Reviews

I went into this film expecting some neat visuals, good performances, and a big battle with a CGI army at the end. Nothing special, I thought, just a fun experience. But, to my utter surprise, this was something more, something really great.

Let's start with the acting. It's great, all around. Benedict Cumberbatch is massively likable and charismatic as the titular character. He brings the comedy perfectly but also the troubled man within. Tilda Swinton does a very good job at playing The Ancient One, I thought she would ham it up, but she out in a revered, quiet performance. Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor do good jobs as supporting characters, and Mads Mikkelsen is great as usual, making a generic villain rather memorable. Rachel McAdams is good as well, but she doesn't get a lot of time to shine.

Visually, it's far and away the best looking MCU film to date, beating out Guardians of the Galaxy. The scene in which Strange is first introduced to the multiverse is an awesome treat on the eyes, and the film doesn't let up from there. All the CGI is done to perfection, and the film takes great advantage of the nonsensical rules to create some of the best action sequences I've seen this year. The gravity defying streets are very impressive as well, I must add.

The story and characters are great. The story is a little on the generic side, but it serves it's purpose well (just like in most of the MCU films). The characters are memorable, except for the love interest and villain, who come across a little flat. I won't spoil the end battle here, but it's great, and extremely different compared to the usual business of the MCU.

A small negative I found was that Doctor Strange's learning of his powers and mastering them is a little rushed. It cuts from him being an amateur to him having become quite adept at them. A small qualm, but I wish they expanded on it.

So, yes, it's very great, and sits at the top of the MCU for me, beating out The Winter Soldier.

So I decided to re-watch this Lego animation for the first time in years, and what did I find? It's pretty damn great.

Now, don't go into this thinking it's going to be a shot for shot recreation of Revenge of the Sith but with Lego bricks and figures, because it only follows the film in the broadest of strokes. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu and Yoda, and Chewbacca are in it, and it features the battles of Coruscant and Kashyyyk, but that's it for similarities. The two battles depicted have little to nothing to do with the film, and go off on their own comedic strokes.

The animation has certainly dated, but still looks rather good by 2005 standards. Most of the ships depicted are clearly made from Lego, unlike in some other Lego animations, like the Ninjago cartoon. The figures also don't look very much like their real Lego counterparts, and General Grievous doesn't even appear to be made from Lego.

It has the typical Lego style humour, focusing on slapstick gags and sight jokes, which is apt because it features no voice acting. You hear Yoda's grunts, Wookiee growls and Battle Droid "roger roger's", but their are no words spoken, which makes it ideal viewing for younger children.

So don't ask me why I decided to review a short Lego animation from 2005, but do know that I recommend it with the utmost importance (as far as Lego animations go).

It's pretty funny that the best Star Wars story set in the prequel era comes as a miniseries that aired on Cartoon Network of all places, from 2003 to 2004. I believe this series to be superior to the 2008 computer animated version (which is still pretty good), and far superior to the three live action films.

The series has many subplots, each showing a different characters situation during the famous Clone War. These include showing well known characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan, and also minor characters, like Luminary Unduli and Barriss Offee. While these aren't connected in story, they are connected in the theme of war and how it changes people, something touched on but not really explored in depth in the live action prequel films.

The animation is fantastically stylised, and in my opinion, is far better than the 3D animation from the later Clone Wars series. Characters move in fluid motions, and the voices are well synced up to the mouths of the characters. Each character looks a lot like their live action counterparts, and for the most part, they sound pretty similar too.

The characters introduced in this series are great. Asaaj Ventress, later popularised in the 3D series, is given an introduction and an ending in this, which is more than she got in the later series. General Grievous is awesome in this, a far cry from the wheezing coward seen in Revenge of the Sith. There is a great scene in which Grievous single-handedly dispatches of numerous Jedi, which really sells how powerful his character is.

It does have flaws, which is a disappointment, seeing how great the rest of the series is, such as some really bland voice acting, in particular, Mat Lucas as Anakin, who makes Hayden Christensen look positively amazing. There is also the case of the Jedi being even more over-powered than they are in the live action prequels. There is a part where Mace Windu destroys a whole army of battle Droids just by using the force, which begs the question as to why he didn't do that at the end of Attack of the Clones.

But overall, I really love this series, and how it perfectly connects Episodes II and III of the saga. Now, it had sadly been rendered non-canon, and does raise questions in continuity if watched along side the 3D version, but really, I'd rater watch this series anyway.