Star Wars: Clone Wars Movie Review

Three months ago I was super pumped to see this movie.
I grew up on Star Wars. I had action figures. I dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween (gasp!). It was series that had all the elements a kid with an over active imagination could want. Anything that I could turn into a light saber (or a light saver is what I called them) I would. Canes, poles, random sticks lying on the ground would transform me into a Jedi Knight. I loved it. Twenty two years after the first one came out George Lucas gave us the prequels to the original trilogies. I actually slept outside and waited with some buddies in line for my ticket to the 12 o'clock showing of Episode 1. I'm not a hater, but it didn't quite have the same magic as the originals. The rest were ok, with Episode 3 being the best of the prequels, but nothing captured the magic of the original trilogy.
So, what do you do with an animated Star Wars? In the prequels, Episode II ended with the Clone Wars beginning, and Episode III began with them ending. We never really were able to see Anakin, who later turns into Darth Vader, live up to what we have pictured in our heads for 25+ years. In Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi Wan Kenobi says that Luke's father was "the best star fighter in the galaxy and a good friend". We never were able to see that in its fullness. In the prequels we never get to see Anakin as a hero. We see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in that light, but we never get to root for Anakin. This why I really liked Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
A week before this movie opened I read some early reviews that really chewed it up and spit it out as garbage. Those critics that I hold in high regard hated it. My eagerness to see this movie left quickly and so I waited 2 weeks before I actually took the time to watch it. That was a mistake.
For the same reasons the critics I read hated this movie, are the same reasons I think it works. From the beginning you realize this is a different take on Star Wars, and I'm ok with that. It needed some new blood.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka. Ahsoka is a new female character who is introduced as Anakin's padawan (student). She's a spunky young kid with a nickname for everyone and a quick remark for every situation. She adds a lot of fun and character to this series. I think that was the main thing that was missing from the prequels. I really enjoyed the brother-sister relationship that Anakin and Ahsoka begin to develop. But, the reason this movie works for me is because we FINALLY get to see Anakin as a hero before his fall to the dark side. You actually root for him. And you seriously begin to like the guy, which makes his turn to the dark side much more tragic.
This movie was a lot of fun, and the more I think about it the more I enjoy it. If this is the way the TV show goes, then we'll be in for a weekly treat. Final grade: B+