Clone Wars Special Edition DVD review

The Film:

Before you tell us about Clone Wars, what type of Star Wars fan are you?

Donny: I am a huge Star Wars geek. I was a member of the fan club when I was a kid, and I still have lots of my toys and stuff from those precious days (even my Revenge of the Jedi hat patch and poster). I played with the toys daily (still do but now I blame it on my son), read the comics, and eagerly awaited each and every Star Wars movie, even the weak prequels. I’m relatively positive I’ve even pulled off the Jedi mind trick once or twice as well.

Jon: I love Star Wars, always will. I even named my dog Chewbacca. Yes, perhaps I’m a geek but ‘A New Hope’ was a pivotal film in my childhood. It tapped into my imagination and floored me with some awesome visual effects. This and King Kong (1933) got me into all this film business, let alone my art degree I got, so yes, the Force is with me.

How do you feel about the Prequels?

Jon: This is where my love of Star Wars gets a bit murky. Episode I is bad. Yes, John Williams’ score is awesome (‘Duel of Fate’), Darth Maul is totally badass, and well that’s it. I seriously don’t think they needed to tell this story. If Lucas would have summarized the happenings and started out with Anakin as a teen, it would have been better. He aimed it a kids, a big mistake to the diehards. There’s nothing wrong with aiming stuff at kids, but the original trilogy was PG anyway, so I don’t see why he did that. Another thing Lucas should’ve done was have a secondary writer help him through some of that horrible dialogue. You know, as much as Jar Jar gets ripped on, over the years he doesn’t bother me as much as that damn kid playing Anakin. ‘Are you an angel?’ that sends shivers down my spine in the most groan inducing way.

I could go on and on how bad Episode I is; Jedi’s being summarized with having extra chromosomes, to silly side characters, to generally how boring the film was, but at least Episode II shows improvement. Lucas had a better grip on the action; the story was more rewarding to what is the whole point of these films: Anakin’s dark descent in to Vader. But it still has its problems. It takes too long to get going and still features some stale dialogue. But the action is top-notch; seeing Yoda in a fight is a geek spasm and Dooku is somewhat interesting as a villain. Episode III is the Prequels high point for sure and thank whoever because fan boys would’ve destroyed Lucas for ruining the birth of Vader.

Another fabulous John Williams score, lightsaber fights to end all lightsaber fights, better acting and dialogue, and just an overall good film. While it has a few flaws (mostly how quick they wrap up everything and Vader’s long ‘Nooooo!’ at the end), Episode III at least made the whole thing kind of worth it. I do think there was room for improvement and ideas left unexplored, but I’m not Lucas. I’m not that big of a Lucas basher, but I can when I see fit and Episode I is beyond excusable.

Donny: I’m not a fan of the prequels. I don’t hate them, but they don’t measure up to the original trilogy. Without going into great detail about what makes me dislike them, because Jon pretty much sums it up, I am going to say that none of the prequels are in my DVD collection.

Have you seen those Samurai Jack styled cartoons based on the Clone Wars?

Donny: I really enjoyed the cartoons. I thought that they handled the material with respect, and didn’t alienate the vast audience of middle aged fans that pay for anything with the “Star Wars” moniker on it.

Jon: Yes, there pretty cool although nothing to rush out and see. After Episode I and II being from bad to okay, I got a little depressed and perhaps fatigued from this universe. But they’re decent watch.

Now, what about this film?

Jon: Originally intended to be the pilot episode for an upcoming animated series, Lucas saw fit to release it on the big screen. Outside of some pretty cool action, the story feels too small for a feature on the big screen. Also, despite promise in ‘III’, ‘Clone Wars’ takes a step back and features some ridiculously cheesy dialogue. It’s as bad as Episode I, seriously and is aimed totally at children (damn you Lucas). All of the Star Wars films begin with that scrolling text catching you up on what has happened. Not here. Instead they feature an annoying narrator, one who acts like it’s a newsreel footage narration, to tell us what is happening since Episode II.

Some people have commented on how the prequels felt like Lucas is making this up as he goes. Well, the should watch this because Anakin now gets a young pad wan (never to be mentioned again in any further Star Wars films), Jabba has a son, there’s a new Sith to be dealt with, and you will see Jabba’s uncle who acts gay (I thought it was his aunt for the longest time). On a plus side, the animation isn’t as bad as I thought. There’s some nice work in the backgrounds and the action is handled really well. I found Kevin Kiner’s score to be quite sexy. No, it’s not John Williams (who can be?), so there was an initial detachment I had for it. He’s more mood based than Williams, who used music to highlight the operatic themes, but the score, once you can settle down with it is quite good.

Back to the dialogue, I found anything coming out of Ahsoka to be horrible. Everything from her nicknames (for Anakin and Jabba’s son), to her quips, to her overall attitude, which is aimed again to bring kids in. Kill her off. I think I tired of all this Clone Wars stuff. Give us stories before Episode IV or during the OT because I think I can speak for most fans when I say we are very close to being down with this Prequel stuff, George.

Donny: This flick is basically Hannah Montana trying to become a Jedi instead of a singer. I did not enjoy it, not one bit, but I can see where children will love every cheesy second of it, and children shouldn’t be the target audience here. There’s a character named stinky in this movie for God’s sake, not to mention a transsexual Hutt character, which is just nasty. He looked like a slug with lip gloss that talked with a bad accent.

Also, I think the score blew goats. Come on, it didn’t sound like a Star Wars score, sure the notes were there, but that’s about it. And I’m going to disagree with Jon on the action in the film as well, in my opinion it sucked. The action sequences felt rushed, like they didn’t have enough time to plan out where each blast was supposed to go, or how big each box a character hides under is supposed to be. Over all I was extremely unhappy with this film, and am not looking forward to the series.

Will you watch this upcoming Clone Wars TV series?

Donny: I’m a Star Wars fan, so yes I’m going to tune in, hoping that it’ll be better than the weak-tit flick they are labeling as a pilot.

Jon: Yes, for the most part (when my midi-chlorians are high again).

Are you still a Star Wars fan?

Jon: Yes, Original Trilogy forever, Prequel Trilogy has been going down.

Donny: I am an always will be a Star Wars fan. Note to George, sir with all due respect, the Clone War story line has been played out to mixed results. So why don’t you turn your focus onto other parts of your wonderful universe that have nothing to do with the Clone Wars or the characters that we fan boys love so much. Maybe something like Rogue Squadron?

 

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Star Wars has always been known for its bombastic sound mixes and this film is no different. Loud, rich, bass heavy, all in all a great mix for DVD. I don’t think anyone who popped in this disc would expect anything less than a superb, rich, colorful picture and we get that. If I liked the film more, I would be more willingly to see the Blu Ray, which must be definition amazing. This is a great looking and sounding DVD.

A Creative Conversation: This is just an audio commentary with the director Dave Filoni and writer, editor, producer in which they discuss pretty all facets of this film. They also discuss George Lucas, his involvement and Ziro the Hutt, in which they are celebratory of it. Gasp! Ugh, but you appreciate their enthusiasm regardless. Decent track.

Untold Stories: Nearly a half an hour long this feature basically defends further exploration of the Clone Wars and features Lucas and Dave Filoni. While I am not convinced still, it’s a good listen and watch. Make up your own minds, I guess.

Voices of Star Wars: Clone Wars: This is a pretty neat feature that showcases the voice actors as they slip into character and out. Voice acting seems to be a lost art form with almost every major animated film now days featuring big name actors, so I really appreciated this.

A New Score: While Donny really disliked Kevin Kiner’s score, I did like it, a lot actually, and here we see him at work. I think stuff like this is educational and an important aspect that gets frequently over-looked.

Webisodes, a Gallery, trailers, and some Deleted Scenes round out this two disc special edition.

Well, it’s Star Wars but this one will test even the most die-hard, unfortunately. It’s purely for kids, but the animation is slick and the set has some neat extras, so rent before buying, even at that be forewarned.

Grade?

Donny: *

Jon: * ½

Rating: