It's a kid's movie.

Of course everyone should have known the target age for this movie. Just look at the way the characters are drawn. But we have to make sure, right? My expectations were confirmed when I walked into the theater to see the film. I went to a matinee showing of it, and the only other people walking in were moms with their little boys. Then I was given a Star Wars: The Clone Wars activity booklet. That pretty much sealed the deal. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a simplistic action film with a visual boost. Itis for children and anyone who just wants to watch more Star Wars. I have a feeling there are plenty of both of those to make this film's existence worthwhile. Hey, it's better than reality TV at least.

The Clone Wars takes place between Episode II -- Attack of the Clones and Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. The biggest disappointment about The Clone Wars is that it isn't really about the Clone Wars. Ever since Luke and Obi-Wan discussed these wars in the original Star Wars (aka Episode IV -- A New Hope), every fan wanted to know more about them. We got a snippet of them in Episode II, and here we get but another snippet. The plot of this film is based on Anakin Skywalker and a young Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, whom he has reluctantly taken under wing. The two are actually sent on a mission to rescue crimelord Jabba the Hutt's son. In the chaos of the Clone Wars, the Republic has fewer peace-keeping resources, and as crime runs amock, Jabba's son is kidnapped. Chancellor Palpatine decides that the Jedi should accede to Jabba's request for help so that Jabba, as powerful as he is, will allow them to use the space he controls. This will benefit them in the war against the separatists.

The plot is simplistic, and it's really just an excuse to show some clone troopers and Jedi in action. There is very little character development. The only such development that exists is Anakin eventually becoming tolerant of his pupil and of his pupil becoming tolerant of him. Furthermore, there are no internal or external forces that are shown to cause this adjustment. They simply become friends because they're together. We learn nothing new about Anakin or Obi-Wan. We also get no insight into Anakin's moral descent which is chronicled precisely in the films chronologically surrounding this one. In fact, he actually seems more lighthearted. This was certainly done so that the film would better appeal to its young audience, but the shift does not make sense for the character, especially considering Anakin's actions at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. So, if you decide to watch this movie, don't expect to learn anything important about the characters or about the Clone Wars.

I have a few other problems with the film, primarily about characters being much dumber than they should be. Let's start with the battle droids. In this movie, instead of being presented as a threat, they are consistently used for comic relief. At one point a Dark Jedi named Asajj Ventress pushes one off a cliff, and we can faintly hear it on the way down yelling "Whyyyyy?" (though I admit, that one actually is pretty funny). Another time, one battle droid gives another a code which is a moderately long sequence of numbers. The second tries repeating the numbers and cannot remember what they are. A robot not remembering numbers? In a world with computers capable of calculating hundreds of celestial bodies' positions in order to navigate spacecrafts at the speed of light? I know these things are in the movie to give the kids something to laugh at, but my suspension of disbelief stops here.

Jabba is also given this treatment. He is presented as a gullible fool that bad guys can play with to attain their ends. This seems entirely unlikely. Jabba did not become basically the Godfather of the Star Wars universe by being dense and shortsighted. In Return of the Jedi, he resists Luke Skywalker's Jedi mind trick, but in this one he allows himself to be spoon-fed lies by a Dark Jedi that hardly seems to be trying. Again, I just cannot accept this.

Despite the simplicity and mischaracterization, The Clone Wars does provide the throwaway action that it promises, and, even better, the visuals are absolutely beautiful. In fact, it is the visual touch given to this action more than the action itself that makes the movie pleasing to watch. The blaster shot arrays, the explosions, the lightsabers, and the war machinery are great eye candy, maybe some of the best of all the Star Wars movies. Imagine bright reds and blues flying back and forth across the screen with machines of all sizes marching together and a pink sky in the background. At this point I almost don't care what the movie's about. The lightsaber battles are fast-paced, the ships are interestingly designed, and the environments are all mystifyingly colorful, and this beauty never lets up throughout the film. My only gripe is with the characters' heads, which look like they were carved from blocks of wood. Since the score is not the John Williams-conducted music we are used to in Star Wars films, and since the plot is not all that interesting, and since most of the dialogue doesn't really matter, I would say that The Clone Wars would be pretty much as good a movie with the sound off as with the sound on. The visuals are that strong.

The Clone Wars exists to provide Jedi action for the sake of Jedi action for the sake of those who want simply to watch some Jedi action. Fair enough, right? With its visuals, it actually exceeds what seems to be its goal. I say you cannot scold a film for not being something that it's not trying to be. Even though it's not really about the Clone Wars, it has exactly the tone that any of its trailers, posters, screenshots, or other promo materials indicate. It's a kid's movie. A kid's movie that looks amazing.