LOS ANGELES -- Claiming "Star Wars" fandom used to mean something, so some of us once believed. The George Lucas faithful used to think were in some way different from, say, "Star Trek" geeks or "Battlestar" enthusiasts or, as several people here have referred to them, "those 'Stargate' people."
Then came the prequels and the subsequent blitz of "Star Wars"-related toys, products, clothing, drinks and frozen dinners. So saturated is our with "Star Wars" related products and gimmickry that these days, calling yourself a "Star Wars" fan is about as special as telling someone that you're a water drinking enthusiast or that you're partial to walking.
Some of us, though, are harder core that the average lightsaber swingers. You'll recognize us by our scowls at the mention of Hayden Christensen's name. Be careful if you ask us how we're doing, because we might respond with a diatribe about the ways in which Lucas abused our inner children.
It is to those people, my brethren and sis...tren?...that I speak when I say that the upcoming Cartoon Network series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," makes up for most of those wrongs. This is a different series, by the way, than the series Genndy Tartakovsky ("Samurai Jack," "The Powerful Girls") helmed from 2003 to 2005.
Last Friday Cartoon Network showed critics an episode of this entirely new "Clone Wars," (due to follow the feature film in the fall) and as I watched a computer-animated Yoda kicking much ass, the way it should always be, the mummified Lucasphile within stirred to life again.
The problem with the prequels is that the spirit of the original three movies took a backseat to special effects and cringe-worthy acting, versus the ordinary awful dramatics of the classic trilogy. Episode I, II, and III were products more than movies, and though Lucas pulled out the stops in the third one, and kiddies are still bowled over by the Force, some of us felt a little hollower after the whole experience.
Seeing "Clone Wars" reinforces the notion that we would have been better off if Lucas had simply handed over the reins over to a true believer like "Clone Wars" supervising director David Filoni. On a show panel, Filoni displayed a profound love for that universe -- not its action figures or licensing capability, but the fun and spirituality of the stories. His enthusiasm glows within the execution of every scene.
Grant you, it's not perfect. Some of the early buzz on the animation is less than favorable, and we have to admit it does make it look like a video game we can't play. That may not play well on the big screen, but as a half-hour animated series? Could work. Frankly I've seen a lot worse on Cartoon Network and its competitors.
There are other flaws too, the worst offender being the supersized cuteness of the B1 battle droids, which were fairly insufferable already but get downright Shecky in "Clone Wars."
Beyond that, my guess is that after an initial round of pooh-poohing and ruffled feathers, the faithful might actually get into the series. Should the rest of "The Clone Wars" animated series resemble the quality of what we saw last week, animation fans may one day speak of it in the same reverential terms as "Samurai Jack," and -- yes, I'll go there --"Justice League Unlimited," visions so powerfully intelligent and original that they enthrall adults and children to this day.
Then again, the hardest of the hardcore are just as likely to remain content with Tartakovsky's first version, and that's fine too. It will be fun to discuss the merits of each as the latest version progresses.
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12 comments:
well now you got four readers :-)
i am here via a shout-out from ken levine ... and i have bookmarked the site. hope to come back and read you soon.
all the best
- aj.
I also found you through Ken Levine. So far, so good. You've got insight and a sense of humor, a good combo too often lacking. Oh, I'm in Latvia and I steal all my television. There is literally no other way....
For one thing I will never understand why people bash the recent star wars movies. For another I will never understand the reason people hate Hayden Christensen. I do understand one thing and that is I am a true star wars fan. Maybe I don’t understand the other items because I'm weak in the force, (haha) but no one will ever turn me to the other side.
Anyways everyone should stop being so critical. I wouldn’t doubt your life is pretty depressing. I would love to see someone do better than both George and Hayden, but it won’t ever happen. Quit whining!
=)
Why no new entries? Melanie, where have you gone?
and people hate hayden becuase he's just a bad actor and even when he finally became darthvader at the end his version was so warped and still sissy-like. The REAL, the original darth vader wouldnt have said anything wouldnt have cried out in whiney emo anquish. he would have silently broke his restraints on his medical bed and walked silently and calmly away from the camera and things would have just broken and exploded behind him as his cape peacefully fluttered and flowed tagging along in the back. anakin cries to an extent and it probably woulda been tolerable had the actor been better but darth vader doesnt cry at that point. he shouldnt have been blinded by love but blinded by pride and being defeated, losing to obiwon whome he saw himself as being far better than. he is so deep rooted with hatred and blaming others all he knows is pain,suffering and revenge Hayden just butchered the character plain and simple. and ppl got upset with george becasue we had waited soo soo long, atleast 2 generations had waited for these movies, and he couldnt take an extra year to find someone "good" to portray anakin/vader. imho for one thing the hayden christinsen version was too old, until he was announced to play older anakin i had hoped they kept anakin very young until the very end and made him like a damion in "the omen" always fuled by the hatred and treatment of his mother and others who were slaves but always choosing to play dirty and dispicable to get a victory for himself.
hopefully "the force unleashed " wont disappoint and Jacob Nion will give hardcore fans the way many of us hoped to see pre Vader anakin in the prequels.
Ok firstly I hate the fact that now a days you can only be a hardcore fan if you hate the prequels and this group of people act like a bunch of rich people at a dinner party drinking champagne and taking the piss out of the waiters and waitresses. What a bunch of snobs. You all wanted a massive clone wars battle that spread over three films but what you forgot was that Lucas had already written the story that was spread over 9 chapters and he gave you the battle scenes in the 4th and 6th film he gave you a massive greek epic that told the story of one family. So if you want to bitch about the new films then you only have yourself (the so called hardcore fans) to blame your the ones that bitched to Lucas for so long to make the films that he finally gave you what you wanted. so stop complaining like the little spoiled rich girl.
Yes I can see the flaws that exist in all the films like anakin shouting yipppey in the junk shop and he doesn't even say anything. but take a step back and look at the picture as a whole if the originals came out now you would all complain that one of the x-wing pilots was called porkins because he was fat.
It looks like the so called HARDCORE fans can only complain about Star wars now a days so try and remember why you loved it in the first place and then go watch the prequels again. and anything else like this new clone wars and stop bitching. and STOP talking for every Hardcore Star wars fans because not all of us have lost that love for the hope and joy that it brought us when we were kids watching. and making buzzing noises while moving a baseball bat around in our hands.
First of all, Google Reader decided that I should read your blog. Bowing to all suggestions from Google, I am taking it up on its suggestion and enjoy your blog!
As for Star Wars, I'm excited to see The Clone Wars mostly because I have a 5 year old who likes the prequels more than the originals. This is to be expected because of the cartoony atmosphere and **ick** Jar Jar Binks.
But it has given us a connection so we're both going to see something Star Wars for the first time this weekend. I'm looking forward to it.
I do get the sense, however, that the introduction of new characters is to sell more swag at Toys R Us. Oh well.
and no you dont have to hate the films to be a hardcore fan. its just that most hardcore fans hate the prequels because most know the original prequels were actually about somthing and not just a good bed time story for kids. the prequels seemed lose this idea and just turned into the cliche "sequel" money grabbers sugar coated with over used special effects and many "fans" dont understand that becasue many "fans" now werent even around to see star wars on a VHS tape let alone even see it in theaters atleast the SECOND time it was released or just didnt bother because it wasnt "cool" to like star wars until the prequels. and many fans dont hate clone wars. but why would you pay 9 bucks to see a 2 hour cartoon that more than likely you will be able to catch the same exact parts of the story at some point on the tv series and by the way you are atleast paying $30 to view the channel anyway. its not hate its just spending money wisely. and maybe you should go back and watch the originals yourself because alot of the stuff that made them cool visually was it wasnt as green screened as the prequels and the originals still look better imo.
For me (huge fan btw) and not to discredit what Rafael2885 said: but, at a time when I was 7 years old and seeing Star wars first released - my childhood changed forever. We didn't have to wait as long back then for the next release (even though 3-4 years seemed forever), but then we had to wait 2 generations for the next movies (GOD bless George for making the last one the year my mom passed, so she could see it). So back to my rambling.... Waiting that long built up so much anticipation - then came the books and the EU and authors became better storytellers than Lucas doing a movie. So I think we just built it up so much that, when it hit we were disappointed by what we pictured in our SW heads. The prequels wern't bad in themselves, just not what I had picture the prequels being in my own SW universe. That all being said, we were disappointed in the Ewoks, and had the prequels came out right away, we would have been more excited about them in the end. But now I have three boys very excited about it, and it is their turn to have the SW universe. I think that the Clone Wars are going to give both generations of fans what they have so desired for many years. My kids will love them, because it is SW. I will love them, because they will probably be more like the books. I'm more excited about the future episodes between III and IV though. But the Clone Wars should be drug out as long as possible - it's war! And in the end we should be tired of it, like other wars. Keep believing and keep this universe alive, othewise it will die like Star Trek did.
Your are so dead-on when remarking about the original versus the "new" SW films. There are those of us who have been SF fans from the time we could first read and recognize the genre. Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey were the benchmarks for SF video entertainment. The prequels are not in the same universe.
Personally, I have lost my trust and faith in Lucas' ability to inspire the imaginations and joy of SF fans.
My belief is that the true best SW film is Ep.IV, it was just made perfect with no resources. V and VI I still loved but had many things
I didn't like, for instance on ep.V in Hoth Luke's lightsaber sounds to turn off and it doesn't and it was too much of a love story.
On ep.VI I must say the Ewok part was a little stupid, and I really, really hated that they changed the old Anakin (Sebastian Shaw) for Hayden Christensen. I understand why they did it, but still I didn't like it, I believe it an insult for Sebastian Shaw's memory.
On ep.I Jar Jar Binks was not necesary, but still george needed something comical since c3po just appears for a few minutes and doesn't unite with r2d2, so whatever. I also consider that Darth Maul's death was a little stupid. Also Yoda looks older than any other episode (V, VI, II or III).
On ep.II I don't have anything to say, appart that Yoda's battle appart from being a little short, just "rocks"!!!
Ep.III; I've got some things to say about this one. First Yoda still rocks!!! Don't miss understand me I am not a Yoda Fan, I'm an Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ewan McGregor fan. Continuing; the storyline happened too fast. I don't believe Hayden made such bad acting, and pain and suffering was what made Darth Vader so I believe this movie was well made. My greatest disappointment I must say everyone agrees that Mace Windu's (Samuel Jackson)death was absolutely stupid!!! such a well spoken jedi master died so stupidly and they couldn't even put him to duel with Palpatine! I just hate that.
In my conclusion the old films where great because they were made with passion and real effects. The new ones kept the storyline (in my opinion) and told us the story perfectly (in my opinion, again). I also conclude that if George developed the technology he did great on using it to make computer made images and effects.
As for the Clone Wars I really don't have the wish of seeing it. I really believe it to be Genndy Tartakovsky all over again. Also believe that if they really wanted to make it again and make it an animated movie they should have made it more real, for god's sake George was the one who developed this technology, even the Lion with square paws from Madagascar looks better than Yoda, and they did it for Force Unleashed why couldn't do it for a movie, they just closed their options to a children movie.
May the Force be with you... Always.
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