As Weird Al sang so well many years ago, there's always two of me just hanging around now, or at least that what it feels like with all the assorted reviews of The Clone Wars. But if there's one thing that we've learned from Karen Traviss, it's that even though they may look identical to each other, each clone is a distinct individual with different traits, personalities, and characteristics. So with that, here's my experience on the biggest Star Wars event of the summer.

Upon arriving at my local megaplex, I found a pleasant surprise waiting for me, but of course I was ill prepared for it. Appearing all weekend long at my local cineplex is Vader's Fist, the 501st Legion themselves. And of course on opening night, the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader is leading the 501st. But me, I'm without my camera. After a few minutes I realize that I do have my cell phone with me, so I decide to get a couple of pictures that way. The only problem is that right now, I don't know how to get those pictures from my cell phone to my computer. Suffice it to say, I did get a picture of Darth Vader, Jango Fett, and some stormtroopers. I went up to talk with a 501st member wearing just his t-shirt, and found out that they would be here all weekend long, so I decided to return to the theater tomorrow and at least get pictures. Upon my return to the theater yesterday I learned that Vader was on another mission and would not be at the theater, but I still snapped some pictures with the others in attendance.

Boba Fett and some of his "brothers."

Look sir, a droid.

Now that we've dispensed with the pictures, it's on to my review of The Clone Wars. Heading into the movie, I was pretty excited. The more teasers, previews, and trailers I saw for this, the more excited I got. And then Friday morning came and I checked out some reviews, which did a lot to really give me cause for concern. So, with that I want to take a look at what the Clone Wars is and what it is not.

In short, the Clone Wars is not an animated Star Wars feature film. It feels very much like the first 3 or 4 episodes of the TV series that it's supposed to be. And I'm fine with that. Since I already planned on watching the series in the fall, I appreciated this larger than life introduction to the scope and feel of the series. Does it feel like a movie? No, but I think it has a much larger and grander scale than the Clone Wars TV series that came before.

A word about the animation. Yes, it's not up to Pixar levels, but not even Disney's 3-D animation is up to that level. This is stylized computer animation and it worked just fine for me. I thought it conveyed the action and I thought the characters looked like stylized animated versions of themselves.

I think the Clone Wars accomplished two key things here. First and foremost is introducing Ahsoka to the fans. As expected, reaction to here is mixed. Some like her, quite a few hate her, and some are in the middle. To be honest, my first reaction upon learning that she was Anakin's padawan was something along the lines of where did they pull this idea from? Well, after a first viewing I'm okay with her. The only cutesy stuff I really can't take is Artooey, but I think she brings weight to the table as a bantering partner with Anakin. At least for me, some of the arguments reminded me of Han and Leia, except without the romance hanging between the two. That sort of disagreement and bickering could be fun to see as the series progresses.

The second accomplishment of the movie is that it gave us an idea of what's to come in the TV series. I think the brief references to characters were designed to tell us that some of our favorite "background" Jedi from the prequels will be feature players in the TV series. And that's something I look forward to. As much as Iiked the animated Clone Wars from before Episode III, they were really too short to showcase those Jedi. I hope the TV series will show them off, especially the cool Kit Fisto. Poor guy never had a shot against Palpatine.

As a side note, I, of course, was glad to see Padme have a part to play in this. Of necessity, she should take a backseat to the Jedi and the clonetroopers, but she is Anakin's wife, and their relationship is going to be further explored as the series unfolds.

I've seen a lot of criticisms leveled at the film for assorted corny moments, but they didn't bother me too much. In fact, I appreciate the fact that the tone and feel of the series has those elements in them. After all, Star Wars was aimed primarily at children and least that's when I discovered the story. The corny moments may make me roll my eyes, but I'm used to that. Even the classic trilogy has plenty of those moments. At least to me, the Clone Wars felt like Star Wars. Yes the style is different, and it's not on as grand a scale as the films, but I still quite enjoyed it. I even hope to take a second viewing in.