Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume One

Here's a review I did for my church's news bulletin:

Star Wars: Clone Wars first appeared on Cartoon Network as three-minute animated episodes (20 in all). Now, the microseries makes it's way to DVD.

The action in Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume One bridges the gap between SW2: Attack of the Clones and SW3:Revenge of the Sith. The viewer witnesses the battles that made galactic heroes out of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker. We also see young Anakin slip further to the Dark Side.

The DVD format allows one to watch Clone Wars in it's entirety, as opposed to three minutes at a time. The original three-minute format meant there wasn't time to mess around, only what was necessary to move the story along. The end result is 60 minutes of fast-paced action and awe-inspiring battle sequences. There are no slow moments.

In one of the best battle sequences on the disc, Jedi Knight Mace Windu takes on an entire Droid Army. The two chapters that make this scene up has maybe three sentences of dialogue (a Battle Droid commanding his troops). The rest is adrenaline-pumping, lightsaber swinging bliss (Think Yoda at the end of AOTC).

Extra features two commentary tracks, conceptual art galleries, and a trailer for Episode 3 (nothing you haven't seen already). There are also two behind-the-scenes featurettes and a playable X-Box demo.

All in all, the anime-influenced Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume One is a fun ride. If you're a Star Wars Geek, it's a must have (you already have it, don't you?). If you're curious about what happens before Episode Three, it's worth a look. If you could careless about Star Wars, there's nothing here for you.

3 (non-geeks)/4(geeks) out of 5 Reels - This series is really well done, from the animation down to the storytelling. The extra features are kind of blah, though.

2 out 3 Crosses - Well, it's a story of Good vs. Evil. The Force is kind of a "religion." And, we see how evil can overtake someone's life. But, that's about it for parallels to Christianity.

*Side Note*- I'm working my way through this book and it's quite interesting how Jedi and Christians are similar. More on that once I finish the book...