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Cartoon Review: Maul's Return in "Star Wars:The Clone Wars," Season Seven, Episode Ten, "The Phantom Apprentice" (Spoiler Warning!)

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It is an ambitious endeavor.  Season seven of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" takes place simultaneously with the prequel film, "Revenge of the Sith."  It is an attempt to address the plot holes and generally bad writing of the film, and tie it to other entries to the Star Wars genre. For example, this season tries to explain better the descent of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, and connect that to the universe we see in the movies "Solo" and "Rogue One," the cartoon "Rebels," as well as the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian." One of the keys to the success of this endeavor, is the appearance of Darth Maul. Darth Maul serves as a prime illustration of one of George Lucas' most egregious sins, the under-utilization of a compelling villain.  Reaching back to the time just before "The Phantom Menace" was released, the hype leading up to the film, which was the first Star Wars film in the sixteen years ...

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

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It is seems to be fashionable among current Star Wars fans to trash the final three installments of the Star Wars saga.  Some critics even take joy in proclaiming Disney's efforts to continue the narrative initially created by George Lucas to be a miserable failure.  It may go against what's trending, but I liked the first of Disney's instalments in the final Star Wars trilogy.  I found Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens an entertaining extension to the original storyline, one full of potential for what the tale could be.  Sure, looking back, the last two films failed to live up to that potential.  Moreover, the first of the Disney films had it's flaws and it's plot holes.  It certainly was not the best of the Star Wars movies.  But looking back on them all now, including the two movies dubbed "Star Wars Stories" by Disney, which address tangential plots, I can easily say that The Force Awakens is within the top five of the entir...