The Clone Wars (2008) Negative Criticism Thread

[Cerez]

Okay, now I'm going to do something very unusual, that some of you might find very strange coming from me, but I assure you my intentions are completely sincere.

 

I will also ask any fellow Clone Wars series fans not to intervene, defend, or express their opinions. This is thread is purely for negative criticism about the series.

 

I myself am a big series fan, but I am very much interested in hearing the thoughts of the people who dislike, or even hate, the series and to find out why they feel that way about it.

 

When I say criticism, however, I mean reasonable and informative arguments about people's experiences and thoughts on the series. I don't wish to see any "It sucks" comments without an informative statement as to why it would "suck". Such comments are of no use here, and I will see to it that they are removed by moderators.

 

With all that said, why is it that you personally dislike or hate the series, and what do you dislike/hate so much about it? Speak now, or forever hold your silence.

[Boothand]

I don't really go out of my way to dislike the series, but in my own world it's true that I.. don't like it, I guess.

 

For me, it takes the indescribable feeling and mystery of the movies away, and with the focus on completely different characters that didn't exist in the Star Wars movies (or that were cut in half by a lightsaber ^^), it becomes something completely different. Star Wars at its best for me, is the story about Luke Skywalker. Also the perspective on the force and the lightsaber is a lot more personal in Luke's story and less "cocky" in my opinion.

 

The real deal-breaker for me though is the visual style. I don't like the way any characters look. It feels like everyone looks like the humans from Ice Age. Also I'm personally very provoked by the animation style. I don't enjoy the quick snappy animations and the exaggerated movements (except in classic cartoons of course). I'm too attached to the 1970s movies style to accept TCW as genuine Star Wars. The new trilogy of the movies is fine, but TCW would provoke me too much, unfortunately.

[hleV]

For me, it takes the indescribable feeling and mystery of the movies away

This.

 

TCW doesn't have the same SW atmosphere. It introduces things that make the events in the movies not seem all that special anymore, but do it in a bad and uninteresting way (Anakin vs Light vs Dark vs their father being a good example). A show being boring and uninteresting is one thing. Screwing around with the information (or lack thereof) we had from the movies and liked a lot is another. Making it canon? Yeah, fuck you TCW.

 

I like Ashoka. Probably the coolest character in TCW. The show is still shit.

[therfiles]

I just didn't like how they used unique elements that made the prequels good repeitively. For example, General Grievous is simply awesome, but once you see him in every other episode in TCW, he loses that "cool" factor. Also, they made it seem like he was a newish threat in Episode 3, that no one had personally faced (at least, that's my impression). Also, they really overused Dooku. They fought him quite often as well. So these really cool duels in 2 and 3 are meaningless really, as there were these little duels here and there, etc. Plus just keeping Maul alive (silly, in my opinion) and then introducing a practically identical character (Savage) and calling him a Dark Lord of the Sith, violating the rule of two. Also, they teased Sidious a bit too much, as well. He was another of the aspects they blew out of the water imo.

 

I just couldn't rap my head around Ashoka, personally. I guess I never accept Anakin's ability to accept a Padawn, and then to not even have or mention one in 3. I knew she would have to end up dead or disowned somehow, but I knew the outcome wouldn't be pretty.

 

I guess I loved the original Clone Wars animation series  (OLD) because it kept a lot of the mysterious aspects of the prequel in check while also having some cool scenes with memorable characters and having a direct tie in with 3.

[Cerez]

Thanks everyone. Great thoughts. I've personally never found the original story of the prequel movies that interesting, and I'm used to the stylised world of animation, which explains why I wasn't bothered by these factors and why I like the series so much. But I can definitely see how these features of the series have had a negative effect on many Star Wars fans. It's fascinating to know this, and it helps to understand your viewpoint better.

 

Keep 'em coming. Are there any other reasons you dislike the series? Who else has felt that the series were annoying or that they didn't live up to their expectations, and why? Feel free to critically bash Ahsoka, too, if you feel her character deserves it -- just be specific about what you dislike about her, and/or her actions, with concrete examples if you can.

 

Thanks.

[Jeff]

My biggest dislike is turning Jedi into super heroes, it's ridiculous what they can do. In the OT the force wasn't extremely over powered and it worked really well, hell even the prequels I thought were ok, but the CW series had too much over the top force use.

[NumberWan]

I wonder whether I should post anything here. Not that I am a very big fan, but I watched all of the episodes. And as I said before there are stories, which I like, and there are those, which I really hate. It's notable, that I met both people, who like the prequels and despised the CW show, and those, who admired the OT for the most part and found the new series amusing or even captivating.

 

For the episodes, which I really don't like, I would say, that in my opinion these are the ones, which step away from Star Wars traditions. What I mean, is that you change the title and call the episode differently, and nothing changes. It can be seen anywhere. 

 

In my opinion Season 1 was a tryout, and had lots of things, which were changed much later with show development. The stories in this season are what Yoda was saying in Episodes V-VI - the Jedi do not live upon adventures and do not enjoy such things. Look at the operation of Anakin and Ahsoka on the secret station of general Grievous near Ruusan.

 

The other thing which feels like a disadvantage - most sets and elements are too repetitive: the clones look alike, the droids look alike. The interior of the ships which are mostly grey. For some reasons the grey and white designs of the Empire in OT look much better! So perhaps this is where I would say, that the color is somehow the weak side of the show (in Season 1 at least).

 

I also feel doubtful about the music score in some of the episodes. The above mentioned episode with Ruusan also had very strange motives, which I wouldn't like to hear in Star Wars... But I must admit, that there were moments which were quite joyful. Even some close to John Williams style.

 

The other things, which are seen almost in every CW season, is a doubtful retcon. While some stories proved to be better than the previously established canon, I feel uneasy, that some familiar traditions are wiped out so easily. The most notable and I expressed that previously - is the return of Darth Maul. The whole this change with Assaj Ventress and count Dooky apprentices is very dubious... I don't like, that Assaj is no longer a Rattataki, I don't like the idea that the witches of Dathomir live alongside the zabrak village. The story of Rattataki heretage is much better and feels more real about Assaj.

 

I also dislike the way the witches develop a plot against Dooku, and later Mother Talzin helps Savage to find his brother. Why? They don't explain at all... Too bad. And a shame. 

 

The return of Darth Maul makes the whole story and feel of Episode I diminish. For me TPM was like a remote before-the-large-hurricane situation. And Darth Maul was like a massive wind throw, which everyone considered to be the threat, while the real one awaited 10 years later. For me Darth Maul was like a symbol of the old Sith, of what Darth Sidious designed to happen before the battle of Naboo. I guess even the Empire would be different. However Maul died and all the plans changed.

This theory is no longer alive with new stories, including one of Clone Wars.

 

I just would like to say, that with the beginning of Episode II Sidious started creating an Empire, which was far from what older Sith lords could even imagine - much larger and more massive than previous organizations. Darth Maul is seen like an old pattern of those Sith traditions, when Sith acted from the veil remainin unseen for a thousand years. The Maul arc in CW diminish this idea as well.

 

 

It's strange, that Sidious didn't feel Maul was dead... In any case Maul was more like a shadow, a speechless assassin. In CW he has ambitions, which wouldn't have developed even if he had survived and wanted revenge on Kenobi... But that's my opinion.

 

The arc with Maul and the one with Assaj actually have their good sides. But not in this thread.

[Mandalorian]

I dislike the whole of the new trilogy and so the clone wars being a extension of that annoyed me. It destroyed the Original trilogy. However my issue is more with the new trilogy being a major major let down, I watched all of the clone wars and it grew on me like fungus on a shower wall.The later episodes had some really good dark moments and seeing characters and stories outside of the clone wars directly where the best of the lot. I liked the mandalorian episodes although I disliked Maul's return and Satine and Kenobi having feelings for each other kind of killed the integrity of good ol ben. Some of the clones where pretty cool like commander Wolffe but separitist forces where boring or ridiculous. The clone wars prior to NT was hinted in a way to be the emperor with the clones killing the jedi, Not droids against the good guy clones.

[Barricade24]

If anything there is anything I would comment on it would be how the characters look. The texture quality was kind of wooden.

 

At least that's how MAD described it.