Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Name: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Animation
Released: August 15, 2008
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 35
Cast: Matt Lanter, Nika Futterman, Tom Kane

2008

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 30 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 318 Ratings

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5.6

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5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 318 Ratings

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: August 15, 2008

Starring: Matt Lanter, Nika Futterman, Tom Kane

Summary: Star Wars takes on a dazzling new look in the first-ever animated feature from Lucasfilm Animation - Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slipsStar Wars takes on a dazzling new look in the first-ever animated feature from Lucasfilm Animation - Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side ... (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Director: Dave Filoni

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Animation

Rating: PG

Runtime: 98 min

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Awards & Rankings

45	#45 Most Discussed Movie of 2008
38	#38 Most Shared Movie of 2008

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Baltimore Sun - Michael Sragow

It's not exactly thrilling, and it doesn't cover much new ground. But young audiences will lap it up like ice cream. Read full review

Philadelphia Inquirer - Carrie Rickey

The best that can be said about the movie is that it's harmless and mostly charmless. The Clone Wars is to Star Wars what karaoke is to pop music. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Michael Rechtshaffen

The largely uninspired Clone Wars feels landlocked. In the absence of any extensive innovation, the video game-ready results play more like a feature-length promo for the imminent TV series of the same name than a stand-alone event. Read full review

Portland Oregonian - M. E. Russell

Unlike its predecessors, this one doesn't even try to aspire to myth. It aspires only to merchandising. Read full review

USA Today - Claudia Puig

Don't expect the seventh Star Wars film here. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is more like a long Saturday morning cartoon. Read full review

Christian Science Monitor - Peter Rainer

The animated characters in "Clone Wars" are about as lively as the actors in the live-action movies, so I guess Lucas has achieved his goal of eliminating humans from his movies altogether. Read full review

Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman

George Lucas is turning into the enemy of fun. Read full review

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User Reviews

gm101

Feb 15, 2011

The problem is people are looking at this movie and expecting something like Episodes I-VI. It isn't. This was simply an hour and a half pilot for the only good show on Cartoon Network. And as a TV pilot, it was great. I'm sure that had this been released straight to TV rather than theaters,The problem is people are looking at this movie and expecting something like Episodes I-VI. It isn't. This was simply an hour and a half pilot for the only good show on Cartoon Network. And as a TV pilot, it was great. I'm sure that had this been released straight to TV rather than theaters, there would've been way less negativity.… Expand

12 of 13 users found this helpful121

SupaMan

Aug 12, 2008

This is the best star wars movie ever, with the best graphics ever! Ok so no one has actually seen this movie so you can safely ignore all the haters below. I'm sure it is a nice little marketing movie, but if it is half as decent as the Clone Wars series was on Cartoon Network then This is the best star wars movie ever, with the best graphics ever! Ok so no one has actually seen this movie so you can safely ignore all the haters below. I'm sure it is a nice little marketing movie, but if it is half as decent as the Clone Wars series was on Cartoon Network then I'll still probably watch it. I might wait for DVD though, who knows. Those who bitch about the graphics haven't seen the Clone Wars series and have no clue why they look the way they do. It's called "style" people, they picked the style the animated series was made in and stuck with it. If you don't like it, tough. So it's not super fake looking CGI like the last three movies were, I don't care! At least it looks fake on purpose. So all you basement dwelling nerds can get off your high horses and go away until you've actually seen it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

ThomasH.

Aug 15, 2008

Well, not really a good story between star wars II and III, but I love the animation they created, and a lots of fun duel and battle sequence of the movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

EpicLadySponge

Feb 3, 2016

To describe this movie in a review, Star Wars: The Clone Wars doesn't feel like a good installment... in the franchise or not. As a matter of fact, this felt like it should've been a straight-to-TV movie or felt like a pilot episode of the Clone Wars separated into three (or four if there'sTo describe this movie in a review, Star Wars: The Clone Wars doesn't feel like a good installment... in the franchise or not. As a matter of fact, this felt like it should've been a straight-to-TV movie or felt like a pilot episode of the Clone Wars separated into three (or four if there's an extension scene) parts airing on Cartoon Network.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MovieManiac83

Apr 24, 2015

When I was sitting in a theater during the summer of 1977 enthralled by the spectacle that was Star Wars, never did I imagine that, some 31 years later, I would find myself wishing it would go away. Overmerchandising, fan unfriendliness, and greed have sapped all that was magical about theWhen I was sitting in a theater during the summer of 1977 enthralled by the spectacle that was Star Wars, never did I imagine that, some 31 years later, I would find myself wishing it would go away. Overmerchandising, fan unfriendliness, and greed have sapped all that was magical about the Star Wars name. The Clone Wars, as obvious a money-grab as there has ever been, stands alongside the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special as officially sanctioned productions that are better ignored or forgotten. The Clone Wars is the last nail in a coffin that has been propped up ever since George Lucas sold his creative soul in the quest for a few more pieces of gold.

It has been 25 years since the Star Wars saga has moved forward. In that time, we have gotten three movies' worth of back story, but there really hasn't been anything new. The prequels work well enough in the overall picture of things, but there's something a little underwhelming about watching the pieces fall into places where one knows they'll end up. The tragedy of Anakin's fall is less compelling because we know what will happen to him after that fall. Now, with the latest cinematic installment of Star Wars, does Lucas finally give us something new? No. He returns to the time period of the prequels (specifically, the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) and gives us more back story. Only this time, we know the specific fates of all the characters. It's hard to imagine a more pointless endeavor.

To add insult to injury, this isn't even a live-action episode. It's animated. In fact, the movie is really the pilot for a TV series and looks about as stilted as one might expect from something with that pedigree. This isn't quality computer generated animation, it's cut rate stuff. It might look okay on a television but, blown up on the big screen, it looks cheesy. The space ships and droids are okay, but the humans have the appearance of old-time Christmas tree ornaments. The Star Wars action figures have more personality. Then there are the voices. Most of the actors declined invitations to provide their vocal talents, so we have a group of unfamiliar actors giving voice to the animated likenesses of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Padme. Only Samuel L. Jackson (as Mace Windu), Anthony Daniels (as C3PO), and Christopher Lee (as Count Dooku) provide a tenuous link to things past. (This gives Daniels the distinction of being the only actor to have participated in all seven Star Wars motion pictures.)

The Clone Wars is a good example of how action can be boring. Roughly 50% of the movie features droids and clone troopers blasting each other. Repetitive doesn't even begin to cover it. A lot of the other stuff is anti-climactic. For example, there's a lightsaber duel between Anakin and Count Dooku, but since we've already seen the final confrontation between the two in Revenge of the Sith, this feels more than a little unnecessary. From the moment it begins, we know it's destined to end in a stalemate, so what's the point?

Throughout the six live action films, Lucas created a number of memorable sidekick characters - some successful, some not so successful. C3PO and R2D2 rank at the top of the former category, and are viewed by many as the most endearing inhabitants of the Star Wars universe. Then there's Jar Jar Binks, and the less said about him, the better. (To his credit, Lucas heeded the negative feedback and phased Jar Jar out of the series after The Phantom Menace.) The Clone Wars gives us Ashoka Tano, a bratty teenage girl who is nearly an annoying as Jar Jar, but without the accent. Since she's nowhere to be found by the time we get to Revenge of the Sith, one must assume she's not going to make it through the TV series. Sadly, her demise does not occur at any time during The Clone Wars.

There's just enough of John Williams' main title to trick us into momentarily believing this is a true Star Wars movie, but even that has been re-mixed so it doesn't sound quite right. The incidental music is adequate but, considering what we have come to expect from the Star Wars features, it sounds pedestrian. It's another example of how much the entire project feels like a cheap knock-off - an attempt to prey on whatever little good will still exists in Star Wars fandom. Judging by the surprisingly sparse audience at the "free" promotional screening, however, there's not much enthusiasm out there for The Clone Wars. Gatherings for pre-release screenings of Revenge of the Sith were madhouses, with lines circling blocks. There were rows of empty seats for The Clone Wars. This surely won't be the last time Lucas attempts to wring blood from his Star Wars stone, but perhaps this golden egg is hard-boiled.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

James

Aug 15, 2008

Richard K. they have these things called pre-screenings. you can see the movie before it comes out. nothing fishy, you're just poorly informed. i saw this and i was stoked to get my 'star wars' on and i was so let down from this p.o.s story. i love the graphic style and Richard K. they have these things called pre-screenings. you can see the movie before it comes out. nothing fishy, you're just poorly informed. i saw this and i was stoked to get my 'star wars' on and i was so let down from this p.o.s story. i love the graphic style and direction, but a movie with no or poor story direction is as entertaining as staring at a wall for 98 mins. you'd have to have a mind of a 5 yr. old to think this movie could ever become a 10. no taste.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DamonC.

Aug 2, 2008

Absolutely Terrible! The graphics and visuals look even worse than a video games. And the idea that Anikan is the republics only hope is just plain stupid. In the REAL trilogy nobody trusts Annikan for what he may become. This is just some collosal bomb that has no knowledge of anything of Absolutely Terrible! The graphics and visuals look even worse than a video games. And the idea that Anikan is the republics only hope is just plain stupid. In the REAL trilogy nobody trusts Annikan for what he may become. This is just some collosal bomb that has no knowledge of anything of Star Wars at all. I thought The Clone Wars had already been told, through the end of the second film and throughout the third. I don`t care if George Lucas executive produced this film. It was just very predictable, stupid, and plain awful. Lucas`s worst BY FAR!!!!!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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