I found myself watching the movie with a very critical eye. To have a Starship Troopers-esqe announcer instead of an opening crawl was disappointing, but over quickly. Also, not having the traditional John Williams theme was confusing, but passable. In the end, I decided that what it was a very deliberate way to signify that this is a new-Star Wars right from the beginning of the movie. This isn’t your father’s Star Wars….it’s your son’s.

As I sat there and attempted to enjoy the film for what it was, I started to see a video game unfolding. Each scene gave the characters an time-based scenario to complete. It first became apparent when Anakin and his Padawan had to destroy the Separatist shield before they reached the Republic cannons. I felt very much like I was watching a game that was all cut scenes. Much of today’s children’s entertainment is done this way, but it isn’t very appealing to anyone over 15 I would think.

The movie looked beautiful. If you replaced the human characters with actors, it would have passed for a live-action movie. The sets were amazing, and the characters moved perfectly. If this quality of animation is going into the TV series, it will be a must watch.

I was a huge “Star Wars” fan from the moment I first saw the movie in 1977. We saw it at the drive-in, and I had a Han Solo and Chewbacca action figure by the end of the week. I was obsessed with everything “Star Wars” for years. I once joked that if they released freeze-dried turd with a Star Wars logo on it, I would probably buy it. When “Star Wars” was shown on TV for the first time (OnTV), I recorded it on my Dad’s VCR. My neighbor and I proceeded to watch the movie every day for an entire year. I can still recite Episode IV verbatim. But now, I’ve passed the torch to my son…it’s his “Star Wars” now.

The movie was good, but it felt more like something that should have been on Cartoon Network. It felt as if they took the first 3 episodes of the new series and released them as a movie. If it hadn’t had been my son’s birthday, it would have been the first Star Wars movie I didn’t see in the theaters. I give “Star Wars: Clone Wars” a could have waited for the DVD.