Star Wars: The Clone WarsAnakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side ...
As an introduction, the movie is okay. For myself, the strongest elements of the movie are the first and third acts. It kind of drags in the middle, but not from lack of action. If anything, there's too much action as the middle is nonstop. As an audience member, it's easy to get tired and to need that extra time to catch one's breath. Still, the animation is decent and the voice acting is top-notch. Apart from too much happening, the only other downfall that I thought it had were a few instances of "humor" through the battle droids, which seemed stupid and forced. Still, it sets up the series well enough, which is what I suppose it was meant to do.
AmbushJedi Master Yoda and three clone troopers -- Jek, Thire, and Rys -- must face off against Count Dooku's dreaded assassin Ventress and her massive droid army to prove the Jedi are strong enough to protect a strategic planet and forge a treaty for the Republic.
This episode has one thing going against it: battle droids. For whatever reason, George Lucas has insisted to the show's creators that the droids be stupid and a source of humor. The stupid part, I can buy, but there are down right slapstick moments involving the battle droids in this episode. That kind of undermines the whole notion of the war, as these are the foot soldiers of the enemy and if you can't take their soldiers seriously, how can you see them as a real threat? Despite that, most anything directly involving Yoda in this episode is gold. There's a great scene of Yoda and his clones in a cave where they have a discussion about the Force. It's one of the best Star Wars moments in any media, I feel. And there's plenty of Yoda action, which is always fun as well. Still, the droid humor takes what could have been a great episode and turns it into one that is only so/so.
Rising MalevolenceAn attack by a devastating new Separatist weapon leaves Jedi Master Plo Koon and his clone troopers struggling to survive until Anakin and Ahsoka can find them.
Ultimately, I found this episode a little bit boring. It's not bad, as the droid humor is very much toned down from the previous episode, but the majority of it is spent with Plo Koon and his clones in a life pod wondering if anyone will find them. Of course, anyone who has seen Revenge of the Sith knows that Plo Koon survives until that movie, so it gets kind of tiring wondering if someone will save them as you know it's simply a matter of time until someone does. Of course, that someone is going to be Anakin and Ahsoka, who spend much of the episode looking for Plo and his soldiers. Once they do find and save them, the action kicks up and the last four minutes or so of the episode are top notch, involving an action sequence through a debris field that is pretty well done.
Shadow of MalevolenceWith the help of his Padawan Ahsoka and Jedi Master Plo Koon, Anakin utilizes new long-range Y-wing bombers to lead a bold strike on General Grievous' warship, the Malevolence, and its destructive weapon.
Okay, I dig this episode. No droid slapstick (that I can remember) and it's pretty much a straight forward "mission" episode. There's some nice sequences, including a short cut through a nebula and also the bombing run on Grievous' warship. To me, the episode captures the classic Star Wars "feel" and so far is the standard in my mind for any episode that is going to involve space battles.
Destroy MalevolencePadmé Amidala and C-3PO are taken hostage by General Grievous, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to save the Senator and complete the destruction of the Malevolence.
If the previous episode did a great job of capturing the classic Star Wars feel for space battles, this episode equally captures that feel, but for rescue missions. Damn, if this isn't the prequel version of rescuing Leia from the Death Star. That's not to say that it's a total rip off of that plotline, but rather it's a story in that vein and it does a great job at it. Obi-Wan gets some great moments, it's nice to see Anakin and Padme interact, and dammit if C-3PO and R2-D2 wandering on their own through hallways doesn't make me giddy. It's a fitting conclusion to the Malevolence trilogy and a prime example of what the Clone Wars should be.
RookiesAlone on a distant outpost, clone officers Rex and Cody must inspire their rookie unit to believe in themselves to stave off a Droid Commando invasion.
This one just doesn't do it for me. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but I found myself going, "Where are the Jedi?" I actually like Rex alot, but this episode focuses more on the other clones than him and frankly, they aren't that interesting. The best part about it for me: the commando droids. Those guys are kind of bad ass.
Downfall of a DroidR2-D2 is lost during a fierce space battle -- and Anakin must find him before the Separatists discover the Jedi military secrets locked in his memory banks.
I probably would have liked this episode a lot more if it weren't for one thing: the music. For the rest of the series, the music is okay. But here, it seemed wildly out of place (there's even some techno in here). Also, the opening space battle was kind of weak. I'm guessing that's because this is some of the earliest animation for the series (as per Dave Filoni, series director) and they hadn't quite gotten to the point where they were ready to do space battles. The rest of the episode isn't bad and it's kind of fun watching Anakin and Ahsoka take on some IG droids. There was one other thing that bothered me initially, but it makes 100% sense in light of the following episode and isn't an issue for me at all now. Also, I like the Trandoshan junker.
Duel of the DroidsAnakin, Ahsoka and replacement droid R3-S6 embark on a dual rescue + sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at Grievous' secret enemy listening post.
I actually like this episode quite a lot. The problems that I had with the music from the previous episode are fixed and there's some really great action, including Ahsoka versus Grievous, Anakin's rescue of R2-D2, a battle in a hanger bay, and R2-D2 himself having his own fight. Again, another prime example of what the series should be and another proud addition to the Star Wars pantheon.
Bombad JediJar Jar Binks is a Jedi Knight? So thinks the Separatists when the comically heroic Gungan and C-3PO fight to save Padmé Amidala from doom at the hands of evil Viceroy Nute Gunray.
Dammit, if I didn't like this episode. Yes, it has Jar Jar in it. But as a Jar Jar-centric episode, it's not bad. He has his usual slapstick antics, but in a more light-hearted setting than the drama of the prequels, it kind of works. I actually found myself laughing at the misadventures of this Gungan and really liked the end showdown with the slug monster. The only problem I have with it is, in a real world if there's someone as clumsy as Jar Jar around, who in their right mind is going to take him on a diplomatic mission? Apart from that giant leap in logic, it's fun enough.
Cloak of DarknessAhsoka and Jedi Master Luminara escort captured Viceroy Nute Gunray to trial, unaware that Count Dooku has dispatched his deadly apprentice assassin Asajj Ventress to free the prisoner and eliminate the Jedi.
This is my favorite episode of the series, by far. It's got warrior chicks, it's got Jedi versus Sith, it's got blue Senate Commandos, it's got betrayals and action and clones, oh my! Seriously, I highly enjoyed it and if there's one negative that I can say against it, it's that a fairly interesting character meets their untimely demise and I would have liked to have seen more of them later on in the series. Ah well. It wasn't enough of a detraction for me to ruin my enjoyment of this otherwise great show. This is a truly wonderful episode, is everything the Star Wars prequels should have been, and has a great The Empire Strikes Back ending. Loved it.
Lair of GrievousGrievous must prove himself worthy of the Separatists when Count Dooku leads Jedi Master Kit Fisto and his former Padawan, the Mon Calamari Jedi Nahdar Vebb to Grievous' villainous enclave.
Another really strong entry in the series. There's great action, an appropriate amount of humor (thanks to Grievous' doctor droid, one of my new favorite characters), and a little bit of backstory for General Grievous. Moody and atmospheric, the whole episode is nicely constructed. The only downside, after the previous episode's fantastic lightsaber duel, the final showdown in this one seems a little bit of a let down. It's not bad, it's just not as high octane as the previous one. Still, can't complain too much, otherwise one might get the impression that I didn't like the episode and I very much did like it.
Dooku CapturedDuring their own attempt to kidnap Count Dooku, Anakin and Obi-Wan discover that the Sith Lord has already been captured by pirates.
One word: gundarks. That's what the episode boiled down to for me, as we finally understand why it's so hard to pull the ears off one of these suckers. A lot of other good things going on too, particularly the band of Weequay pirates. I really liked these characters, particularly their leader, Hondo, and his Kowakian monkey lizard. One of my favorites of the series thus far, as it felt like this is the first time the series has really opened up the Star Wars universe. Up until this one, it'd mainly been Jedi, clones, and droids. The pirate clan was a welcome breath of fresh air. And there were gundarks!
The Gungan GeneralWhile negotiating Count Dooku's ransom, Anakin & Obi-Wan are taken prisoner. The Jedi & Sith form an unlikely alliance in a bid to escape with Jar Jar Binks as their only hope.
Well, the parts not involving Jar Jar are good. But Jar Jar's inclusion in this episode feels rather forced and isn't pulled off nearly as well as in Bombad Jedi. Also, it's a different voice actor for the Gungan, one who happens to do a pretty horrible impression of Jar Jar, which I found very distracting. Also, there seems to be a pretty major contradiction between the end of the last episode and the beginning of this one. Still, despite these flaws, the episode never falters into "bad" territory. Actually, it's pretty good and I consider it a must watch just for one insanely awesome moment with Count Dooku that had me yelling at the TV. Yes, it was that cool and I hope we get more bits like that to come.
Jedi CrashWhen Anakin is gravely injured in battle, Jedi General Aayla Secura must teach Ahsoka the Jedi philosophy of having no personal attachments -- while they brave the hostile planet in search of medical help for the Jedi Knight.
A lot of good stuff in this one. First of all, the opening sequence is easily the best battle of The Clone Wars thus far (it beats out the bombing run, but doesn't take place in space, so that's still the space standard) and had it been in any of the movies, would have probably been an iconic moment in the saga. Aayla Secura is a well written and well acted character and even if she hadn't had her, um, "shapely" figure, I would have found myself liking her quite a lot. There's a nice bit with a ship being on a collision course with a star and also the stuff on the hostile planet is nicely handled. The Irish, Sonic the Hedgehog lemurs on the planet were pretty interesting too, and I'm curious to see how their pacifist philosophy carries over into tonight's episode. Another well done episode, a great example of what the show should be and one that feels like it adds to the Star Wars mythos as opposed to borrowing bits from it. Well done, and probably in my top 3 episodes thus far.
Coming up on Clone Wars...
Defenders of Peace
While the Jedi combat a new Separatist weapon, the pacifist Lurmen must decide whether they will lay down to the invading forces or take up arms with Anakin, Ahsoka and Jedi General Aayla Secura to protect their belief system.
EPISODE XIV - 1x14: Defenders of Peace
EPISODE XV - 1x15: Trespass
EPISODE XVI - 1x16: Hidden Enemy
EPISODE XVII - 1x17: Blue Shadow Virus
EPISODE XVIII - 1x18: Mystery of a Thousand Moons
EPISODE XIX- 1x19: Hostage Crisis
EPISODE XX- 1x20: Storm Over Ryloth
EPISODE XXI - 1x21: Innocents of Ryloth
EPISODE XXII - 1x22: Liberty on Ryloth
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