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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 08/21/2008 : 14:49:28
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Here's my favourite thing about this flick: On imdb George Lucas is credited for characters and universe. I mean I've heard the dude thinks he's a god - but credited with the universe. I mean to say!
Believe me if the film had anything to recommend it I wouldn't even be wasting your time with the universe thing ... but it's nearly 100% pure crap on a stick. Okay there's Jabba's brother Ziro the Hutt, who's passing himself off as Truman Capote, but honestly, you
don't have to dig deep for this plot, and if strange cartoon action is your thing, Lucas must have picked up a job lot at the cartoon action store.
Lucas, of course, has imagination and I bow down before him for that. OK, maybe quite not as much iFactor as del Toro, but right in that ballpark. What he's never really had is heart or charm ... well, not evidenced in his so-called human characters. Now bots, that's a different story - C3PO, R2D2 - gotcha. Heart's on their sleeves, if they had any. Wookie's, I'm right there chewing my bacca. And, in this film, it's a Huttlet. Except he's the McGuffin and since he's an infant can't really contribute to the action or the plot - it's a limited role.
Funny thing with this simplistic tale - CGI as a given - is the whole look and feel comes lifted from a 2D comic book page, which is weird considering what you know ILM is capable of. So it must be deliberate ... either that or Lucas was running a bet he could do the film for six bucks.
There's a sassy new Jedi trainee, or youngun. A rebellious teener called Ahsoka who gets assigned to Anakin, much to his dismay. Since she's actually quite bright and a good character-type, she should capture you. But -- once again -- no heart. When she's right, as she frequently is, instead of admiring her, you want to push her off a cliff. The lines she's given should be as witty as Eve Arden, but they're just lame.
Which only leaves the question: how the hell has Jabba managed to produce a son? And where are all the lady Hutts. Don't tell me slugs are hermaphrodites. Come to think of it, how come the ladies in this universe are singular plot points. Apart from Ahsoka, there's Good Padm� and nasty Ventress. Even Earth armies have finally admitted women, so how come all these soldiers, and everyone else in the crowd scenes, are all men?
I dunno - it's just all so mindless. I'm guessing ILM knows the relative profit value of the games industry and any old rubbish will do for a plot since this film is destined for your joystick finger's joy.
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 08/21/2008 : 17:00:06
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I think it is purely to kick off their TV series on Cartoon Network.
Consider these bits:
First Star Wars to not open in May
First Star Wars to not have John Williams do the music
First Star Wars to not be distributed by 20th Century Fox
First Star Wars (with Yoda) where Frank Oz doesn't do Yoda
oddly enough, first Star Wars to not open #1 at theaters.
The A/C was cold, and popcorn was okay. |
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 08/21/2008 : 17:05:51
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If I ignore the upcoming cartoon series and everything else Star Wars for the rest of my life, I can assume that Ahsoka gets slaughtered along with the rest of the Jedi in Episode III, possibly even by Anakin's own hand.
Hutts speaking English is even worse than Ewoks speaking English. |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 08/21/2008 : 18:47:23
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
Funny thing with this simplistic tale - CGI as a given - is the whole look and feel comes lifted from a 2D comic book page, which is weird considering what you know ILM is capable of. So it must be deliberate ... either that or Lucas was running a bet he could do the film for six bucks.
Actually, it's not ILM (they probably have much more important stuff to do). I think it was largely a new spin off from George's empire- Lucasfilm Animation, that did Clone Wars. |
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silly
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 08/21/2008 : 19:14:01
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I thought it was horrid, maybe because I still like to pretend that there is a redeeming quality to the whole "Star Wars" thing.
That's because I was in 5th grade or so when the first pictures of Stormtroopers (not "clones") started showing up, and saw the original on a huge screen as a young child, and thought it was all pretty cool. Luke was someone to look up to (Farmboy hoping to fight the evil empire), Han was a funny but cool space pirate.
It wasn't until I grew up and a lot more jaded that I started seeing flaws everywhere, even in the original film or two, with plot, dialogue, characters, etc.
(ALWAYS hated on the Ewoks, though)
But this?
Star Wars for Kids. You shoot robots - not people. It takes moments to fly from one side of the galaxy to the other, there is no sense of scale anymore. The cartoon style stunts (jumping, practically flying off of tall buildings, dodging bullets, etc) are even more video-game style than Ep I, II, and III. The Hutt's as gangstas? Huh?
Lots of "I promised him I would help!" type dialogue. Yoda driving me nuts with his backward talking formula ("Go to him, you must, Obi-Wan"). I really, really miss the oven mitt they used in Empire Strikes Back. So much more character, much more likeable. And Anakin has forgotten much of his angst, for the moment.
What took the cake was the Darth Vader Happy Meal box to promote this movie. Vader isn't even IN IT. But the box? All Vader. Even shows the scene where he fights with Luke in Empire Strikes Back, and has handy vader quotes "I feel a disturbance in the force," etc. Create your own Darth name! My kid got an Ewok toy in hers. But it clearly also says "See Clone Wars in theaters now"
The more I think about it, the more I dislike this whole dumbing the whole mess down for kids. At least before it was aimed more at teenagers, now they are clearly going for the five and unders. |
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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/25/2008 : 02:18:56
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I thought it was a bit better than others here, but definitely nothing special.
BafteBabe is right that Ziro is just ridiculous, and Mr.B.I. is right about his speaking English being weird.
It turns out that Hutts are hermaphrodites, but I didn't know that before and it isn't clear from the film. How come Jabba is attracted to female humanoids?!
Some of Yoda's English did not make sense even in its own terms, something I don't remember seeing (well, hearing) before. |
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silly
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 08/25/2008 : 02:23:52
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| We saw "Fly me to the Moon" (only G rated movie at our theater, we had guests) and I've decided that by comparison, the Yoda clan should be up for an Oscar. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
