http://entertainment.slashdot.org/entertainment/08/08/13/1222225.shtml


I really enjoyed the 2 clones wars cartoons that were on cartoon network, enough to go out and buy vol1 and vol2 on DVD. I am really bummed to hear people slamming this (not because I don't believe they are probably right, but because I am just bummed it isn't a better movie). I will still prob go see this, just not this weekend now.

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MSNBC review:

If you love a “Star Wars” movie that begins with narration about trade routes, you’re in luck. As “Clone Wars” begins, the nefarious Count Dooku (voiced by Christopher Lee, one of the few actors from the live-action movies to reprise his character here) and his rebel droid army are making things difficult for the Republic. The Jedi decide that it’s a priority to form an alliance with Jabba the Hutt, so they pull Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) and Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) out of battle to go and rescue Jabba’s son, who has been kidnapped. (The kid apparently has no name; he’s referred to as “Jabba the Hutt’s son” throughout, except when he’s referred to by some characters as “Stinky.”)

Joining them on this mission is Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), a Padawan learner who has been assigned to train under Skywalker. In a blatant attempt to make the movie more kid-friendly, Ahsoka plays like a character straight out of a Disney Channel sitcom — she’s a sassy teen girl with a halter top, a mini-skirt and a sarcastic rejoinder for every situation.

Meanwhile, Senator Amidala (Catherine Taber) tries to negotiate with Jabba’s uncle, Ziro the Hutt (Corey Burton), only to discover a whole conspiracy behind the kidnapping. Ziro provides the film’s one bit of shocking unpredictability, in that he’s been voiced by Burton to sound exactly like Truman Capote circa “Murder by Death.”

The character animation is astoundingly unpleasant, with human faces that would barely pass muster in a video game. Some of the battle and dogfight sequences are stirring, but since most of the combatants are either androids or clones — talk about cannon fodder — there doesn’t seem to be much at stake. What we’re left with is a lot of pew-pew-pew laser battles with occasional interruptions for “Hangin’ with Mr. Skywalker”–style interactions between Anakin and his Padawan.

Everything about “Clone Wars” feels a little off. Yoda’s famous verb-at-the-end syntax gets so garbled by the writers that he eventually lets out a compound sentence that seems to make no sense whatsoever. Even the legendary John Williams theme has been so badly orchestrated that it sounds like it’s being performed by a third-rate middle-school marching band. Very young kids, “Star Wars” completists and Lucas apologists may find themselves compelled to attend; anyone else would have a better time going to the Toshi Station to pick up power converters.

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Saw this with my 7 year old son last night. I must say, the voice acting was at times very poor. The "youngling" female character is not quite as obnoxious as Jar Jar but bad. Those can be overcome if it is a decent story - Clone Wars is not however. The plot is very small and confined - the kind of story you expect told in a 30 min sitcom. This is everything but epic and the ending fails to redeem anything - it left me saying "thats it!"

To its credit there a few battle scenes that are nicely done - not enough to bail this one out though.

Oddly for me, the animation was not a complaint - strange for sure, but I did not sit there and think how ugly it was the entire time. Just how poorly written it was.

Nic - my seven year old boy - He LOVED it! :) So there you go.

Everything I have read is that kids are loving it (and to be honest, maybe that is who it was made for). There are a bunch of Star Wars canon/legacy people though that are picking it apart.

Not really sure how i feel about it.

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