My mixed feelings toward The Clone Wars movie

  When Star Wars: The Clone Wars hit theaters in 2008 it was almost universally reviled. Critics bashed it, the fans dismissed it, and it underperformed at the box office. Then the TV show came along. It too met with much skepticism at first but, as it went on, those who decided to stick with it and watch it found it to be a well-made, entertaining cartoon. So how does the movie hold up in retrospect? Did it set up the show well? Were the critics and fans just burned out from the prequels and close-minded about this new direction for the franchise? These are the questions I hope to answer in this review.

  So why am I writing this now? Well, the Clone Wars movie was recently added to Netflix along with the show (the previously unreleased 6th season is available only on Netflix), so me and my brother decided to re-watch the movie and all 6 seasons of the show and I figured I may as well review them. Interestingly enough I did not see the Clone Wars movie when it was first released. I wasn't even interested in Star Wars at the time (believe it or not my parents didn't allow me to watch the films until I was 16, in 2010). I only saw it, out of curiosity, after watching the first couple of seasons of the show and so had a slightly different perspective from people who would have seen it for the first time in theaters.

  Alot of critics said that it felt like a glorified pilot for the show, and it does pretty much feels like a three episode story arc (though each episode would be a little longer than an actual one). Because of this I've decided to review the film in three separate segments before talking about it in general.

  Segment 1: The Battle for Christophsis
  Summary: After setting up the main plot in a narration (Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped and the republic hopes to help him so he'll let them use his trade routes in the outer rim) the film turns to Christophsis, where Obi Wan and Anakin are leading the clones against the separatists. They're having communication problems and can't call in reinforcements. Obi Wan's new apprentice assigned by master Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, arrives but insists she is assigned to Anakin. The droids attack under the protection of a shield. Anakin and Ahsoka take out this shield while Obi Wan and the clones hold off the droids. Obi Wan fakes a surrender to the separatist commander to stall for time. When the shield is destroyed the battle quickly ends with the Jedi victorious. Yoda then arrives and informs Obi Wan and Anakin of the situation with Jabba's son. Anakin and Ahsoka are tasked with finding him and Obi Wan flies to Tatoonie to assure Jabba of the Republic's support.
  Thoughts: The most promising thing about this film was the possibility of finally getting a better look at the clone wars. While this battle delivers some of that it's a little underwhelming. Ahsoka is ok. Her and Anakin's name calling (she calls him Sky Guy and he calls her Snips) gets old fast but their relationship is actually set up fairly well. He's reluctant to take on a padawan but is impressed by her spunk and, to some extent, sees his own rebellious nature in her. She is eager to please but doesn't always listen and is a bit reckless. I also like some of the banter between Obi Wan and Anakin, though there's not enough of it.  Oh yea and Captain Rex (a clone trooper) says the D-word, setting an early precedent for some of the more adult stuff we'd get on the show.

  Segment 2: The Monastery on Teth
  Summary: Anakin and Ahsoka lead the clones in an assault on a monastery on the planet of Teth where they hope to find Jabba's son. After taking out the droid garrison they enter the monastery and find Jabba's son only to discover that he's ill. Count Dooku's apprentice, Assaj Ventress, is directed by him to obtain incriminating footage of the Jedi, hoping to frame them for Rota's disappearance and return him to Jabba himself, thus gaining his support for the separatist alliance. She then ambushes the Jedi with an army of droids, trying to obtain Rota from them. Anakin and Ashoka escape and Obi Wan arrives just in time to reinforce the clones. He engages Ventress who makes her own escape.
  Thoughts: Assaj Ventress was first introduced in the Clone Wars micro series (I think). Having never watched this series (I'd like to at one point) or read any comics or novels she was in I'm not sure if she is faithfully portrayed here but her character is alright, though not that interesting. The best thing I can say is that it nicely sets up her rivalry with Obi Wan for later on. It also creates a sort of duality between her and Ashoka as they are both apprentices (to masters who are or will be seduced by the dark side). The initial battle for the monastery is fairly exciting and well done, though there's way too much annoying droid chatter. The later battle between the droids and the ambushed clones is not as good as the film fails to create the tension the situation calls for.

  Segment 3: Tatooine and Ziro the Hutt
  Summary: Padme, learning about Anakin's mission, decides to help him by contacting Jabba's uncle, Ziro the Hutt, who lives in the underworld on Coruscant. She catches him speaking with Dooku on a hologram and learns that he is conspiring with Dooku to overthrow his nephew. She is caught and thrown in prison but manages to send a message to C3PO, who sends Clones to rescue her and arrest Ziro. Meanwhile, Anakin and Ahsoka arrive on Tatooine where they hope to deliver Jabba's son to him. They're ship is shot down and they are forced to trek across the desert. Anakin decides to send Ahsoka and R2D2 with Rota to Jabba's palace alone and in secret while he carries a decoy Rota on a different route. Dooku intercepts him and they fight. Ahsoka is ambushed by magnaguards and struggles to fight them off. Dooku show's Anakin his struggling Padawan on a hologram and Anakin steals Dooku's speeder and races off to save her. He arrives at Jabba's Palace and, not seeing his Padawan around, threatens Jabba, demanding to know where she is. Ahsoka arrives with Rota, and Jabba, enraged at being threatened and still believing that the Jedi are plotting against him, tells his men to execute both of the Jedi. In the nick of time Padme contacts Jabba, informing him of Ziro's treachery and Dooku's deception. Ziro admits to these crimes and Jabba agrees to allow the Republic to use his trade routes.
  Thoughts: I appreciate the continued development of Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship here. He is reluctant to answer questions about his past and he shows increased confidence in her when he sends her out on her own. This confidence is rewarded when she defeats Dooku's magnaguards to complete her mission. On a more negative note the Zirro subplot feels a little rushed and thrown in and Ventress does not reappear after her escape in the second act.

  The film was criticized for having stilted dialogue. I would agree with this for the most part. Alot of it is mundane exposition and there's alot of clumsy references to the live-action films (At one point Obi Wan say's "If anybody can fly a bucket of bolts through hyperspace, he can.") and annoying lines from Ashoka and the battle droids. However there are some decent exchanges between Anakin and Ahsoka and also between Obi Wan and Ventress. There's also a line that I can't help but feel might be a jab at the prequels: Anakin: "I don't want to talk about my past. Ashoka: "Okay, fine. There's so much more we can talk about out here. Like the sand."
 The animation in this film is notoriously clunky. The character designs are meant to resemble wood carvings from Rankin and Bass stop motion films and definitely take some getting used to. The real problem is that the movements often look stiff and the visuals and lighting are generally cheap looking. Another big problem with the movie is that the film feels like it should have been a three part episode rather than a fully realized film. Not only is the plot episodic it just feels unimportant. Rescuing Jabba the Hutt's son to secure trade routes seems like a really minor issue in the overall Star Wars universe. Besides this it's hard to really care about or even fully understand the story. Does Palpatine want the trade routes for the republic? If so does Dooku know this? Is Dooku really planning to help Ziro seize power or is he just using him? Regardless of the answer to these questions, Palpatine can just use whatever outcome takes place to his advantage so why does it really matter in the end?

  Fortunately, though the story doesn't impress, the main characters are, for the most part, likable and this makes you want to route for them despite the convoluted plot. Anakin is much more likable here than in the prequels, partly because, I think putting him in a leadership position gives him an opportunity to show more admirable qualities rather than just whining all the time. Ashoka does get annoying with her excessive use of nicknames, but her spunk does make her somewhat likable (I may be biased as I've grown to know her character better over the show's six seasons). The villains, especially Ventress, are appropriately threatening and we get introduced to Captain Rex who here is pretty much just a cooler-than-average clone, but becomes more interesting in the show. The voice actors are not as comfortable with their roles as they'll become in the show, but their fine for the most part. The score by Kevin Kiner, though it's not quite John Williams, is still very good and one of the stronger elements in the film.
  Overall, despite its sloppy pacing and overly complex plot, the Clone Wars movie manages to be a decent if forgettable set up for the show. If you are interested in watching the show, this is a good a place as any to start. Otherwise you can probably skip it.

Score: 6.5/10

Coming soon: Clone Wars Season 1 review.