Clone Wars series (SPOILERS)

[Old Plympto]

I will be skipping the next coming episode entirely, and will not watch it unless a miracle happens and I hear good reviews.

S'what I thought about it, til I read on Wookieepedia that the episode will be written by Kevin Rubio who directed TROOPS and wrote Tag and Bink. So, here's hoping it'll genuinely funny, or at least moderately entertaining. If it's not, c'est la vie.

[Darth Fanboy]

Hence the part I wrote about "good reviews", CN is pretty good about reairing the episodes I think, I liked how they did it for the first few weeks and re aired the previous week's episode before the new one.

[TheSpaceman?]

Hmm...I'm really considering following this series. I didn't think I would after the awful feedback The Clone Wars movie received, but now I might be changing my mind. Why is it that the reaction to the movie and the cartoon are so disparate anyway?

[charlemagne]

Hmm...I'm really considering following this series. I didn't think I would after the awful feedback The Clone Wars movie received, but now I might be changing my mind. Why is it that the reaction to the movie and the cartoon are so disparate anyway?

Guess because people had to get into the mindset of "it's for children, so enjoy what's good about it and try to ignore the really silly stuff" first.

[DesertFly]

Hmm...I'm really considering following this series. I didn't think I would after the awful feedback The Clone Wars movie received, but now I might be changing my mind. Why is it that the reaction to the movie and the cartoon are so disparate anyway?

Probably because watching the equivalent of three episodes in a row (like the movie) starts the formula wearing thin, but in smaller doses it's easier to stomach the childishness? I'm just making an educated guess here; I liked the movie.

[TheSpaceman?]

Yeah, that's what I thought. But is the series really that childish? I've only seen "Downfall of a Droid", but it certainly did not seem like one of those series that is so targeted at children that it's hard for older viewers to enjoy.

[NecronLord]

In my opinion, a theatrical release elevated expectations. I enjoyed the movie, but, having seen the animated clone wars series, I knew what I was getting.

[The Romulan Republic]

Also keep in mind that the movie was basically a long pilot episode, and the pilot episodes are often not the show's best. Plus, the animation probably looks worse on a big screen (at least that's how I feel ).

[TheSpaceman?]

In my opinion, a theatrical release elevated expectations. I enjoyed the movie, but, having seen the animated clone wars series, I knew what I was getting.

You mean the Tartakovsky one?

[FSTargetDrone]

So are people liking the series so far? I've read about it on Wookiepedia and I've seen one episode, but I'm wondering how you guys feel about it.

Heh, just start reading from the beginning of this thread!

As for myself, I am liking it quite a bit. It's Star Wars. On TV!

I don't mind Ahsoka all that much. I haven't seen the movie itself, but I have seen every TV episode so far.

The acting is generally solid. It's nice that they have the same voice actor for Grievous as they did in ROTS.

Stylistically, the animation is fine, but I don't like the portrayal of hair. Obi-Wan looks like he has flat, rectangular plates lining his jaw. That's a minor point though.

My biggest problem is the portrayal of the Battle Droids. They are, in a word, buffoonish. I do not like how they have personalities and I especially don't like how they are so painfully inept. They sound like they've been spending too much time inside of some helium tanks. When they speak, I wish instead that they had flat, unemotional voices. The Sentry Droids in The Black Hole were a more menacing enemy. Instead, we have droids conversing with each other and being silly. If I were to give a serious comparison, the portrayal of droid-type infantry is done just right in nBSG. It is done absolutely wrong in TCW. That being said, I understand it is a children's show and that kids aren't so anal about such things. I don't mind at all R2, C-3P0 and other individual droids having personalities, but I strongly dislike the Battle Droids being so comical.

However, the series has quite a bit of semi-shocking violence (for a kids' show). The last episode had Grievous stab someone through the back with his lightsabre, its blade piercing the chest. The human Clone soldiers have met some pretty graphic deaths (we saw several of them die in the vacuum of space after some Battle Droids vented them from an escape pod). I don't mind the violence at all, but it seems out of place in a series that has such a goofy portrayal of The Bad Guys' Army. Justifying this silliness with the violence is somewhat head-scratching but I realize that the droids are probably going to stay the way they are.

In any case, check out the Cartoon Network's site and you can catch up on some of the recent episodes. I don't think they are all available all the time, but at least you can see some of them.

[TheSpaceman?]

So you recommend it then? I wasn't too bothered by the droid humor in RotS, so I don't think it'd bother me in this either. I might check out Youtube at some point, see if the episodes are on there. So far it sounds like it's worth getting into.

[lstyer]

I just watched Episode 5: "Rookies," on Cartoon Network's site, and I really dug it. After three Jedi-centric movies, the animated movie and the first Clone Wars animated show, Jedi are wearing thin, and I find the idea of the clones pretty fascinating, so this episode was all but tailor-made for me, I guess. I wish they had done more to make the rookie clones look a little younger than Rex and Cody, but that was really my only major complaint. This is the only episode I've seen so far, but if the quality of the show in general is even in the neighborhood of that of "Rookies," then I'm really looking forward to the DVD release.

[TheSpaceman?]

Forgot to ask, should I also check out the movie?

[FSTargetDrone]

So you recommend it then? I wasn't too bothered by the droid humor in RotS, so I don't think it'd bother me in this either. I might check out Youtube at some point, see if the episodes are on there. So far it sounds like it's worth getting into.

Absolutely check it out. For what it's worth, I think most people participating in this thread at least generally like it overall. It's not perfect but it's pretty darn good.

Here is Cartoon's Network's CW site.

I just watched Episode 5: "Rookies," on Cartoon Network's site, and I really dug it. After three Jedi-centric movies, the animated movie and the first Clone Wars animated show, Jedi are wearing thin, and I find the idea of the clones pretty fascinating, so this episode was all but tailor-made for me, I guess. I wish they had done more to make the rookie clones look a little younger than Rex and Cody, but that was really my only major complaint. This is the only episode I've seen so far, but if the quality of the show in general is even in the neighborhood of that of "Rookies," then I'm really looking forward to the DVD release.

Yes, it's nice that it hasn't been all Jedi all the time. I think there was just the one episode that was centered on Yoda. Obi-Wan and Anakin haven't been tooling around together all that much up to this point. Padme has only appeared a few times. The show producers have definitely stayed away from "Let's have the core characters have an adventure together every week!"

There is a whole universe of characters out there so it's nice to see stories involving people other than the central cast.

[TheSpaceman?]

Thanks! Should I also give the movie a shot now that it's on Demand and DVD and stuff?

[charlemagne]

Thanks! Should I also give the movie a shot now that it's on Demand and DVD and stuff?

Do like Sheldon on Big Bang Theory: let George Lucas disappoint you in the order he intended

[The Romulan Republic]

Forgot to ask, should I also check out the movie?

Depends. Do you find stupidity entertaining?

[lstyer]

Forgot to ask, should I also check out the movie?

If you go in without your expectations too high, I think the movie is worthwhile. I had heard almost nothing but negative about the movie, so I went into it expecting almost nothing, and came out feeling like it had been a decent way to pass a couple hours. That said, I went ahead and watched Episode 6 of the series last night and, to be honest, I think I liked both of the episodes better than I did the movie. I may have liked the movie more if I had watched it in episodic form, though, because I didn't feel like it ever really cohered.

[TheSpaceman?]

I saw that thing on The Big Bang Theory. I must confess when I saw that I thought to myself "Hey! I've heard good things!" But yeah, if I check out the movie it would be to prepare myself for the series itself and all that jazz. If that's my goal, it's worth a look?

[Terralthra]

I've been thoroughly enjoying the series. I go in there expecting a half hour adventure in the Star Wars universe. I'm just in the mindset that Anakin and Grevious never actually meet until the bridge encounter in RotS.

Given the dialogue between the two when that happens, that was my assumption all along.

GENERAL GRIEVOUS: And *cough* Anakin Skywalker... I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little.... older.
ANAKIN: General Grievous... You're shorter than I expected.

[TheSpaceman?]

By the way, does anyone know why Lucrehulk's and Munificent's show up in all The Clone Wars-related material but there's neither hide nor hair of Recusant's?

[TheSpaceman?]

I thought of another thing I find interesting that I forgot to mention in my previous post. I was under the impression that the 501st only joined forces with Anakin after he became Vader, but it looks like that's not the case judging from what I've read about this new series. I think it's pretty cool though.

[VT-16]

I think Lucas called the series "a PG-13 animated show".

[FSTargetDrone]

I think Lucas called the series "a PG-13 animated show".

The most recent episode had parental warnings before the show started and just before the show came back from the first commercial break. I don't remember seeing those before.

[TheSpaceman?]

By the by, has anyone read the comics written by the writers of the show? I'm thinking I might pick them up at some point.