Clone Wars 1x04 "Destroy Malevolence"

[Johnny Rico]

Well, I didn't enjoy this episode as much as I thought I would. Kind of hard to follow up last week's space battle episode. But one thing is for sure...CN isn't broadcasting this series in the proper aspect ratio. It's obviously framed in 2.35:1, and CN is broadcasting it in standard 1.78:1 (16x9).

The battle droid humor is already starting to wear thin. Hope that gets cut out to some extent as the series goes on. Grievous though is still the badass.

However, looks like next week's episode is gonna be good. Dealing with some Clone troopers again.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

If nothing else they're making a good case for why the Empire was so satisfied with the performance of the stormtroopers.

 

[DarthPipes]

Really good episode and this Malevolence story arc turned out great.

-Although contrived, I'm glad they brought Padme into the mix. How she doesn't get suspcious of Palpatine after this is beyond me. Good intereaction with Anakin.

-Some terrific lines from Snark Master Kenobi "You haven't impressed me much today" and Anakin telling Obi-Wan everything he ever learned was from him.

-I liked the fact that the Malevolence was so big that it had its own train or holosled line. Running trains always make for some good battles and scenes and we get them between Obi-Wan/Grievous and Anakin using the Force to catch Padme.

-Artoo/Threepio banter...always a good thing.

-Grievous is in his element here. I like the little details, like the constant clanking of metal whenever he walks.

Looking forward to the all-clones episode next week.

 

[nx1701g]

I finally got to watch this. It was a little bit better than I expected it to be. I'm happy with the end product that we got.

 

[ElScoob]

I am continuing to dig this series. My only complaint is the battle droid comic relief; it wears thin fast.

I think the people involved have done a bang-up job. They've really got the cinematic vocabulary of Star Wars down pat.

I was alarmed by some of the promo spots that seemed to suggest a full-on duel between Grievous and Obi-Wan, which would have robbed their confrontation in RotS of some of its drama. I was glad to see that the fight was more of a fleeting encounter, with Obi-Wan demonstrating that there are indeed alternatives to fighting.

I'm looking very much forward to the all-clone episode. The focus on and development of the clones has been a high point in this series.

--g

 

[Mr Light]

Y'know what pisses me off? The movie/pilot, which I enjoyed, is just AWFUL compared to the actual TV show. So many people have gotten the wrong impression on the series thanks to that movie. If they had used these opening 4 episodes (Yoda ep plus Malevolence trilogy) as the film how much better would it have done?

This episode once again has that classic Star Wars feel; heroes running around on the enemy flagship causing havoc, the Grevious/Obi fight recalling the Grevious/Jedi train chase in the animated Clone Wars. I love it! Except for the battle droids

Aren't we getting a continuity error with SITH here though? I thought that the opening of SITH was the first time that Obi and Ani met Grevious. "I thought you'd be taller" and all that.

Another problem; wasn't Grevious' four arms a secret until SITH? Does this mean the entirety of this tv show Grevious can never use his four arm advantage against a Jedi who will escape/survive the fight?

 

[DarthPipes]

Well, Grievous and Anakin don't come face-to-face here. There's wiggle room for Obi-Wan and Grievous and they managed to take advantage of it here.

I agree they need to tone down the battle droid humor. I've enjoyed it for the most part but it's going to wear very thin soon. I did get a kick out of the one smart droid that tells the others not to open fire on the Jedi.

 

[Christopher]

If nothing else they're making a good case for why the Empire was so satisfied with the performance of the stormtroopers.

-Although contrived, I'm glad they brought Padme into the mix. How she doesn't get suspcious of Palpatine after this is beyond me.

Yeah, that was kind of a dead giveaway. But I guess Palps can spin some line about his sources being compromised.

Mixed feelings about this Padme. Her voice actress here sounds kind of like Grey Delisle, who played Padme in the previous Clone Wars series, but she's nowhere near as good an actress as Delisle, so that's a letdown. On the other hand, CGI Padme has an incredibly cute tushie.

-I liked the fact that the Malevolence was so big that it had its own train or holosled line. Running trains always make for some good battles and scenes and we get them between Obi-Wan/Grievous and Anakin using the Force to catch Padme.

Yeah... it's becoming clear that the greatest strength of this show is in visual design and impressive scenery. The train system was a great idea. Unfortunately, they don't do nearly as well with the human characters. The walk cycles are stiff and unnatural, and the faces don't have a wide range of expressions. Maybe they're intentionally going for a Gerry Anderson Supermarionation-type look, but that's kind of a weird self-imposed limitation. And the droids, paradoxically, are a lot more fluid and expressive in their movements than the humans.

My other big problem with the animation this week: when Malevolence was burning, there was smoke rising from it. How in the hell do you get convection in the weightless vacuum of space?!!

-Artoo/Threepio banter...always a good thing.

But there wasn't enough of it, since Threepio was used mainly for slapstick.


And I didn't understand how the hyperdrive sabotage could send the ship flying into the moon in normal space. That looked more like something that would be done with the sublight drive.

And speaking of hyperdrive, since when did Star Wars hyperspace look so much like Stargate hyperspace, a tunnel with blue clouds of light swooshing by? Is that something that was established in any of the films?

 

[DarthPipes]

Mixed feelings about this Padme. Her voice actress here sounds kind of like Grey Delisle, who played Padme in the previous Clone Wars series, but she's nowhere near as good an actress as Delisle, so that's a letdown. On the other hand, CGI Padme has an incredibly cute tushie.

Yeah, they've done excellent work on Padme's, er...assests.

Yeah... it's becoming clear that the greatest strength of this show is in visual design and impressive scenery. The train system was a great idea. Unfortunately, they don't do nearly as well with the human characters. The walk cycles are stiff and unnatural, and the faces don't have a wide range of expressions. Maybe they're intentionally going for a Gerry Anderson Supermarionation-type look, but that's kind of a weird self-imposed limitation. And the droids, paradoxically, are a lot more fluid and expressive in their movements than the humans.

The droids and General Grievous (whom I thought had a great design in tonight's episode) really seem to be in their environment in animation.

I guess the stormtroopers are just looked at as past-their-prime warriors. The Empire is always looking for a spark of their former selves. Actually, during the first half of ANH, they do come across as pretty badass. They defeat the Rebels in the opening battle and capture Princess Leia. We don't actually see them do it but they reduce the Jaws and the Lars Homestead into smoking rubble. Once Han Solo gets into the mix, it's all over for the Stormies.

 

[Christopher]

The droids and General Grievous (whom I thought had a great design in tonight's episode) really seem to be in their environment in animation.

Not surprisingly, since they were animated to begin with.

 

[Cicero]

I was thrilled to see Luminara Unduli, even if only in transmission. She and Barriss Offee are easily my favorite prequel Jedi. (The Approaching Storm was wonderful.)


"Mind the gap. Mind the gap. Mind the gap."

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Hearing all of this positive feedback for the show online makes me wish I was watching it. Is there a place online where I can catch up?

 

[misskim86]

Well I suppose it was ok, last episode was better. Once again, the fact that we KNOW that nothing will happen to the main characters (even the villains) knida takes the edge off

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I think it's odd that the Star Wars universe make the Empire so openly evil. Did the populace really need to be convinced that they should rebel against an Empire that employs "General Grievous" who captains a ship called "Malevolence"?

 

[Basill]

I liked this one, though not as much as last week. I too must say the doofus droid schtick is now auto-eye-roll for me. I hated the 3 Stooges and can't imagine warming up to the 3-Billion Droid Army version. The "don't shoot!" bit was the only actually funny droid bit I've seen thus-far (other than the few scenes with Grievous bashing them aside when he's pissed)

Can't wait for Luminara myself. She was awesome in the previous cartoon series, and the little bits I've seen of her in various previews have me excited.

-Artoo/Threepio banter...always a good thing.

But there wasn't enough of it, since Threepio was used mainly for slapstick.


And I didn't understand how the hyperdrive sabotage could send the ship flying into the moon in normal space. That looked more like something that would be done with the sublight drive.

The Threepio slapstick in this was 10 times better than the crap they used in Attack Of The Clones. But I agree, he and Artoo could have had a few more lines together.

As far as the moon crash, I just thought the droids thought they'd activated their hyperdrive but Anakin's sabatage had that particular action set to trigger the ship's collision with the moon. I don't think the ship ever lept to lightspeed or anything.

And speaking of hyperdrive, since when did Star Wars hyperspace look so much like Stargate hyperspace, a tunnel with blue clouds of light swooshing by? Is that something that was established in any of the films?

The hyperspace effect btw is indeed established canon from the original versions of both A New Hope, and Return Of The Jedi. Though I think it looked a little different. A bit more "swirly" if that makes any sense.

 

[DarthPipes]

Hearing all of this positive feedback for the show online makes me wish I was watching it. Is there a place online where I can catch up?

Try the official Star Wars site and the CW's page at Cartoon Network. The official site has the first three episodes up already.

 

[Kelso]

I think it's odd that the Star Wars universe make the Empire so openly evil. Did the populace really need to be convinced that they should rebel against an Empire that employs "General Grievous" who captains a ship called "Malevolence"?

General Grievous isn't employed by the Empire... in fact, the Empire doesn't even exist yet.

 

[misskim86]

Yeah The Empire is going to emerge from the Clone Army so basically the good guys will become the bad guys.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's odd that the Star Wars universe make the Empire so openly evil. Did the populace really need to be convinced that they should rebel against an Empire that employs "General Grievous" who captains a ship called "Malevolence"?

SW is meant to be an homage to the adventure serials of the '30s and '40s. And it's meant to be adventure for children. It's supposed to be cheesy with obvious, exaggerated good and evil. Uncomplicated, escapist fare where you always know which guys to cheer and which guys to boo.

The hyperspace effect btw is indeed established canon from the original versions of both A New Hope, and Return Of The Jedi. Though I think it looked a little different. A bit more "swirly" if that makes any sense.

I don't remember -- when did we see an exterior shot of a ship in hyperspace in ANH? Or was it an effect seen through a ship's windows? Anyone have a screencap?

 

[misskim86]

You saw it through the Falcons cockpit