Seen on: August 16, 2008

The players: Director: Dave Filoni, Writers: Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, Scott Murphy, Cast (Voices): Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson

Facts of interest: It's the first "Star Wars" flick not released by 20th Century Fox.

The plot: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi set out to secure a crucial treaty with Jabba the Hutt.

Our quick thoughts: “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” proves the force is no longer with George Lucas. The Dave Filoni-directed animated feature offers viewers nothing they haven’t seen yet in past “Star Wars” flicks, suffering from weak storytelling and a bunch of incredibly monotonous action sequences. Indeed, things are not like they used to be in the galaxy far, far away…

Serving as an introduction to the animated television series scheduled to debut this fall, “Clone Wars” takes place between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” Struggling to resist the forces of the Separatists, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi set out to secure a deal with Jabba the Hutt that would grant the Republic’s army safe passage within the Outer Rim.  

Jabba agrees to sign a treaty with the Republic, but only under the condition that Skywalker tracks down and frees the Hutt’s kidnapped son. Along with his new apprentice Ahsoka, Anakin thus embarks on a perilous mission that will eventually lead to a battle against some of his fiercest enemies, including Count Dooku and Ventress.

Besides the decent animation, I really don’t see what “Clone Wars” would have going for it. The script is undoubtedly the film’s biggest flaw, following the characters through a boring adventure filled with lame dialogue and recurrent action moments that involve nothing but the same old light saber battles. Innovation is one more thing you won’t find in this movie.

Sure, watching Anakin fight is clearly more entertaining than watching Anakin just talk, but when the pace remains unchanged throughout and the action stays the same for 98 minutes, one cannot help but wonder what the heck they’re going to show in the upcoming TV series. I’m sure the ratings will speak for themselves. 

Freaky quote: “Anakin, we ae vastly outnumbered!" – James Arnold Taylor

The final word: Empty characters and a shallow story line severely damage “Clone Wars,” an experiment that obviously fails to preserve the atmosphere and splendor of the previous “Star Wars” films.          

Article by Franck Tabouring