Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) (DVD)

TCW-DVD-1discSo it came and went like a bolt of lightning in theaters and the intent for big screen wishes were to give folks a treat on the back story of new Jedi Ahsoka who is recruited and soon becomes a feisty second hand to Anakin during the massive Clone Wars and it’s not that bad a movie. You laugh but it’s true; “The Clone Wars” wasn’t really too bad of a film, we just grew up without the tales now catered to children. This isn’t the first time and sadly this isn’t the last time. The next person who tells me that Lucas raped their childhoods is going to get five fingers on the cheek and a kick in the ass. Because in spite of its inherent flaws and stunning departure from Lucas’s typical storytelling style, it wasn’t as bad as “Phantom Menace” and its television series is also one program you can’t put too much weight on because it carries the mantle well.

I mean, what were you expecting when Lucas had made it painfully clear he’s been touting to children since the introduction of the Ewoks and lovable droids? As a footnote: yes, the animated series is thankfully much better than the animated movie and translates well in the Wars universe with almost no faults to the overall product and mythos. Did you really expect the magic to come back with these films? At least the young audience enjoys them and the loathsome bitching has turned me in to a Wars geek who simply can’t be pegged in with horrific nerds who complain that Lucas molested them somehow by making bad movies. But I digress.  Lucas didn’t rape your child hood, he just altered the mythos to appeal to children and not adults. It’s time to grow up people. You fools. Was it as good as the other movies? Not really, but to pretend it’s the worst is just being melodramatic.

And it wouldn’t hurt to check out the special features either. As for the DVD, Disc One bears a commentary with the writers and directors who are often more concerned with explaining and apologizing about the product we have which ends up becoming slightly more tedious as the movie drones on and withdraws all the aspects of the film that made “Star Wars” from the long scroll to the top notch score John Williams. On Disc Two, getting more bang for our buck with looks behind the animation scenes and even grab a glimpse at the voice work. My favorite has to be the ten minute glimpse in to the voice of “Star Wars” where we interview the stars of the animated movie and learn how they work. “The Untold Story” is a thirty minute explanation as to why this movie arrived in theaters what compelled Lucas to basically string three episodes from the series in to one.

And it can work on occasion, though I don’t know why the creators juice up this movie so much when the plot is basically just a lot of running around and dodging. “A New Score” is also an explanation to the consumer why John Williams’ signature score is nowhere to be found. But the technical aspects behind combining both old and new styles of the score is very fascinating and one that’s difficult not to look for if you’re a “Star Wars” buff. There are also a total of six online webisodes that explain the new villains introduced to the grander scheme of the animated-verse. And Asaaj is quite fascinating a character, I hope we see more of her in the future. There’s also a gallery of screen shots thanks to Artoo, and five deleted scenes cut from the story that made for some great action set pieces. It’s a shame.