Clone Wars: Refocused, The

This is incredible, and something I've always hoped someone would do. The Clone Wars is a great show overall. Like any other show, it has it's weaknesses and rough spots. It's also, at the end of the day, a cartoon for children. However, some of the best Star Wars storytelling since the original trilogy happens within this series, introducing characters and concepts that reverberate throughout the entire Star Wars story.

What Eddie Dean has done here is take the best parts of the show an recontextualize them as a shorter, more dynamic series where every episode is a banger. He also took some of the threads that continue throughout the show and changed how they are presented and spaced out, making it feel more serialized and less "adventure of the week." In doing so, he found the best possible way to enjoy all of the most important and enjoyable content of the show in a way that won't take you forever.

The amount of work and effort this must've taken is astounding. I find working on one movie to be exhausting, but Eddie Dean has edited an entire TV series into 5 seasons worth of great episodes. Audio and video quality are great and consistent across the board, nothing stands out as being "fanedity". This is very polished and professional in it's presentation.

This is kind of an "ongoing project" and only has gotten better as it changes and evolves. If you've ever been interested in Clone Wars but never took the plunge, this is absolutely the best way to do it.

This is one of my favorite projects I've seen come out of the fanediting community in a long time, and I highly encourage everyone to check it out. Great job!

Finished all episodes for the first time and it was perfectly done. This is the best way to watch this.

I love Clone Wars. I have even come to love the episodes in the early seasons that I once thought were awful. However, TCW is not very binge-friendly. The length and sprawling storytelling make it hard to stay focused on the main plots. Eddie Dean has completely fixed this for me. I have never enjoyed spending so much time in the sequel era as I have while watching this. I could talk about how great each episode is, but I want to make a special mention of the episode "The Politics of War." This edit takes several similar episodes (3 or 4?) about the Republic Senate and combines them masterfully into one great story. To me, this is what a great fan edit does; it brings out the best of the source material without completely rewriting it. And, as the series goes on, it just gets better and better. I really appreciate all the time that was obviously put into this project.

I took one point off in the narrative category because there were a few episodes I didn't think worked as intended. One example is the origin story of Domino Squad. It struck me as strange when it faded into their first assignment on the outpost after failing their training. I get the intention of the edit, but the change seemed abrupt. My brain also had a hard time with the combination of the Lair of Grievous episode with the destruction of the Nightsisters episode. It was distracting for me to see the old design style of the early seasons mixed with the new style of the later seasons. However, I realize these issues may be due to my familiarity with the original episodes. Others may not feel the same. Another was the Mortis Arc. I feel so much was cut out it became hard to follow the storyline. And, if anyone plans to watch Bad Batch after this, I think they will need to add the Citadel Arc and the arc that introduces the Bad Batch.

But, that's just a few nitpicks. I could literally talk all day about how great everything else was. My kids and I really looked forward to watching this in the evenings. This plus Numberal Joker's episode 3 edit, which includes the siege of Mandalor, was so marvelous, I've had a hard time moving to the next SW eras in my recent binge. I'm really looking forward to watching it again.

Again, thanks for all your work and for making this available to all of us.

This edit is nothing short of masterful! What's most impressive is the focus on story telling, the flow of each individual episode as well as the flow of each season. This is, without a doubt, the best way to watch The Clone Wars.

I decided to start with the three Dooku focused episodes from Tales of the Jedi (a wonderful three act prologue that gives the character SO much more depth), then watched the two prologues; Dark Force Rising (a fantastic edit of the Tartakovsky series that fits perfectly into the overall canon of the series) and Life and Death, which introduces the character of Ahsoka before we get into the heart of the main story. I know the editor says these parts are optional viewing, but I would highly recommend starting with these as they're excellent and only add to the overall story (especially in introducing Ventress).

Moving up the introduction of Madalore and teasing Maul in season 1 is brilliant! It gives the series an ever present threat that keeps you invested and excited to see more. The interlude before season 3 where the Tales of the Jedi episode is cut with the Forces of Destiny shorts was a highlight for me for how well it's edited together and how it provides further development for characters that don't get too much screentime.

On a technical note, the editing is pretty seamless, other than a few minor audio transitions and the ends of just a few episodes. However, simultaneously there are episodes where the music in the end credits fades in before it cuts and it's beautiful. Everything else is sheer perfection. There is such an incredible attention to detail. It's clear a lot of care went into this edit.

This is the definitive version of the show for me now. There are a couple of scenes and arcs I would've kept in, but overall this was a pleasant surprise and a great way to watch the series if you're a casual star wars fan that's threatened by the amount of filler in the original series.