"Star Wars: Clone Wars Vol. 1
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING James Arnold Taylor as OBI-WAN KENOBI Mat Lucas as ANAKIN SKYWALKER Grey Delisle as ASAJJ VENTRESS/PADME AMIDALA John DiMaggio as GENERAL GRIEVOUS Tom Kane as YODA Anthony Daniels as C-3PO Not Rated Studio: FOX Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky Back to DVD Review Home |
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Not too long ago in a galaxy right here, the Cartoon Network started airing short 3-minute clips from the “Star Wars” universe. These vignettes, directed by “Samurai Jack” creator Genndy Tartakovsky, were set up as a bridge between Episodes II and III of the “Star Wars” saga.
This animated series was meant to illustrate the famous Clone Wars, which were only referenced in the first three films and started in “Attack of the Clones.” It also follows several characters from the films, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Padme Amidala and Yoda. Each of these characters get a storyline of their own, giving them a chance to display their fighting skills.
And much of this 69-minute compilation of shorts is just that - fighting. But at least it’s cool fighting. Finally, you get to see the Jedis in full battle, which we only got a taste of in Episode II. One of the coolest segments features Mace Windu using the Force to make him a like a superhero.
The biggest complaint I have of the “Clone Wars” animated micro-series is that it is pretty short on story. As much as I loved seeing the cool ships, watching the wicked fight scenes and hearing the signature Star Wars sound mix, I would have liked to have learned more about the characters - especially Asajj Ventress, the Sith wannabe that has a massive lightsaber duel with Anakin Skywalker.
It reminds me of how the coolest thing in “The Phantom Menace” was Darth Maul. He was just so awesomely evil, and it quickly answered the question of whether Lucas could come up with a villain to rival Darth Vader. However, when Darth Maul was chopped in half at the end of “Phantom,” I felt a twinge of disappointment. I wanted to know more about him and see more of his character emerge.
Ultimately, it would have been nice to tie some more of these scenes in with the other movie. For example, I would love to have seen the Clone Wars hit Corella and impact the life of a young Han Solo. But maybe that’s something left for another day - or maybe volume 2 of this animated series.
At least I know that there should be some nice development of General Grievous, the new villain from Episode III. This character is introduced for the first time in the “Clone Wars” DVD. It’s a great teaser and lead-in for the upcoming film this summer.
The extras on this DVD includes two audio commentaries. These sometimes overlap stories with themselves or with the content of the featurettes, but it is still good info. The featurette “Bridging the Saga: From ‘Clone Wars’ to ‘Revenge of the Sith’” presents the behind-the-scenes information well. If you’re into the development of animation - especially the sci-fi set design - this is a great bit.
The rest of the features are pretty standard, including two galleries of concept art, storyboards and sketches. A slate of trailers - mostly for Star Wars-based video games - round out the disc. At least the “Revenge of the Sith” trailer is on there, letting you watch it at home on the couch instead on the Internet.
Overall, “Clone Wars” is a nice little addition to the “Star Wars” family. More could have been added, but at least there was no Jar Jar Binks.
And it’s enough to sate my appetite until “Revenge of the Sith” comes out in May.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1). French and Spanish language tracks. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
