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42 out of 49 people found the following review useful: More than satisfactory..., 11 April 2004 Author: edcomics from New Jersey
A lot of people are turned off by the art style and/or lack of in-depth storytelling in the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series. There's also the odd fact that each episode is merely 3 minutes in length. Before cursing this cartoon, however, there are a few things to take into consideration...Most fans complained that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones did not feature enough of the "Clone Wars" mentioned back in Episode IV of the original trilogy. The fans wanted more grand battle scenes. They wanted more lightsaber duels. They wanted to see more of the obscure Jedi. Star Wars: Clone Wars delivers all of these things in abundance.The art style is well-known to fans of any of the Cartoon Network series, including Samurai Jack, etc. The image of extremely stylized characters may be jarring at first to Star Wars fans who are used to only seeing their favorite characters portrayed in live-action film. This style, however, allows for very fluid animation and beautifully rendered battle scenes (on a relatively small budget!).Yes, this series is all about the action. It's not meant to be "Episode 2.5," but instead a small treat for the fans to enjoy while waiting until Star Wars Episode III is released in 2005. What's more, Star Wars: Clone Wars lets fans see some brand new characters that didn't make the cut into the feature films, as well as the first-ever appearance of the main villain for Episode III: General Grievous.Anyone who complains about this cartoon is simply ungrateful and impossible to please. Myself not being a hardcore Star Wars fan, I found that Star Wars: Clone Wars actually got me more excited about the Star Wars series in general. I would recommend the micro-series to any fan of action and science fiction.
24 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Not bad at all..., 12 November 2003 Author: Alexis (griffin84) from Kansas City, MO
This has got to be Genndy Tartakovsky's crowing achievement. Taking place between Star Wars II & III, and using state-of-the-art animation, Clone Wars is truly a masterpiece from the creator of `Samurai Jack' and `Dexter's Laboratory'.The story picks up right where `Attack of the Clones' left off; the clone wars have begun, with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi leading the clones into war. The show introduces many new characters including an amphibian-warrior named Kit Fisto, and Asajj Ventress, the first female Dark Jedi to date, and also brings back many familiar faces from the previous movies, such as Skywalker's secret wife Padmé Amidala and of course, everyone's favorite droids, C-3PO and R2-D2.The battle scenes are really great for animation, living up to the famed animator who brought us `Samurai Jack'. It basically seems to be George Lucas's version of `The Animatrix', answering almost any question we could have about the series until the final chapter comes out. I also had to laugh when I first saw Skywalker on the show: just as whiny as Hayden Christensen, and just as flat-acted as in Episode II!This is definitely a series worth checking out, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole series will be released on DVD before Episode III hits theaters. Enjoy, and may the Force be with you.
23 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Impressive. Most impressive., 7 November 2003 Author: Otaku50 from Honolulu, Hawaii
"Like fire across the galaxy, The Clone Wars spread." - YodaBased on what I saw in the first installment, this series has promise after all.Ever since I heard earlier this year that this series was in production, I was worried. When I heard that this series would be broken up and released in 3-minute installments, I was even more worried. As a Star Wars fan, and slightly disappointed by Episode II, I did not have the faith that this series would deliver. Fallen to the dark side did I. Wrong was I proven.This series looks beautiful to watch. Tartakovsky and Co. did an excellent job of portraying the rich tapestry of the Star Wars universe in animated form. Of all aspects of this production, I was most impressed by both the voice talent and character design.I look forward to seeing the rest of this "micro-series" unfold. Perhaps, in the future, Lucasfilm should consider making this into a full-length animated series. I know I want to see it.**** out of ****Long live Star Wars!
17 out of 24 people found the following review useful: Extremely Good, Insanely Short, 8 November 2003 Author: Erik Kirchner (metnever) from Von Ormy, Texas
This show goes by like a gust of cool wind. It feels good, but before you know it, it's gone! I wonder what G. T. was thinking when he made this series so short? Each episode only 5 minutes long! You want more, a lot more. Besides the length, the style of the series is very lush, artistic animation. It has the epic feel of the movies, along with the humor that G. T. used in Samurai Jack. He uses almost cinematic shots with epic scores. The characters are interpreted nicely, with the essence of them intact.
12 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Run, Jedi run! You have only prolonged the inevitable., 19 May 2005 Author: Andy (film-critic) from Bookseller of the Blue Ridge
With strong animation by Tartakovsky, the Star Wars world has been able to open up even further while also implanting more doors that we (the lowly nerd) could easily escape to and spend hours upon hours exploring. I am talking about the sheer brilliance of Star Wars: Clone Wars released by the Cartoon Network. I walked away from the first two prequels wondering if we were ever going to see any decent action or adventure. While there was some in the films, it was nothing like what I experienced here in the animated versions. Finally, we have gripping Jedi battles, lightsaber moments that will have you grimacing from your couch, and our first glimpse into the dark cloud that will surely begin to cover the third and final episode of this gripping mythology. This was exactly what I needed to bring a stronger feeling as to what these Clone Wars were going to be like. Now, I know that I haven't seen Episode III yet, and I know that more of my questions will be answered, but this was the PERFECT segway. These animated cartoons are for the most avid fans, as well as those just looking to catch up before entering into the doorway of nerdom that opening weekend. It is powerful and visually beautiful, just how Mr. Lucas would have wanted it.I will be honest, I am one of those poor saps that had never seen a full episode of Dexter's Laboratory or Samurai Jack due to having no cable at the house, but after a viewing of what Tartakovsky has done with this simple task, I cannot wait to get my hands on more of his work. To say that his work was visually beautiful would be a dark understatement. His work on this project fully embodied the feel and emotion of the Jedi's during these battles. A "war" does take place between more than one person, and I gobbled up the idea of watching the smaller battles being won by the smaller heroes (if there is such a thing). The Windu battle is one of my favorite, as the battle between the female Sith and Anakin will flashback you to early Star Wars moments. Lucas did right by placing his stamp of approval on this project, which shows that this war is more than just his imagination, but that of thousands.While I will agree with most critics that there was very little character development, I do not see this as a negative towards the film. In the first two episodes, we have enough to familiarize ourselves with the characters as well as understand their purpose in life. We do not need that here, this animated film is designed to give us a great range of the war, the impact that it has on more than just our "popular Jedi". This opened up that proverbial "door" that I mentioned before that literally opens several hundred different stories and adventures. It pulled this war from the mere shadows of the bigger films and gave us these haunting images that may seem rather poignant in today's culture. It is sad, exciting, and intense all at the same time.Finally, I would like to say that I cannot wait to see where these artists take this series. I know that there is already a "Volume II" preparing to be released, and I will be very excited to get my hands on that to see where our next battle will take place, or whose lives in the Star Wars universe it will effect. It is like a Pandora's box that is going to release some darkness on the world, and it is up to us to open it. I cannot wait, and again, suggest it to anyone that has kept this galactic story close to his or her heart.Overall, if you couldn't tell already, I loved this "short" film. While I remember watching them on my computer when they were first released, I felt that the three minutes they were handed were not enough, I wanted more and I didn't want to wait. Thankfully, this is released in a full 65 minute run which will give you the full effect of the power behind this universe. I am a Star Wars fan, and I am not afraid to admit it. I thought that this disc did a great job of blending the episodes together and giving this ultimate war, the Clone Wars, some depth and humanity (if you can call it that). I suggest it to anyone looking to get a leg up on the recently released episode, while constantly impressing your friends and loved ones at a party. Don't worry, I do it all the time! Hurrah! Grade: ***** out of *****
13 out of 17 people found the following review useful: More fun than the episode one and two movies!, 28 April 2005 Author: Deanna Carmichael from United States
I had not heard of Genndy Tartakovsky (director) before I saw Star Wars: Clone Wars, but I will be keeping an eye out for him from now on. Star Wars: Clone Wars is a series of 20 animated shorts that are collected together on one DVD. I did not see them when they originally aired on Cartoon Network but I must say they play well together as a feature length animated film. The story takes place just after the end of the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones live action film and just before 3rd of the prequels, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. We follow various Jedi Knights (including Yoda) as they conduct the war, but the majority of the film centers on the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. There is no stupid dialogue and no annoying characters (ye gods thank you no Jar-Jar!! — we-saa real happy about that). What there is in this animated film is some serious action. In fact there is more action than you can shake a stick at, and let me tell you, I can shake a lot of stick at action! I had more fun watching this animated film than I did in watching episode one and two! The animation here is primarily 2D animation and that, in my opinion, was a better choice. Why try to recreate the world in 3D computer animation when you can just watch the movies for the best CGI out there. Now if episode three: Revenge of the Sith is half as much fun as these animated shorts, then fan-boys all over the world will be bowing once again at the altar of George Lucas. I have also heard that there will be a second volume of shorts and I, for one, am looking forward to the DVD release so I can spend another hour or so of my life on the edge of my seat!
8 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Excellent animated series! One of the most action packed and great shows to come along!, 30 March 2005 Author: Movie Nuttball from U.S.A.
Star Wars: Clone Wars the animated series is an awesome series! The animation is unbelievably clear. The voices are excellent for the characters and the characters are as cool as they are in the films! I am so amazed by all of the authentic sound effects and action this series has! The music is awesome and fits the cartoon greatly. The stories in the cartoons are good. All of the characters have great personalities like their counterparts do in the motion pictures. Asajj Ventress is a beautiful character and Durge is neat! Its really cool to see characters from the SW Expanded Universe in animated form especially the characters that have limited screen time in the pictures. It so interesting and fun to watch. I received the Volume 1 DVD as gift and I am so thankful that I did! If you are able to watch this on television do so because this is one of the greatest animated shows of all time in My opinion so i f you want to see action including space battles and epic light saber fights that are arguably more epic than the ones seen in the films and love Star Wars then I strongly recommend that you head over to Amazon.com and purchase Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 today!
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: A Nutshell Review: Star Wars Clone Wars Episodes 21-25, 27 March 2005 Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
(OK, given my expected 2 week hiatus for in camp training, I felt that I have to review something before I head off to some unknown jungle)For the uninitiated, Star Wars Clone Wars are short episodes (of about 5 minute each) that chronicles the adventures of the clone troopers, and our favourite jedis from Master Yoda to Padawan Anakin Skywalker. The events take place immediately after Attack of the Clones, and showcases the wars between the Repubilc and the Separatists. Familiar villains like Count Dooku and new ones like General Grievious are also introduced in these episodes, along with various character development pieces.Episodes 21 to 25, just released recently on Cartoon Network and the official Star Wars website (yes, the episodes are available online), lead directly to the crawler of Revenge of the Sith. It doesn't matter if you've missed the first 20 episodes of Clone Wars, as this 5 episodes serve as a standalone story. Also, these episodes are longer than the previous 20, with each being about 10-15 minutes long, so the combined episodes serve as a movie.And a highly recommended one too. It is in these episodes that bridge the subtle moments that you observe in Revenge of the Sith's trailers, and provide classic moments, some of which I shall just list them down here:- The "promotion" of Anakin from Padawan to Jedi Knight, with the initiation ceremony and all, and the losing of the padawan "pigtail", which accounts for his new wavy hairdo - The introduction of the scar at Anakin's right eye - C3PO and his new golden body - Anakin facing his Jedi Trials - The attack on Coruscant, in a Sith plot to capture Palpatine, leading to his rescue in Revenge of the Sith by Anakin and Obiwan - Camaraderie moments between Obiwan and Anakin, whereby the former acknowledges the latter as a "brother" - Yoda and Mace Windu fighting alongside each other, their harnessing the powers of the Force is a joy to behold - The cunningness of Palpatine - And who can forget our favourite Driod R2D2 in the new jedi starfighter, and showing his handyman-ship in repairing Anakin's droid handMay the Force whet your appetites and prepare you for the Sith's Revenge!
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: a treat indeed ., 9 June 2006 Author: shadowman123 from United Kingdom
I consider my-self lucky enough to stumble upon a copy of Star Wars:Clone Wars . This mini series really bridges the gap nicely as episode 2 ended whilst the clone wars really got under way , so this done a really good show of showing what the wars were like . There is more action crammed into this one DVD than the first two prequel movies , nearly all the characters are used to their full potential and you really want to be a jedi as you you see them unleash their awesome power whether it be Yoda , kit , or Mace they all impress . No stupid or silly people in here like Jar-Jar Binks or wooden acting from Anakin . Darth Sidous actually seems a lot more frightening in here than in the movies . I could say more but I really feel that I should leave at that because I don't want to ruin the ride . A must for all Star Wars fans .STAR WARS : CLONE WARS 8 OUT 10 FOR NOW THIS IS THE SHADOWMAN WISHING YOU GOOD LUCK AND GOOD NIGHT .
5 out of 9 people found the following review useful: I Have A Good Feeling About This One..., 26 April 2005 Author: Glen B.Wang (pip555@yahoo.com) from Malaysia
And if you think the way I'm thinking right now, you should be! Star Wars: Clone Wars is one of the most captivating cartoon shows I've seen in recent years, hence gracing the name that George Lucas has conceived almost three decades ago. In fact, I am not really a big fan of SW's Expanded Universe since its purpose is to explore the possibilities beyond the movies (which in turn ruins the rhythm of the saga's overall presentation). Clone Wars, also labeled as an Expanded Universe, otherwise proves the other way round. Due to the fact that this so-called Microseries sticks closer to the next two movies (Episodes II and III) than anything else, fans of the movies will be delighted to know that it remains true to the spirit of the Star Wars mythology despite additional sub-plots and newer characters.Star Wars: Clone Wars chronicles the adventures of Anakin Skywalker, his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, the beloved droids Threepio and Artoo and the rest of the characters from the first two films (fortunately for Jar Jar Binks-haters, he is nowhere to be seen) during the events of the Clone Wars: full-scale battles between the mechanical Separatist and the Army of the Republic (clone troopers). In addition to its role as a bridge between Episodes II and III, the Microseries also visually succeeds in enlarging the scope of this universal war only mentioned briefly in Episode IV: A New Hope. Speaking of structure, Clone Wars is divided into two parts: Volume I (takes place some time after the Battle of Geonosis) and Volume II (Chapter 21 ultimately concludes the story arc of Attack of the Clones, the rest takes place some time before the events of Revenge of the Sith). If you (especially newcomers) are completely confused with the chronological storyline, it's best that you watch everything from the original trilogy and the first two episodes of the prequel trilogy before tackling with both the Microseries and the upcoming movie.Anyway, back to the review.For Vol. I, the animation is almost flawless. Most of the characters and background settings are painstakingly caricatured/reproduced from the first two movies despite their radical looks (which in fact giving a comic book feeling to the series, thanks to the truly talented Paul Rudish of Dial M For Monkey fame, the short-lived segment of Dex's Lab that heavily inspires Clone Wars). Perhaps one of Clone Wars' major highlights is the lightsaber duels: they are all beautifully recreated from the movies while being spiced up with the 'Samurai Jack' trademarks that make the original a hit amongst viewers. Also, many fans will take a first glimpse on one of the most dangerous villains in the Star Wars universe: General Grievous. The only drawback of Vol. I is its length; each chapter only runs for 3 minutes, shorter than the usual running time for most conventional cartoon shows. The only way to satisfy your appetite is to watch the one-hour version, which crams 20 chapters altogether (although some may expect that the whole story feels too disjointed).Vol. II, like the first one, is no different, except for its extended running time and some minor changes (Anakin's hair is now longer and he wears an outfit similar to Darth Vader's, the first appearances of Grievous' bodyguards, clone troopers now bear their resemblance to stormtroopers, etc.). While it maintains the quality of the previous 20 chapters, Vol. II feels slightly shorter in terms of its overall length and atmosphere due to the fact that most of the situations only take place in two worlds (one of them serves as a prologue to Revenge of the Sith as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped by Grievous). However, Vol. II succeeds in adding depth to the tragic character Anakin whose path to the Dark Side is almost inevitable. Personally, I really like the 'Ghost Hand' concept, in which Anakin's mechanical right hand can be related to the myth of a mysterious tribe, hence giving much legendary status to the Skywalker legacy.Aside from its authentic license, Clone Wars is accompanied by the classic John William score as well as other additional score that is reminiscent to other cartoon shows you can think of. Perhaps the only thing that bugs me is its artificial synthesized music on certain parts of its entire run. It would have been a much greater experience if the whole score were fully orchestrated instead. The voice acting, while mostly provided by actors from the Star Wars video games (except for Anthony Daniels who reprises his role as Threepio), is pretty well done by any standards. As a true Star Wars fan, I wish to thank the director of this amazingly revolutionary Microseries, Genndy Tartakovsky for proving once again that 2D animation can actually make a huge difference if we are willing to look at one thing in a completely different perspective. Kudos to George Lucas and the entire crews of Clone Wars as well!
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