Last week’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode ‘Landing at Point Rain’ has been garnering the praise from the usual reviewers. (Don’t forget our review!)
- Eric at TheForce.net calls it “Best. TCW. Ever.” with words like “cinematic”, and says the “episode shines because of the visuals”.
- IGN gives it 8.8 out of 10, while noting that it is light on content and heavy on gritty and intense action, and pushing the envelope on content and POV.
- BigShinyRobot calls it an all out half-hour battle straight out of WWII movies, and praises the camera work, but calls out Cartoon Network on their special airtime – on a school night.
- Joseph Lewis points out that only real risk-your-life-on-behalf-of-your-fellow-soldiers is done by the clones, twice saving Jedi, while the some of the Jedi seem to be more interested in their kill scores.
And as a general caution to the parental types, TV Squad points out that while the new episodes of The Clone Wars are stunning, they are veering away from its kid-friendliness with greater intensity of violence. Joseph Lewis ponders whether that line for carnage has been crossed for what he feels is a franchise meant for children.
I have seen nothing in Clone Wars that makes me think it’s not 7-10 year old kid friendly. I don’t mind the action or the violence. It’s no worse than what they’ve seen in Star Wars… Or Indiana Jones…
People should lighten up. Just put the damn show on earlier.
I didn’t have any concerns either until this latest episode. There are a lot of troopers dying on screen, and the flamethrower scene is only tolerable because the victims don’t look human (they’re still soldiers). I can’t think of any other show for kids that is pushing the boundaries of genuinely realistic war scenes.
I think this was the first time we’ve seen the immolation of sentient life forms.
As I recall, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was the impetus for the MPAA to create the PG-13 film rating, which was given to “Revenge of the Sith”. So yes, it’s no worse than what has been seen in those films, but are those films necessarily appropriate?
At any rate, I’m reporting on what people are saying – and some are voicing their concern about the increase in the intensity and violence of the show.