Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - Movie Review

A Galaxy Divided.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi embark on a perilous quest to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from the Separatists in this short but sweet animated movie.

Having never watched The Clone Wars myself, I was a little hesitant about jumping into this more family friendly offering from the universe of Star Wars, but clunky dialogue and cringe aside, this film is a fast-paced and exciting adventure not to be missed by fans of the franchise.
Picking up shortly after the beginning of the war at the end of Attack of the Clones, we discover that Anakin and Obi-Wan have been deployed to the Outer Rim as the war rages in this lawless corner of the galaxy. In order to secure trade routes for their armies, the Republic task the pair with retrieving Jabba's son, who has been captured by Count Dooku's apprentice, Asajj Ventress, and so begins our heroes' journey. The big twist here is that Yoda is sending Anakin his first apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, who is quick-talking and eager to prove herself as a Jedi. She and her master must learn rapidly to respect each other and get along in order to complete the task at hand.

Ahsoka is an irritating but decent character to serve as Anakin's apprentice. Her cheesy lines were more than I could handle at times, but the dynamic between her and Anakin is undeniable and one of the biggest draws of this movie. The other major draw is the action, which is impressively creative and just so much fun to watch. With the Clone Wars being referenced but rarely depicted in the feature films, it is refreshing to get a glimpse into the conflict which would shape the Republic and ultimately result in its collapse. Characterising the clones, such as Rex and Cody, is also a wise decision, humanising the otherwise one-tone grunts who regularly lay their lives on the line for the Republic's cause. I look forward to seeing how both Ahsoka and the various clone troopers will develop as I move on to the first season of the TV show.

One of the greatest strengths of the movie is how it manages to create its own identity and forge its own path in a universe that is vast and largely explored. We are introduced to a smattering of new planets, locales and characters, enough to entice viewers into embarking upon the TV show, although admittedly the plot plays it relatively safe. I hope the show chooses to branch off in wild new directions given the scope of the material the writers have to work with.

All in all then, this is a worthy short watch for any geeks like myself. Diving back in to the Star Wars universe is always fun, but this animated instalment is particularly impressive. New characters Asajj Ventress and Ahsoka Tano are welcome additions, whilst the stellar voice cast pull of scarily accurate impressions of the movie actors/actresses. If the show can sharpen its dialogue and continue to explore its central characters in depth, it will be one I would highly recommend. 

STORY ARC - NONE

FEATURED CHARACTERS
- Anakin Skywalker
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Ahsoka Tano
- Yoda
- Padme Amidala
- Jabba the Hutt
- Count Dooku
- Asajj Ventress
- Commander Cody
- Captain Rex
- Ziro the Hutt
- Rotta the Huttlet

FEATURED PLANETS
- Coruscant
- Christophsis
- Tatooine
- Teth

TRIVIA

• First Star Wars movie, since Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), to feature an in-cockpit view of the jump to hyperspace. George Lucas purposely did not use this iconic shot in any of the prequels, so as not to lessen the impact of seeing it for the first time in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (assuming one watches the movies in chronological order)
• Director Dave Filoni originally proposed for Ahsoka Tano to be Obi-Wan Kenobi's new Padawan, but George Lucas insisted that she would be Anakin's apprentice
• The ship Anakin takes from the landing platform on Teth is called "The Twilight". It is an old Corellian G9 Rigger Freighter. Skywalker continues using the ship during the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) television series. Dave Filoni has stated that this finally gives some credit to Uncle Owen's claim that "Luke's father was a navigator on a spice freighter" from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
• This movie is comprised of four episodes that were originally produced for the first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008). Had they been shown as separate episodes, they would have had the following titles: "The New Padawan", directed by Brian O'Connell, production number 118, Jedi fortune cookie: "To teach is to learn twice". "Castle of Deception", directed by Dave Filoni, production number 101, Jedi fortune cookie: "The wise Jedi does not trust appearances." "Castle of Doom", directed by George Samilski, production number 103, Jedi fortune cookie: "Nothing worth having is easily gained." "Castle of Salvation", directed by Dave Bullock, production number 104, Jedi fortune cookie: "The confidence we have in ourselves can easily give birth to confidence in others."
• Corey Burton had already recorded Count Dooku's lines before Sir Christopher Lee joined the voice cast. Lee dubbed in the dialogue to the already-finished animation
• When Ahsoka is addressing the clones in the hangar bay, a pink droid is standing next to R2-D2. This droid's name is R2-KT, and was included as a way to honor the work of the 501st Legion (an international group of Star Wars costumers who perform countless hours of volunteer work for many charities). The droid was created in the memory of Katie Johnson (daughter of the 501st Legion's founder Albin Johnson) who died of cancer at the young age of seven. Some of the costumer's built a pink R2 (dubbed R2-KT) for Katie, to provide her comfort in the last days of her life. This was to reflect the scene in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), when R2-D2 watches over Padmé, while she slept at night
• Ashley Eckstein originally auditioned for the voice of Padmé Amidala, but was told she sounded too young. However, the producers called her back and asked her to play around with different accents. After a few more auditions, she was hired, and was told to use her normal voice for the part of Ahsoka Tano
• When Matt Lanter auditioned, he was told he was reading for the part of "Deak Starkiller" and to play him as a cross between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Only when he got the part, was he told he would be voicing Anakin Skywalker
• Anakin's Fleet Commander, Admiral Yularen, also appeared in the conference scene in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He is the only Imperial wearing a white uniform in that scene. The character was first identified in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, where he was listed as being a member of the Imperial Security Bureau. Dave Filoni mistook the white uniform for that of a Grand Admiral (as featured in Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels), which is why Yularen became an Admiral in the Clone Wars
• A clone gunship, seen first in this movie, and later in the television series, called "The Lucky Lekku", sports nose art, paying homage to a series of pin-up art on World War II bombers. The art most closely resembles the B-24M Bomber "Night Mission", of the 30th Bomb Group, 819th Squadron
• Captain Rex is based on Dark Horse comics ARC Trooper Alpha. But on realizing there were already three other characters whose names started with an "A" sound (Anakin, R2-D2, and Ahsoka), George Lucas opted for the name "Rex" instead.
• WILHELM SCREAM: During the opening battle on Christophsis, a Clone Trooper punches a droid, and is then shot by another. He lets out the Wilhelm scream, but it is cut short. The full scream is heard when another Clone Trooper gets shot by a Super Battle Droid at the B'Omarr monastery on Teth
• Sitting at the bar in Ziro's palace is the Trandoshan trader Gha Nachkt, who played an important part in season one, episode six, "Downfall of a Droid", and season one, episode seven, "Duel of the Droids". Also at the bar, is the Aqualish (a.k.a. Walrus Man) technician seen in several episodes of the television series, including the aforementioned "Duel of the Droids"

RATING - 7/10