Blu-ray Movie Reviews

"The Clone Wars" takes place between "Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones" and "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith". Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi continue their journey across the galaxy amongst the "Clone Wars", meeting up with familiar villains, such as Count Dooku, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. The Grand Army of the Republic, led by Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other Jedi Knights, must fight the New Droid Army of the Separatists.

It wasn’t that long ago that director Tartakovsky of Samurai Jack fame made a small mini-series for the Star Wars prequels called Clone Wars. This series was a bunch of very short films that culminated into a very affective series that led up to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. That short series did a great job with character introductions and bringing us into the new film. Unfortunately this new animated film is not in the same vein. The trailers did a great job of capturing the remarkable imagery but didn’t do a good job of capturing the tone that this film is presented in. This is a film made for a very young audience and lacks the depth (however shallow they may be) of the feature films or the previous animated short films. Sure there is some great imagery and Star Wars tech fans will be more than happy, but the story is simple and the dialogue is embarrassing. I haven’t had the chance to watch the network series this leads up to but if the film is any indication of tone and quality, I think I’ll skip it.

When I saw the trailers for this film I was skeptical about how much I would like the animation style. I must admit it works really well for the battle sequences and when you’re seeing the ships in space but it doesn’t hold up nearly as well with the characters. They look plastic and rigid. Aside from that this HD presentation is a solid one with some breathtaking imagery at times. Color rendition is outstanding and contrast levels are solid throughout. I was really impressed with the depth of the starscapes and the fine detail of the ships. I did see some minor aliasing and line twitter from time to time but it wasn’t overly intrusive. Some subtle banding was also noticed from time to time.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is THX certified and delivers an incredible amount of low end bass and infrasonics. Star Wars has always been known for its intense sonic landscapes and this one does a pretty good job but falls short of the live action films. The surround soundstage is quite engaging but the sound design isn’t quite as inventive as the prequels and most of the sound effects have been borrowed from the work already done. My big complaint is the score, which is a reimagining of John Williams classic work. It just doesn’t work well for me and completely robs the film of mood. The trailer used the score from the prequels and was far more effective than the actual film.

Extras include a video commentary with the film’s creators that shed some light on their intentions and their love for the series. There are also some production features that look at the creation of the show and highlight the characters and tech. You get an inside look at the actors used for the voicework, the new score and the production art. Some deleted scenes and the trailers are also included.

Die hard Star Wars fans may find a few things they like here but this film was still a far cry from the live action saga. I think with a bit more polish, a better score, and a tad less childishness this would have been a decent addition to the Star Wars universe, but right now it is passable entertainment at best.