DVD Review: 'Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume II' (2003-2005 Microseries)
As a Star Wars fan
of the '77 Generation, I remember vividly the yin-yang effect of the seemingly
endless wait between Episodes when it became apparent that George Lucas'
unexpectedly successful space-fantasy film was part of a larger storyline that
was destined to span nine “saga” films.
On the one hand, my friends and I looked forward to the
release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
and Return of the Jedi with a mix of
enthusiasm and impatience, with thoughts such as Man! Three years till the next one? That's like freakin' forever!
often crossing our minds.
On the other hand, the waiting period also became a time of
much speculation about the characters, possible story developments, and both
the characters' origins and possible future fates. And as often happens with
adolescent fans, hours were fruitlessly spent on such now-trivial issues as:
Was Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi a clone? (For years there was a
bizarre theory that Ben was a clone based on his "real" name sounding
like OB-1. I never really took it to heart, but lots of fans did.)
Who would Leia choose, Han or Luke? (This was, of course,
before Episode VI's big "reveal" that Luke and Leia were twins.)
Would there be a big final battle on the Emperor's throne
world, perhaps on a lava planet? (While there was a big climactic battle
involving the Emperor, the technology that made the prequels' depiction of
Coruscant -- the city planet -- possible didn't yet exist, so Lucas set the
final clash between Sith and Jedi aboard a second Death Star.)
Oh, sure, there were attempts -- some good (Alan Dean
Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye)
and some horrible beyond the pale (CBS's Star
Wars Holiday Special) -- to at least "fill in the blanks" between Star Wars (now retitled Episode IV: A New Hope) and The Empire Strikes Back, but none of
them really became part of the canon.
As far as the Prequel Trilogy is concerned, new and old fans
have been better off, not only because some good writers (Foster again [The Approaching Storm], as well as
Michael Reaves [Darth Maul: Shadow
Hunter] and James Luceno [Cloak of
Deception, Labyrinth of Evil]) have written excellent novels set before and
between each Prequel film, but also because Lucasfilm Ltd and the Cartoon
Network teamed with Samurai Jack
director Genndy Tartakovsky to produce
Star Wars: Clone Wars.
Divided into 25 chapters and aired over two seasons on the
Time-Warner-owned cable network dedicated mainly to children's programming, the
George Lucas-sanctioned microseries bridges the three-year time span between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
In the first of two DVDs,
Clone Wars: Volume One, we see how, as Yoda says in the first episode's
voice-over introduction, "like fire across the galaxy, the (conflict)
spread." The badly outnumbered Jedi (less than 10,000 strong) are now
teamed with white-armored Clone Troopers and sent into action on many fronts as
the CIS, also known as the Separatist movement, deploys its droid armies on
such planets as Dantooine, Muunilist (home of the InterGalactic Banking Clan),
and Mon Calamari.
Volume One also depicts Anakin Skywalker's prowess as a
starfighter pilot and his harrowing encounter with Sith-wannabe Asajj Ventress
on the fourth moon of Yavin.
More importantly, it ends on a cliffhanger note as Chapter
20 introduces the malevolent Jedi-killing cyborg General Grievous, one of the
main villains in Revenge of the Sith. Grievous has killed several Jedi on a
barren planet and has trapped Ki-Adi Mundi, Shaak Ti, and Ayla Secura in the
crashed wreckage of their Republic starcruiser.
Star Wars Clone Wars:
Volume Two, released in December of 2005, contains the final five chapters
of the Emmy-winning animated series and not only begins where Volume One ended
(showing how elite ARC troopers rescue the three Jedi Masters from Grievous'
deadly lightsabers) but ends minutes before the exciting opening sequence of
Episode III.
Although the style of the animation is the same as in the first
season's batch of chapters, Volume Two's episodes are longer (12 minutes or so
each) and are more character-oriented.
For instance, there is great emphasis on the friendship
between Obi-Wan and Anakin -- there is one scene where the hotheaded Skywalker
does snap at his Master, but Tartakovsky and his team of writers wanted to
focus on the warm bond between the two Jedi. It not only makes Obi-Wan's line
to Luke (in A New Hope) about his
father being "a good friend" more believable, but it also adds a stronger
emotional shade to the tragic rift between Kenobi and his former apprentice in
Episode III's climactic third act.
The illicit relationship between Anakin and Senator Padme
Amidala also gets some badly needed attention; in their brief scene we see both
Anakin's growing irritation at having to hide their marriage (remember, Jedi
Knights are forbidden to have any attachments of any kind) and Padme's devotion
to her young and impetuous husband. This is one of my favorite scenes, for we
not only get to see C-3PO in his new gold plating, but we hear Anakin react to
this "reveal" by uttering a line he will later say as Darth Vader:
Impressive. Most impressive.
Star Wars fans
will also get to see the secret ceremony in which Anakin is given the rank of
Jedi Knight of the Republic before undergoing his trials, a harrowing mission
against a Separatist stronghold out on the Outer Rim, plus the valiant efforts
of a handful of Jedi Masters to protect Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as General
Grievous launches a sudden surprise attack on Coruscant...a devastating raid
with a single goal: to capture the Republic's Chief of State and hold him
hostage!
(Oh, and if you watch carefully, you'll see why Grievous has
that nasty, nasty cough in Revenge of the
Sith.)
While Tartakovsky's animation style does take some getting
used to, the detailed development of character and storyline makes Clone Wars:
Volumes One and Two more appealing to the viewer, particularly older fans,
while still being kid-friendly. The quality of the writing really shines, and
there are sequences and even single lines of dialogue that link various
Episodes together, including a Force vision that blends elements from The Phantom Menace and The Empire Strikes Back.
Cast
- Corey Burton...San Hill/Count Dooku/Warrior #2
- Anthony Daniels...C-3PO
- John Di Maggio...General Grievous/Padawan (2004)
- Nick Jameson...Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious (2003)
- Tom Kane...Yoda
- Mat Lucas...Anakin Skywalker
- Daran Norris...Durge/Aide #2/Henchman/Warrior #3/Ki-Adi-Mundi/Master Barrek
- Kevin Michael Richardson...K'Kruhk/Human Male Jedi Master (2004)
- Andre Sogliuzzo...ARC Captain/Battle Droid/Clone Trooper/ARC Trooper/Captain Typho
- Cree Summer...Luminara Unduli (2004)
- James Arnold Taylor...Obi-Wan Kenobi/Aide #1/Aide #3
- Tatyana Yassukovich...Barriss Offee
- Jerome Beidler...Young Anakin
- Terrence 'T.C.' Carson...Mace Windu (2003-2005)
- Grey DeLisle...Asajj Ventress/Padme Amidala/Shaak-Ti
- Wanja Gerick...Anakin Skywalker
- Richard McGonagle...General Grievous/Kit Fisto (2005)
- Philipp Moog...Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Fred Tatasciore...Qui Gon Jinn (2005)
DVD Features:
- Available Subtitles: English
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by: Genndy Tartakovsky and his band of artists (Unknown Format)
- Exclusive "Connecting the Dots" featurette takes you inside the creative process that Genndy Tartakovsky and his team used to link Clone Wars to Revenge of the Sith.
- Two galleries of concept art, storyboards, sketches & more!
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith launch trailer
- Star Wars: Battlefront II video game trailer
- Star Wars: Empire at War video game trailer
- "Revenge of the Brick" trailer from LEGO
- Access a special Xbox-playable demo with two entire levels from the new Star Wars: Battlefront II video game
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