Dir. Dave Filoni, US, 2008, 98 mins
Cast: (voices) Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee
Review by Matthew Rodgers
In the tradition of Star Wars, this seventh big-screen outing for George Lucas’s blockbusting franchise can be viewed from two sides; those on the dark-side of the force will no doubt see it as a cynical cash cow that is so far from the humble simplicity of 1977 that it may as well be a 90-minute toy advert. Those of the Jedi persuasion will welcome a return to that galaxy far, far away, littered with political gobbledegook and the menagerie of new and familiar faces. Both sides of the argument would hold some weight in the senate council of reviewing, but strip away the numerous faults with Clone Wars (of which there are many) and there are few better experiences than hearing the clash of red and blue light sabres through the cinema’s surround-sound system.
Set between the patchy Attack of the Clones and the operatic brilliance of Revenge of the Sith, Clone Wars is set in a time of galactic turmoil (again), during which a pre-Vader, Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission to rescue Jabba the Hut’s kidnapped, tadpole-esque son (something of a Jar-Jar-Binks level annoyance). Meanwhile, the evil Count Dooku (still voiced with some oomph by Christopher Lee) and his Sith agents are plotting to gain control of the outer rim despite the best efforts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda. The whole gang are back, so why does this feel like a slightly overlong afterthought suited more to The Cartoon Network than the multiplex?
For a start the visuals are problematic; they are crisp and polished but no better than what can be seen on the multiple kids’ channels available these days. The characters move in an awkward action figure motion that’s off-putting enough without the blandness of their features. Emotion is conveyed solely through the relatively weak voice overs – Samuel L. Jackson and Lee aside – and although some may say this is fitting because of the stagy performances of the live action films, the prequels in particular, you have to rely on familiarity with Obi-Wan and Anakin from previous incarnations to actually care for their plights. The cheaper and more stimulating designs of Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 Cartoon Network mini-series were much more effective in their characterisations.
Clone Wars is an unmitigated success though when it comes to evoking memories of some of the series’ most iconic moments. Aside from the tiresome opening 20 minutes of repetitive laser battles across an uninspired landscape, the action is everything you’ve come to expect from the franchise. Anakin and Dooku duel on the barren desert of Tatooine whilst Obi-Wan fights the double-ended light sabre wielding, Ventress in a balletic battle of neon-lit kinetics, it doesn’t stop there either because the action is framed and edited with familiar Star Wars swipes and fades and an impressive score from Kevin Kiner that apes Williams’ classic riffs.
The series will continue on the small screen in the Autumn and this may have sat more comfortably on the “telebox” as a serialised three-parter. That said, it’s a hyperspace jump in quality from say, The Phantom Menace, but like that much-maligned instalment of the Star Wars saga, this one’s more for the “younglings” amongst you.
