A Clone by Any Other Name
Ten seconds into Star Wars: The Clone Wars, you will realize this isn’t the Star Wars you remember. The George Lucas-produced cartoon is being distributed through Warner Brothers, making it the first Star Wars release not to carry the familiar 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare. And though John Williams’ theme music is present, it has been altered by composer Kevin Kiner to sound more, well, cartoon-y. The final blow to our Star Wars memories: no opening crawl. The sky-high yellow letters that explain the back story of a Star Wars film have been replaced by a faux newsreel explanation of what’s been happening in the universe, namely that the Jedi have been saddled with finding Jabba the Hutt’s kidnapped son in order to protect fly-over zones in the Outer Rim. It’s enough to make any fan or casual filmgoer wonder what’s going on!
And then the animated film dumps you directly into the action (“this is where the fun begins!”) as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker try to hold off a Separatist siege on Christophsis, an Oz-like emerald planet that we can only assume is important to the Republic’s cause. The battle is nothing short of stunning, showcasing Lucasfilm’s new animation wing’s visual approach to the latest installment in the Star Wars saga. Kenobi and Skywalker banter like brothers and battle like heroes. But the battle does not proceed as planned.
Enter Ahsoka Tano, a teenage girl Padawan tagged by Master Yoda to be Anakin’s apprentice, a premise that the wild Jedi asserts “will only slow me down”. The relationship of the Vader-to-be Anakin and the brash young Padawan serves as the centerpiece of the film. Theirs is not the friendly banter of Obi-Wan and Anakin, but more contentious in nature. Nothing is going to hold Anakin back, especially not an inexperienced youngling. Ahsoka wants only to be taken seriously in the eyes of the Jedi and she sets about to do just that as the pair set off in search of Jabba’s son, a miniature slug that is either the cutest worm you’ve ever seen or the ugliest baby ever, not sure which.
As with all Star Wars films, the battles are tantamount. A perilous ascension up the side of the B’omarr Monastery on the planet Teth is nothing short of fascinating. And there are enough lightsaber duels to keep the die-hards happy. Perennial villain Count Dooku returns to spew his own unusual venom, especially in a sandstorm of a confrontation with Anakin. Other villains include sinister Sith witch, Asajj Ventress, a sensuous mix of talented Jedi arts master and pure she-devil, and the disgusting, cross-dressing Ziro the Hutt, who figures prominently in the fate of brother Jabba’s son.
Some of the set pieces are absolutely beautiful, an array of exotic locations. When Anakin returns to his home planet of Tatooine – a trip fraught with all sorts of meaning for the tormented Jedi – there is a haunting beauty to the lonely Jedi’s trek across the Dune Sea with his new apprentice and R2-D2 close behind. Obi-Wan’s protracted duel with Ventress across a bridge with a darkening sky as a backdrop is brilliant in color and drama.
But let’s really get down to it. The reviews have been less than stellar (yes, I’ve read them). Entertainment Weekly gave it an “F”. (They couldn’t find anything redeeming?) Others have called the animation “wooden and ugly”. “There are too many battles.” Huh? Uh, it’s the Clone WARS people. The galaxy is at war, do you get that?! On and on the torching goes.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!! I realize I am biased. I realize that I have become part of the problem with Star Wars, a fan base oftentimes more interested in cool weaponry and merchandise than the stories themselves. That doesn’t take away from my appreciation or recommendation of this movie in any way, shape or form.
Some have said that the animation does not look lifelike. Lucas himself responds by saying that if he wanted the animation to look lifelike, he would have just shot a live-action film. There have been plenty of animated films in recent cinema that have not looked lifelike, but that did not detract from their power or merit (think of last year’s Oscar-nominated “Persepolis”). The animators have made a choice of using a blend of Japanese manga animé with the marionette stylizations of the old Thunderbirds cartoons of the 1950s. It’s a style choice, folks. Get over it.
Others have accused the film of just being a tie-in to the upcoming cartoon series. Duh! It is, morons. In fact, the cartoon was never intended to be a feature film. Lucas just did this for the fans. So yes, some of the editing may not be up to cinematic standards. Perhaps the film doesn’t stand so well on its own, but will work better as part of a bigger piece of work. And certainly the much-maligned animation will look better on the small screen.
But when I came out of the film each time on Friday, I wasn’t dwelling on the animation or the battles or the film’s place in the overall Star Wars universe, all of which are important to me. Instead, I kept thinking of the plight of young Ahsoka Tano, the female Padawan assigned to Anakin. Despite her impressive Jedi skills, she is like any other teenager, struggling to impress her elders, striving for acceptance, desperate to be taken seriously and listened to for whatever she can contribute. To me, that is what is at the core of this film and, not surprisingly, what will probably resonate with the audience for which this is intended – kids!
I can only hope that the upcoming series will mine more of this territory as Ahsoka continues to assert herself and Anakin learns what it means to be a teacher. His well-established demons cannot stay dormant for long when it comes to his relationship with Ahsoka and her future. I enjoyed the few times in the film when she bravely tried to get Anakin to open up about his past, a past we know so well but which she has no clue about. There is plenty of drama in storytelling for Director Dave Filoni and crew to pursue there.
Meanwhile, those people who still cannot tap into what it means to be a kid again – critics – will go on hating Star Wars and making the most innocuous explanations for why it sucks. And I will continue to try and persuade everyone that there is more to Star Wars: The Clone Wars than meets the eye. Give it a try, you should.