The animation isn't groundbreaking and the dialogue may be utterly perfunctory, but, damn it, Dave Filoni's Star Wars: The Clone Wars (shades of Terminator: The Return of the Terminator) looks like fun! Unless they're hiding an hour's worth of mopey Anakin scenes, I'm afraid I'm seriously looking forward to seeing another Star Wars movie in the theater.

"But is it possible, Mother, for someone to hit you hard like that - real loud and hard - and it not hurt you at all?"

"It is possible, dear, for someone to hit you, hit you hard, and it not hurt at all."

The credited writers for this 100% official link between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith are Henry Gilroy, Steve Melching and Scott Murphy; they're animation hacks, but at this point I'd prefer unfussy to strained seriousness. And, who knows, maybe this Matt Lanter kid will somehow make Anakin Skywalker sound like less of a brokenhearted bitch (he's from Massillon, Ohio; they make real men in Massillon). As with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, my expectations are so dialed down that a test pattern might win me over (but only if it's the one with the big Indian chief).

Star Wars: The Clone Wars hits theaters on August 15th.