Star Wars The Clone Wars Volume 1 Views

General Goods

“Star Wars: Clone Wars” was as a series of very short (two to three minutes) cartoon episodes detailing the intergalactic strife which took place between the end of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The initial series ran in two separate seasons of ten episodes each. The first season debuted in November 2003 and was followed by the second season in March 2004. The series had a distinct style, designed by Genndy Tartakovsky and it employed a liberal use of hyperbole – both in terms of animation and storytelling. At the time, it was a fairly well-received show, with plenty of action and even a few character moments.

The short time limits for each episode didn’t seem to diminish the show’s effectiveness in telling a good story. But for the DVD release, each chapter has been edited together to create an hour-long film, eliminating the original episodic nature of the series. The result is a narrative that is, at times, disjointed – which diminishes the overall impact of the show. And now, with a brand new CGI variation on the series, one has to wonder how relevant this series will remain. Regardless of whether or not it does so, one thing is certain: for big fans of Star Wars, Clone Wars will always remain a “must-see” event. But for everyone else? They can pass it by and not miss a whole heckuva lot.

Part of the success of Clone Wars was that it gave audiences what they felt was missing from the second Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones: War. Indeed, in Attack of the Clones, we witness merely the opening salvo in what was an epic conflict. And with the release of the third prequel, Revenge of the Sith, only showing the final moments of the war, the narrative of Clone Wars became all the more important for Star Wars fans, filling in the very noticeable gaps left by the film franchise. This meant that the cartoon series, at least in terms of action, of seeing the devastating effects of the Clone Wars, was quite welcome in Star Wars fandom. What’s more, with all of the action, there was the potential to catch the interest of even less fanatic fans.

But the primary barrier to anyone’s enjoyment of the series is its extensive use of hyperbole (purposeful exaggeration). For starters, the animation style itself turns all of the familiar Star Wars characters into caricatures that range from intriguing to nearly laughable. And truth be told, while the style does run the risk of turning off viewers, it can be easily overlooked. More threatening to the series is the hyperbole of the action sequences – which are well beyond the “realism” (and I use that term loosely) presented in the film franchise. This happens from start to finish and if a viewer is looking for the true devastation that the Clone Wars wrought upon the galaxy, they will be disappointed by the heavy-handed approach in the cartoon.