Starring Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee. Written by Henry Gilroy,
George Lucas. Directed by Dave Filoni. (PG) 98 min. Opens Aug 15.
“Um, were there actually any clones in that?” asked a colleague at the conclusion of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. For a minute or so, I wasn’t sure myself. Then I remembered that each and every white-suited Imperial Stormtrooper in the film was a clone. This was, of course, a key plot point of the second Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones, to which SW: TCW is a sequel, while also being a prequel to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Perhaps it’s simpler to say that this computer-animated film — with a story by George Lucas — is an attempt at brand extension for a hobbled franchise. And it’s really no worse than the entries immediately preceding it in the long-time-ago-galaxy-far-away universe. Star Wars I-III featured painstaking digital landscapes dotted with a few embarrassed looking flesh-and-blood actors. There are no such organic distractions here. The exposition-heavy dialogue — most of it pertaining to the whereabouts of Jabba the Hutt’s son (note: please don’t think about the particulars of Hutt procreation) — is no less grating coming out of the mouths of cartoon Jedis.
Not to mention their sidekicks: in an attempt to court the High School Musical demographic, Anakin Skywalker has been saddled with an exasperatingly plucky tween padawan (Ashley Eckstein); in the interest of series continuity, perhaps this character could one day be inserted into the scene in Revenge of the Sith where Hayden Christensen lays waste to a roomful of “younglings.” Hey, if they can make Greedo shoot first, they can do anything.