Written by Anonymous
Published on October 20th, 2003

Clone Wars Cartoon - Review of First 5 Episodes

• Introduction
• Review by Anonymous
• Review by The Drunken Master
• Review by Scott Chitwood

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Overall, the show is absolutely stunning. If the first few episodes are any indication of the series quality, we can all be assured that there will be very few fans left disappointed (and this is coming from someone who was definitely not the biggest fan of AOTC!). Visually, Genndy Tartakovsky and his team of animators have totally outdone themselves and have gone above and beyond in capturing the essence, feel and technology of the Star Wars Universe without watering down the trademark style of animation fans have come to expect from their other projects such as Samurai Jack and the Powerpuff Girls. The minute details present in virtually every animated sequence are simply breathtaking but do nothing to take away from the overall action of each scene, they serve simply to enhance and do a fine job of it.

The characters and vehicles represented in the series are done exceptionally well. By now, many of you have already seen the still images that have been making their way around the Net over the past few days so it should come as no surprise as to what some of the characters look like. The only complaint people may find would lie in Anakin's chin as it's far too stout a representation of Hayden Christensen but ultimately, it suits the character as it makes him look a little more refined and mature. While Amidala only has a brief cameo in the first few episodes, she could well be one of the most visually stimulating characters of the lot but when it comes right down to it, virtually every character seen so far has met the transition to animated form very well.

While each episode only clocks in around the 4-minute mark, they're chock full of action. Each show starts with a very brief recap of the chapter previous and from there, the Star Wars logo flickers to life and the new installment begins. After the episode is finished, there is a very brief (like 3 second) clip from the next show. Very cool stuff.

In the first episode, Yoda begins with a brief recap of the Clone Wars (which appears to be made up of quick scenes from future episodes) and from there the show transitions to a scene where he, Obi-Wan and Anakin are in the presence of Chancellor Palpatine who sends them on their next mission and subsequently gives Anakin command of a fighter squadron; a move which doesn't hold well with Obi-Wan and Yoda. This scene sets the tone for the next couple of episodes as Obi-Wan and his team of super-stealthy, SWAT-like ARC Troopers launch a ground attack on one of the world's held by the Banking Clan and Trade Federation while Anakin leads his squad into battle high above the planet. Durge makes his first appearance in the fourth chapter as he leads his army of swoop riding, IG-88 inspired droids in a medieval-style attack against the invading Republic Army. This chapter closes with the Republic troops taking a heavy loss at the hands of Durge.

Unfortunately, with the end of this episode, so too must end this review. The clip at the end of chapter 4 indicates we will have to wait to see what becomes of the ARC Troopers and the Army of the Republic as chapter 5 seems to change pace entirely. It looks to feature Kit Fisto and an army of underwater equipped Clone Troopers battling with the Mon Calamari people against the Quarren who have allied themselves with Count Dooku. I can only assume that this will be a tactic used throughout the series to not only keep the viewer coming back for more but to cover as many different story-arcs as possible in a relatively short period of time.

There's no question that this series may help to restore some of the faith many fans of the Original Trilogy lost with the release of both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In animated form, the characters, vehicles and battles that were created entirely in CG form for the films look a hundred times more plausible simply because this time around, they're actually supposed to be animated in an animated show as opposed to poorly animated, two-dimensional CG things in what was supposed to be a live-action movie. I for one, have had an ounce of faith restored and am eagerly looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

Feedback welcome

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