FROM the outbreak of war in Attack Of The Clones to the closing battles of Revenge Of The Sith, The Clone Wars is a largely untold chapter in the Star Wars saga.
This film, of the same name, effectively attempts to plug part of this gap in the series’ mythology.
For any Star Wars fan, it is an important story to tell. After all, this was a time when Jedis Anakin Sywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi were brothers in arms, something the other films had limited time to portray.
This close bond between master and former apprentice gives Anakin’s final betrayal and ultimate transformation into Darth Vader even more resonance.
But somehow this seems a world away from the other episodes and it’s not just because it’s an animated adventure.
It’s the first film in the series to be released via Warner Bros instead of 20th Century Fox meaning the familiar fanfare is absent...as is the opening crawl.
Instead, the viewer is thrown straight into the action in an expressionist animated landscape...it’s Star Wars but not as we know it.
The main thrust of the story is that Jabba the Hutt’s son has been kidnapped and Anakin and Obi Wan have been dispatched to rescue him — along with Anakin’s new precocious apprentice Ahsoka Tano.
Cult favourite Asajj Ventress also makes a welcome return as the Sith villain.
But even by George Lucas’s standards, the plot is simplistic and aimed exclusively at kids and fans. The voice acting is also pretty wooden even with Hollywood heavyweights like Samuel L Jackson and Christopher Lee lending their vocal chords.
Nevertheless, it is entertaining throughout and a worthy introduction to the forthcoming Clone Wars TV series...
