For Star Wars
aficionados, Star Wars:Clone Wars needs no introduction. For the
rest of the casual Star Wars followers, this animation, set in the
Star Wars universe, follows the conflict between the Galactic
Republic (with the help of the Jedi council) and the Separatists.
It
is designed to fit in between Star Wars Episode II (Attack of the
Clones) and Star Wars Episode III (Revenge of the Sith). It
continues on from where the mediocre Star Wars: Clone Wars film left
off - Chancellor Palpatine is in charge of the Senate, the power of
the Separatists under Count Dooku is slowly rising. Anakin, Obiwan,
Yoda are back and also, Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka, introduced in the
aforementioned film, makes a welcome return (perhaps unwelcome for
some fans). After the abysmal Clone Wars animated film, the Clone
Wars series has surprised many fans with its superlative animations,
its deep characters and enjoyable storylines.
The episodes are
varied, and serve as a filler in the Star Wars timeline, charting
Anakin's continual movement to the Dark Side under Obiwan's
guidance, the treachery of Palpatine, the evolution of Ahsoka into a
Jedi warrior and the continual attempts of Count Dooku (with the
leader of his Armies, General Grievous and Apprentice Ventress) to
thwart the Republic. Note the return of Jar Jar Binks in a few
episodes too.
The production values are huge on this series as
can be seen by gawking at the character models and the lush
backgrounds all in 1080p and experiencing the thundering Dolby
Digital 5.1 sound. The animation is clear, fluid and highly
detailed.
The attention to detail in each frame is amazing and even
non Star Wars fans can enjoy the realism and style of this series.
This can gets even more evident when the action takes us to new
planets, where painstaking effort was expended in creating the
unique fauna and flora - one of the first worlds visited is a coral
planet and one of my favourite scenes is when Yoda is walking
through a coral forest (the light passing between the coral and
casting shadows on the ground is so beautifully rendered).
The
audio is powerful, utilising all channels and the music encompasses
new and familiar Star Wars themes. The plots are well written and
ample attention to detail was paid to character development and
perpetuating existing behaviour. A Blu ray with just the series on
it would satisfy even the hardest Star Wars fan, but the extras are
something else too.
Coupled with usual subtitles and audio in several
different languages, each episode also has a featurette attached
where different crew talk about making the episode. This gives a
viewer a sneak peek into the exhaustive development of the episode
and allows them to see different scenes at different stages of
completion - from wire frame, to 3D models, to sound capturing, to
plot development. These featurettes are compelling viewing. While
watching them, a symbol will appear periodically which allows you to
explore deeper the current concept being discussed.
For example,
when the crew are talking about the Toydarian king, the viewer can
press Enter and view a 3D model of the King. At another moment, the
viewer can press Enter and view the character sketches. To have
featurettes for each and every episode is a total bonus. Also, the
viewer can select to view the Jedi Temple Archives - basically a
large repository of Animation, Concept Art and 3D models in the
development of each episode.
The Blu Ray also contains a Production
Journal booklet containing sketches and Artist's notes during the
production of the series. (A lot of the sketches even have the "Plo
Kool!" approval stamp still on them.) The Jedi Temple archives plus
the Production Journal allows the viewer a unique insight into the
enormous detail involved in production. There is just so much
extras to go through here - to watch, to examine and to admire.
Star Wars:The Clone Wars Season 1 amply
demonstrates the power of Blu ray in being able to pack in so much.
There are not only the superb episodes on this disc but also so
many well-made featurettes and extras. I have no hesitation in
recommending this to all the Star Wars fans out there and they would
do well to go pick this up right now.
Episodes:
Ambush
Rising Malevolence
Shadow of Malevolnce
Destroy Malevolence
Rookies
Downfall of a Droid
Duel of the Droids
Bombad Jedi
Cloak of Darkness
The Lair of General Grievous
Dooku Captured
The Gungan General
Jedi Crash
Defenders of Peace
Trespass
The Hidden Enemy
Blue Shadow Virus
Mystery of a Thousand Moons
Storm Over Ryloth
Innocents of Ryloth
Liberty on Ryloth
Hostage Crisis
Special Features:
- Spectacular 64 page Production Journal that includes early
sketches, artist notes and concept art from each episode from
Season 1
- Director's Cut Episodes
- Episodic Featurettes