The Clone Wars is definitely aimed at the kids

But is it really good for the kids? I dunno. However the newest animated Star Wars movie is clearly aimed at the 7 to 14 yr old crowd. With the introduction of a new female jedi padawan, Ahsoka, Lucas clearly hopes to capture the imaginations of both boys and girls, inspiring them, if not to dream of new adventures, then to at least pick up the latest merchandising hitting the shelves of Wal-marts and Targets. Don't get me wrong, I love to see creators introduce strong female characters who offer more to a story than eye candy or the requisite damsel-in-distress. I want my daughter to have strong female influences to inspire her, but it seems disingenuous coming from the studio that introduced ewoks. Otherwise the movie played out like a typical Star Wars movie with plenty of lightsaber battles, harrowing starship chases, cute robots, and angsty heroes. Samuel Jackson showed his love for this franchise by lending his voice to his character's all too short appearances. If I had to grade the movie, I guess I would give it a C+. It had all the right ingredients to keep my 7 year old interested, but I still feel something was missing.

After all, my generation was there at the birth of Star Wars. Where is my Star Wars? What happened to Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia? Of course, I know what happened to them. I'm a big enough geek to have followed their adventures into the novels, but I can't help but feel that I'm not getting my movie love. The problem with re-visiting the prequels is that the characters can't really grow. How can we as a movie audience care about the emotional battles these characters go through when we already know how they end up. If anything, I don't feel involved since I know Anakin's anger leads him to Darth Vader. I don't appreciate Obi-Wan's wisdom, because he is still the same arrogant cock who disfigures Anakin and pits his son against him. Ah well, I will probably never see a true sequel to the original Star Wars series, but a man-geek can still dream, can't he? Are you listening George?!? Bring me my Star Wars dammit!

Last word: If you have a 7 year old (like I do) who is dying to see this movie, they will probably love it. However save some bucks and make it a matinee unless you have a late tee time. In that case, I would be okay with a full price viewing of this flick.