- Mark Anderson's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
My buddy says 'there's no way George can screw this one up!', and yet I'm wary.
While I agree Episode I was a disappointment, I wish people wouldn't lump Episode II in with it. I reckon Attack of the Clones was well within the league of the classic trilogy, perhaps even second only to Empire.
I think a lot of people's views of the original trilogy are influenced by nostalgia. If you were watching all five episodes for the first time you might not see much difference.
And the political aspect of the prequels is actually brilliant when you stop and think how Palpatine is engineering the fall of the Republic from behind the scenes on both sides of the war. The name "Sidious" is fitting.
Clone Wars is very good, and has its place. But if Star Wars was purely action it would be rather mindless.
Oh too funny, my son is just now watching Clone Wars and telling me bout Vol 1 coming out. And then while going thru my bloglines, I see this! Guess it's a sign that I should buy Vol 1 for him huh?
It's not that Ep II isn't good, it's just sort of clumsily made. The romance totally comes out of left field, and the dialogue... Ugh...
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I'm also interested in seeing the final film, but I can't buy Hayden Christian as Darth Vader. He's seems to short and I don't think there's any resemblance to the unmasked Darth from the third film. Who knows? Maybe the new film will change my mind.