Star Wars: Clone Wars

This has got to be Genndy Tartakovsky's crowing achievement. Taking place between Star Wars II & III, and using state-of-the-art animation, Clone Wars is truly a masterpiece from the creator of `Samurai Jack' and `Dexter's Laboratory'.

The story picks up right where `Attack of the Clones' left off; the clone wars have begun, with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi leading the clones into war. The show introduces many new characters including an amphibian-warrior named Kit Fisto, and Asajj Ventress, the first female Dark Jedi to date, and also brings back many familiar faces from the previous movies, such as Skywalker's secret wife Padmé Amidala and of course, everyone's favorite droids, C-3PO and R2-D2.

The battle scenes are really great for animation, living up to the famed animator who brought us `Samurai Jack'. It basically seems to be George Lucas's version of `The Animatrix', answering almost any question we could have about the series until the final chapter comes out. I also had to laugh when I first saw Skywalker on the show: just as whiny as Hayden Christensen, and just as flat-acted as in Episode II!

This is definitely a series worth checking out, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole series will be released on DVD before Episode III hits theaters. Enjoy, and may the Force be with you.

A lot of people are turned off by the art style and/or lack of in-depth storytelling in the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series. There's also the odd fact that each episode is merely 3 minutes in length. Before cursing this cartoon, however, there are a few things to take into consideration...

Most fans complained that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones did not feature enough of the "Clone Wars" mentioned back in Episode IV of the original trilogy. The fans wanted more grand battle scenes. They wanted more lightsaber duels. They wanted to see more of the obscure Jedi. Star Wars: Clone Wars delivers all of these things in abundance.

The art style is well-known to fans of any of the Cartoon Network series, including Samurai Jack, etc. The image of extremely stylized characters may be jarring at first to Star Wars fans who are used to only seeing their favorite characters portrayed in live-action film. This style, however, allows for very fluid animation and beautifully rendered battle scenes (on a relatively small budget!).

Yes, this series is all about the action. It's not meant to be "Episode 2.5," but instead a small treat for the fans to enjoy while waiting until Star Wars Episode III is released in 2005. What's more, Star Wars: Clone Wars lets fans see some brand new characters that didn't make the cut into the feature films, as well as the first-ever appearance of the main villain for Episode III: General Grievous.

Anyone who complains about this cartoon is simply ungrateful and impossible to please. Myself not being a hardcore Star Wars fan, I found that Star Wars: Clone Wars actually got me more excited about the Star Wars series in general. I would recommend the micro-series to any fan of action and science fiction.

This series was what made me interested into the Star Wars saga when I was only 4 years old. Then I never got a change to watch it until 14 and I was amused that it was created by Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack Sym Bionic Titan and Hotel Transylvania 1 and 2 ). Years later, then came that brilliant CGI Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.

PLOT: Takes place between the events of Star Wars Episode II & III. Where the Clone Wars has spread across The Galaxy and its up to Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda and Mace Windu to take down the evil forces of Count Dooku and Darth Sidious. 9/10

CHARACTERS: Each character in this series was given there own episodes, including The Clones.E.g.Mace Windu kicking droid ass, Obi-Wan leading the clones into battle, Count Dooku training his new apprentice, Assajj Ventress, a forcesensitive woman who joined the Sith prior to the events of series, Master Yoda and Padme defending a sacred Jedi temple, bad ass Grievous kidnapping Chancellor Palpatine and last, but not least, Anakin Skywalker who defeated Ventress, saved a tribe of primitive aliens whilebeing influenced to becoming the evil Darth Vader. Despite lack of character development, all the characters on this show were likable and no Jar Jar Binks.7/10

ANIMATION: Like Samurai Jack, it was also one of the best well animated cartoons at that time and matched there movements. 10/10 In conclusion, the series even won five Golden Emmy Awards, including Best Animation Complexion and Best Outstanding Television Series. Star Wars: The Clone Wars and this series will forever great. 8/10

"Like fire across the galaxy, The Clone Wars spread." - Yoda

Based on what I saw in the first installment, this series has promise after all.

Ever since I heard earlier this year that this series was in production, I was worried. When I heard that this series would be broken up and released in 3-minute installments, I was even more worried. As a Star Wars fan, and slightly disappointed by Episode II, I did not have the faith that this series would deliver. Fallen to the dark side did I. Wrong was I proven.

This series looks beautiful to watch. Tartakovsky and Co. did an excellent job of portraying the rich tapestry of the Star Wars universe in animated form. Of all aspects of this production, I was most impressed by both the voice talent and character design.

I look forward to seeing the rest of this "micro-series" unfold. Perhaps, in the future, Lucasfilm should consider making this into a full-length animated series. I know I want to see it.

**** out of ****

Long live Star Wars!

It may not be saying much to proclaim Clone Wars as the best thing from the prequel-era of Star Wars storytelling--1999 to 2014--but this show is worth recommending as a superior alternative to the live-action films, albeit a very fleeting one. This is much closer to what classic Star Wars was in the beginning, i.e. serialized action-adventure with a snappy pace and a bit of dry wit.

Clone Wars, with its very stylized 2D animation and wall-to-wall action, is a good compliment to the later and longer-running The Clone Wars. The latter employed a more high-tech 3D/CGI animation style and focused more on character-based, long-form storytelling. And it really grew into a fine show. But the simple-yet-sharp visuals of the 2D animation on this one are my personal preference between the two. Sure, this style isn't everyone's cup of tea, but anyone who calls it "old-fashioned" is missing the point. This show is just the good stuff, without getting over-complicated and unwieldy. Long on charm, short on pretense.

And the characters, especially, fare far better here than in the live-action prequel films. As someone else mentioned, this show proves that the Star Wars prequels could have been a lot better than they were. The basic ingredients were there, but the recipes was wrong. This is a good recipe.