As the story opens, the Republic, with its clone army, is doing battle with Count Dooku and his Separatist droid army. The Republic's shipping routes through the inner systems have all been compromised by Separatist control, so they are attempting to negotiate with Jabba the Hutt to allow safe passage through the outer rim, which is under his control. This is where the plot begins to take shape.
We learn that Jabba's son has been kidnapped and he wants the Jedi army to find him and ensure his safe return before allowing any travel through his territory. This leads to the entrance of Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, the two Jedi available to mount a Hutt rescue operation. They are joined by Ahsoka Tano, a young padawan assigned to Anakin.
However, before they can head off on a Hutt hunt they must deal with a battle with the droid army on a remote planet. This is a pretty good action sequence, although when it comes to internal logic it is, shall we say, somewhat lacking. Once finished, we can put it behind us as the search and rescue mission commences.
The mission is complicated when Jabba is informed that the Jedi are actually behind the abduction. This adds a little more drama to the mission, not to mention the introduction of a little intrigue back on Coruscant, the seat of power in the Republic.
You know, when it comes right down to it, this is not a very good movie — although, I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy it. It does not rise to the heights that the film series rose to, but it has its good points, just like anything.
The problems lie with the story. Seriously, who cares about Jabba's son? Where is Jabba's wife? It just strikes me as a story that was forced into the universe. I am sure they could have come up with a better story to tell here. Hopefully, when the series launches this fall, the stories will be improved.
Article comments
1 - Jen
Whew, I feel better now. I had a scheduling conflict and missed that press screening-- you definitely made me happy to wait for video! Thanks, Chris!
2 - Valerie Atherton
Amazing article, Mr. Beaumont. If you can read the review I wrote, I would be thrilled!
V