Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released theatrically, and it has a runtime to match, but it really works better as a pilot movie to the television series that followed.

Being present in the moment, back in late 2000s, the Star Wars expanded universe had fallen into an age of Dark Times. In the 1990s, Star Wars was still fun, but in the 2000s, the captains of Star Wars were worried that the franchise was too comfortable. Good always triumphed over evil and everyone went home happy. To shake things up, they started writing stories where beloved characters got brutally killed off without warning, entire planets burned down on a regular basis, and those who didn’t die fell to the Dark Side and got their personalities mutilated beyond recognition. You had comic books where Jedi Masters murdered their Padawans because of evil prophecies, Luke Skywalker’s great-grandson became a drug-addicted pirate who resented his heritage, and a father desperately searching for his kidnapped daughter found out she was bought by a hedonistic sultan and eaten for dinner. The release of The Clone Wars was a sign that this corner of the Star Wars galaxy was ready to become fun again.

This movie plays a little loosely with existing continuity, but still feels like Star Wars overall. I remember that back in the day some fans didn’t like Ahsoka because she was too lippy to be a proper Jedi. I actually do like her here, but I admit that in the movie she comes off as a little “cutesy” due to inexperience; something that was eventually corrected in the TV series with character development. She actually matches Anakin Skywalker very well; like her master, Ahsoka is talented but slightly too headstrong and aggressive than the ideal Jedi should be. Being her teacher requires Anakin to learn certain lessons about developing his character that he would never have learned otherwise. Additionally, since the main plot revolves around Anakin rescuing a baby Hutt and keeping him safe and healthy until he can be delivered back to Jabba, I thought that the story worked as an exercise for Anakin to practice becoming a father figure, something we all know is coming in his future.

Another thing I liked about this version of Star Wars is the character acting. Many complaints about the prequel trilogy revolve around the characters behaving all stilted, formal and wooden. This version of Anakin is much cooler, and also warmer, so to speak. He comes off as someone confident but not necessarily arrogant like his live-action counterpart was; someone who knows how to have fun and can take less-than-ideal situations in stride with patience and humor. He has a troubled past he doesn’t want to confront but he’s not a ruminating whiner, either. In my opinion, this version of Anakin is almost cuddly and I think he would have made a really cool dad someday. The Clone Wars version of Padme is also less wooden and much warmer than her live-action counterpart. I think she would have made an awesome mom someday, too.

Overall, the movie has a solid plot, plenty of action and is occasionally silly. I enjoyed it regardless.