When Dave Filoni was announced to take over from Kathleen Kennedy as head of Lucasfilm, many would have felt that Star Wars was being given to the correct successor. After all, while Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett may not have captured the hearts and minds of many Star Wars fans, The Mandalorian reinvigorated excitement in the live-action side of the franchise, and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, along with Star Wars: Rebels, are still rightfully considered some of the best Star Wars content ever produced.

However, there was a time when Filoni was not the biggest name in Star Wars. Before 2008, few would have known Filoni for anything other than his involvement in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and many would come to initially know him for directing the worst film in the Star Wars universe: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The film and the show had the same name, meaning many would wipe the awful former from their memories, but that doesn’t change the fact that The Clone Wars film is not only poorly structured, but feels thoroughly underbaked in terms of both animation and characters.

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Feels Like a Set of Disjointed Episodes

Star Wars: The Clone Wars film is meant to serve as the introduction to the series, yet the series’ non-linear structure snuck its way into the film, creating a disjointed, meandering plot. The Clone Wars film begins on Christophisis, where Anakin (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan (James Arnold Taylor) face a droid army as The Republic tries to gain a foothold in the Outer Rim. Facing dire circumstances, Anakin is sent a padawan in the form of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and the trio defeats the army. This is where the story takes a sharp pivot in setting, goal, and tone. Jabba’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) son, Rotta (David Acord), is kidnapped, and the trio is sent to Tatooine to save the Huttlet and return him to his father to barter an alliance with the Hutts, confronting Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) along the way.

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However, this pivot does not feel natural, and instead creates a jarring sensation where what feels like a war film on Christophisis, with several clones brutally dying in the pursuit of victory, becomes a silly adventure to find Rotta, who makes normal baby noises yet isn’t cute, but unnerving. From both Filoni’s comments on the Force-Cast: Clone Wars Roundtable podcast and how George Lucas talks about deciding to create a Clone Wars feature as “an afterthought” after seeing the first episodes on the big screen, it appears the Clone Wars film was originally going to be the first episodes of the series, but they were edited together. Considering the odd combination of settings and plots, this explains a lot, as many beats in the film feel like the beginning or end of a new episode, rather than a three-act structure, such as when the mission on Christophisis is completed, and the turn towards Tatooine begins.

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Animation and Character Dynamics Are Amateurish at Times

When most think of The Clone Wars, their minds will drift to the beautiful animation that only a few TV shows can compare to, especially in Season 7, along with the lovable dynamic between the charismatic Anakin and wise-beyond-her-years Ahsoka. However, in the Clone Wars feature, the animation is incredibly clunky. While there are some great action scenes on Christophisis with the clone troopers, it is scenes when characters are merely talking that we are merely given mid-shots with no movement in the camera, such as when Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan discuss their plan on Christophisis or Obi-Wan’s meeting with Jabba, with characters moving far too smoothly compared to the more natural movement seen in later seasons.

Additionally, these stilted animations don’t help the lackluster character dynamics between Ahsoka and Anakin. Throughout the film, they bicker back and forth, with Anakin being at times nasty to Ahsoka and the young padawan feeling incredibly naive and arrogant, with lines such as “technically, I outrank you,” to Rex (Dee Bradley Baker), or “I’m the one with enthusiasm!” to Anakin over-emphasizing the fact that this is a child in a war. While this would become a key point of Ahsoka’s character and the commentary on war, in the Clone Wars feature, it merely feels like a jarring tone because she is overly naive, which led many to dislike her characterization at first, before Filoni would develop the character to act more maturely later on.

For many, including myself, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film is a part of their childhood, and there is nostalgia in watching the battle on Christophisis and Anakin’s confrontation with Dooku. But that doesn’t distract from the 18% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is thoroughly deserved considering the film’s flaws. However, there is also a lesson in patience here. While the Clone Wars film is truly awful, it spawned a show that would become iconic, making the initial growing pains of Filoni and Lucas’s brainchild more than worth it in the end.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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Release Date

August 5, 2008

Runtime

98 Minutes

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Writers

Scott Murphy, Steven Melching, Henry Gilroy

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Victoria Beckham had the support of most of her family at her 2026 Paris Fashion Week show.

“Thank you for always being there to support me. I love you all so much xxx,” Beckham, 51, wrote via Instagram on Friday, March 6, after her eponymous fashion brand’s Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show during Paris Fashion Week.

Victoria was joined by her husband, David Beckham, and their youngest three children:  Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14. (Cruz’s girlfriend, Jackie Apostel, was also present.)

“We are always so proud and astonished about what you achieve every single season raising the bar and continuing to live the dream that you have worked so hard for,” David wrote via Instagram, praising his wife’s designs. “You and your team really are incredible and we are proud to be here to witness the beauty that you continue to bring to each collection. We love you.”

Related: Victoria Beckham Shares Love for Son Brooklyn Amid Family Drama

Victoria Beckham made a public declaration of love for all four of her children amid ongoing speculation about the relationship between her eldest son, Brooklyn, and his parents following his no-show at dad David’s recent 50th birthday celebrations. Posting to her Instagram Stories on Monday, May 19, Victoria, 51, shared a cute photo of her […]

The former Spice Girls singer and David, 50, are also parents of son Brooklyn, 27, from whom they are currently estranged.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life,” Brooklyn claimed in a lengthy social media statement shared in January. “The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.”

Brooklyn further alleged that his parents had “been trying endlessly to ruin” his relationship with Nicola Peltz Beckham before they tied the knot in 2022.

“I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared,” Brooklyn alleged. “I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief. My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press or manipulation. All we want [is] peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”

Neither Victoria nor David publicly responded to their son’s claims. Us Weekly reached out for comment at the time.

Related: Brooklyn Beckham Is ‘Keeping His Distance’ From Parents After B-Day Message

David and Victoria Beckham’s birthday messages didn’t immediately spark a reunion with their son Brooklyn Beckham. “Brooklyn ignored David’s attempt at getting his attention with that birthday post,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “He thinks it’s just another way for them to save face with the public and that it did not feel meaningful.” […]

While Brooklyn has since stopped speaking to his parents and siblings, David and Victoria both publicly marked his 27th birthday earlier this week.

“Happy 27th birthday Brooklyn. I love you so much,” Victoria wrote via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, March 4, sharing throwback family photos.

David also shared a birthday tribute to his eldest son, writing via his account, “Happy Birthday Bust. Love you x.” (David and Brooklyn had long called one another “buster” as a nickname.)

Related: Which of Victoria and David Beckham’s Children Appear in Her Netflix Doc?

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Victoria Beckham‘s Netflix documentary highlights sweet moments with her family — but did all of her and David Beckham‘s children make an appearance? The three-part special, which premiered on Thursday, October 9, follows Victoria, 51, as she prepares for her clothing brand’s 2024 show at Paris Fashion Week. While highlighting her rising prominence within the […]

Brooklyn, however, didn’t publicly acknowledge his parents’ messages.

“Brooklyn ignored David’s attempt at getting his attention with that birthday post,” a source exclusively told Us. “He thinks it’s just another way for them to save face with the public and that it did not feel meaningful.”

According to the insider, Brooklyn was “still keeping his distance” from the Beckhams and rang in his birthday with Nicola, 31.

“He had a lovely day celebrating with Nicola, and she made him feel special,” the insider added to Us. “He is not letting any of the nonsense bother him.”

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Although some movies proved popular at the 2025 box office, many more struggled to earn financial success. The likes of Captain America: Brave New World and the live-action Snow White were notable failures in the first half of the year, with the Jared Leto-led Tron: Ares, Edgar Wright‘s The Running Man, and more fading into box office obscurity in the second half. However, few films were as unpopular with theatergoers as James L. Brooks‘ latest directorial effort, Ella McCay.

So poor was Ella McCay‘s initial U.S. run that it reportedly was pulled from the French theatrical lineup ahead of its scheduled January 7 release. This is all despite having an eye-catching central cast, with the likes of Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Spike Fearn, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, and more, supporting star Emma Mackey of Sex Education fame. Alas, the movie bombed, earning just $4.5 million worldwide against a reported $35 million budget and becoming one of Disney’s most disappointing commercial efforts of the year.

Since its release on streaming, Ella McCay has found redemption and been a mainstay in the charts. Having made its debut on February 5, the film rose up the ranks and managed to fight off popular rivals in a way its theatrical run never could. However, all good things come to an end, and Ella McCay has found itself clinging to the bottom place on the Hulu charts in the U.S., at the time of writing. A synopsis for the movie reads:

“Ella McCay follows an idealistic young woman juggling her less-than-perfect family with her passion for her work. From writer-director James L. Brooks, this fresh and heartwarming comedy is about the people you love and how to survive them.”

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Critics Were Not Fond of ‘Ella McCay’

Image via 20th Century Studios

Part of Ella McCay‘s box office misfortune was certainly the initial critical response, with the film earning just 24% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Jeff Ewing of Collider awarded the movie just 3/10 in his review, saying, “It’s actually a little difficult to say if there’s a better version of Ella McCay buried somewhere inside this movie, given that it’s hard to pin down what the intended target of this movie is at the end of the day.”

Ella McCay is streaming on Hulu. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

December 11, 2025

Runtime

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115 minutes

Director

James L. Brooks

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Writers

James L. Brooks

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Producers

Julie Ansell, Richard Sakai, James L. Brooks, Jennifer Brooks, Francine Maisler

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Sometimes, an actor’s career just falters. Whether it’s because of a scandal, a series of box office bombs, or simply poor choices of roles, these actors start to slip into oblivion. There are many ways to make a big comeback, however, and perhaps the most effective (certainly the flashiest) is to act their way to an Oscar nomination, pretty much the highest honor that a thespian of the cinema can aspire to.

It could be Matthew McConaughey putting the cherry on top of the McConaissance with his Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club. Or it could be Katharine Hepburn slapping the critics who had labeled her “box office poison” with the Oscar nod she got for The Philadelphia Story. No matter the case, an Oscar nomination is certainly guaranteed to help the recipient make a big splash in an industry that was starting to forget them.

Matthew McConaughey — ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ (2013)

Image via Focus Features

At some point around the early 2010s, Matthew McConaughey decided that he no longer wanted to just be known as the rom-com heartthrob that his name had come to be associated with. In 2011, The Lincoln Lawyer launched the start of the McConaissance, a period during which the actor starred in far more serious, dramatic, and prestigious roles than anyone could have predicted during the 2000s.

There’s no question about when the McConaissance reached its pinnacle: It was surely when McConaughey beat Leonardo Di Caprio‘s tour-de-force performance in The Wolf of Wall Street for the 2014 Best Actor Oscar, thanks to his powerhouse turn in Dallas Buyers Club. It’s one of the most essential movies of 2013, and that’s in no small part thanks to how complex and physically transformational its lead actor’s performance is.

John Travolta — ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)

Image via Miramax Films

Throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, John Travolta was the man. Thanks to projects like Saturday Night Fever and Grease, the actor was on fire. His career started careening off a cliff during the mid-’80s, however, and by the time the ’90s rolled in, Travolta had been mostly written off by Hollywood. The helicopter meant to take him back out of that cliff? Quentin Tarantino‘s Palme d’Or-winning sophomore feature, the legendary Pulp Fiction.

It’s nothing short of one of the best movies of the last 100 years, an undeniable masterpiece that led Travolta to his second Oscar nomination (which he lost to Forrest Gump‘s Tom Hanks). From there, the actor went on a streak of notable box office hits and cult classics like Face/Off—a streak that, of course, would infamously end in 2000 due to the disastrous Battlefield Earth. But despite that tragic ending, Pulp Fiction was undeniably a comeback for Travolta, allowing him to show off his range with that delightful Tarantino dialogue that just rolls of the tongue.

Jackie Earle Haley — ‘Little Children’ (2006)

Image via New Line Cinema

Todd Field‘s criminally underappreciated dark melodrama Little Children is a multi-story film, following the tales of a tumultuous affair between two lovers married to other people, a disgraced ex-police officer, and a registered sex offender. The incredibly tricky and daunting role of the sex offender was taken on by Jackie Earle Haley, who had quit acting all the way back in 1992.

Taking such an immensely complicated part for his comeback role was definitely a choice, but it was ultimately one that paid off with Haley’s first Oscar nomination, where he lost against Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin. The result is one of the best actor comeback movies ever, where Haley shows off incredible emotional depth and range. Projects like Watchmen, Shutter Island, and 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street followed, and the rest is history.

Demi Moore — ‘The Substance’ (2024)

Image via Mubi

Coralie Fargeat‘s The Substance took the world by storm. Campy body horror projects aren’t typically the type that people immediately associate with the word “prestige,” but Fargeat’s sophomore feature was such a knockout that it made its way to great renown during the 2024-25 awards race, including five Oscar nominations. One of those was for Demi Moore‘s stunning leading turn.

For a long time, Moore seemed like the frontrunner in the Best Actress race, before she lost to Anora‘s Mikey Madison. Even still, this was a tremendously hard-hitting comeback for Moore, who was once one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the ’80s and ’90s. One of the best psycho-biddy movies ever made, The Substance allows its lead to go big and explosive, but also to display several bits of quiet subtlety that work wonderfully. The movie’s metatextual analysis of the entertainment industry’s tendency to discard female stars as they age only adds further richness to Moore’s timeless performance.

Ke Huy Quan — ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022)

Image via A24

Ke Huy Quan was once of the biggest and most beloved child actors of his generation, elevating movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies with his mere presence. As he grew older, however, that hyper-successful career as a child actor didn’t transform into an equally prolific adult career. Finally, after the 2002 Hong Kong film Second Time Around, Quan stepped behind the camera as a stunt choreographer and assistant director.

It took the actor 19 years to step in front of the camera again, for the 2021 Netflix family film Finding ‘Ohana. It wasn’t until 2022, though, that Quan truly burst into the mainstream again. Everything Everywhere All At Once took full advantage of Quan’s stunt work and martial arts experience, but also gave him enough chances to show off his acting range for him to win the 2023 Best Supporting Actor Oscar. His acceptance speech arguably remains the best of the 21st century.

Michael Keaton — ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)

Image via Searchlight Pictures

The protagonist of Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), the movie that made the Mexican auteur a three-time Academy Award laureate, is Riggan Thomson. He’s a formerly popular actor who used to play a superhero, but whose career hasn’t been nearly as big since. The fact that said character is played by former Batman star Michael Keaton, who hadn’t had any noteworthy roles in years, is probably no coincidence.

Those meta layers are among the many reasons why this is one of the best comedies to ever win Best Picture. Keaton ended up losing against The Theory of Everything‘s Eddie Redmayne in a remarkably close race, but his performance remains one of the best Oscar-nominated performances of the 2010s nonetheless. His performance brings a raw vulnerability to the character of Riggan, but also a dark sense of humor that the film simply wouldn’t work without.

Joan Crawford — ‘Mildred Pierce’ (1945)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

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Of course, nowadays, all cinephiles fondly remember Joan Crawford as one of the greatest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Throughout the ’20s and ’30s, she built up one of the most glamorous star personas in Hollywood, having once said “if you want to see the girl next door, go next door.” But during the late ’30s and early ’40s, her career started declining. She was starting to age, which only contributed to MGM handing her increasingly weak material, eventually leading critics to call her box office poison.

That all changed in 1945, once Crawford had already moved to Warner Bros. Not only did Mildred Pierce, one of the year’s biggest classics, prove that Crawford still had the sauce: It won her an Oscar and breathed new life into her career, proving to youth-obsessed Hollywood that older actresses were not to be underestimated. It’s one of the most memorable performances of the ’40s, and certainly deserving of its Academy Award.

Katharine Hepburn — ‘The Philadelphia Story’ (1940)

Image via Loew’s, Inc.

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Katharine Hepburn was another actress who had been labeled box office poison by the late ’30s. She was starring in rather unpopular films, she was notoriously difficult with the press, and she had a demeanor and sense of style that the public deemed “too boyish.” Hepburn wasn’t the kind to wait around for opportunities to fall down from the sky, however. She manufactured her own comeback by starring in the stage play The Philadelphia Story in 1939, and its film adaptation one year later.

Everything went according to Hepburn’s plans. The movie, a massive success, was her ticket back to the Hollywood stardom she had once enjoyed. Funny, vulnerable, and imposing, it’s perhaps the best performance of Hepburn’s career. Though she lost the Oscar to Kitty Foyle‘s Ginger Rogers, the notoriety of the movie and her work in it nevertheless ensured that she’d never fall back into the pit she had managed to fall back on. Today, she remains the thespian with the most Oscar wins ever, the only one to ever earn four.

Brendan Fraser — ‘The Whale’ (2022)

Image via A24

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During the ’90s and early 2000s, Brendan Fraser was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, starring in cult classics like Encino Man and huge blockbusters like the Mummy franchise. Due to a tragic range of issues in his personal life, however, Fraser both distanced himself from and was blacklisted by Hollywood. He didn’t stop acting, but he took a significant step back from the spotlight.

That was until the 2022-23 awards race, when Fraser’s knockout performance in Darren Aronofsky‘s The Whale made him a clear frontrunner for the Best Actor Academy Award, which he did end up taking home. Since then, Fraser has kept acting in popular projects both big and small, and the fans who have been loyal supporters of his movies for years couldn’t be happier.

Marlon Brando — ‘The Godfather’ (1972)

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Saying that Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather is one of the greatest must-watch crime movie masterpieces of all time would be an understatement. Many would consider it the single greatest film ever made, with one of the most impressive ensemble casts of any movie of the ’70s. This cast includes a man who, though definitely controversial, could very well be considered the best and most important actor in the history of Hollywood, Marlon Brando.

However, it’s easy to forget that by the time the early ’70s rolled in, Brando was considered a has-been. Paramount executives were very much against the decision to cast him as Vito Corleone, despite him being screenwriter (and author of the book the film is based on) Mario Puzo‘s preferred choice for the role. Of course, Brando did end up being cast as Vito, and the rest is history. The performance, easily the most iconic of his career, very deservedly ended up winning him his second and last Oscar victory. It was a turning point for his career, and it allowed him to keep getting big roles throughout the rest of his career, even if his problematic behavior never went away.

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The Godfather

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Release Date

March 24, 1972

Runtime

175 minutes

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Director

Francis Ford Coppola

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Writers

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

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