I have to admit that my reviews of the previous releases from the STAR WARS™: THE CLONE WARS™ animated series, which bridges the gap between Episodes II and III, have been a bit less than favourable, in particular my criticism of the character designs in comparison with the excellent 2D series from Tartakovsky. For the most part I still stand by those opinions, and they haven’t entirely changed with the release of this four-disc box set of Season 1. Part of the problem is this series is aimed at a much younger audience that is as thrilled with the adventures of the Jedi as I was when I first saw the original STAR WARS movie just over 30 years ago. We also need to bear in mind that this is not so much science fiction as a space fantasy adventure with a strong mythological base, which makes it ideal for younger viewers and less appealing to those looking for something with a bit more substance, and have opted for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA instead.
What has changed my opinion slightly about this series is the special features on these discs, which show that the series’ creators are still filled with boyish enthusiasm for STAR WARS and Lucas’s universe. It is clear that they love what they are doing and want to tell stories about characters that don’t get much more than a passing mention in any of the movies. And they get excited about building, and destroying, amazing spaceships.
For younger (and less jaded) fans of STAR WARS this is an entertaining and action-packed series, but with such a huge universe to work with maybe it is time for Lucas’s cash cow to start producing something that will appeal to the fans that grew up with the original trilogy and whose expectations and tastes have actually matured. It worked with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA so why not STAR WARS? There were plenty of stories in comic-book form that would fit the bill.
STAR WARS™: THE CLONE WARS™ – “The Complete Season One” is available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Home Video on November 16. Uniquely packaged with an exclusive 64-page production journal, the four-disc set contains all 22 episodes from the first season – including seven extended Director’s Cuts – as well as companion featurettes for each episode. It is available to order from Play and all good retailers.
To celebrate the release, we’ve teamed up with Lucasfilm and Titan Books to give away three copies of the excellent THE ART OF STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS book along with “The Complete Season One” on DVD.
This full-colour book is bursting with final images and development artwork for characters, creatures, planets and vehicles, covering every aspect of the creation of the hit movie and TV series. With a Foreword by George Lucas and packed with previously unseen artwork, this book is a must for fans of STAR WARS, cutting-edge animation and beautiful artwork.
Click on the link below to enter the competition. Closing date is 30 November 2009.
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