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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: Not Rated (for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking) Genre: Animated, Science Fiction Theater release: August 15, 2008 by Lucasfilm/Warner Bros. Directed by: Dave Filoni Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes Cast: Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Dee Bradley Baker (Clone Troopers), Tom Kane (Yoda), Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress), Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

Thrilling space battles and lightsaber duels aside, fanboys and girls love that brief exchange in the first Star Wars movie when Obi-Wan Kenobi talked to Luke about his father Anakin Skywalker, and how they fought together in many a battle during the Clone Wars. Though barely a minute's worth of dialogue, it was just enough to spark the imagination: You mean there's history to this story? What was Luke's father really like? And what in the world is a 'Clone War'?

Fans wanted to know and it helped pave the way for the three prequels that dealt with that period of Star Wars lore. Except creator/director George Lucas made one crucial mistake (among many)—he cheated fans out of the epic battles they were hoping to see. Attack of the Clones ends with the start of the Clone Wars, and Revenge of the Sith wraps it up about midway through. We see very little of the full-scale intergalactic war between droids and troopers in which Anakin distinguishes himself as a Jedi hero to the Republic.

Anakin Skywalker

Practically speaking, such a production would be tough to film. It took years before Lucas felt technology was ready to show large-scale battles through computer animation. So it only stands to reason that animation would also be used to tell the rest of the story in between Episodes II and III. Thus animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack) was commissioned to depict some of the Clone Wars through a micro-series of animated shorts. The overall response was very enthusiastic, due to the slick and stylish animation which, like Samurai Jack, told much of its story with minimal dialogue. I highly recommend it to Star Wars fans.

Now comes Star Wars: The Clone Wars, essentially a glorified pilot episode for the brand-new animated series from Lucasfilm Animation, beginning this fall. Lucas had a hand in the creative process as executive producer, but the film is helmed not by Tartakovsky, but Dave Filoni, whose only previous work is with the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The resulting look of the film is a sort of hybrid between the "realism" of the live-action CGI animation and the stylized comic book feel of Tartakovsky's hand-drawn series. Compromise is the key word here.

Padawan Ahsoka

For those familiar with the previous animated series, this film more or less takes place between the two seasons. For those who are at least familiar with the movies, it's enough to know that it takes place between Episodes II and III. And for those who haven't a clue (or care) about the Republic and Separatists, this is not your film.

After a short intro reminiscent of old 1940s news reels, we find Anakin and Obi-Wan with a contingent of clone troopers fully immersed in a heavy skirmish with hordes of droid armies. Master Yoda complicates matters for the two Jedi heroes by sending them Ahsoka Tano, a teenage Padawan apprentice assigned to serve under Anakin, studying the ways of the Force while helping to save the galaxy.

After the battle is over, the three are quickly assigned to another mission of vital importance: Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped. (Seriously?) If the Republic hopes to forge peace with the Hutt gangster clans in order to ensure safe trade passage, the Jedi must quickly recover Rotta the Huttlet (Seriously??). Yes, this is a plot with a gurgling, whimpering baby slug at the center—seriously. Little do our heroes suspect that evil Sith lord Count Dooku and his apprentice Asajj Ventress (from the first Clone Wars micro-series) are using this plot, under the orders of Darth Sidious, as means to discredit the Jedi with the Hutts.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Clone Wars is not bad, and not without its moments. The sequence where Anakin and Ahsoka lead troops in a battle up the side of a cliff is often breathtaking and clever. There are nighttime lightsaber duels framed against the light of a full moon that are stunning. And there are plentiful nods to classic moments from the beloved sci-fi saga, from sound effects and creature design to a few recurring musical motifs. And though most of the voice acting is handled by unknowns imitating the original actors—and doing a decent job of it—Samuel Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Anthony Daniels are on hand to reprise their iconic roles (as Mace Windu, Count Dooku, and C-3PO, respectively).

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