Star Wars: The Clone Wars

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." those few words should ring a bell for everyone. After six full-length movies, LucasFilm strikes back with more Star Wars action. The Clone Wars takes a look at the events that happened during the three-year gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Episode II ends with the beginning of a full-scale war between the Separatists and the Galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda lead the clone army against the ever stronger forces of the dark side. Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker and his padawan are sent on a mission to rescue the son of Jabba the Hutt - a rescue mission that Count Dooku and his minions want to fail at all costs.

The Clone Wars takes on the task of satisfying the insatiable appetite of fans to see more of the galaxy far, far away. It explores the established mythology and features most of the main characters from the previous films, but also expands it, bringing in new characters. While Episode III showed Anakin defecting to the dark side, The Clone Wars gives more depth and meaning to this, as we see him as a proper Jedi.

It may be a bit disappointing that LucasFilm chose the animation medium for such an interesting story, and admittedly the main characters do not look very life-like. However, it is a choice that not only allows a spin-off television mini-series to take place after the events of The Clone Wars, but also helps us to remember that the characters are ultimately aliens. Furthermore, animated fights offer far more liberty to the camera, and as a result, The Clone Wars, which is ultimately an action movie, has quite a few astonishing scenes to offer.

The sequel to Attack of the Clones is thus a film that all Star Wars fans should want to watch, and that can also entertain the casual Star Wars watcher.

Pierre Schramm