Review - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 - 2020)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and yes, today we're going to be talking about the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now, before we get into this, a bit of housekeeping real quick. First, I am only opening up discussing television series that directly tie into a series of films, which in this case includes television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, of course, Star Wars. So, don't expect me to review something like Game of Thrones or The Witcher any time soon. Second, Marvel May is right around the corner, and I'll be taking the opportunity to review the remaining MCU films, as well as the entire runs of both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. So, definitely keep an eye out for that. Okay, with that out of the way, let's dive into Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

           Okay, so before the series debuted on Cartoon Network, again before the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, a feature film titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released in theaters by Warner Bros. The series would then have a five season run on Cartoon Network, with a sixth season being released on Netflix, and a seventh and final season being produced for Disney+. Now, the movie does contain the returns of Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, and Christopher Lee as Mace Windu, C-3PO, and Count Dooku, but that's about it. None of them return for the series, however, all except for Anthony Daniels, who is the only voice for C-3PO.  

         So, The Clone Wars is set between the events of the films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, during the conflict known as the Clone Wars. The conflict is between the Republic, consisting of Clone troopers and Jedi Knights working together, and the droid army of the Separatists, led by Count Dooku and General Grievous. Working with Dooku and Grievous is a dark side assassin by the name of Asajj Ventress, who is Count Dooku's disciple. Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker, who has attained the rank of Jedi Knight, has been given his own Padawan in the form of Ahsoka Tano. Now, the two initially don't get along, as Anakin has no interest  in having a Padawan. However, as the series progresses, the two form a very close bond. The series also furthers the relationship between Anakin and his secret wife Padme Amidala.

        Aside from Ahsoka, this series also focuses on several Clone Troopers, with one of the Clones to get the most character development being Captain Rex, who works closely with both Anakin and Ahsoka. The other Clones that we meet, and will soon be getting their own series on Disney+, is Clone Force 99 aka The Bad Batch. These Clones are super unique in that they each have special abilities, but aren't quite superheroes. We also get a lot of development of several Jedi Knights who served as background characters in the Prequel trilogy, such as Plo Koon, Ki-Adi Mundi, Aayla Secura, Shaak-Ti, Luminara Unduli, and so forth. 

         Now, on the villains side of things, we meet exciting new villains, including dark side wielder Savage Oppress, as well as the return of Darth Maul, who was previously thought to be killed off during The Phantom Menace, but he's back and with mechanical legs. We also get a batch of cool bounty hunter characters, including previously established characters like Dengar, Bossk, and Aurra Sing, as well as a new bounty hunter named Cad Bane. Boba Fett returns as well, and is trained to be a bounty hunter by the likes of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing. Two other bounty hunters we meet hail from the Selkath species, who are native to the oceanic world of Manaan. Now, to those like me who played the video game Knights of the Old Republic, we already know of the Selkath of Manaan, but those who haven't played the game will meet this species for the first time in this series.

          Now, what's really cool is the proper establishment of the Mandalorians, with the introduction of the likes of Duchess Satine, Pre- Vizsla, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Gar Saxon. We also visit the planet Onderon, where we meet rebellious insurgent Saw Gerrera, who makes appearances in later Star Wars titles such as Rogue One. We also are introduced to the Night Sisters and Night Brothers of Dathomir, and we learn that Asajj Ventress is a Night Sister, while both Darth Maul and Savage Oppress are Night Brothers. 

        Okay, so aside from characters, Star Wars: The Clone Wars also takes us to worlds all across the galaxy, which is exciting, as it really expands the overall scope of the galaxy far, far away. Worlds like Mandalore, Dathomir, Toydaria, Rodia, Ryloth, Ilum, Moraband, Onderon, and so forth are among the many featured throughout the series. I really like getting to see new worlds in the Star Wars series that haven't been seen in the movies. 

         Overall, I have said nothing but good things about The Clone Wars. However, I do have one issue with the film that doesn't apply to the series. The film, which focuses on the Jedi searching for the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt, is easily the weakest entry in the Star Wars series. The film also introduces Jabba's uncle Ziro the Hutt, who has a purple skin tone and a very feminine voice, and is probably my least favorite Star Wars character ever. The problem with the movie, however, is that the animation doesn't have what I would consider "cinematic quality." Now, while the animation worked for television, it didn't quite work for a feature film, especially since Pixar's films had quality animation in each of their films. 

        Overall, while I'm not a fan of the movie, I absolutely love the television series of The Clone Wars. It expands on what's been established in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, introduces exciting new fan favorite characters, and continues the franchise with excellent writing and storytelling. The movie of The Clone Wars only gets a 3/5, but the series gets a rating of 5/5. Definitely give it a watch on Disney+, where all seven seasons, as well as the movie, are now streaming. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.