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

Great job on condensing some of the best parts of the first three seasons into one movie. This was a great introduction into the series, because it basically introduces all of the major players of the Clone Wars (besides the bounty hunters naturally) and sets up some of the basic themes of the series. The story is nothing special, it's classic fun Star Wars, which I appreciate. I like how the heart of the movie is with the clones of Domino Squad, which are some of my favorite episodes so far (I'm still in Season 3 as far as the series goes) and shows a little of the cost of war and the spirit and even humanity of soldiers (RIP, 99!). In this movie structure it feels a little more family-friendly rather than just 20-minute just kid-friendly episodes (not that anything is wrong with that, but Seasons 1 & 2, maybe even some of 3 were pretty rocky for Star Wars, and this is a better way to present them).

I do have some problems with this in that it could feel a little long and redundant with some of the episodes included, specifically with the Ahsoka and Koth/Grievous scenes that don't really build up to much (Ahsoka is introduced and is later told to stay at the Jedi temple before the climax). It's alright, they're just introductions to these long term characters, but 1) I feel like one movie should stand on its own and have every aspect of it to add to what the theme is about, and it just feels like they were pretty inconsequential, and 2) The film has quite a slow pace to it. I feel like there could have been a better way/place to introduce Ahsoka & Grievous without slowing down the pace and not adding much to the film, however I have to think about it long and hard to implement it in a better way than smudger did, because I also feel like he did the best he could to make this film as best as possible.

Finally there is one audio error with Yoda saying "Go with you she will to the temple, Kidnapped Master Koth has been" and Yoda's line is cut before he continues so it sounds like "Go with you she will to the tem- kidnapped, Master Koth has been..." which took me out.

Even with all the criticism I have, I think this is a very good and much better introduction to the Clone Wars series.

Smudger9 has engaged in a monumental effort with their cuts of 'The Clone Wars' and it's quite remarkable just how much effort they have put into making these movie cuts from the TV series. A TV series I have to say, I was never a fan of, despite trying to get into the show several times and failing.

But the editor here has sliced out much of the show's most awful moments and therefore made for a far more enjoyable viewing experience. It's also a more "adult" experience too, in that a lot of the overly "kid friendly" elements have been eliminated. Unfortunately, annoying characters like kid Ahsoka and kid Boba are still present. But, there's nothing that Smudger9 can really do about that. Although, using some judicious cuts, they are less irritating here than they were in the TV show. I still just want to slap Boba though. And those "roger roger" droids still have the capacity to make me want to murder, despite them being heavily truncated.

My particular problem is not with Smudger9's version of 'The Clone Wars'. It's with 'The Clone Wars' itself. It just wasn't a very interesting show, had a tendency to ramble terribly and, unfortunately, some of that poorness comes through. Don't get me wrong, Smudger9 has made a very watchable and enjoyable cut here. But the problems are ingrained in the show itself.

It's usually accepted that 'The Clone Wars' didn't get good until Series 3. Although I was question if it was ever truly good and as of Smudger9's Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Episode V: Rise of the Dark Side, we've just got to Series 4 of the original show. So, the editor still has a bit of work to do, turning a generally poor show into a watchable one.

In spite of my criticisms of 'The Clone Wars' itself, I can highly recommend Smudger9's cuts. It's a great effort and well worth checking out. In fact, I'd recommend avoiding the TV series altogether and just watch Smudger9's far better versions.

This edit is ambitious, and does a solid job of condensing several plot lines from the Clone Wars TV show (a great series, but one notorious for its filler) into a satisfying 2 hour viewing experience. Narrative elements are repurposed cleverly and it serves as a much better introduction to the series than the awful theatrical feature (which this edit extracts the worthwhile segments from).

However, as with most TV to Movie edits, I think the edit sometimes feels like several separate plot-lines strung along and Frankensteined into a feature. I think smudger9 does the best job he can with the material, but plotlines do resolve and new ones start up frequently, and much of the action gets repetitive. I wonder if trying to edit the series into 40-60min cable style episodes would make more sense.

All that said, I did enjoy the edit and am very much looking forward to watching smudger9's Episode II!

Wow. I'm in a separate boat when compared to most Star Wars fans when it comes to TCW, since I personally believe it is the best thing to come out of the prequels and possibly the entire star wars universe in general (yes, some story arcs I believe are better than the original trilogy). But I never could've put together an edit like Smudger9 did. For those of you who haven't normally seen the show, his flawless editing may seem almost nonexistent. But being a constant fan of the show, I was amazed at the way he weaved multiple story lines (spanning 3 different seasons) that originally had NOTHING to do with each other into one cohesive narrative. The only things I didn't enjoy came from being an avid fan of the show, so if you haven't seen TCW before you won't even care. I personally love the encounter with Cody and Grievous during "Grievous Intrigue" and am very unsure as to why you removed it. The other thing I missed was the removal of Fives/Echo's scene with 99 in which Heavy's badge is shown. I understand why it was removed as it wouldn't have fit with the pacing/narrative, but that is one of the more emotional scenes in the whole show, and for a show filled with mainly action scenes, those types of moments are far and few between. But I digress, as these are just my personal feelings and shouldn't effect anyone who has not seen TCW. Anyway, this is a fantastic edit, and just a couple of tweaks away from a perfect one IMO. Great job, and I really hope you don't pull a Q2 - Please continue with these fanedits!