Star Wars: the Clone Wars - Doing it the Wookie Way!

It’s not a Wookie…it’s the Wookie.

I finally reached my goal. I have caught up with the entire Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series from start to finish.  It was a tough job, but I did it the Wookie Way: all or nothing. Okay, it wasn’t a tough job it was so much fun. Like my experience with the prequels, it gave me an unexpected chance to fall in love with Star Wars all over again. I have found new characters to love: Ashoka Tano, Plo Koon, Satine Kryze (I knew Obi Wan Kenobi has something hott in his closet.), the clones and many more. I even find myself attached to dark side, bounty hunters and separatist characters. The battle scenes in the various arenas are action-packed and keep your heart racing regardless of the fact that, in some cases, you know the outcome: General Grievous will escape, Count Dooku will not be murdered and Padme Amidala will escape yet another assassination attempt. Even these scenarios are told in a riveting style that makes you want to know the how and the why. There are also enough scenarios where we don’t know the outcome of situations sprinkled into the mix for just the right amount of flavor. The Master/Padawan relationship, not only from the Jedi perspective but the Sith’s as well, is revealed in striking detail. I have always felt that television, if written well, gives the opportunity to reveal relationships and characters in a way that films cannot—if only because they have more time. The Clone Wars takes this time to weave stories that grab a hold of your heart and kick you in the gut when you least expect it. All done in a cinematic style and quality that make you forget you’re not in a theater. It was great seeing Qui-Gon Ginn again in a story arc that raises more questions than answers—leave it to Star Wars to make you ‘unlearn what you have learned’. But it was the most delicious icing on the cake to see the Wookie Hunt:  It’s not a Wookie…it’s the Wookie. I squealed unashamedly like an excited school girl when Chewbacca once again graced a Star Wars screen. The Clone Wars isn’t just for kids, but any Star Wars fan who wants more: more fun, more excitement, more Star Wars. Now the hard part...waiting for Season 4. The Force is With Us!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Strwrsgrl Review

How wonderful that the conflict in this movie involves Jabba the Hutt. I had often wondered why the Empire cared to turn Han Solo over to Jabba in Empire. I’d always assumed that Jabba had paid a bounty for Solo but the fact that his control of supply lines in the outer rim territories makes him an important figure throughout the Star Wars Saga justifies the Empire’s dealings with the Hutt. The film is full of the same kind of action and humor that every Star Wars fan expects. It has its own edgy 3-D look while staying true to the classic Star Wars palette.

Of course watching the battle scenes in the various terrains of space or new intergalactic cities is fun and I could watch light saber and clone battles 24 hours a day. However, my favorite scenes in the movie are the interactions between the characters.

“Anakin was a good friend…”

Those words spoken by Ben Kenobi have whispered in our ears since the original trilogy began 34 years ago.  Now we can see that camaraderie in detail. Anakin Skywalker is a Master with his own Padawan but Obi-Wan is still always there for him saving the day just in the nick of time. It’s difficult to choose my favorite lines where the two knights show their adoration for each other, but Obi-Wan’s, “If anyone can fly a bucket of bolts through hyperspace, he can,” is close.

The interaction of Jedi and clones is also very entertaining and intriguing. These two classes of warrior learn to care for and respect each other through many battles, which make the imminent mass murder of the Jedi by the clones all the more nauseating.

Whether it be Obi-Wan and Anakin or Skyguy and Snips, it’s great to see the Master/Padawan relationship in even its more mundane scenarios.  I simply love it when Anakin tells Ashoka, “Get some rest yourself. It’s been a long day for you little one.”

I love Ashoka Tano! Her sarcastic humor and backhanded saber style will be the envy of every kid watching – no matter what their age.  The Anakin/Ashoka relationship may seem like an excuse to pull new “younglings” into the Star Wars family to some, but Yoda reveals early in the film that Skywalker’s mastery of training a Padawan and then learning to let them go is key to his own successful maturity as a Jedi Master.  Unfortunately, we all know that attachment is Anakin’s fundamental flaw, which leads to his eventual path to the dark side.

Now that we’ve welcomed little Ashoka Tano into our hearts…what is to become of her? We don’t see her in Episode III and that makes her ultimate destiny extremely intriguing. Does Anakin kill her? Does she escape the mass extinction of the Jedi Order? Who knows? The Clones Wars is a delicious amuse bouche that gives us all the more reason to watch the television series and find out.

The Force is with us, again! 

I give Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 4.5 light sabers.

The Star Wars Saga in 3-D: The Clone Wars - My Top 10 3-D Moments

Glad to see the continued interest in the Star Wars Saga in 3-D.  As fans sound off, remember the re-release of these films is a gift from George Lucas to Star Wars fans everywhere-old and new. And I love getting presents.  Normally, I would not choose a favorite anything where the Star Wars saga is concerned but I thought doing a list of my top 10 Star Wars 3-D scenes in each film would help fans focus on the positive: another chance to see Star Wars on the big screen. (And give me the unnecessary excuse to watch the films again, lol).  In doing so, I have put myself between a blizzard and a tauntaun's gut: trying to select which scenes I want to see in 3-D most. I hope you appreciate this list because, trust me, it wasn't easy:

1. Mace Windu: The Party's Over
2. Yoda's Calvary
3. Obi-Wan & Anakin: Speeder Chase
4. Obi-Wan & Jango Fett: Asteroid Chase (Don't forget little Boba.)
5. Obi-Wan vs Jango (Again, don't forget little Boba.)
6. Master Yoda vs. Dooku
7. Clone War on Geonosis
8. The Droid Factory
9. Yoda & the Younglings: Map Reader (I love this scene, lol.)
10. Begun the Clone Wars Has (Final scene where Star Destroyers go into space.)

I forced by myself to stick to only 10, but I will cheat here by saying that I can also not wait to see the following scenes: Return to Coruscant, the Inspection of the Clone Army, The Geonosis Arena, Obi Wan & Anakin's Duel with Dooku, etc.

And finally, again, anything with Ewan McGregor wet or dry is good for all Jedi girls and boys.  So I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures that I've titled Wet & Wielding, Enjoy!

Hello There!