BRED FOR SUCCESS??
“STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS”
Written by Henry Gilroy, Steve Melching and Scott Murphy
Produced by Catherine Winder
Executive Produced by George Lucas
Directed by Dave Filoni
Made by LUCASFILM. Distributed by WARNER BROTHERS. 2008
One and only worldwide theatrical release from August 2008.
First UK satellite television screenings on SKY BOX OFFICE from 19th January 2009.
Review by Scott Weller
“Faster, more intense” reaches new heights for George Lucas in his first foray into animated adventure for the STAR WARS SAGA…
And there was I thinking I’d never see a new STAR WARS movie at the cinema again.
How wrong can you be in four years!!!
However, this STAR WARS animated experience, being transferred from a TV series and now on to movie form, has now understandably created expectations the film-makers have to live up to that are as strong as any of those for the live action Prequel adventures. Can THE CLONE WARS successfully deliver the goods to its expected worldwide audiences, and the legions of die hard STAR WARS fans?
Well….bold, colourful and beautiful to look at, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS deserves several viewings to absorb all the rich detail that Dave Filoni and the animators have done with the film-and if the TV series is anything like this, and maintains such high quality production values and story-telling, then I, and hopefully all of you out there, will really be well and truly blown away by it on a weekly basis.
The pace for the film was, for the most part, excellent, though there were a couple of times when you could feel that the story was a couple of TV episodes put together with a larger framing device, and bigger scale action, to make it into a movie- it didn’t feel like the film had an organic plot. The story, to me anyway, was not overly complicated (as some of the UK film critics here have seem to have implied), and basic enough to follow for the younger audience members, but not too overly simplistic as to turn away the adults, either. There were some parts of the dialogue that felt a bit forced and there were scenes I didn’t think were needed (it could have been perhaps five to ten minutes shorter), but there was always the amazing visuals and high octane action to compensate for any deficiencies for the older audience members. In fact, some of the Prequel haters out there may enjoy the fast paced nature of this medium more than the live action films!!
I must also say I’m still a little bit confused as to how far exactly this film and TV series subsequently goes in the CLONE WARS chronology/time line-as some parts of the continuity in the film matched events just after EPISODE II and some bits matched just before EPISODE III.
There is obviously, a whole world of difference between what can be done between the two universe of film and animation, and Director Dave Filoni makes some very brave, and totally correct choices, whilst carefully not breaking anything that doesn’t seriously need fixing, with some of those differences. He has a very nice directorial style as well in his STAR WARS debut which actually isn’t (he’d already worked on twenty two odd episodes of the weekly animated series before this one!!), and he shows himself as a true fan who has pretty much captured Lucas’s visual essence/house style for the Prequels and added his own successful slant on the Saga to the mix as well. The believability of the Clone Wars battles, as first seen in ATTACK OF THE CLONES, is heightened further by the film-maker-like the opening battle scene at Christophosis, which is terrific, and has some nice touches, like when the Republic cannons discharge, the picture/view from the animator’s camera shakes -watching it I felt I was jumping with it as well!!
I was a little disappointed with the lack of an opening crawl, though-for me this is STAR WARS, and I think that as one final send off they could have shown it before retiring it as they have for the weekly animated TV series. I also missed the FOX logo-but hey, they blew it, and WARNERS took the risks, so good luck to ‘em!! However, I didn’t mind the new funky shorthand drum version of the main STAR WARS theme by John Williams (for my thoughts on the music score by Kevin (CSI: MIAMI) Kiner, see the separate review on this site, but overall I thought it worked well with the visuals rather than listening to it on its own. John Williams main character themes were much missed and only two, apart from the revised main theme, appear briefly within the movie, which is a bit of a shame).
The World War II style PATHE newsreel voiceover intro on the state of play with the CLONE WARS saga wasn’t a bad idea, either, but I didn’t like the too cheesy posh voice over person narrating-it may have been nice to do some kind of intro like the 1940’s World War II newsreel style, but perhaps with more of a modern technological edge, seeing what was happening on news video cards/display screens. Everything that was mentioned very briefly at he beginning of the film was so exciting that I wanted to see more of it-the kidnapping of Jabba’s son was wasted- and I wanted to discover all about the intriguing alien ship that snatched the Sail Barge away, though I was impressed with the stark originality of the voiceovers of the Clone Soldiers in action-fighting/ dying on the battlefront over the main LUCASFILM logo preceeding the intro.
This film was mostly wall to wall action, anyway, and in that sense it delivered- all being pretty breathtaking-the battle of Teth, and the Republic forces ascending the mountain (which, I bet, the films writers had been inspired from seeing the Roger Moore JAMES BOND film FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, in which Bond and some Greek mercenaries have to climb up a highly dangerous mountain peak to reach a monastery housing the bad guys!!!), previously shown at CELEBRATION JAPAN and leaked out for a short period on YOUTUBE, being a highlight of any STAR WARS adventure, live or animated. The lightsaber duels were also very well co-ordinated, and I really enjoyed Dooku versus Anakin, and Ahsoka’s desert fight with his droid bodyguards. The battle for Christophosis, as seen at the film’s opening was also superb (and the moving outward deflector shield scene, a nice nod to THE PHANTOM MENACE, had its moments of excitement-loved Anakin and Ahsoka deflecting the Droidekas blast whilst edging backwards from floor level) and it really makes a difference seeing all those sequences on the big screen, in a digital presentation. And let’s not forget the scene on the Stap with Anakin leaping from one to the other in mid-air-it was fantastic in the trailer, on the big screen at CELEBRATION IV, and it was just as impressive now!! In this movie we really get a sense of how powerful and determined Anakin was as a fighter in the conflict, something that is only partially alluded to in EPISODE III. There were also some nice moments of atmosphere, like the tense build up to Anakin and Ahsoka’s arrival on Teth in the Republic Gunship as they see for themselves what they’re up against.
Amazing sequences weren’t just confined to the ground but in the air as well, with the equally exciting space battles, too-especially the ones involving them in planetary atmospheres-all of the heavy cruisers and fighter craft looked so realistic to me in combat, at times even better than some of the work in EPISODE II and III.
On the down side, some of the film’s humour fell a bit flat for me, but it worked fine for the younger audience it was intended for (i.e. the scene with Obi-Wan captured and, in a bid to buy time, talking to the Separatist General on Geonosis). I preferred the quieter visual jokes like the ones with the Jawas on Tatooine and the scene where all the bounty hunters heads are delivered back to Jabba the Hutt, rather than the Battle Droid gags which didn’t work all that well (just as they didn’t in the Prequel Saga live action movies, either!!). Ziro the Hutt I wasn’t a great fan of, either-perhaps because he lacked the alien-ness of Jabba and came across as more of a kind of quirky character you might found in a more modern DISNEY movie or DREAMWORKS production. More SHREK than STAR WARS for me!! Little Rotta the Huttlet, however, was quite fun and tolerable, and that portion of the film, a mixture of funny and dramatic moments with the character having to be rescued and taken to back to Jabba was done well for the most part.
The THUNDERBIRDS/CAPTAIN SCARLET-esque likenesses of our favourite STAR WARS characters worked well in the movie, and I hope British producing pioneer Gerry Anderson is thrilled to hear that the STAR WARS creators have used his amazing 1960’s puppet shows as an inspiration, despite a bit of a backlash from some critics that they look too primitive, for THE CLONE WARS.
Of the revised Prequel characters, and their transfer to the new medium, Anakin Skywalker has been adapted considerably, I thought, and his new visual and aesthetic sensibilities may surprise die hard Hayden Christensen fans a bit-he’s tougher edged and cocky in the animated adventures, almost a cross between Luke and Han Solo from the Classic Trilogy (and brought to vocal life well by HEROES villain Matt Lanter), whilst new character Ahsoka definitely, despite her youth, has some of Leia’s feisty traits. I was pleasantly surprised that Ahsoka, the new Jedi Padawan character, voiced by Ashley Eckstein, turned out much better than expected (the character acquitting herself well as the kind of young spokesperson for the equally youthful young audience of fans out there in the cinema), and her relationship with Anakin works well in this medium, thought it wouldn’t have worked, I feel, in the Live Action universe. although to me, I don’t really consider their pairing a part of the official STAR WARS cannon, though LUCASFILM and Lucas are treating it as such, at least not just yet (I may just convert once the series episodes start airing). I find it hard to believe that the Anakin of the Live Action film series would take a Padawan learner at any stage-he was too self-centered, or I thought, too cemented to Obi-Wan’s side. But in the animated series, with their necessary changes to open up the character, the modifications made work well, especially for the younger audience in the scene where he and Ahsoka try to get one up on the other verbally or physically whilst in combat.
But, as a warning to the Producers, if they are going to proceed with this Master/Padawan learner relationship for Anakin, I hope they have the courage of their convictions and that they don’t bottle out of their eventual resolutions/fates for both characters. Surely there will come a point where Ahsoka won’t survive ORDER 66? If not ORDER 66, then Anakin will surely have to hunt her down as Darth Vader. Despite my liking of her character, should Ahsoka survive into her own spin-offs I’ll be disappointed, and if they are keeping to the live action series cannon, then surely a lot of darkness will have to creep into the Animated Show as it reaches its final episodes?
James Arnold Taylor’s vocal return as Obi-Wan Kenobi, after his duties on the earlier original CLONE WARS animated shorts, was most welcome, and up to his usual high standards in impersonating Ewan McGregor, though I felt the Obi-Wan character was a bit short changed in the film now that Ahsoka had been introduced (of which a couple of dialogue bits in that section, relating to her taking over from him, also felt a bit over forced). I hope he gets more meaty stuff to do in the TV series rather than just being the cleaner up of Anakin’s messes, as Asajj Ventress alludes to his character being within the actual movie itself.
Padme was terrific and Catherine Taber did a terrific job bringing her to life in a style consistent with Natalie Portman’s performance in the Live Action movies, thought I thought it took far too long to introduce her characters presence in the film-I missed her greatly in the first three quarters, and it was a lonnng wait for her to appear, to the point where I was seriously wondering if she was ever actually going to be in it.
Artoo Detoo’s flying abilities continue to amaze, and he’s got a revised look in this new series, but he’s just as brave, reliable and fun as ever. Anthony Daniels, thankfully, also returns as Threepio, and is as good as ever in the part. With his involvement as Threepio over the last thirty years, Daniels is now totally irreplaceable- no one else could ever do the voice over for the golden Protocol Droid-its either Daniels or nothing. It was a nice cameo but, like Ben Kenobi, I hope we have more for such a popular character as his in the not too distant future.
Nice to see Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu, too, though I was frustrated that everyone’s favourite purple lightsaber wielding master was more superfluous to the plot than Threepio, and really only had four lines of unimportant dialogue and very little to do (it is unknown if Sam the Man is doing the voice of Mace in the series. Let’s hope he is!!!). Though pleasant to see them, some of the other STAR WARS favourites were equally a bit under-used, as it was really more about Anakin and his new relationship with his Padawan. Yoda for example (he didn’t even use his lightsaber!!), and even Palpatine (nicely voiced by Ian Abercrombie, and of a standard worthy of McDiarmid. His characters new rendering was also particularly good!!!).
Fortunately for Prequel fans, there was one character that particularly shined, and ended up being in the movie and doing far more than I thought he would: the deliciously nasty Count Dooku. Christopher Lee’s immaculate, richly evil voice did a superb job of bringing the character to life almost beyond his also exceptionally drawn visual countenance. And he was the best voice actor of the film by far. All of Dooku’s scenes were terrific, more than making up for his all too-brief appearance at the beginning of EPISODE III, and I loved his duel with Anakin in the Tatooine desert where they were Force blasting sand at each other. The other Dark Side villain Asajj Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman) also transferred over well from the original Genndy Tartakovsky animated series and proved a durable villain foil for our heroes who I look forward to seeing more of in the series.
Special mention must also be made to the Clone Troopers (nice to see Commander Cody back for a cameo as well!!) who I had always just thought of as canon fodder in the Prequel live action films. This first feature length episode really developed these soldiers well, giving some of them, like their Commanding officers, their own unique characters, as well as showing them at their finest during the actual epic battle scenes-determined, brave and resourceful, fighting to the bitter end for the Republic (and there was some darkness in the cartoon as well-it wasn’t just cartoon violence-some of the Clone Troopers die horrific deaths which adds to the intensity of the drama-not a bad touch for a so-called kids film), I actually began to cheer for them- I liked the way that the new character of Captain Rex smashed up the Battle Droid as well, and there was the great scene where Anakin had no choice but to abandon his squad in order to get the ill Rotta the Huttlett off the planet-“The mission always comes first,” Rex informs Anakin. What a hero!!! Dee Bradley baker’s vocal talents for the Troopers was equally good- he sounded amazingly like Temeura Morrison –at one point I did a double take thinking it was the original actor speaking!!
One thing with the Clones that I think has to be straightened out relates to ORDER 66. This three year (possibly more?) run of the animated series will continue to show the bravery of the Clone Troopers and their loyalty to the Republic. In these years to come, they will strike up battle relationships, even friendships, with the Jedi, which makes it difficult for me to accept that, after everything they’ve been through with the Jedi General, that they would be so hyper-loyal, as Lucas has said in interviews, that they would just kill their co-fighters off so easily and with such acceptance. I’m much more agreeable to the idea that these soldiers would have been pre-conditioned (a la some kind of MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE plot device) to kill the Jedi when the war was over.
Rounding off the support, it was nice to see some of the background aliens and humanoid characters that we’ve loved on and off for the last thirty years, like the Nikto’s, Neimoidians, Rodians, a droid like IG-88, several of the other Jedi-like Dave Filoni’s favourite, Plo Koon, and Old Smiley himself, Kit Fisto- though what happened to the Gamorrean Guards in Jabba’s Palace?
And speaking of Jabba, the mighty slug gangster Jabba the Hutt was nicely recreated and was kept as loathsome and greedy as ever (and I liked the scene where Anakin brought his lightsaber to bear on the Hutt, something his son wouldn’t be able to do in the later RETURN OF THE JEDI). The baby Rotta was also pretty good and acceptable in this animated universe.
Sadly, however, there was no sign of General Grievous. As he was credited in some of the non STAR WARS website cast lists, and having seen pics of him and his presence in the first trailer shown at CELEBRATION IV, I was really looking forward to seeing what nastiness he’d be up to in these new adventures, as voiced by Matthew Wood. Ah well, at least he’s in the series…
As the lovely production design opens up the visual splendor of the movie, it also equally bears some further nice echoes of the past, present and future of the saga, as the Prequels did in foreshadowing the Classic Trilogy (you know what I mean!!!), like the DEATH STAR-esque corridors, instruments and lighting panels of certain Republic/Separatist cruisers. And the Republic navy officers wearing uniforms not unlike the ones later worn by Empire officers. On the fighter craft side, thought the Y-wing has not yet appeared (I really would have liked to have seen them in action on the big screen again rather than the TV. Ah well…), it was nice to see the B-wing like freighter performing moves that ILM could only have dreamed about filming in 1982/83 when they tried to use the vehicle in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The visual nods to Doug Chiang, Joe Johnston and Ralph McQuarrie (as recently noted by his people at DREAMS AND VISIONS PRESS) are equally great to see and add further visual richness and continuity.
Though mixed signals have been give to the press, it looks as if WARNER BROTHERS need for LUCASFILM to deliver a primer of great quality to launch the animated STAR WARS has paid off and this movie certainly delivered the goods, with all the expected thrills, though, in homage to Lucas’s silent endings to his STAR WARS movies, the film’s 98 minutes climaxes quite quickly without a wrap it up style ending-it just kind of stops with Rotta being delivered back to Jabba. But it does leave you wanting to see more, and that ain’t bad….
The weekly TV series can now continue to build on the STAR WARS action we’re used to, though they’ll be the time to allow for a greater detail, build up, depth and dimension to the individual stories and their characters, old and new, within their 22 minutes of length each.
Preaching to the converted the film may be, but I think families will enjoy this new piece of animated fare a lot better than some of the rubbish that has followed since the huge success of films like TOY STORY and THE LION KING. As the first full length animated feature from LUCASFILM, this is a terrific start and hits the ground running. I can’t wait to see what future STAR WARS and non STAR WARS projects will be coming our way from their new animation empire.
I think DREAMWORKS had better watch out for this new animation kid on the block….
AFICIONADO RATING: As a litmus paper test, THE CLONE WARS film works better as a launch pilot for the series than as an actual theatrical event, but its still great fun for STAR WARS fans of all ages. I would like to see another theatrical STAR WARS film (or several more, if the film proves a hit) where they can develop one main plot rather than sticking episodes from the series together. THE CLONE WARS is a terrific new start for the Saga and a nice counter-balance to the more serious, adult themed live action series due in 2010/11. 8 OUT OF 10.
