Genndy's 2-D Clone Wars Microseries - was it really that good?

Critic after critic of TCW has mentioned how superior Genndy's original Clone Wars microseries is to the new animated The Clone Wars theatrical release.

Am I the only one who thought it enjoyable, but not phenomenal? Although it was fun, I never wanted the over-the-top Genndy or The Force Unleashed style Force powers in the movies.

The dialogue was okay, but more or less at the usual level of Star Wars, and the plots were usually pretty straightforward, for obvious reasons.

 

I agree. I thought the Mace Windu stuff was way over the top! The new clone wars stuff is closer to the live action movies.

 

The 2-D series is so overrated it just boils my blood. Yeah, it was cool, but no where near the levels people consider it to be. There was no point to it other than to show Jedi acting like they were in The Matrix and being extreme. And, worst of all, there was no story. Nothing but fight scenes.

Vol.2 was much better, but even then the novel Labyrinth of Evil, which covered the same events, was so so much better than it.

 

The fact that GT's series only looks amazing in retrospect when compared with this new movie should tell you more about the new movie than the old series.

 

Well, the problem with that is, since the new movie actually had character development and great chemistry, not to mention a structured story (even if you don't like the story or thought it was too straight forward, it did have one) it only makes me hate Genndy's show even more.

 

So true! And I quit reading a review on AICN when one of their goons that the problem with the CW movie is that it's a bunch of stuff exploding and in the same article praise the GT series. I read a list on Entertainment Weekly (I think it was) a while back that listed their top 25 sci-fi movies/shows of the past 10 years and it listed the GT series and none of the prequel films. It really all just stems from the hip hatred of George.

 

I don't hate Genndy's show at all, I'm just not sure how he would have done with a 3-D, 30 minute length program.

 

How many times do I have to say it: critics hate Lucas. By praising the microseries they are essentially bashing Lucas, saying, see, if you didn't direct/write it we would like it.

And I agree with you on your review, GM. I've already forgotten the bulk of the microseries. I wasn't a fan of the animation style and I thought the stories felt stunted. If I wasn't so happy to have something SW to watch on TV back then I probably would be a little harsher now.

The only thing I really do remember enjoying was the Anakin stuff in the third season, where he has a vision in the cave, and becomes a God to those aliens. If only because it tied in nicely with Luke's cave visions on Dagobah and gave us the flip side of where they can lead.

 

As much as I loved the Tartakovsky Clone Wars back in the day, I'd rather they'd just 'ignore' it, though perhaps that's not the best wording. Take the events that happened and make them their own...re-adapt them, as it were.

At the time it was wonderful...we had Star Wars...the CLONE Wars...on television! It fed us between the movies, but in retrospect, they suffer from over-the-top force powers, limited ship selection (not that he had much to work with back then), IG droids on speeders taking out large artillery vehicles with lances and over-estimated troop numbers (hundreds of fighters and LAATs coming out of Acclimators).

It's a wonderful piece of Star Wars history and the series that laid the path for where we are now, but let's leave it where it is... in the past.

 

I enjoyed the GT cartoons. But, they were, as someone put it, too over the top. Some of the things just should not be possible, even in the SW galaxy. I didn't like that. I can't view that as part of the SW timeline really. I can with the 3D cartoons.

 

I thought they were good for the time, and as sort of a side-series, not part of canon. It almost struck me as, they were told as if they were relayed through the news or through storytelling...which is almost always exaggerated. So everything would be bigger and impossible. Imagine being on a backwater world, having no connection with the Republic or Jedi, really, and hearing of them. They would seem like gods.

I watched Volume I a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it, and started Volume II but fell asleep (it was late, what can I say). It brings back that hyped-up feeling I got before SITH came out.

 

Actually, if you check out the databank entry for Paxi Sylo, it's implied that the Micro-Series (or, at the very least, the Mace Windu chapters) are actually in-universe animated pirate transmissions on the holonet during the classic trilogy era made by him. So, they're essentially pro-Jedi propaganda as seen through the recollections of a starstruck boy on Dantooine.

Now that you say that, it sounds familiar. Thats so neat.

 

I would say all of the Anakin/Padme romance stuff in ROTS was well conveyed. And the scene of him in the council looking out across to her apartment while she looked out across at the Temple where he was blows away the hand on the cockpit shot from the microseries.

 

Yeah, i really thought they were that good. I love the animation style and i loved the action. Sure some of it is over the top with the way Jedi use their powers but its another interpretation and spin on this universe and im fine with that.
As far as character development goes - sheesh what are people expecting, the first batch ran for 3 minutes and there really isnt a lot you can do with character development in such a short space of time. The 2nd season was able to push further as they had less time restraints, all the Anakin stuff for example is pure gold imo.
I watched them again recently and realized i love them just as much as when they first came out. Excellent stuff.

 

I loved the Genndy series, and recently tried watching them and I found that watching them in a row was actually kind of exhausting. Since they're so action-oriented, they were better enjoyed in 3-minute stints. At least for me, anyway.

Actually, if you check out the databank entry for Paxi Sylo, it's implied that the Micro-Series (or, at the very least, the Mace Windu chapters) are actually in-universe animated pirate transmissions

Hehe... that was actually my doing.

ph

 

Well then you're a genius.

 

Hi, Troll!

 

I liked the micro-series but it was not the "end all, be all" for me. It was an interesting hyper-stylized take on the SW universe. I enjoyed the first season better than the second, which seemed to take itself a little too seriously imo for being a cartoon.

 

It was good, but I think that the new series will be better.

 

The five minute episodes were way better than the one minute episodes. Overall, the microseries wasn't bad, but I don't understand why anybody would like them as much as or better than the movies.

There wasn't much of a story to them--just battle after battle after battle. And the battles were hit or miss, with me. I liked the clone troopers a lot, but I didn't care for the jedi action.

 

I liked the microseries better--I feel like it did a better job of telling a story visually than the CW movie did. With "episodes" that lasted 3 minutes, they had to put a lot of effort into conveying things just with animation style, perspective, and use of the score (which was entirely recycled, I believe, but put to good use in places like the Anakin/Padmé "goodbye" scene). Many of the mini-episodes had disappointing "explosion after explosion" formats (I hestitate to call them "plots"), but others did not. The 5-minute versions were noticeably better in that regard. Supercharged Jedi didn't bother me. It was cartoon physics in a cartoon world.

 

I personally loved the 2D Clone Wars. I even watched the Asajj vs Anakin duel today just before watching the CGI movie. I loved the style, the colours were vibrant. When it first debuted it gave me something to look foward to once a week, even though it was only 15 minutes.

Compared to the CGI, I still like the microseries better. Hopefully when the show starts airing i'll be able to eat my words.

I loved the storylines too, it showed a variety of characters. I love the way Genndy goes action, it could be completely silent or choked full of noise, it has a great effect. I think I'm the only person who actually enjoyed the "force whopping". People say it's over the top, too much, or unbelievable, but it's Star Wars. I loved the fast paced action, and the fact that Mace Windu could kick the crap out of a batallion of droids with just punching, kicking and the force.