Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 - 2005) (TV Mini Series Review)

  The time has come to put a book mark on my little "Star Wars" month, and continue with further reviews at another time. For now, I want to close out the month by looking back at one of the best early expansions of “Star Wars” into television ... the animated mini-series titled “Star Wars: Clone Wars”. 

This animated production is often labeled as the last of the vintage "Star Wars" TV material, and the debate is still open on whether it can still be regarded as cannon. This series first aired back in 2003, and concluded in 2005, just before the premier of “Revenge of the Sith”. Unlike all the other animated “Star Wars” TV programs, this show was done in the style of a classic adventure serial like “Flash Gordon”, in which you're given three to five minuet long snip-pets of a larger story. In other words, it's best not to view this as a TV show, but rather a two-hour animated movie that was broken-up into fragments, and later on home video was split into a two-part volume set. It's also been edited together as one continues two-hour long feature on a number of sights, which is personally how I prefer to watch this one.

  As you’d expect from the title, the narrative is set between the events of “Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars 3 Revenge of the Sith”, and at the time, the series helped fill the gaps between both films, which was very effective for its time. I actually viewed the whole series for my first time, just before I saw the premier of “Revenge of the Sith”, so the timing couldn’t have been better. 

As a side note, I’d encourage any new viewers to watch it in one big marathon, and treat it like an animated movie. Ever sense it’s release, this show has received critical acclaim, even more than any theatrical movie that aired alongside it. The fans loved it, critics loved it, and even IGN placed it at the #21 spot on their list of the 100 greatest animated TV shows of all time, which is no small accomplishment. So, considering that I’m a rather big “Star Wars” fan, I naturally have a lot of fondness for this series, and still view it as cannon, despite it’s vintage label. With that said, I also wouldn't call this one of my absolute favorite entries in the saga, and for me, it'll always be stuck in the shadow of the 2008 CGI TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Regardless, the 2003 animated "Star Wars: Clone Wars" is still a solid piece of work, and shouldn’t be overlooked.

  Following after the events of "Attack of the Clones", war wages across the galaxy, and the Jedi are finding themselves tested for who they really are. One specific Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker finds that, while he faces new enemies and challenges in this conflict, he must also face himself ... and who he'll be when the war ends. For the most part, this series is less about story, and more about experience. 

In fact, the first volume of this special is almost like a silent movie, in which all the emotion and character is conveyed through the visual performance, action, and atmosphere instead of dialogue. In the first act, Anakin leads a fight in space, while Obi-Wan leads a ground assault on a planet below, and lots of battles ensue along the way. At the end of their respected missions, both Obi-Wan and Anakin have their own personal enemies to face. There are some little detours throughout this first half, like Padme and Yoda rescuing two Jedi that were trapped on a snow planet, and Mace Windu being a one-man army against a number of battle droids. In Volume 2, Anakin goes on another quest to rescue the males of an alien village, who have all been up-ducted by a group of mad scientists. As Anakin goes on his mission, General Grivious launches his massive attack on the capital, and capturing the chancellor, which segues us into the opening of “Revenge of the Sith”. 

  All the established “Star Wars” prequel characters are present in this show, but the cast is entirely new, with the exception of Anthony Daniels who continues to do the voice work for C-3PO. Interestingly enough, the voice cast has become very recognizable, and I’ve come to regard many of them as Iconic cast-members in the “Star Wars” franchise. 

This especially applies to James Arnold Taylor, who is fantastic in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Tom Kane, who’s very respectable in the role of Yoda. Other characters have their highlights, R2-D2 is still cute, and Jedi master Mace Windu gets some terrific action scenes. The real surprise is that this shows portrayal of Padme Amidala is fantastic. I've generally been indifferent to the character, but I really grew to like her in this series. Voice actress Grey DeLisle is terrific in the role, and she’d continue to shine in the 2008 CGI series “The Clone Wars”. Anakin Skywalker has a strong story-arc in the series, but I have to admit, I just never got on board with the voice actor, Mat Lucas … no relation to George Lucas. While the talent delivers a serviceable performance, and has shined in other Lucus Arts projects, I’m just so mentally conditioned to voice actor Matt Lanter in the role, to the point where a different voice just comes off as distracting to me.

  Just like our hero’s, the show features many famous “Star Wars” villains, including the evil Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, who has a terrific design in this show. Count Dooku obviously makes a number of appearances throughout the series, and we get our first taste of Cory Burton in the role, who's a respectful follow-up to Christopher Lee from the movies. However, the big one who completely steals the show is the sinister cybernetic General Grievous, who actually makes his very first appearance in this series, even before the movie “Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith”. Personally, I think this is the best portrayal of General Grievous by a mile. He’s menacing, he’s powerful, he has a terrific design, and there’s never a moment in which he comes off as either silly or cowardly … unlike his other portrayals. While I certainly have fondness for Mathew Wood's hammy performance in both the movie and the CGI TV series, there's just no beating John DiMaggio in the micro-series. He just adds this really chilling and intimidating voice, and the character himself has never felt more threatening. 

  This show is also credible for introducing one of the most popular villains from the expanded “Clone Wars” universe … the dark Jedi assassin called Asajj Ventress. Her design is unique, the voice is awesome, and it's just cool to see her introduction here. This character became so popular that she was featured as the main villain in the theatrical animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie, and become a recurring character in the following CGI series. This show also featured a new bounty hunter called Durge. Unlike Ventress, this character is exclusive to the series (at least as far as other shows and movies are concerned). Despite not appearing in the CGI series, I consider Durge a memorable foe from this era. He adorns heavy armor, resembles a knight joisting, and has some hidden “Akira” inspired capabilities. He certainly looks cool, is an exciting presence, and has some thrilling battles with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

  The animation in this special is something that I have mixed feelings about. It was spearheaded by Genndy Tartakovsky, the same talent who worked on “Samurai Jack”, among other Cartoon Network offerings, and for me, I was never won over by his art-design. That’s just a personal taste, because the animation overall is still quite impressive, and looks great all these years later. 

For the time, this was kind of a groundbreaking mix of CGI and traditional hand-drawn animation. The details are great, the sound designs are fantastic, and I really love all the quiet moments. More than anything, the best aspect of this show is its atmosphere, and how it can make you feel like you’re in the moment. Again, this special is all about experience, with just enough threads of character and story giving it substances. Usually, when reviewing TV shows, I like to rank my personal Top 10 favorite episodes … but sense this can be viewed as a two-hour special, I’ll change things up by counting down my personal Top 10 favorite Moments instead.

 

 #10 “General Grievous first Arrives” 

First impressions are very important for a good villain … and General Grievous’s first scene in this show hits things out of the park on a high note. The tension in this scene is brilliant, with great build-up, and effective sound mixing. With several Jedi beaten, dead or in hiding, the General makes good on his threat as an unstoppable force, and one that provokes fear in his enemies.  

 

#9 “Obi-Wan vs Durge” 

While Obi-Wan is heavily present though the show, he really doesn’t have too many action scenes … with one big exception. His battle with the mighty Hunter Durge is certainly a highlight, and one of Kenobi’s most unique duels in the franchise.

 

#8 “A Silent Fairwell” 

While Anakin’s relation with Padme played a huge part in the movies, it’s noticeably scaled down in this series … but they certainly make the most of what little they got. I love this one scene before Anakin flies off to war, he exchanges this farewell glance to Padme through a window, and I find myself honestly feeling more for these characters through little emotional moments like this then I did in the live-action movies.

 

#7 “The Siege of Coruscant” 

Setting the stage for “Revenge of the Sith”, it was very exciting to see the invasion of the capital in this show. While the movie exclusively focused on the battle in space, this series gives us the privilege of seeing the invasion on ground level, and it gives our Jedi heroes a chance to show-off their distinct abilities. What’s the one thing cooler then Yoda with a lightsaber … Yoda ridding on a horse into a battle field with a lightsaber. 

 

#6 “Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight” 

One noteworthy peace of continuity that was excluded from both the movies and the follow-up CGI series was seeing Anakin’s transition from Padawan to Jedi Knight. In this series, we get the privilege of seeing him undergo his own Knighting ceremony, and it’s a very satisfying moment for the character.

 

#5 “Padme and Yoda’s rescue mission” 

One of the many detours of Volume 1 revolves around Yoda and Padme going-off on a little excursion to rescue a pair of Jedi, who were ambushed at one of their temples. While both Padme and Yoda are established characters, it’s not a pairing you’d typically see, and the two share a genuinely nice bond with one another. It’s just a nice little side-quest for two characters who don’t usually get paired together, and as a side-note ... I love Padme's winter coat.

 

#4 “Anakin rescues the Villagers” 

Near the end of the war, Anakin goes on one final solo mission to rescue the male villagers of an alien village, who are all being experimented on by evil doctors. One of my biggest hang-ups with “Attack of the Clones” was a lack of heroic moments to cheer for Anakin, and this was certainly one of his biggest applause worthy moments. 

 

#3 “The Jedi’s Final Stand against Grievous” 

During the siege of Coruscant, General Grievous in-acts his mission to kidnap the Chancellor. It’s a suspenseful cat and mouse sequence, as three Jedi make a desperate last stand against their stronger opponent. It really highlights what an unstoppable threat the General is, and closes on an emotional highlight.  

 

#2 “Anakin Skywalker vs Asajj Ventress” 

For her first assignment, Ventress is tasked to assassinate Anakin Skywalker, which leads to an incredible light-saber duel. No joke, this is one of the best duels in all of “Star Wars” history. The way this battle is paced, staged, and scored is nothing short of brilliant. My favorite moment of all is this one shot of the two standing still, with sabers drawn, while a storm roles overhead, and these little drops of rain hit their blades, with steam coming off of them ... it is so cool. Now, there is a small gap in continuity, as she apparently dies at the end of the battle, and yet, she continued to appear in further in-universe events. I’m whiling to glance over this, as she became an excellent character in the CGI series.

 

Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …

Qui-Gon appears to little Anakin in a Dream

Ventress in the Monster Pit

Mace Windu protects farm land

Underwater battle

Anakin and Padme meet in the shadows of Croissant

 

#1 “Anakin’s Cave Vision” 

Here it is, my favorite scene of the whole special is when Anakin journeys into a cave, and has a chilling vision of his possible future, but with cave drawings representing the characters. This scene is just dripping with dark, chilling atmosphere, and the visuals are very fitting to represent what the character is internally going through. While there have been a number of force related vision sequences in “Star Wars” both before and after … this one if my personal favorite by far.

  Overall, “Star Wars: Clone Wars” is a welcome entry in the franchise, and one that I'd brand with a stamp of recommendation. Even though I feel that neither the story or characters reached the same heights as the 2008 CGI TV show "The Clone Wars", this mini-series still has something special to offer on its own merits. The action was exciting, the atmosphere is brilliant, the creators clearly had a lot of respect for its source material, and there’s enough to make the experience worthwhile. If you’re a long time “Star Wars” fan, check it out, and you’ll probably enjoy it. I still wouldn’t label the show as one of my personal favorite offerings in the series, but it was still a welcome addition to the pre-contemporary "Star Wars" era, and despite some small details, I feel this series still fits within the continuity of the franchise overall.

 

Thanks for reading my review of the animated 2003 Mini-Series “Star Wars: Clone Wars” ... and continue to enjoy both the movies and TV shows you love.