Star Wars: The Clone Wars DVD Movie Review

This is not your father's Star Wars. Or better yet, this is not your Star Wars, but your children's.

One thing obvious about Star Wars: The Clone Wars is that the story line is not developed for teens to adults. The usual fanboys who attend Star Wars conventions will grimace at this movie. And in fact, many did judging from online forums discussing this movie.

It seems that since the Phantom Menace was released 10 years ago, George Lucas intends to capture the next generation of 6-8 year olds. But instead of live action films, he's doing it with a Clone Wars cartoon series. The kick off for the TV cartoons is the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The movie follows Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi while they served as army field commanders during the Clone Wars. The movie certainly has the feel of an extended TV series pilot.

The main plot revolved around Skywalker being given a feisty Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano, who he accepted reluctantly. They were given the mission of rescuing Jabba the Hutt's infant son. For his return, Jabba promised to assist the Republic during the war.

The conversation between Ahsoka and Anakin is trite and nothing to write home about. Ahsoka is being established as the hard-headed, but loyal follower who is more of a buddy to Anakin than a student. She is a competent up-and-coming Jedi but a little "rough on the edge".

Even sillier, which is just as true for the TV series, is the bantering among the battle droids. The cutesy dialogue between the battle machines loses the aura of dread that an ominous army of destruction should emanate. Instead, the droids feel like an army of Jar Jar Binks, a personality that 6-8 year olds may enjoy.

Still, fans of CGI movies will find the special effects enjoyable. There is no shortage of laser battles between the Clone troopers and the droids. And the CG-rendered desert scenes of Tattoine do not disappoint.

All in all, I'm rating Star Wars: The Clone Wars a 2 out of 5 for teens and adults. But George Lucas's intended audiences may find it 5 out of 5. It's a great kickoff for the cartoon series, perhaps one of the best staged pilot episode.

The author is a web producer and writes freelance on "geeky" stuff such as sci-fi movie reviews and Star Wars Clone Wars toys. Sometimes, he writes about career advice, such as finding online project management certification.