Jul 9 2008'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Featurette, Despite Appearances, Isn't a Video Game

First!...........................................................................................................to say this is crap

Another pot shot at George Lucas. I find it funny that the guy who was like God to millions of 7 year olds in 1978 is constantly being attacked by the same kids, now 37, fat, bald and staring at computer screens all day.

If you want to bash someone for not living up to your creative expectations, why not bash yourself first. At least this guy is still doing something worthy of blogging about.

The guy that helped create Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark can crap Jar Jar Binks out of his bum for the next 20 years, and I'll still be grateful for his ability.

"Dammit, these clones look too much alike. Differentiate them!"

*boggle*

Are those who get upset with the article writer's humor just noobs or unaware of the general premise of this blog? Both?

And how do those people not understand how stupid they sounds criticizing and ridiculing someone for criticizing and ridiculing another person?

I'm not opposed to humor, whistle. But humor isn't the same as calling something "stupid." That is something a 5 year old says, and means nothing. I've liked this blog since it came out, but I'm getting tired of hearing them rip on everything. It doesn't come off toughen-in-cheek. It comes off as just sad. Sorry if I don't get the joke.

It explains it in the video why they customized the clone characters and coming from a HUGE Star Wars fan thats good enough for me. It makes complete sense that these clones would become more specialized under the different leadership of their Jedi leader. That they would take on the personalities of that leader and exhibit traits taken from that Jedi's particular style and methods.

I sometimes think that we take entertainment way too seriously and need to realize that it is just that...entertainment. If you don't like it don't watch it. I'm a realist.... i know that the prequel trilogy could have been a thousand times better if George had let someone else direct but hey its his movie. He paid for them out of his own money and he should be allowed to have them any way he wants them ( except for the whole greedo shot first debacle ). It is also impossible to view something with your child eyes again. Each year that someone gets older is another year that that person is exposed to a world that makes then harsher, more closed off and cynical. The innocent eyes of a child looks at Jar Jar and laughs.... probably in the same way we looked at Chewbacca and laughed when we were kids. I can see the same look i had after seeing A New Hope for the first time as i did in my Neice's eyes after she saw Episode 2. So GL seems to be able to tap into the minds of his real target audience... the children!

All that i know is that i am really excited to see the new Clone Wars animated film, the animated TV show and the live action TV show! It may not always be the best entertainment and may not always please everyone but for me Star Wars will always be that place i go to find HAPPY... To find escapism from this sometimes very trying world filled with war, unemployment, recessions, rising gas prices, terrorists, murder!!

So keep on doing what you are doing GL... i'll be there along with 4000 other people all dressed as Stormtroopers!!!

Sean aka TK-3720

Sean aka TK-3720, you are my hero.

Jay - "At least this guy is still doing something worthy of blogging about." Um, have you actually READ blogs? People will blog about ANYTHING, so I'm not sure being worthy of a blog is a very high standard to aspire to.
Anyway, relax! As you (and others) point out, GL has more money than God and can do whatever the he** he wants (much like big oil companies and the IRS), but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm sure your hero is somewhere right now reading this (or having one of his minions read this to him) and chuckling as he files his ever-growing nails in his germ-free room. Or is that still 2-3 years away?
(Oh, and BTW, I think he DID crap Jar Jar Binks out his ass. Great origin story!)

GL has done plenty of garbage, that's for sure (Star Wars Thanksgiving Special in 1978 still haunts my dreams). I just find it odd that people who loved him in the 80s all diss on him because they expect his little stories to make us feel like were 7, and when they don't, we piss on him for it.

That's all I'm saying.

That said, I hereby give Lucasfilm full rights to the Jar Jar/Crap origin story. And please don't sue me, George. Please. I'm sure Jar Jar was a metaphor for the Vietnam war... or something like that.

i think you guys are way off on this, i think the point is that the style and quality of this movie is bogus, it doesnt even look as good as in game cut scenes, thats what we get upset about, not that lucas is milking his one good idea to its last breath.....if the animation was on par with ANYTHING that was being released right now then i dont think you would see the same amount of complaining, but as it stands the people and the movement of this cartoon looks like shit, and dont go all " but its stylized" on me, cause i know what style is and this my friends is not

Well, I for one am not an animation snob. Does this film look cool enough to watch? Definitely. Will it be good enough to pay theater prices for? Probably not. That's why I'll be watching it in the comfort of my own home...when it comes out as a rental. That is, of course, unless my kids have already seen enough trailers for this that they'll beg me to take them to see it. Then I guess I'll be stuck. :)

It's nice to hear some positive feedback about this show for once. I think that it's brave when Lucas decides to promote change in the SW universe, he made it all his own so to do this just shows you his dedication. Lucas has said that he wants this to show the clone wars aside from the view of just the Jedi's. I can't wait to see this.

If you really get into SW, you find out that these clones really do have all sorts of different personalities and are very interesting. Even though everyone knows Boba was a pure clone of Jango, it says in Dark Empire II that he was an imperial stormtrooper who murdered an officer. Boba and Vader do have a history that nobody has gone into. Jango also had surviving Mandalorian's help train the clones before the clone wars. The mandalorians also have tat's and Jango has them all over his forearms. It's supposed to like samurai tattoo's. There are also people who get drafted into the empire who get the honor of becoming clone templates themselves. These dudes are supposed to be heroes in their own way and not just simpleminded things for target practice.

I am glad to see these changes and would think that those who complain about Lucas churning out the same stuff would welcome this. All the things that were done in the comics and books are now going into the films. This opens all sorts of things that can help to keep SW continue.

@ 2
Lucas's problem (among many others) is that he doesn't know when to stop. He keeps crossing the fine line between brilliant sequels (or prequels) and capitalizing on nostalgia. That is why he deserves to be called out for his shit. The end.

I will not watch this for these reasons. I have seen all the movies and played the games. And i have enjoyed them for years. But this is so low quality it looks like a Saturday morning cartoon. I will not spend 11 dollars to watch such low end animation. How did this make it to the theaters? Oh wait, that is right Lucas can put a film out of him taking a shit and call it Star Wars episode 7 a new poop. And people would see it at least twice. I am now done with Star Wars. Thank you George!

Wow, some posters who actually appreciate Lucas and his new stuff, for once. I'm speechless. Jay, Sean, and others like you, you're all my heroes. It's good to see that not everyone has turned into a cynical bastard with age. As for the haters, it's simple... just don't watch it. Now you don't have to complain about something, and the fans don't have to listen to you complain.

And the people complaining about the animation quality, including you, Watcher, it seems clumsy and simple to the untrained eye, one who knows nothing about digital animation. It's the "style" that's unpleasing to you. The simple geometry in the character design may look crappy to someone who knows nothing about digital animation, other than watching the occasional Pixar movie, but again, that's just the "style." You can thank Genndy Tartakovski's original animated series for that. The animation itself is quite advanced and impressive.

@ Jay - I agree with your comments. I love to have a laugh, but some fans have become hyper critical. @ 6. Sean- True very true!

@ rod, i think we all get that its a paticular style , we arent retarded as the way you talk down to us suggests, i guess what most people who complain about the " style" or lack there of, is that if you are gonna go to the trouble of doing great backgrounds and fight scenes, and then have the actual characters look like fucking playmobile static puppets it doesnt lend to the experience....they could have made them look amazing, with movies like final fantasty there is just NO EXCUSE. its lazy and ugly

Here's a question....if all you Lucas-bashers hate Star Wars THIS much, why are you here wasting your time blogging about it? Go away and leave the Star Wars sites to the people who enjoy it. Like others have said, you watched the original movies through the eyes of a child...learn to tap into that inner child again and maybe you'll learn to enjoy things instead of just mindlessly bashing everything Lucas does "because it's not the originals." Amen to all you who defended SW and The Clone Wars. I'll be in line opening day! (Probably right behind the author of this blog and all his supporters, I might add).

@trevor
I didn't say you were retarded, just inexperienced and quick to judge, but no, I don't think you all "get it." People are complaining that it is bad animation and cheaply done. Those people obviously don't know animation. That in and of itself is fine, but you then come here and bash talented artists for something you could never do.

I also wouldn't say Lucasfilm needs an excuse, as you felt the need to express in your condemning last line. The Tartakovski animation was a huge success, but Lucas wanted to go CGI... so we get this. It was done in that style, deliberately. You claimed to get the fact that it's the Tartakovski character style, yet you still say later in your post that it's "cheap." At least learn not to contradict yourself in your own posts or you'll start to get more accusations of being retarded. If you just don't like it, that's fine. To each his own, and I won't argue that, but don't blame it on Lucasfilm being cheap and/or lazy. That's just ignorant.

I totally agree, Rod. And here's a question...if the CGI is 'cheap', what does that make the old-style, choppy 2-D Tartokovsky animation? Can't get much cheaper than that...but wait, I forgot, it wasn't done by Lucas, therefore it escapes the bashing. ;)

It looks retarded and there is no escaping that. It just shows that Star Wars has become a disgustingly over-stylized cartoon for small, bored children who will look at anything that contains pretty colors (like those found on the "clone" troopers). If anyone over the age of 13 is still arguing about it, they need to step back and reevaluate their life.

Star Wars as it once was, is dead. There's no use even talking about it anymore.

Lucasfilm love them or hate them, has the ability to make any style of computer generated graphics they want. They can do super lifelike or simple and flat. If you don't like the look, that's personal. To be honest I don't know if I do. That said, I am sure that the style you see here is EXACTLY what Lucas wanted. Every pixel. It's all about intent, not ability. Thanks for the backup, Prof and Rod!

I think the attempt at customizing each trooper is only drawing more attention to the fact that they really do look EXACTLY THE SAME. The guy with the INSANELY RETARDED double-mohawk look exactly the same as the guy with the bleach-blond crew cut and I do NOT care about either of them. Personally I don't think any of the clones are meant to be individual characters; they work better in support roles. Cody was right on the fence in Episode III - I think armor customization is about the limit for clone individuality.

Also, the art style is lamentable. Don't know what it is about it - can't say that it's too geometrical. Plenty of other CG movies pull that off no sweat. I'll have to say that it's the unpleasant proportions. Heads are just big enough to be disturbing, yet not big enough to be cute.

But I had to bring this up. WHAT is the point of putting your ear to someone's chest if their chest is covered in thick armor and you are wearing a HELMET?

ALSO. This does not remind me at all of Tartakovski's clone wars. I'm sorry.

If this is as good as the Clone Wars Mini-series ill be happy but if its not *shake fist* ill be angry and won't be able to do anything about it anyway. And he isn't wearing a fadora BTW.

So...we're supposed to believe the Clones aren't soulless when they turn on a dime against the Jedi in Episode III? This sounds like a bunch of crap.

Those of you who say stupid shit like "great backgrounds but stupid looking puppet characters" need to learn style. The greatest thing about Tartakovski's animation is that he can make something so 2D look like it has so much depth, form and function. His animation is amazing and yes, this looks inspired my the cartoons. Look at all the different styles of art in comics ya jackasses? If you can't see the art side of the animation, you are retarded.

@Brian. They are soldier's following orders. This is about soldier's following the soldier code right or wrong. That's what the mandalorians were and the clones are another evolution of the mandalorians. The mandalorians hated the jedi. The sith wanted to use them all along, didn't you watch the movie? They were also "altered from the original host to make them more..." what the hell do you not understand?! They were given this order 66 as a contingency plan from the start that was probably part of a larger part of contingency plans for the sith to get control.

The animation looks great apart from the faces. I find it hard to believe that they intentionally gave all the faces this raised eyebrow "WTF is going on and what am I doing in this movie" expression.

What the hell I do I know about style though, and maybe this is a legitimate animation technique...

Well to be honest I've sort of stumbled in here by accident, the bloggs from everyone make facinating reading ,however I didn't want to leave without giving a comment as a disinterested non GL/Star Wars fan, some of the above preview looks ok some of it looks a bit iffy I don't know if its my laptop but some of the movement of the people seemed a bit unrealistic (a bit fast and jerky in places). The idea is not new of course there have been several films about the war showing the perspective from the german side. Which brings me to the subject of cloning, if I was to clone Hitler there is no gaurantee that I would get another despotic ruler of Germany I would just get a guy who looks like Hitler he may act more like Chaplin.

I remember at Uni discussing he original star wars movies with a group of friends, One of them took the view from the Empires side arguing that the imperial senate was a bloated legislature were it took years of passing things from committie to committie before any decision was made and even longer before any action was taken forcing some members either willingly or unwillingly into a series of loose traning agreements and mutual defence treties. He argued that The Emperor did a good thing for the systems by taking ultimate control and providing stability in the glaxay. That in fact the Rebal Alliance were nothing more than terrorists bent on returing the galaxy to the old times of inaction and instability were might is right and those with the biggist and most weapons made the rules.

My final thought would be that you can forgive how something looks as long as it has a strong and thought provoking storyline, though given the target audiance for this I don't think this is lightly.

sorry
that of course should have read loose trading agreements and mutual defence treaties (its very late)

@glyn
You are right on target with what you brought up. SW is supposed to parallel things that have happened in history as well as have a basis in mythology. There is a great deal of influence of the history of the Roman Empire in SW. Was Julius Caesar doing a good thing by marching into Rome as a self declared emperor? There were those who were in the senate who despised him however who were more degenerate than himself. You really can't say he was doing more harm than good as well as playing the megalomanic.

When I watched Attack of the Clones it played with my mind because here you have dedicated soldiers protecting a "so-called" government that was good only to be turned into what everyone depicted as evil in the original series. That is why I love SW, it has so many angles that you could really make it last forever. The published chronology of SW goes back as far as 100,000 years before the movies. It also shows no signs of stopping.

Thanks to SW, I started to read other sci-fi and fantasy. Even though it has the childlike side, it does compare with things like all the Dune books and Lord of the Rings. SW is like everything wrapped into one.

This cartoon is no exception. That's what I love about it & I don't see how people can dissect it and say they like some things and hate aspects of it. That's like saying you love everything about The Lord of the Rings. However the Ent's, that takes it too far.

somebody needs to look up the meaning of the word "clone"..

Quote:
"If you want to bash someone for not living up to your creative expectations, why not bash yourself first. At least this guy is still doing something worthy of blogging about."

Response:
Because he has money, control and the facilities to do all of this - things we would all probably kill for.

And he squanders it all producing mediocre bullshit.

And he has spent the last 8 years just squandering StarWars - which has utterly jumped the shark.

MENTIONING TARTAKOVSKI'S CLONE WARS? That was awesome, aesthetically pleasing, and watchable.

THIS IS NOT TARTAKOVSKI.

END OF STORY.

@Corbijn You just summed up what I meant, not contradicted it. How can we be expected to be emotionally invested in these characters when we know the ultimate purpose for which they were made?