# The Clone Wars-- will it be as bad as it looks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945 "2008-07-28T17:42:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/1 "2008-07-28T17:42:38Z")
I hardly ever go to movies, so was surprised to see posters for “The Clone Wars” in the movie theater. “Didn’t Lucas already do that?”, I thought. Then I remembered that that was “Attack of the Clones”, the name of which was yet another nail in the already hermetically sealed coffin that is the Star Wars legacy. So apparently, The Clone Wars is an all animated Star Wars movie that’s going to fill in a few gaps in the story line because somewhere, someone hasn’t had enough of the most insipid backstory every told. All animated. Because I guess the characters in the last three movies weren’t \* quite \* wooden enough. To summarize the previews: lots of explosions, robots, and lines of dialog that were too cheesy and cliched even to get into the last six Star Wars movies. The animations of humans are pretty dreadful, well into [uncanny valley](http://www.slate.com/id/2102086) territory. The original Star Wars dropped jaws because of the quality of the special effects. But when the entire movie is animated, who cares? That leaves only the story. And we know how good Lucas has been at spinning compelling stories lately. So is The Clone Wars gonna be any good, or is it gonna be a suckfest that should have gone straight to DVD? Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/2 "2008-07-28T17:54:48Z")
The original clone wars cartoons were actually very good, but they’ve changed the style into that ugly pos and who knows what they’ve done to the story. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/3 "2008-07-28T17:56:05Z")
First time I saw the trailer, I thought it was an ad for a video game, except that video games have better graphics. Who’s the intended audience? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/4 "2008-07-28T18:10:49Z")
Apparently 12 year old boys because my son wont shut up about me taking him to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/5 "2008-07-28T18:12:00Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] First time I saw the trailer, I thought it was an ad for a video game, except that video games have better graphics. Who’s the intended audience? [/QUOTE] The people who really liked [this cartoon](http://www.onedigitallife.com/images/star-wars-clone-wars.jpg). Which was actually quite good. I’m not sure what they’re thinking with this movie. The style does not translate into CGI very well, and it appears that Genndy Tartakovsky has no involvement in it. Apparently, it’s a continuation of Lucas’s habit of taking something people like, removing everything that makes it good, and replacing it with crappy CGI. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/6 "2008-07-28T18:13:15Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] The people who really liked [this cartoon](http://www.onedigitallife.com/images/star-wars-clone-wars.jpg). Which was actually quite good. I’m not sure what they’re thinking with this movie. The style does not translate into CGI very well, and it appears that Genndy Tartakovsky has no involvement in it. Apparently, it’s a continuation of Lucas’s habit of taking something people like, removing everything that makes it good, and replacing it with crappy CGI. [/QUOTE] Amen, amen, amen. Tartakovsky’s miniseries was excellent. This movie looks like it, um, will not be. To put it mildly. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/7 "2008-07-28T18:19:06Z")
It looks like a direct to DVD type movie or something that premieres on the cartoon network. Why they think it could be a theatrical release is puzzling. I’d bet it won’t break $20 million during it’s run. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/8 "2008-07-28T18:22:19Z")
Is this a retelling of the cartoon story? The cartoon series made a pretty thorough bridge between episodes II and III, picking up right where ep II left off and going up to right before ep III started. So what is there left to tell? Is this really going to be released to theaters? I thought it was supposed to be a TV miniseries or something. Is anyone really going to go see this besides 12 year-olds? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/9 "2008-07-28T18:26:34Z")
[QUOTE=Yumblie] Is this a retelling of the cartoon story? The cartoon series made a pretty thorough bridge between episodes II and III, picking up right where ep II left off and going up to right before ep III started. So what is there left to tell? [/quote] No, it’s an entirely new plot. Apaprently, someone has kidnapped Jabba the Hutt’s kid, and the Jedis have to rescue him. I’m not making that up. > [@](#): > > Is this really going to be released to theaters? I thought it was supposed to be a TV miniseries or something. Is anyone really going to go see this besides 12 year-olds? The movie is the “pilot” for a new TV series. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/10 "2008-07-28T18:40:37Z")
I saw the ad for this thing and thought, “Why are they using CGI that was state-of-the-art for videogames five years ago?” It’s not even at the level of _Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within_, and that was released seven years ago (and probably in production a decade ago). The voice acting sounds like crap. The story is ridiculous. Lucas is determined to continue stomping the franchise into little pieces in an effort to milk as much money out of it as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/11 "2008-07-28T18:41:59Z")
Is it gonna be chock full of “force-shock” moments, i.e. a Jedi/Sith throws up his hand, another Jedi/Sith gets a half-second reaction shot before going flying? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/12 "2008-07-28T18:47:17Z")
The title of the OP is telling. It’s been decades since praise for a Star Wars movie went beyond “Well, at least it _looked_ good…” Why is Warner Bros. distributing this? I thought Fox had a lock on Star Wars. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/13 "2008-07-28T19:14:17Z")
DVD might be too good for this. Should be direct to VHS to help it sink to oblivion that much faster. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/14 "2008-07-28T19:28:11Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] Why is Warner Bros. distributing this? I thought Fox had a lock on Star Wars. [/QUOTE] Because Fox execs are intelligent Honestly, my first thought when it hit the screen was “A lego Star Wars movie? Gotta be a commercial.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/15 "2008-07-28T19:36:23Z")
Direct to Happy Meal. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/16 "2008-07-29T04:01:51Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] The movie is the “pilot” for a new TV series. [/QUOTE] NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Someone had to do it. You are kidding, right? I really enjoyed the little series that ran on Cartoon Network. This thing looks awful though. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/17 "2008-07-29T04:05:41Z")
[QUOTE=Saint Cad] Honestly, my first thought when it hit the screen was “A lego Star Wars movie? Gotta be a commercial.” [/QUOTE] Actually, I’m a big fan of CGI, and an erstwhile fan of Star Wars, and I would much rather see a Lego _Star Wars_ movie than this Clone Wars thing. I will wait for DVD on this one, I sure ain’t seeing it in the cinema. Having said that, I’m looking forward to the live action Star Wars TV series that is apparently going to be made eventually, though they’re dragging their feet on that one somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/18 "2008-07-29T18:12:47Z")
They showed a teaser clip at Comic-con. It was utterly horrible. Dialog was ridiculous. Voice acting was wooden. The animation was amateur. And the actions was non-existent. The battle scene consisted of robots wandering forward, firing steadily, and clone troopers hiding behind boxes shooting back. One person on each side was shot. That was it. It looked like a poor example of a fan-made film. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/19 "2008-07-29T18:22:03Z")
I was kind of wondering what this was. Saw this at the theatre when we went to go see Wall-E (a great movie, I recommend that one!) and I was like “Clone Wars? Didn’t we…” More or less what the OP did. The thing is if it had been Genndy, I might have had more respect for it. His Samurai Jack is the awesomeness. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945/20 "2008-07-29T18:47:56Z")
Seriously? Tartakovsky’s not on it? That kills my interest. My guess is a studio exec saw the success of the cartoon, decided they could milk a movie out of it, and another exec, instead of slapping him, said, “Well, it’s gotta be 3D. Can’t put 2D on the big screen any more.” I have to admit I kinda like the stylized 3D, though. Dooku in particular looks neat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clone-wars-will-it-be-as-bad-as-it-looks/457945.md?page=2)