Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume One
Make no mistake,Clone Warsis honest-to-goodness authenticStar Wars. The animated "microseries" takes place betweenEpisode II, Attack of the ClonesandEpisode III, Revenge of the Sith. If the feature films cover the beginning and end of the war,Clone Warsdepicts the actual battles and events that made heroes into legends. Don't expect too much character development, as the episodes tend to be driven more by flat-out action than by dialogue (which can be a good thing, considering someStar Warsdialogue). We see such familiar faces as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Mace Windu in combat, and we meet the elite ARC (Advanced Recon Commandos) clone troopers plus new Jedi--the amphibious Kit Fisto and two women, Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee. We also see a little more development of Anakin--showing off the best pilot skills in the army, defying Obi-Wan, and engaging in a deadly duel with Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress. But just when it's clear that the Separatist droid armies are no match for a Jedi, the tide begins to turn with the introduction of the menacing General Grievous, who plays a crucial part inEpisode III. The cast mostly consists of veteran voice actors, but Anthony Daniels does appear as C-3PO.Clone Warswas created by Genndy Tartakovsky, whose resume includes such stylish series asSamurai Jack,Dexter's Laboratory, andThe Powerpuff Girls, and the program won a 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More). These 20 episodes, which played on the Cartoon Network (and were originally designated seasons 1 and 2), can be viewed as a seamless 69-minute whole or as individual chapters. DVD features include two commentary tracks, a making-of featurette, video game andEpisode IIItrailers, and an Xbox playable demo of the stealth gameRepublic Commando. If you're a fan who can't wait forEpisode III,Clone Warsis essential viewing.--David Horiuchi