Could Clone Wars be the eventual savior of PT?

bonerm

I think it's fair to say at this point the current CG animated Clone Wars show has been a resounding success. I've seen every ep at this point and am quick to get my hands on new eps as they air. However the thing I wanted to talk about was that since getting into this show my own opinion of the live-action prequel trilogy has changed somewhat (for the better I mean).

I think a lot of the reason people didn't like the PT was because "it wasn't the OT". I don't just mean that in terms of quality. I mean in terms of plotting and tone. It just didn't seem to flow as a set of movies and was more so a collection of small episodes within episodes(film). This structure mirrors the tv show immensely and it's only now that I can see value in terms of watching the show "in the moment" and not wondering "where is this going?" or "is this *really* Star Wars"? Basically I've been able to broaden my horizons on what Star Wars is and what the SW universe is about.

Another aspect that let the prequels down was the characters. They seemed very stilted and wooden. The ironic outcome of making the CG show is that this 2d characterisation plays right into the nature of the CG show. Here I was demanding Hayden Christensen to put in some dramatic performance when in reality he was meant to be nothing more than a cipher. A focal point until the next action sequence begins. As I was the Clone Wars I finally understand that and can see past it.

I'm not really sure what I'm getting at here but I just wanted to say that since watching the Clone Wars I kinda get better what the prequels were trying to be (even if they failed somewhat). I guess what I'm saying is that when I watch the PT from now on it won't be as 3 films with narrative, plot, and direction (ie as a conventional film should have) but moreso as a collection of sequences or short episodes within the timeframe allotted.

evil-monkey

bonerm wrote: »

I think a lot of the reason people didn't like the PT was because "it wasn't the OT".

You said it! How many time have I argued that point on here...

But yeah, Season 2 in particular has had some very good episodes. I think they've found the balance now too between getting in the younger audience and securing the next generation of cashing dishing Star Wars fans, and keeping the current batch happy as well...

the_monkey

This series is good ? I didn't really like the film that was released a few years back.

The animated 2 part volume from about 5,6 years back was good.

evil-monkey

the_monkey wrote: »

This series is good ? I didn't really like the film that was released a few years back.

The animated 2 part volume from about 5,6 years back was good.

Yes, the film was a bit weak alright. I think the series is better, and Season 2 a lot more so than Season 1.

The animated series was very good, though the episodes a tard short. The recap from the previous episode was almost longer than the episode itself...

the_monkey

Danke, I'll start to watch the series so.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_%28TV_series%29

Rawr

the_monkey wrote: »

This series is good ? I didn't really like the film that was released a few years back.

The animated 2 part volume from about 5,6 years back was good.

The Clone Wars movie seemed to have been a bunching of TV series episodes from a story arc following Season 1's episode "The Hidden Enemy". The 'movie' lands the audience in what was probably the next episode in the series run, where Ashoka is introduced.

Apparently, it was originally created as just a TV series and was never really intended to be a movie. But following screenings of the series, Lucas and co. decided that it was actually screen-worthy. Which alas, was a poor move, since even a 2-hour arc of Saturday morning cartoon episdoes, still feels like a Saturday morning cartoon ('Stinky' the Hut?! Are you serious?!)

On the old The Clone Wars thread, I was very critical of the new series and reflected on how inferior it felt compared to the old Star Wars: Clone Wars shorts. However, on viewing Season 2 of The Clone Wars, I'm very heartened to see that it has matured a lot.

The following, I really like:

1) No more Jar Jar Binks
Thank Jebus. If he's appeared in Season 2, I haven't noticed. Perhaps Lucas got another talking to by his production staff about using Jar Jar. Perhaps they just ran out of ideas for him. I don't care the reasons, he's either been down-played or removed all together. The series can only benefit from this.

2) Ashoka
It feels like they've been downplaying her too. She only seems to appear in about 1/4 of the episdoes, and when she does she's no longer paired with her master. Instead she tends to be with the Jedi of the Week, or another Padawan. I kind of prefer it this way. I never really liked her as a pairing with Anakin. It never seemed to work and came across as forced.

Whats more, her character has been developed a good bit from her 'Mary Stu' roots in Season 1. I feel that the episode 'Brain Invaders' was a particularly good episode for Ashoka's character development. I was very critical of this character in the old thread during Season 1, but now can stand to see her more.

3) Anakin and Obi-Wan
These 2 get paired up more often in Season 2 (as opposed to Akakin/Ashoka). I like this a good deal more, since Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Star Wars: Episode 3 depict the characters as war buddies. That didn't seem to be the case if Anakin spends most of the war with is Padawan instead. This also gives us more development on Obi-Wan's character.

4) No more Ventress
They just can't write for her. She hasn't appeared yet, and I hope she doesn't until they at least watch what was done with her in Star Wars: Clone Wars.

Back on topic: Could this series be the PT's savior? With these improvements, I could very well be. The Star Wars PT, although very flawed in parts (one part in particular), does give the feel of an actual Star War. However, I do much prefer the OT's version of the universe a good deal more. But that's for another thread. All in all, The Clone Wars is starting to turn into a series for both Old Fans and newcomers alike. Something I welcome.

Mr. K

I've avoided watching much of this series so far. I've decided that I'm going to watch it season by season, instead of week by week.

I guess I should pick up Season 1 now!