Star The Clone Wars Wars

[Thunk00]

So, have any of you guys seen it?

If you haven't, do yourself a favor, don't see it. It's possibly George Lucas's biggest blunder yet.

It faces three big problems. Two are those that crippled the new live-action trilogy--poor acting and a very contrived storyline. The third is one I wouldn't have expected from Lucasfilm--choppy and low-quality animation.

The voice acting is very lackluster. Lucas had trouble getting much of the original cast to do the voices of their characters, including Hayden Christiansen and Ewan McGregor, who would have played the main characters. A lot of lines, especially from the new character Asoka Tano, sound extremely forced. The voices also didn't match with the movements of the characters' mouths in many cases, especially with Count Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Ventris. These three problems with the voices all really helped to ruin immersion.

The story, though not horribly convoluted the way Episodes I-III were, still seems unrealistic and forced, an excuse to string together the big battle scenes. In brief, Jabba the Hutt's baby son is captured by Count Dooku and the Separatists, so Anakin and Obi-Wan, with the help of Anakin's new padawan, are forced to finish their current battle quickly and go to rescue him. They are faced with many threats, all of which are dealt with in extravagant battle scenes. It's never quite clear why Anakin, who has many reasons to hate Jabba, was chosen for the mission. Several details are also retconned through the dialogue, including the Galactic Senate being renamed to the Galactic Congress, and the Hutts being transformed from a species to a clan.

And the animation is crap. I don't object to the style, in another context it would have been cute, but for Star Wars, imitating real life actors, it's a poor choice. A lot of details are lost. Yoda's skin, for example, looks completely smooth except for a few deep wrinkles spaced at even intervals. Every human face, too, is very unrealistic, looking like caricatures of the original actors. Count Dooku's face, when I first saw it, nearly made me laugh aloud. I really didn't expect the animation to be like this, since special effects and animation have always been one of Star Wars' strong points.

This movie isn't Star Wars. It doesn't even have the normal logo. I nearly even left the theater at several times. Every scene supports my idea that Star Wars was murdered in 1999.

[Derpicane]

It's possibly George Lucas's biggest blunder yet.

Jesus christ, that man just loves to outdo himself.

[SlippyToasterTrooper_UK]

inb4 Wii graphics comments.

My understanding of it is its basically an advert for the Clone Wars TV series. Thing is the animation and everything esle is as good as the TV series will be...which doesn't cut it in the cinema. Especilly for a franchise as huge as Star Wars.

They should have stuck with 2D cell animation then they could use the lines that animators have been so used to computers that they forgot how to draw

[hyde]

Not that I was planning on going anyway, since my interest for the whole Star Wars thing died about 5 years ago*, but this just makes it all the more obvious that I'm not missing out on anything.

*I used to be a pretty huge fan, but now I really couldn't care less. Strange, really, how things sometimes go.

[Black Knight]

Every scene supports my idea that Star Wars was murdered in 1999.

1997. Those special editions added a few effects, but they did some stupid things. Replacing Sy Snoodles with that... thing, having Han shoot first, that awful Jabba in A New Hope. All those general complaints. I mean despite the nice touch up, those movies we're really just a "we want more of your money" scam meant to generate good press for the soon to be released prequel movies (too bad it didn't help). George Lucas would have done better to die a long time ago, as his original success is looking more and more like a fluke.

[I Fell In Love With Judas, then I got Herpes]

Hate to be a downer here, but ANH was truly the best thing to ever come out of Star Wars. What Star Wars is now, a mess of confusing EU plotlines and vaguely canon shit coming together under the guise of "LIGHTSABER FAPFAPFAP" is truly a disgrace to the masterpiece that was his original film.

[Neofox]

[...] having Han shoot first, [...]

This is probably just barely relevant, but what's the whole debate over who shot first? That is... what sparked it, and why is it always quoted when bringing up the Star Wars fandom?

[I Fell In Love With Judas, then I got Herpes]

It's generally seen as one of the biggest examples of how much the special editions suck. It totally ruins the entire Greedo encounter and makes Han Solo look less badass. Not cool.

Seriously, Greedo was an inch a way, how'd he fucking miss?

[Sword Saint]

One might successfully argue that the less Hayden Christiansen, the better.

Nonetheless, this just didn't look all that great, anyway.  The heads up is appreciated, Thunk.

[Pukachi]

This is probably just barely relevant, but what's the whole debate over who shot first? That is... what sparked it, and why is it always quoted when bringing up the Star Wars fandom?

In the pub where Han first appeared and spoke to Greedo, it was edited so Greedo shot first. In the original, Han shot without warning.

I never planned to watch the movie; after seeing just the commercials, it not only seems totally not serious compared to the real series, but the graphic and animation work is awful. I just hope they don't try and do that again.

[Sword Saint]

This is probably just barely relevant, but what's the whole debate over who shot first? That is... what sparked it, and why is it always quoted when bringing up the Star Wars fandom?

In the original ANH, while being threatened with death by the bounty hunter Greedo, Han Solo fires his blaster under the table preemptively, killing him and then making a quip about it.  At least some fans felt that this underlined Han's original character as an amoral outlaw, and made his eventual change of heart more significant.  In the special edition of ANH, it was changed so that Greedo fired first, with Han "dodging" in a very poorly-done visual effect.  The rationale for this being, as I recall, that Han was supposed to be a "good guy," and good guys don't shoot first.

It's pretty much iconic of the debate between entitled nerds who grew up with Star Wars and the powers that be, as well as one of the hallmark examples of how Lucas has "sold out" and how Star Wars has been ruined in the eyes of many.

(Personally?  Han shot first.)

[Black Knight]

In the special edition of ANH, it was changed so that Greedo fired first, with Han "dodging" in a very poorly-done visual effect.

And it makes even less sense when you consider that Greedo needed Han alive in order to collect the bounty from Jabba (As Bobba Fett said "He's no good to me dead."), so the rationale for Greedo shooting first is completely mystifying, because if he succeeded he would have forfeited his reward (whether Han knew that or not). The gun was just a method of coercion, Greedo never intended to actually shoot Han, and that's why the Special Edition just doesn't make sense.

[/nerd]

[SlippyToasterTrooper_UK]

George Lucas would have done better to die a long time ago, as his original success is looking more and more like a fluke.

Thing is if you look at the Empire Strikes Back and retrurn of the Jedi all lucas did for those was write the story. The screenplay of those were handled by Lawrence Kasdan (though the empire strikes back was first handled by Leigh Brackett but she died while writing it ).

Similarly if we look at the clone wars wars (of all the places to re-visit in the vast Star Wars universe lets do that we've done already) all Lucus is responsible for is executive producer...oh wait, that meant he got final say

[Bob Jr. of Bob Sr.]

==I never planned on seeing it in the first place, what with it seeming to be nothing more than another milking of the franchise (especially after a pal of mine went on multiple tirades of why the movie was an affront to everything Star Wars), and I'm honestly quite disappointed. I've never been a part of the crowd that unanimously despises anything not bound to the first three movies, and generally enjoyed the newer three, so this was a bit more surprising for me. When I'd heard another movie was being made quite some time ago, I hoped for something completely new, like a KotOR movie, but alas, such was not true.

[Thunk00]

Hate to be a downer here, but ANH was truly the best thing to ever come out of Star Wars. What Star Wars is now, a mess of confusing EU plotlines and vaguely canon shit coming together under the guise of "LIGHTSABER FAPFAPFAP" is truly a disgrace to the masterpiece that was his original film.

My philosophy with Star Wars, from the moment I saw Attack of the Clones, has been to not consider the new George Lucas' work automatically canon. The basic premise of the new era he's constructed, I'm fine with, as well as the general idea of Anakin and Palpatine's roots, but there are some bits in the new films that I'll never buy. Like the pod racing, that Chancellor Palpatine headed both the Republicans and Separatists, or how Naboo is supposedly just a giant rock sponge full of water.

It's a lot easier to accept and enjoy the new Star Wars universe if you envision the setting on your own terms, letting go of the parts that don't work for you. Well, for me at least.

I hoped for something completely new, like a KotOR movie, but alas, such was not true.

A KotOR movie would fall just as flat as this one did, if you ask me. The feature that made the game successful was the player's ability to make choices, its action scenes, plot, and setting were all good but nothing special. A movie would have no way to simulate that player interaction, and so would alienate the KotOR fans. That's also why the KotOR MMO Bioware announced is also going to flop, in all likelihood.

Sorry to dwell on just that one point in your post, but I've heard the same sentiment before, and know KotOR is rediculously popular.

[Bob Jr. of Bob Sr.]

A KotOR movie would fall just as flat as this one did, if you ask me. The feature that made the game successful was the player's ability to make choices, its action scenes, plot, and setting were all good but nothing special. A movie would have no way to simulate that player interaction, and so would alienate the KotOR fans. That's also why the KotOR MMO Bioware announced is also going to flop, in all likelihood.

Sorry to dwell on just that one point in your post, but I've heard the same sentiment before, and know KotOR is rediculously popular.

==The storyline itself is interesting, however, and leads to a twist that would no doubt come out well if done properly.

I don't think it needs to be exactly like the game at all, but following some of the more important events of the game could do very nicely, and it would make for a far more fresh experience than what's been coming out of late.

[YokaiKnight]

On paper, I should have enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed both trilogies (III, IV, and VI are the best though) and, up until around 9th grade--I'm starting 12th this year--I actually READ the Expanded Universe books and loved those. I'd read almost everything after the Classic Trilogy and a couple of the Republic-themed books, too. But the last time I read a Star Wars novel was probably early 2006, to be honest.

I didn't like this movie, though. I thought the animation was bad (the models were stiff, and I had something against the 3D style from the start; the 2D cartoon did things really well). The story was unimportant and boring. And the dialogue was literally so bad it was funny; we were cracking up watching the movie, especially when that transvestite Hutt came in. WTF was that shit?

[Nightmare]

I recall that when the movie ended I was like "urm... that was it???". The story was really bad, specially the padowan thing. I would have liked it better if she was killed .

Yoda's teeth were funny too =P. And heads in general.

[DMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA JonnyJon]

It is what it is. Everyone expecting Star Wars Episode 2 1/2 needs mental help. It was a pretty fun movie, and I found it to be better than most people say. That being said, no, it's all that great.

The models are interesting (hello, it's not meant to be realistic) and well done (sans Padme, who looks awfully manly), but the animation is touch and go at best. One scene will be fairly well done, and then in the next it looks like a dropout's demo reel. Also, what's the deal with the rock music? Seriously.

Sans the whole Hutt family thing going on, I like the story ideas, though they aren't all so well done. But then again, the concept of a padawan for Anakin just appeals to me, in part because I liked the way he was done in Episode III (an older, wiser Anakin that grew up from the once snobby brat in EpII, making for a nice contrast with his later alter ego). If they'd shaved about thirty minutes off the movie, it'd be all that much better.

All-in-all, better than the horrid Tartakovsky version (but then, so is the smut on the bottom of my shoes), and I'll probably follow the TV series for awhile to see if it's at least mildly enjoyable. Granted, this is coming from someone whose favorite movie in the series is Episode I, so make of it what you will.

Finally, everyone crying about how this ruins Star Wars or something still hasn't heard of the Star Wars Christmas Special or, even worse, the Ewok films. *shudders* It's not like Lucasfilm just starting milking the series yesterday, and they were certainly doing it well before 1999. Honestly, I've always thought the entire series was inherently cheesy on some level. "But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!" That line still makes me cringe.

[Bob Jr. of Bob Sr.]

I recall that when the movie ended I was like "urm... that was it???". The story was really bad, specially the padowan thing. I would have liked it better if she was killed .

Yoda's teeth were funny too =P. And heads in general.

==Well, for what it's worth,
I can't recall if that's what's supposed to go down, though.