"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" was directed by Dave Filoni, who reduces George Lucas' franchise to a series of light-sabre battles and action scenes. Of course this is exactly what the kids want, but the overall effect is more akin to a niccotine addiction than actual art, cool fights, pretty explosions and slick spaceships rolled out like Pavolovian commands. The Force is itself no longer a pseudo-religion, but simply a means of pushing or pulling your opponent during combat. Likewise, the franchise's heroes are no longer characters, but avatars who serve no other purpose than to dish out and receive abuse. There's something very pornographic about a cartoon which exists solely to package futuristic war scenes for kids.
Still, there's about twenty minutes of good cinema here, including a pair of memorable battles and some nice art direction. The film's dialogue is less annoying than Lucas' prequels, and it's fast paced and very briskly told.
The thing that always interested me about "Star Wars", though, were the franchise's environments, landscapes, architectural designs and cultures. The original "Star Wars" was cool because it hinted at a large universe. You felt as though you could point the camera anywhere and discover some fascinating eco-system packed with oddball aliens and weird machinery. It sparked your imagination. Decades later and we still haven't explored the nooks and cranies of this vast universe. Instead we distill it down to 10 minute long lightsabre duels and boring violence. It's all very unimaginative.
6.5/10 - This is essentially "Saving Private Ryan" for kids. One vertical battle along a mountain face is pretty interesting, other than that, the plot simply exists to usher in the next battle scene. Male kids will love it, but this is disposable cinema with a limited shelf life.
Still, there's about twenty minutes of good cinema here, including a pair of memorable battles and some nice art direction. The film's dialogue is less annoying than Lucas' prequels, and it's fast paced and very briskly told.
The thing that always interested me about "Star Wars", though, were the franchise's environments, landscapes, architectural designs and cultures. The original "Star Wars" was cool because it hinted at a large universe. You felt as though you could point the camera anywhere and discover some fascinating eco-system packed with oddball aliens and weird machinery. It sparked your imagination. Decades later and we still haven't explored the nooks and cranies of this vast universe. Instead we distill it down to 10 minute long lightsabre duels and boring violence. It's all very unimaginative.
6.5/10 - This is essentially "Saving Private Ryan" for kids. One vertical battle along a mountain face is pretty interesting, other than that, the plot simply exists to usher in the next battle scene. Male kids will love it, but this is disposable cinema with a limited shelf life.