Along time ago, in a theater not far away creator/director George Lucas gave us a little space saga named Star Wars. It spawned one of the most well known media franchises in entertainment history. And for better or worse, George had more story to tell as he bought use three additional prequel films. Debates on the quality of these films aside, the fabled Clone Wars (briefly mentioned in the original trilogy) became the next extension of the Star Wars saga. Well, sort of. The Clone Wars CG animated film occurs between Episodes 2 and 3 of the Star Wars saga. It chronicles the war between the Republic and their Jedi protectors against the Separatist forces of Count Dooku. The film opens with Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker assisting Clone troopers against Separatist forces on the planet Christophsis. Anakin, Kenobi, and a young Padawan named Ahsoka Tano are eventually victorious against the enemy but the war is far from over. Jabba the Hut has asked the Republic’s help in retrieving his missing son. In return Jabba will allow Republic forces to pass safely through Hut space. A strategic advantage that the Republic needs in their war with the Separatist. Anakin and his Padawan Ahsoka are sent to recover the young Hut while Kenobi goes to negotiate with Jabba. Meanwhile, Count Dooku (with the aid of his master Darth Sidious) has crafted a plan to turn Jabba against the Republic.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ theatrical release was not well received by the critics. That’s not new. Anything not animated by Pixar, Dreamworks or Disney tends not to be well received by the media elite. But some Star Wars fans were not impressed as well. Why the negative reaction for STAR WARS? I’ll get to that in a minute. The less than positive word of mouth contributed to The Clone Wars less than stellar box office performance. It fared better than sci-fi animated films like Titan A.E. and The Iron Giant. Finishing around $35 million it was surprising to me that it barely bested Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and slightly behind Disney’s Treasure Planet. We’re talking Space Chimps box office territory folks for a movie labeled Star Wars. Why?

A few possible reasons. The Clone Wars was meant to introduce us to the new television series. Personally I think it felt like a string of twenty-two minute episodes combined into a movie. I think it would of worked better on TV but it was not a theater worthy storyline. I heard several complaints from Star Wars fans. Some are nit picky fan boy stuff but others are more relevant. The introduction of Ahsoka as Anakin’s padawan was jarring to me. Understandable if you knew the television series was coming but a bit of a head scratcher at the time. Surprisingly I was not annoyed by the ‘kid Jedi character’ (she is actually growing on me as I watch the television series). That honor went to the plot surrounding Jabba’s son. It just didn’t work for me. Perhaps for an episode of the television show but as a thread for a theatrical movie . . . nay. And lastly, this is a war movie consisting most of a series of battles. Very well done action scenes but nothing that moves the Star Wars narrative forward.

I think kids will enjoy The Clone Wars. It isn’t the intergalactic train wreck that I heard it was. I like the character design homage to the 2003 Clone Wars Cartoon Network Studios series. The light saber duels should please even the most casual Star Wars fan. Completist should still pick this movie up on DVD. It probably won’t get too many repeat viewings but if you survived the mediocre The Phantom Menance, then The Clone Wars should be a breeze. If you were disappointed by this film, give the television series a chance. A definite improvement.

Studio: Lucasfilms
Release: 2008
Rating: PG
Length: 98 minutes
Genre: sci-fi
Official Site: The Clone Wars