TV Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - "Ambush" - Page 2

The anticipated night came. In full geek mode (Star Wars 32 oz Slurpee glasses and Darth Vader sippy cups from Episode III in hand) my kids and I sat and watched the debut episode of Clone Wars, the animated series on Cartoon Network. First, let me say I enjoy the revamped soundtrack. One grows weary of the trumpeting racket the original score offers after thirty plus years and this new rendition segues well into the opening sequences.

The opening sequence is something of a treat (though seemingly like everything else in Star Wars it is not perfect). Hearkening back to the newsreels of World War II, the opening sequence gives a brief snapshot of the galaxy’s events. Centering only on the episode though with this newsreel technique is a little distracting. It would be nice to see a more panoramic view of the war that is somehow supposed to be horrendous. Tartakovsky managed to show how lethal the war was in the brief time he had. It is a pity this sequence couldn’t be better utilized.

From there it is straight into the action. That is actually one of the central strengths of this 30-year-old series. Despite the endless writing and re-writing of Clone Wars history, we at least know the characters well enough that we do not need the ramp-up introductions other series might.

The first episode, "Ambush," involves a meeting master Yoda has with that flying guy from Episode I. (He was the guy that owned Anakin, a cross between a blue baby elephant and Tinker Bell’s really ugly big sister.) Seems Master Yoda has good relations with these guys, too.

I won’t go into the specifics. Suffice it to say plans go awry and Yoda and a small squad of clones are left to fend for themselves. Action is key to a series like this and we get it in abundance. As the action began I was scared of the sanitized violence from my cartoon heyday where ten tons of lasers could fly indiscriminately and no bodies would catch them. This was prominent in the old GI Joe cartoons where the bad guys even had time to leap out of exploding helicopters so as not to get hurt! (Maybe that is where Hollywood’s notion of outrunning explosions came from.) Thankfully this is not the case in Clone Wars. Troopers, and not just the metal kind, do take the rounds. They get shot, beat, and pretty well messed up. Nice touch there.

Article Author: Tim Girard

Tim Girard is a mental gymnyst. He thinks too much and writes too little and enjoys caffeine with his sugar. When he isn't busy saving the world he is out writing. Good thing he doesn't write too much.

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