Post by mrx on Jan 23, 2013 22:17:41 GMT -5
When season 5 was coming back, I'd thought about doing a Clone Wars rewatch. I didn't finish it, but now that 100 episodes have passed, I figured I'd try it again. If I go the distance, I'll probably quit at the end of Season 4, since 5 will still be fairly fresh by the time I get there. We'll see, though. Anyway, the movie...
Let me take you back four and a half years, three years after we had last seen Star Wars on the big screen, what many of us expected to be the last time for a while. But by 2008, we knew Star Wars was coming back, this time to the much beloved small screen. We anticipated two upcoming series, an animated series set between Episodes II and III about the Clone Wars Luke once mentioned and another live action series set between Episodes III and IV. As the former series approached we were all surprised to learn that what was essentially its pilot episode would be on the big screen. Star Wars in movie theaters again! I never miss a chance to see the Wars in a movie theater (I saw Episode I in 3-D three times last year), so I went in spite of its not so glowing reviews. We're talking 19% at Rotten Tomatoes kind of reviews. That August we all took our first step into a larger world....
Right off the bat, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s WB instead of 20th Century Fox. First off, I like the clone chatter over the Lucasfilm logo. Reminded me of the transmission style logo the Clone Wars microseries did. After that, though, I wasn’t sure what would come. Another crawl? Something new? In seconds, we knew. Tom Kane!
So, immediately, the movie brings in a minor Hammer, which on a little podcast called the Clone Cast is the term for any George Lucas-approved material contradicting the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the stuff one gets in Star Wars books, comics, video games, etc. This one goes against A.C. Crispin’s Han Solo books. In this movie, Jabba has a son and is apparently in charge of some Outer Rim Hyperspace lanes. In the Solo books, taking place in the decade leading up to Episode IV, Jabba is subservient in his Hutt clan to his uncle. Also, Hutts are hermaphrodites who switch genders when pregnant. Obviously, Lucas went with Jabba because he’s the Hutt we know and love (or loathe). Can’t say I miss the genderbending, either.
Samuel L. Jackson back as Mace! Funny enough, I think Sam’s vocal performance is more understated than the guy who does Mace on the show, Terrence Carson. Never thought I’d say that about a Samuel L. performance.
One of the criticisms of the animation early on was the wooden appearance of the characters. That certainly appears more pronounced looking back, such as the stiff way many of the characters walk. Hair, too.
Looking back, it’s also more obvious how much the vocal performances have improved over the years. The VAs have definitely made the characters their own. Things are much more natural these days. Some of the lines from this movie still make me cringe, especially in the early Christophsis scenes.
Of course, the most obvious Hammer! in the movie: Anakin has a Padawan?!?!?!?
I like the character designs for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Anakin’s hair is on its way to its Episode III mane length and Obi-Wan’s armor/robe look seems like something of a callback to the Clone Wars microseries, when Obi-Wan wore the trooper armor on Muunilinst.
Ventress! Nika’s voice resembles the microseries Ventress voice more here than later in the series, at least to my ear.
I love that they even got Christopher Lee back as Dooku. Brings some legitimacy to the movie.
It took me several episodes to realize Rex actually had very short blonde hair rather than simply being bald.
One reason to watch things repeatedly is to catch the subtle things you didn’t see before. Like the three clones behind Ahsoka who turn their heads to listen in when Ahsoka yells “Stop calling me that!”
I do not miss “Skyguy”. Never minded “Snips”, though.
Ah yes, our Scottish General Loathsome. I like him. Karen Traviss makes a joke about “nomitive determinism” in the movie’s novelization. Hardy har har.
I can’t help but wonder what happened to Cody during the shield battle on Christophsis. Did he leave on Ahsoka’s transport?
I also can’t help but wonder how binoculars that appear to have a metal plate over the front of them function.
Another reason Palpatine didn’t use droid armies: hiding under a box can fool them.
“We’re inside the shield.” Gee, thanks, Obi-Wan. Learning his observation skills from Ric Olie (who I think gets an unfair rep, BTW, but that’s another discussion)
Huh. The revving lightsaber sound effect was being used way back here in the movie.
Someone on the message boards complained that Obi-Wan broke the rules of engagement by surrendering deceptively. That’s the kind of comment best ignored.
Watching Yoda slowly walk across that bridge makes me wonder what happened to his little hover chair from Episode II.
When the film was made, it was apparently composed of four episodes, “The New Padawan”, “Castle of Deception”, “Castle of Doom”, and “Castle of Salvation”. I’m guessing the first episode ends around the point Anakin is telling Ahsoka she wouldn’t make it as Obi-Wan’s Padawan, but maybe could be his (Around 26 minutes). The following scene seems a lot like the beginning of a new episode.
Animation certainly lets you get away with things live action wouldn’t. I doubt the bounty hunter heads brought to Jabba would have been acceptable in the five PG live action films.
Nice lingering shot of that Jedi Cruiser approaching Teth to show off the new animation.
Love the gunship nose art.
R2-KT!
Maybe it’s a little gimmicky, but I like the sequence where they land in the jungle and we follow Ahsoka for a few seconds into the war zone. Nice to get that tighter perspective. Also, love the line “Welcome to Paradise, rock jumpers.”
One thing I don’t like about Traviss’ novelization is she has characters point out the tactical stupidity of the rock climbing scene rather than bombing from the air. I mean, come on, it’s fantasy for crying out loud. Can we not just enjoy it?
Love the shot of the STAPs zooming in to attack the ascending clones.
Nice to hear some early frustration from Rex having to follow a Jedi like Skywalker “Yes sir! *whispering* Working on it.”
I also like Anakin just wasting the droids surrounding him. Good hint at his prodigal powers.
Something we get to see in this series is a more nonchalant Anakin. There's less frustrated Vader or complaining Luke and a little more Solo swagger. It’s a good expansion of some of the lighter moments at the beginning of Episode III and, IMO, makes him more likable and his fate more tragic.
Rotta must have one hot fever if Anakin can feel it through his glove.
I always thought that that AT-TE blows up a little too easily. Maybe that's one of the reasons AT-ATs have their ridiculously strong armor.
Aw, a Qui-Gon quote. Always remembered fondly by Anakin. One wonders if Palpatine would have succeeded with Jinn still around.
I remember when I first saw the Clone Wars trailer, I thought Ventress would definitely kill Rex.
Ventress vs. Ahsoka is satisfyingly short. Can’t say I’ve ever agreed with the “Ahsoka’s a Mary Sue” claim.
The droid humor’s never really bothered me. Sometimes it’s even genuinely funny. Such as “Whyyyyyyyyy…..?”
Cody sends the gunships from the cruiser yet later is aboard one. The guy’s like a ninja.
The animation for Season 1 vs. Season 4 reminds me of a video game and its sequel. The graphics always improve.
Ah, OT reference! Ventress: “I shall double my efforts.” Dooku: “I hope so, for your sake.”
Obi-Wan vs. Ventress, Part 1. Always fun together. The guy even smirks when she sheds the skirt. They’ve come a long way between here and "Revival".
Ah, the Twilight. Anakin becomes a navigator on a spice freighter. I don’t know how you can depict a ship flying really slowly, but they manage to do that with the Twilight.
Heh. Sick as he is, Rotta’s enjoying the ride!
With scenes like the hangar blowing up, the movie and show make me constantly feel bad for the clones.
Obi-Wan does the beard stroke a lot in this show.
Ventress loses one of her lightsabers. I guess she builds another one later on.
Anakin thinks of Tatooine and we hear the Sand People call. Nice callback (call forward? Foreshadow?) to the beginning of Episode III.
The banter definitely gets better as the show goes on.
Still has its moments, though. Obi-Wan: “Anakin, did you get shot down again?” Ahsoka: “Yes!”
Run, Jawas!
Padme! Took her a while to show up in this one.
I’m wondering if Artoo has a “not this place again” thought when he and Threepio crash on Tatooine in Episode IV.
Oh, Ziro. One of the more... discussed elements of the movie.
Looks like Padme had the Episode II outfit fixed. Or bought another one. Or just had another one in her closet. Knowing her wardrobe, it wouldn’t surprise me.
I’m curious as to what exactly Padme’s plan here was. She didn’t know Ziro would be talking to Dooku. He just ended up being really, really careless.
Anakin vs. Dooku, Round 2. Our first example showing that Anakin’s “my powers have doubled” line was NOT referring to Episode II. It’s a pretty good fight. I didn’t like that it was happening the first time I learned about it, but I’m okay with it now.
One of the clones that saves Padme actually dives behind the bar. Awesome.
The fact that Ahsoka can take on three Magna Guards doesn’t really say much about those guards. Maybe they get upgraded by Episode III.
I wonder how many of Jabba’s crew Anakin could take before he went down.
And Jabba still orders them executed. What a jerk.
The ending here is kind of abrupt, but in the SW movie tradition, there’s no dialogue.
Next: Yoda kicks things off in "Ambush"!
Let me take you back four and a half years, three years after we had last seen Star Wars on the big screen, what many of us expected to be the last time for a while. But by 2008, we knew Star Wars was coming back, this time to the much beloved small screen. We anticipated two upcoming series, an animated series set between Episodes II and III about the Clone Wars Luke once mentioned and another live action series set between Episodes III and IV. As the former series approached we were all surprised to learn that what was essentially its pilot episode would be on the big screen. Star Wars in movie theaters again! I never miss a chance to see the Wars in a movie theater (I saw Episode I in 3-D three times last year), so I went in spite of its not so glowing reviews. We're talking 19% at Rotten Tomatoes kind of reviews. That August we all took our first step into a larger world....
Right off the bat, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s WB instead of 20th Century Fox. First off, I like the clone chatter over the Lucasfilm logo. Reminded me of the transmission style logo the Clone Wars microseries did. After that, though, I wasn’t sure what would come. Another crawl? Something new? In seconds, we knew. Tom Kane!
So, immediately, the movie brings in a minor Hammer, which on a little podcast called the Clone Cast is the term for any George Lucas-approved material contradicting the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the stuff one gets in Star Wars books, comics, video games, etc. This one goes against A.C. Crispin’s Han Solo books. In this movie, Jabba has a son and is apparently in charge of some Outer Rim Hyperspace lanes. In the Solo books, taking place in the decade leading up to Episode IV, Jabba is subservient in his Hutt clan to his uncle. Also, Hutts are hermaphrodites who switch genders when pregnant. Obviously, Lucas went with Jabba because he’s the Hutt we know and love (or loathe). Can’t say I miss the genderbending, either.
Samuel L. Jackson back as Mace! Funny enough, I think Sam’s vocal performance is more understated than the guy who does Mace on the show, Terrence Carson. Never thought I’d say that about a Samuel L. performance.
One of the criticisms of the animation early on was the wooden appearance of the characters. That certainly appears more pronounced looking back, such as the stiff way many of the characters walk. Hair, too.
Looking back, it’s also more obvious how much the vocal performances have improved over the years. The VAs have definitely made the characters their own. Things are much more natural these days. Some of the lines from this movie still make me cringe, especially in the early Christophsis scenes.
Of course, the most obvious Hammer! in the movie: Anakin has a Padawan?!?!?!?
I like the character designs for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Anakin’s hair is on its way to its Episode III mane length and Obi-Wan’s armor/robe look seems like something of a callback to the Clone Wars microseries, when Obi-Wan wore the trooper armor on Muunilinst.
Ventress! Nika’s voice resembles the microseries Ventress voice more here than later in the series, at least to my ear.
I love that they even got Christopher Lee back as Dooku. Brings some legitimacy to the movie.
It took me several episodes to realize Rex actually had very short blonde hair rather than simply being bald.
One reason to watch things repeatedly is to catch the subtle things you didn’t see before. Like the three clones behind Ahsoka who turn their heads to listen in when Ahsoka yells “Stop calling me that!”
I do not miss “Skyguy”. Never minded “Snips”, though.
Ah yes, our Scottish General Loathsome. I like him. Karen Traviss makes a joke about “nomitive determinism” in the movie’s novelization. Hardy har har.
I can’t help but wonder what happened to Cody during the shield battle on Christophsis. Did he leave on Ahsoka’s transport?
I also can’t help but wonder how binoculars that appear to have a metal plate over the front of them function.
Another reason Palpatine didn’t use droid armies: hiding under a box can fool them.
“We’re inside the shield.” Gee, thanks, Obi-Wan. Learning his observation skills from Ric Olie (who I think gets an unfair rep, BTW, but that’s another discussion)
Huh. The revving lightsaber sound effect was being used way back here in the movie.
Someone on the message boards complained that Obi-Wan broke the rules of engagement by surrendering deceptively. That’s the kind of comment best ignored.
Watching Yoda slowly walk across that bridge makes me wonder what happened to his little hover chair from Episode II.
When the film was made, it was apparently composed of four episodes, “The New Padawan”, “Castle of Deception”, “Castle of Doom”, and “Castle of Salvation”. I’m guessing the first episode ends around the point Anakin is telling Ahsoka she wouldn’t make it as Obi-Wan’s Padawan, but maybe could be his (Around 26 minutes). The following scene seems a lot like the beginning of a new episode.
Animation certainly lets you get away with things live action wouldn’t. I doubt the bounty hunter heads brought to Jabba would have been acceptable in the five PG live action films.
Nice lingering shot of that Jedi Cruiser approaching Teth to show off the new animation.
Love the gunship nose art.
R2-KT!
Maybe it’s a little gimmicky, but I like the sequence where they land in the jungle and we follow Ahsoka for a few seconds into the war zone. Nice to get that tighter perspective. Also, love the line “Welcome to Paradise, rock jumpers.”
One thing I don’t like about Traviss’ novelization is she has characters point out the tactical stupidity of the rock climbing scene rather than bombing from the air. I mean, come on, it’s fantasy for crying out loud. Can we not just enjoy it?
Love the shot of the STAPs zooming in to attack the ascending clones.
Nice to hear some early frustration from Rex having to follow a Jedi like Skywalker “Yes sir! *whispering* Working on it.”
I also like Anakin just wasting the droids surrounding him. Good hint at his prodigal powers.
Something we get to see in this series is a more nonchalant Anakin. There's less frustrated Vader or complaining Luke and a little more Solo swagger. It’s a good expansion of some of the lighter moments at the beginning of Episode III and, IMO, makes him more likable and his fate more tragic.
Rotta must have one hot fever if Anakin can feel it through his glove.
I always thought that that AT-TE blows up a little too easily. Maybe that's one of the reasons AT-ATs have their ridiculously strong armor.
Aw, a Qui-Gon quote. Always remembered fondly by Anakin. One wonders if Palpatine would have succeeded with Jinn still around.
I remember when I first saw the Clone Wars trailer, I thought Ventress would definitely kill Rex.
Ventress vs. Ahsoka is satisfyingly short. Can’t say I’ve ever agreed with the “Ahsoka’s a Mary Sue” claim.
The droid humor’s never really bothered me. Sometimes it’s even genuinely funny. Such as “Whyyyyyyyyy…..?”
Cody sends the gunships from the cruiser yet later is aboard one. The guy’s like a ninja.
The animation for Season 1 vs. Season 4 reminds me of a video game and its sequel. The graphics always improve.
Ah, OT reference! Ventress: “I shall double my efforts.” Dooku: “I hope so, for your sake.”
Obi-Wan vs. Ventress, Part 1. Always fun together. The guy even smirks when she sheds the skirt. They’ve come a long way between here and "Revival".
Ah, the Twilight. Anakin becomes a navigator on a spice freighter. I don’t know how you can depict a ship flying really slowly, but they manage to do that with the Twilight.
Heh. Sick as he is, Rotta’s enjoying the ride!
With scenes like the hangar blowing up, the movie and show make me constantly feel bad for the clones.
Obi-Wan does the beard stroke a lot in this show.
Ventress loses one of her lightsabers. I guess she builds another one later on.
Anakin thinks of Tatooine and we hear the Sand People call. Nice callback (call forward? Foreshadow?) to the beginning of Episode III.
The banter definitely gets better as the show goes on.
Still has its moments, though. Obi-Wan: “Anakin, did you get shot down again?” Ahsoka: “Yes!”
Run, Jawas!
Padme! Took her a while to show up in this one.
I’m wondering if Artoo has a “not this place again” thought when he and Threepio crash on Tatooine in Episode IV.
Oh, Ziro. One of the more... discussed elements of the movie.
Looks like Padme had the Episode II outfit fixed. Or bought another one. Or just had another one in her closet. Knowing her wardrobe, it wouldn’t surprise me.
I’m curious as to what exactly Padme’s plan here was. She didn’t know Ziro would be talking to Dooku. He just ended up being really, really careless.
Anakin vs. Dooku, Round 2. Our first example showing that Anakin’s “my powers have doubled” line was NOT referring to Episode II. It’s a pretty good fight. I didn’t like that it was happening the first time I learned about it, but I’m okay with it now.
One of the clones that saves Padme actually dives behind the bar. Awesome.
The fact that Ahsoka can take on three Magna Guards doesn’t really say much about those guards. Maybe they get upgraded by Episode III.
I wonder how many of Jabba’s crew Anakin could take before he went down.
And Jabba still orders them executed. What a jerk.
The ending here is kind of abrupt, but in the SW movie tradition, there’s no dialogue.
Next: Yoda kicks things off in "Ambush"!