"I've got a bad feeling about this."

That is what I thought to myself as I planted my fat ass in the theater seat (God bless that seat for being so accommodating of the significant rear-end real estate I bring to the ballgame). Having dropped $9.50 of my hard-earned scratch to take in the latest cinematic addition to the canon of the Star Wars universe, I was actually what you might call anxious (yes, I am a Star Wars dork... I use the term "dork", as opposed to "geek" or "nerd", because I could beat most other people I encounter into a coma. This is not an ability traditionally associated with geeks or nerds). I'd read many of the critics' reviews of The Clone Wars, and they were scathing, to say the least... one review went so far as to call George Lucas "an enemy of fun". And as much as I try to convince myself that I enjoyed them immensely, I cannot deny the fact that, overall, I found the "prequel" films to be quite a disappointment (I did think ROTS [told you I was a dork] was pretty damn good, actually). So, with the most recent films having been a let down, coupled with the pernicious press preceding the release of The Clone Wars, I began to munch my popcorn as the lights dimmed, hoping to be pleased, but prepared to be disillusioned. 98 minutes later, I exited the theater with my faith in the Star Wars franchise restored. The film, a wholly different experience being animated, was a blast! It was, as the cliche goes, action-packed... and it was funny, to boot. I laughed out loud at least a half-dozen times. I found the animation style, much-reviled by the professional cine-castigators, to be rather interesting and quite unique. I felt the fatal flaw of the prequels to be the need to bring the back story of the original trilogy to life, while trying to establish a logical continuity to a tale largely told backwards. The prequels were muddied-up by the minutia brought to bear by tying the trilogies together. The Clone Wars was not burdened by such requisites... it was simply shoot 'em up, frolicking fun. Furthermore, in what must unfortunately be acknowledged as an indictment of the prequel films, the characters of The Clone Wars had just that, character... Anakin Skywalker, in particular... his interplay with the new character of Ahsoka, his Padawan, is playfully engaging. I truly enjoyed the film and eagerly await the debut of the TV series that will continue the Clone Wars storyline.