STAR WARS
CLONE WARS
VOLUME 1

"Begun the Clone Wars have"

Begun the Clone Wars have. As the evil Count Dooku recruits more and more systems into the Separatist movement, the Jedi and the Army of the Republic face the Droid Armies on numerous planets throughout the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan learner Anakin Skywalker take their forces to Muunilist, where the Banking Clan is gathering together a huge droid army but it becomes apparent that the Dark Lord of the Sith has taken an interest in the young Jedi.

Bridging the gap between Episode II and Episode III, 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' brings the war between the Separatists and the Republic to life but is this animated series as good as the live action movies? Actually they are better.

Coming from the director of hit animated series 'Samurai Jack', Genndy Tartakovsky manages to create more story and a greater sense of the Star Universe than George Lucas himself achieved in Episode I and II. Comprising of twenty three-and-a-half minute chapters, this sixty-nine minutes worth of animation recaptures the spirit of the classic trilogy and reminds you why you fell in love with the adventures from galaxy far, far away in the first place.

Unlike the 'Droids' and 'Ewoks' animated series from the 1980s, 'Clone Wars' is like watching episode II ½ as we see the war between the Separatists and the Republic in full flow and the repercussions that come from it. Here we witness many battles that rage across the galaxy, catch up with Mace Windu, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C3-P0, R2-D2 and Padme, as well as finding out more Darth Sidious's nefarious plan. We also see more of Anakin's fall towards the Darkside of the Force.

Each chapter is action packed, jumping from space battles to all out war on the planet below. It is the advances in the story that draw you in however. These little moments between the relentless battle between good and evil are what draw you and will have Star Wars fans jumping with delight. Fans have wondered what the Clone Wars were like ever since they were mentioned in Episode IV and this animated series shows their importance in the Star Wars universe.

The animation is first rate. While most studios continue to head down the computer graphics route, 'Clone Wars' is traditional 2D animation and the series is better for it. It would have been so easy for the George Lucas to push for the CG route, as most of the two prequels were generated within a computer but this would have been far too similar to the movies. The 2D animation and the Genndy Tartakovsky style gives the series a look of their own that is still Star Wars. The animation is superb, especially during the brilliant battle scenes. The character designs are also extremely good and with exceptional vocal performances from the cast, Star Wars fans cannot help but fall in love with this series.

'Star Wars: Clone Wars' is what fans have been crying out for, a true prequel series that captures the essence of what drew them into the Star Wars universe in the first place. The fight between the Jedi and the Darkside has never been as good, making this a much watch for fans. May the force be with you.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 16x9 Widescreen with a THX enhanced Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' never looked so good. Animation always looks good on DVD and this is no exception. The sharpness of the picture brings out the best in the animation and the sound what accompanies takes you into the Star Wars universe with all the classic music and sound effects from the feature films.

BONUS FEATURES

Director Commentary
Genndy Tartakovsky explains the story of bringing 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' to the fruition and the concept behind it. This is an informative and chatty commentary from an animation genius that clearly has a love for the material and what he does. He reveals the secrets behind the design and look of the animated series, talking about the characters, ships and planetary designs of the 'Clone Wars'. He also discusses the series emphasis on the battles, highlighting the gradiure and epic scale of the scenes. This is an interesting commentary track that highlights the shear amount of work that goes into the production of an animated series.

Hyperspace Commentary
You chance to hear Genndy Tartakovsky's commentary tracks for each chapter that were recorded for Star Wars.com Hyperspace members. These tracks are different to main commentary but do cover the same subjects such as the characters, the look and design, the ships, voice casting and the use of computers with the series.

Bridging the Saga (7.33 mins)
Director/Producer Genndy Tartakovsky, artist/writer Bryan Andrews, art director Paul Rudish and Star Wars creator George Lucas talk about Volume 1 and 2 of the 'Clone Wars' animated series. The featurette takes you behind the scenes of the series, revealing the secrets behind how the animated shorts are produced, from storyboards to computer-generated ships. We also see a sneak peak at Volume 2 and some footage from 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'.

Featurette (4.03 mins)
Director/Producer Genndy Tartakovsky and art director Paul Rudish talk about the responsibility of recreating the Star Wars Universe in an animated form. They take us behind the scenes of the production of the first twenty chapters of the 'Clone Wars' saga, highlighting the look and style of the series and the design of the characters and the vocal talents behind them.

Video Games

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game trailer (1.10 mins)
A preview of the game that will accompany the release of the final Star Wars movie.

Star Wars Republican Commando Game Trailer (2.34 mins)
A preview of the team based action shooter, set just after the events of Episode II.

Star Wars Republican Commando X Box Demo
Place the DVD in your X Box and you can play a demo of the game.

Still Galleries

Sketches & Storyboards
View original character designs and extended storyboard sequences from the first volume.

Posters & Artwork
View the publicity posters and original character art from the series.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Teaser Trailer (1.47 mins)
Watch the preview trailer for the last Star Wars movie in the franchise.

OVERALL

Getting the chance to watch all twenty 'Star Wars: Clone Wars' chapters as one sixty-nine minute feature is reason alone to buy this DVD. The presentation is first rate and Star Wars fans will be elated at the prospect of seeing the first volume in full. The DVD extras are also good with two informative commentary track and two decent but slightly too short featurettes. For Star Wars fans this is a much buy.

DVD

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