Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 - 2005) (TV Mini Series Review)

 The time has come to put a bookmark on my little "Star Wars" month and continue with further reviews at another time. For now, I want to close out the month by looking back at one of the best early expansions of “Star Wars” into television ... the animated mini-series titled “Star Wars: Clone Wars”. 

This animated production is often labeled as the last of the vintage "Star Wars" TV material, and the debate is still open on whether it can still be regarded as cannon. This series first aired back in 2003, and concluded in 2005, just before the premier of “Revenge of the Sith”. Unlike all the other animated “Star Wars” TV programs, this show was done in the style of a classic adventure serial like “Flash Gordon”, in which you're given three to five minuet long snip-pets of a larger story. In other words, it's best not to view this as a TV show, but rather a two-hour animated movie that was broken-up into fragments, and later on home video was split into a two-part volume set. It's also been edited together as one continues two-hour long feature on a number of sights, which is personally how I prefer to watch this one.

  As you’d expect from the title, the narrative is set between the events of “Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars 3 Revenge of the Sith”, and at the time, the series helped fill the gaps between both films, which was very effective for its time. I actually viewed the whole series for my first time, just before I saw the premier of “Revenge of the Sith”, so the timing couldn’t have been better. 

As a side note, I’d encourage any new viewers to watch it in one big marathon, and treat it like an animated movie. Ever sense it’s release, this show has received critical acclaim, even more than any theatrical movie that aired alongside it. The fans loved it, critics loved it, and even IGN placed it at the #21 spot on their list of the 100 greatest animated TV shows of all time, which is no small accomplishment. So, considering that I’m a rather big “Star Wars” fan, I naturally have a lot of fondness for this series, and still view it as cannon, despite it’s vintage label. With that said, I also wouldn't call this one of my absolute favorite entries in the saga, and for me, it'll always be stuck in the shadow of the 2008 CGI TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Regardless, the 2003 animated "Star Wars: Clone Wars" is still a solid piece of work, and shouldn’t be overlooked.

  Following after the events of "Attack of the Clones", war wages across the galaxy, and the Jedi are finding themselves tested for who they really are. One specific Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker finds that, while he faces new enemies and challenges in this conflict, he must also face himself ... and who he'll be when the war ends. For the most part, this series is less about story, and more about experience. 

In fact, the first volume of this special is almost like a silent movie, in which all the emotion and character is conveyed through the visual performance, action, and atmosphere instead of dialogue. In the first act, Anakin leads a fight in space, while Obi-Wan leads a ground assault on a planet below, and lots of battles ensue along the way. At the end of their respected missions, both Obi-Wan and Anakin have their own personal enemies to face. There are some little detours throughout this first half, like Padme and Yoda rescuing two Jedi that were trapped on a snow planet, and Mace Windu being a one-man army against a number of battle droids. In Volume 2, Anakin goes on another quest to rescue the males of an alien village, who have all been up-ducted by a group of mad scientists. As Anakin goes on his mission, General Grivious launches his massive attack on the capital, and capturing the chancellor, which segues us into the opening of “Revenge of the Sith”. 

  All the established “Star Wars” prequel characters are present in this show, but the cast is entirely new, with the exception of Anthony Daniels who continues to do the voice work for C-3PO. Interestingly enough, the voice cast has become very recognizable, and I’ve come to regard many of them as Iconic cast-members in the “Star Wars” franchise. 

This especially applies to James Arnold Taylor, who is fantastic in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Tom Kane, who’s very respectable in the role of Yoda. Other characters have their highlights, R2-D2 is still cute, and Jedi master Mace Windu gets some terrific action scenes. The real surprise is that this shows portrayal of Padme Amidala is fantastic. I've generally been indifferent to the character, but I really grew to like her in this series. Voice actress Grey DeLisle is terrific in the role, and she’d continue to shine in the 2008 CGI series “The Clone Wars”. Anakin Skywalker has a strong story-arc in the series, but I have to admit, I just never got on board with the voice actor, Mat Lucas … no relation to George Lucas. While the talent delivers a serviceable performance, and has shined in other Lucus Arts projects, I’m just so mentally conditioned to voice actor Matt Lanter in the role, to the point where a different voice just comes off as distracting to me.

 Just like our hero’s, the show features many famous “Star Wars” villains, including the evil Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, who has a terrific design in this show. Count Dooku obviously makes a number of appearances throughout the series, and we get our first taste of Cory Burton in the role, who's a respectful follow-up to Christopher Lee from the movies. However, the big one who completely steals the show is the sinister cybernetic General Grievous, who actually makes his very first appearance in this series, even before the movie “Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith”. Personally, I think this is the best portrayal of General Grievous by a mile. He’s menacing, he’s powerful, he has a terrific design, and there’s never a moment in which he comes off as either silly or cowardly … unlike his other portrayals. While I certainly have fondness for Mathew Wood's hammy performance in both the movie and the CGI TV series, there's just no beating John DiMaggio in the micro-series. He just adds this really chilling and intimidating voice, and the character himself has never felt more threatening. 

 This show is also credible for introducing one of the most popular villains from the expanded “Clone Wars” universe … the dark Jedi assassin called Asajj Ventress. Her design is unique, the voice is awesome, and it's just cool to see her introduction here. This character became so popular that she was featured as the main villain in the theatrical animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie, and become a recurring character in the following CGI series. This show also featured a new bounty hunter called Durge. Unlike Ventress, this character is exclusive to the series (at least as far as other shows and movies are concerned). Despite not appearing in the CGI series, I consider Durge a memorable foe from this era. He adorns heavy armor, resembles a knight joisting, and has some hidden “Akira” inspired capabilities. He certainly looks cool, is an exciting presence, and has some thrilling battles with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 The animation in this special is something that I have mixed feelings about. It was spearheaded by Genndy Tartakovsky, the same talent who worked on “Samurai Jack”, among other Cartoon Network offerings, and for me, I was never won over by his art-design. That’s just a personal taste, because the animation overall is still quite impressive, and looks great all these years later. 

For the time, this was kind of a groundbreaking mix of CGI and traditional hand-drawn animation. The details are great, the sound designs are fantastic, and I really love all the quiet moments. More than anything, the best aspect of this show is its atmosphere, and how it can make you feel like you’re in the moment. Again, this special is all about experience, with just enough threads of character and story giving it substances. Usually, when reviewing TV shows, I like to rank my personal Top 10 favorite episodes … but sense this can be viewed as a two-hour special, I’ll change things up by counting down my personal Top 10 favorite Moments instead.

 

 #10 “General Grievous first Arrives” 

First impressions are very important for a good villain … and General Grievous’s first scene in this show hits things out of the park on a high note. The tension in this scene is brilliant, with great build-up, and effective sound mixing. With several Jedi beaten, dead or in hiding, the General makes good on his threat as an unstoppable force, and one that provokes fear in his enemies.  

 

#9 “Obi-Wan vs Durge” 

While Obi-Wan is heavily present though the show, he really doesn’t have too many action scenes … with one big exception. His battle with the mighty Hunter Durge is certainly a highlight, and one of Kenobi’s most unique duels in the franchise.

 

#8 “A Silent Fairwell” 

While Anakin’s relation with Padme played a huge part in the movies, it’s noticeably scaled down in this series … but they certainly make the most of what little they got. I love this one scene before Anakin flies off to war, he exchanges this farewell glance to Padme through a window, and I find myself honestly feeling more for these characters through little emotional moments like this then I did in the live-action movies.

 

#7 “The Siege of Coruscant” 

Setting the stage for “Revenge of the Sith”, it was very exciting to see the invasion of the capital in this show. While the movie exclusively focused on the battle in space, this series gives us the privilege of seeing the invasion on ground level, and it gives our Jedi heroes a chance to show-off their distinct abilities. What’s the one thing cooler then Yoda with a lightsaber … Yoda ridding on a horse into a battle field with a lightsaber. 

 

#6 “Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight” 

One noteworthy peace of continuity that was excluded from both the movies and the follow-up CGI series was seeing Anakin’s transition from Padawan to Jedi Knight. In this series, we get the privilege of seeing him undergo his own Knighting ceremony, and it’s a very satisfying moment for the character.

 

#5 “Padme and Yoda’s rescue mission” 

One of the many detours of Volume 1 revolves around Yoda and Padme going-off on a little excursion to rescue a pair of Jedi, who were ambushed at one of their temples. While both Padme and Yoda are established characters, it’s not a pairing you’d typically see, and the two share a genuinely nice bond with one another. It’s just a nice little side-quest for two characters who don’t usually get paired together, and as a side-note ... I love Padme's winter coat.

 

#4 “Anakin rescues the Villagers” 

Near the end of the war, Anakin goes on one final solo mission to rescue the male villagers of an alien village, who are all being experimented on by evil doctors. One of my biggest hang-ups with “Attack of the Clones” was a lack of heroic moments to cheer for Anakin, and this was certainly one of his biggest applause worthy moments. 

 

#3 “The Jedi’s Final Stand against Grievous” 

During the siege of Coruscant, General Grievous in-acts his mission to kidnap the Chancellor. It’s a suspenseful cat and mouse sequence, as three Jedi make a desperate last stand against their stronger opponent. It really highlights what an unstoppable threat the General is, and closes on an emotional highlight.  

 

#2 “Anakin Skywalker vs Asajj Ventress” 

For her first assignment, Ventress is tasked to assassinate Anakin Skywalker, which leads to an incredible light-saber duel. No joke, this is one of the best duels in all of “Star Wars” history. The way this battle is paced, staged, and scored is nothing short of brilliant. My favorite moment of all is this one shot of the two standing still, with sabers drawn, while a storm roles overhead, and these little drops of rain hit their blades, with steam coming off of them ... it is so cool. Now, there is a small gap in continuity, as she apparently dies at the end of the battle, and yet, she continued to appear in further in-universe events. I’m whiling to glance over this, as she became an excellent character in the CGI series.

 

Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …

Qui-Gon appears to little Anakin in a Dream

Ventress in the Monster Pit

Mace Windu protects farm land

Underwater battle

Anakin and Padme meet in the shadows of Croissant

 

#1 “Anakin’s Cave Vision” 

Here it is, my favorite scene of the whole special is when Anakin journeys into a cave, and has a chilling vision of his possible future, but with cave drawings representing the characters. This scene is dripping with dark, chilling atmosphere, and the visuals are very fitting to represent what the character is internally going through. While there have been a number of force related vision sequences in “Star Wars” both before and after … this one is my personal favorite by far.

  Overall, “Star Wars: Clone Wars” is a welcome entry in the franchise, and one that I'd brand with a stamp of recommendation. Even though I feel that neither the story or characters reached the same heights as the 2008 CGI TV show "The Clone Wars", this mini-series still has something special to offer on its own merits. The action was exciting, the atmosphere is brilliant, the creators clearly had a lot of respect for its source material, and there’s enough to make the experience worthwhile. If you’re a long time “Star Wars” fan, check it out, and you’ll probably enjoy it. I still wouldn’t label the show as one of my personal favorite offerings in the series, but it was still a welcome addition to the pre-contemporary "Star Wars" era, and despite some small details, I feel this series still fits within the continuity of the franchise overall.

 

Thanks for reading my review of the animated 2003 Mini-Series “Star Wars: Clone Wars” ... and continue to enjoy both the movies and TV shows you love.  

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) (TV Movie review)

  After “Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi” first premiered in 1983, and introduced fans to those cute and furry Ewok characters, it immediately ignited a new Star Wars Ewok faze that continued throughout the mid 80’s. First in 1985, there was the animated “Star Wars Ewoks” cartoon series that ran for two seasons, and before that the Ewoks got their own live-action movie spin-off titled “Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure”. However, I’ve already reviewed that movie in full, so now it's time to look at the 1985 sequel titled “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor”, which the Ewok saga of the 80's, and isn't half-bad, as far as spin-off "Star Wars" movies go.

  Our story begins shortly after the events of the first film, with Cyndal and her family living among the Ewoks, but they’re not planning on staying much longer, as the parents have made their final repairs on their spaceship. Unfortunately, before they depart, the Ewok village is suddenly attacked by a savage group of aliens called Marauders. The leader of the Marauders learned of their spaceship, and seeks to control its power of flight and space travel ... and he’s whiling to do whatever it takes to seize that power. 

Soon, all the villages are set to flames, the Ewoks are all imprisoned, and Cyndals parents are tragically gunned down in front of her ... yeah, I’ll talk about that again in a moment. Now orphaned, Cyndal escapes the siege with her closest friend Wicket the Ewok, and together they try to survive in the woods, as well as come up with a plan to rescue the imprisoned Ewoks. While trying to stay alive in the forest, Wicket and Cyndal meet an old man named Noah who’s been stranded on the planet and has lost his closest friend, who was the only family he had. Noah’s a grumpy old man who doesn’t want the kids to be around, but as you would expect, he begins to love them, and he even begins to look at Cyndal as a doubter. In return, Noah becomes a new father for her, teaches her the values of being strong, and comforts her with the knowledge that the ones we love will never really leave us. From there, the story continues to build with kidnappings, a big rescue, and a full scale war that will determine that fate of the planet Endor. 

  Right off the bat, I want to give this movie some serious Kudos for taking a much darker, and livelier approach then its predecessor. There are still just enough cheerful moments to keep the film from becoming a complete downer, and it never gets too silly the same way I felt the first “Ewok Adventure” did. There’s some mature storytelling here, and like I stated above, there's some really dark moments. The death of Cyndals family was a legitimate shock, especially sense our hero's spent the entire first movie trying to rescue them. Even Cyndals older brother Mace, the main character of the last movie, is killed-off in the first three minutes. There’s an especially touching moment just before the father dies, in which he tells Cyndal that she’s going to have to be strong, and live like a new bird leaving a nest. The pacing is also really good, as there’s never a dull moment, and plenty of action, but there’s also just enough moments for the characters to breathe, and play to our emotional sides.

  Cyndal is especially likable in this film, and while the actress’s performance is a little hit and miss, she’s certainly likable enough to care for. The old hermit Noah, while also is conventional archetype, is still a really likable character. I always love it when a grouchy old miser has a change of heart, and it’s done relatively well here. He and Cyndal have good chemistry, and I like their relationship, despite feeling incredibly rushed at times. Noah is played by Wilford Brimley, and he’s just wonderful in the role, supplying the character with a lively personality to balance out his cranky bead side manner.  

  

  Warwick Davis makes his third appearance in the role of Wicket the Ewok and thankfully, he’s given far more screen time, and attention in this film than he did before. In a nice twist, Wicket can actually speak English in this film. This admittedly has me questioning the continuity of the series, because this film supposedly takes place before “Return of the Jedi”, and the Ewoks clearly couldn’t speak beyond their own dialect in that movie. Then again, who really cares about the continuity between these mostly stand alone Ewok movies, and the original Star wars trilogy? Noah also has this pet creature named Teek who kind of looks like an albino Ewok, and can run laps like the road runner. This character has become a small iconic character in the Star Wars universe, and has been featured in other Star Wars memorabilia, including the Disney land attraction “Star Tours”.    

  The villains are something of a mixed bag. They obviously function as a threat to our hero’s, because these guys shoot first and ask questions later, but they just look so silly. Something about their designs makes me think of the chimps from “Planet of the Apes” if they raided the costumes from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”. Give the Storm Troopers some credit, they at least looked cool. The leader of the Marauders is named Terak, and he’s a serviceable villain at best. The performance is a little exaggerated and his voice is really silly, but he at least has some cool moments in which he comes off as intimidating. 

  Much like its predecessor, this film borrows more elements of fantasy, in fact, it looks and feels just like any of those sword and sorcery movies that dominated the 80’s. There’s more exciting encounters with stop-motion monsters, and while they look cheesy by today’s standers, there’s still a charm to this craft that never looses it's appeal. Some of these creatures would make appearances in future "Star Wars" productions, including "The Mandalorian", which is awesome. There's also a humanoid sorceress wielding a magic ring that can transform her into anything ranging from birds, or even a beautiful princess. Yeah, this character definitely feels like a clichéd stereotype sorceress that belongs in 80's fantasy films like “Willow” or “Wizards of the lost Kingdome”. It is fun to think that she's part of the expanded universe that's taken shape in the decades sense ... no doubt there's fan speculation that she's from the Night Sisters clan.  

  As you'd expect from the title, the movie builds to a climactic battle sequence, with Teraks army on the move, stop-motion creatures running around, bombs are being thrown, laser cannons are blasting, Noah uses the guns on his ship as weapons, and it’s awesome! For a TV made movie, this is a pretty impressive battle sequence, and it really feels like "Star Wars". 

Obviously, it’s not as epic as what the theatrical movies offer, but it is still exciting, and definitely echoes the final battle from “Return of the Jedi”. In traditional "Star Wars" fashion, the battle concludes with a one on one sword-fight between Terak and Noah, however there are no lightsabers in these films, so this is a traditional duel with swords. It's not bad, as there's some intensity, and I'm a sucker for sword fights in forest settings. This duel also highlights an old man putting up a fight, which is a welcome change-up. Teraks death is also pretty cool, a little random and confusing, but it's still a cool looking death. 

  The ending is nice, bitter sweet send-off for our heroes, and it's hard not to think of "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial", but in reverse, as this time it's the humans ascending into space saying goodbye to the aliens on their planet. Warwick Davis once said that there were plans for a third live-action Ewok movie, but that production never met the light of day. Besides, this film ended on just the perfect note, and I couldn’t imagine them topping it with another movie. This small series of live-action Ewok movies may not be the best installments released under the "Star Wars" name, but I've always felt they have their place. I like that these movies are more fantasy based, with just a hint of Sci-Fi, as it just makes the universe feel much bigger.

  Overall, “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” is a surprisingly decent film, and while it’s no masterpiece or anything demanding to see ... I still feel it tried harder then it needed to. The story is engaging, the characters are fleshed out, the drama is strong enough, and the whole project was just handled with a mature grip. Some of the effects are obvious, but the locations and visuals are still very impressive by TV standards, especially for the time. Despite being aimed at younger viewers of the series, it still took some risks and had an edge. While this obviously isn’t going to be a film for all fans, I'd still recommend it. Watch it once at least, as it’s worth that much for any "Star Wars" junky.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1985 Star Wars movie “Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!