the clone wars: a review

well it happened...something i never thought would happen again: i saw a new star wars movie in theaters. i figured one day i would see the saga special edition with my children or something like that, but not a brand new movie. but alas, the clone wars opened yesterday, and in true fandom form i dressed up for the premiere. now, for a bit of a review:

the good

two words: ahsoka tano. this little padawan is freaking awesome. she was able to deliver the humor jar jar binks was intended to bring while still being a foil character for anakin. she is truly an adept fighter, and we get to see some new things from her (including the fabled reverse-grip lightsaber stance).

the plot, though a bit sketchy at times, is overall pretty solid. while many will malign the idea of rescuing the son of jabba the hutt, it provides opportunities for anakin to grow through his hatred and to mature in the view of his padawan. the lightsaber battles are exciting as are the new battles seen on christophsis, teth, and in space.

it is excellent to see some of ralph mcquarries original concept designs reincorporated into this movie (like the back of jabba's palace and the markings of captain rex's helmet).

additionally, the role and function of the clone troopers is incredibly well portrayed. we get to see them breaking outside the boxes they were grown in. they fight with courage. that said, it is also exciting to see them die. there is some distinct carnage in this movie, and it makes the clone wars seem more real(ish).

the bad

ziro the hutt. jabba's traitorous uncle is the star wars version of truman capote. it just doesnt translate very well. he/she (hutts are hermaphrodites) speaks basic (english) instead of huttese and is a bit whiny. my jaw literally dropped the moment ziro spoke for the first time. it was painful.


battle droids should not have inflection or question orders. they are droids for the love of god. the only slight redemption (and i mean SLIGHT) is that the super battle droids at least had deep voices here as opposed to the whiny ones from episode 3.

conclusion

great movie. honestly. i really enjoyed it, and i plan on seeing it a couple more times before it comes out of theaters. 3 out of 4 stars in my book. the soundtrack, though not john williams, fits the movie well. it's nice to have a different take on the series. the animation is superb and artistic. i really can't wait for the tv series to begin.