Director: Dave Filoni

Summary: Would-be Jedis (and Sith) everywhere can jump for joy at the big-screen arrival of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. Series creator George Lucas executive produces this all-new, CGI-animated tale that revisits classic characters, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padme Amidala in the midst of the Clone Wars.

Like the 2003 animated short films of the same name, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS reveals what happened during the conflicts of the title, which are set between EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES and EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Unlike the former series, this CLONE WARS feature film uses computer animation--rather than more traditional 2-D animation--to tell its tales. The action centres on Obi-Wan Kenobi (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), and precocious new Jedi recruit Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), as they face off against the sinister Separatist forces led by Count Dooku (the legendary Christopher Lee, who reprises his role from the live-action movies). The film also features appearances by such beloved characters as Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson, also of EPISODES II and III), C3PO (Anthony Daniels), and Yoda (Tom Kane).
Directed by Dave Filoni (AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER), THE CLONE WARS shares the same era and characters as the 2003 series, but is stylistically quite different, with a blocky look influenced in part by the marionettes of the 1960s U.K. show THUNDERBIRDS. While the voices of actors such as Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christiansen, and Frank Oz are missed, their successors handle their mantles well, confidently leading the heroes in fierce battles and tense chases. Though diehards of the original STAR WARS trilogy may shrug their shoulders at the CGI wizardry, young fans will find much to enjoy in this action-packed movie, which promises to be continued in a regular Cartoon Network TV series.

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The most densely plotted instalment of the saga so far, Attack of the Clonesis a tale of both Machiavellian political drama and doomed romance; it's epic war film and silly comic-book fantasy combined, as teenage Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) chafes at the restrictions imposed by his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and falls in love with Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman). Renegade Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) is leading a breakaway federation of disgruntled systems; while the insidious influence of Darth Sidious is felt rather than seen as his invisible hand guides apparently unrelated events, from Jar Jar's unwitting instigation of a disastrous Senate decision to bounty hunter Jango Fett's revelatory role at the centre of the conspiracy.

Along the way the story has fun with the conventions of Chandleresque detective fiction as Obi-Wan explores the seedier side of Coruscant, and incorporates the noble warrior ethos of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonin its portrayal of the Jedi order. The portentous tone is lightened by tongue-in-cheek self-referential dialogue and the antics of robotic clowns R2D2 and C3PO. (One niggle for music fans, though, is the cavalier cut-and-paste approach to John Williams's music score.) Like the Empire Strikes Back, Clonesis the bridging film of the trilogy and thus ends on an equivocally bittersweet note.

On the DVD:Attack of the Clonesis an all-digital film, and so looks suitably superb in this anamorphic widescreen transfer, accompanied by a THX encoded Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. Anyone who owns The Phantom Menacetwo-disc set will know what to expect from the special features: here's another group commentary led by George Lucas, two lengthy documentaries on the digital effects ("From Puppets to Pixels" and "The Previsualisation of Episode II") plus several other featurettes and Web documentaries, notably "Films Are Not Released, They Escape", a look at the sound design. There's also a fun trailer for the R2-D2 mockumentary "Beneath the Dome", trailers, photo galleries and more to satisfy any Star Warsfan. --Mark Walker

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2008
Release Date:	December 8, 2008
Runtime:	94 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	R D Y 22427
Keywords:	Animated, Action, Star, English, Wars, General, Clone, Fiction, Science, Sci, Fi, Advenutre
Genre:	Science Fiction