Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Episode I: Army Of The Republic

A lot better than that crappy Clone Wars movie they released in theatres

What a fantastic concept. Smudger9's edits are a wonderful way to approach the series with the best elements maintained and the cheese minimized. There are plenty of moments remaining that still betray the silly tendencies of the series, but theyre manageable and relatively inoffensive.

Of note:
*the action throughout here is extremely streamlined and intense. By the final battle on Kamino, this film I think has packed more into it than any other regular Star Wars film.
*its interesting to watch this movie on the heels of your favorite AOTC edit to see how the story arc flows. Anakin Skywalker is a character wonderfully realized in the Clone Wars, light years from Hayden's mugging, yet seeming like the perfect bridge in bringing this long, long story back to Hayden and ROTS.
*just how many times does Obi-Wan meet Grevious in a lightsaber battle in this series? 2 here....
*the story arc, as others have noted, kind of just ebbs amd flows. Theres no traditional buildup with one story to a climax, yet Star Wars always was episodic. The transitions between stories, however, are so seamless it really does feel like a fully realized film.
*far be it from me to demand anything, but man, those battle droid voices are a continuous Achilles' Heel for this series. All that "um....sir......" in those gratingly childish, throwaway voices have zero value or place in a series even known for childishness. I know, I know, its supposed to be a laugh, but, aside from the fact that the voices are totally unamusing, it just reeks of Lucas-cynicism, the same "creativity" that drove him to put the Emperor's final yell in Luke's mouth for the SE of ESB. An editor who makes something as wonderful as this movie has got to grit their teeth every time those battle droids intone their godawful whining. Any intrepid editor want to take a shot at dubbing over those voices with a sound worthy of a dangerous, intimidating, separatist army?

The first seasons of Clone Wars were characterized by uneven animation and painful attempts at humor. Here the editor managed to salvage all the great action moments and character development to create a great adventure with the feel and vibe of classic Star Wars and none of the annoying stuff.

WOW I LOVE THIS EDIT

Watched this with my three year old today. Simply fantastic and I already liked the Clone Wars series as is. Looking forward to part II.