The Show
The exploration of the fictional politics of the Star Wars universe was one of the weaknesses of The Prequel Trilogy and sadly it threatens to bog down much of the first half of The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three. Sure the storylines help teach viewers young and old about accountability and the evils of greed and corruption, but when Padme Amidala helps a royal friend on Mandalore crack down on the unhealthy drinks kids are bringing to school lunch, I think the writers need to take a moment to regroup.
Fortunately, there was a lot more to the third year, as we got to know the duty-bound Clone Troopers during training exercises and some pretty huge battles, as well as the further adventures of Jedi Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano. There is also a secret society with wicked new powers, and a strange planet that might just be the seat of The Force itself, based on some of creator George Lucas' very earliest notes for The Saga.
"Wars" are right there in the title so there is plenty of action, some of it rather violent, with little flourishes that more mature members of the audience are sure to appreciate. Longtime fans will also pick up on familiar lines of dialogue, common themes from the films, and appearances from several of our favorite characters. (I was going to list them, but why spoil the wonderful surprises in store?) And if you're hungry for new blood, then brace yourself for the rise of a new über-baddie, Savage Opress, introduced in an extremely well-written three-episode arc by young scribe Katie Lucas.
Yep.
The Picture
The 22 episodes (about eight solid hours of actual show) are spread across three discs, and the AVC video bitrate varies wildly, from single digits to the mid-30s (megabits-per-second). The careful bit-budgeting yields an exceptionally clean 2.4:1 image across the season. Delicate atmospheric touches such as rays of sunlight or varying densities of mist help to impart a palpable depth.
Once again the proceedings display a very deliberate painterly style, as if the minutiae were created with a fine brush... which of course they weren't, Clone Wars is rendered entirely in the computer. Even the increasing levels of dirt all over poor Ahsoka are appreciable as she's being hunted for sport for an extended period in the final two episodes. I noted what appeared to be edge enhancement, but this might be an artifact within the original animation itself.
The Sound
In a first for the series on Blu-ray, Warner has seen fit to present the soundtrack in high-resolution DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, up from Dolby Digital. This is one of the best TV soundtracks I've heard, certainly movie caliber, highlighted by exceptional directionality all across the home theater during the many battle sequences, particularly whenever the shooting begins.
There are also lots of environmental cues that serve to make real these many different alien worlds. Low-frequency effects are generously applied to underscore Force powers, as well as other big action beats. Kevin Kiner's ambitious original musical score is well-recorded and well-mixed around all the speakers.
The Extras
We are once again given full access to the Jedi Temple Archives, the remarkably deep interactive resource for the show organized by episode, then either by still images or video clips. There's quite a bit for us to see here, from the designers' original 3D models/360-degree turnarounds and character illustrations at various stages to deleted scenes and more.
For those who like their behind-the-scenes revelations a bit more straightforward, five major topics each receive their own featurette ranging from about two to 19 minutes, all in HD. I would recommend these for the haters as well as the die-hards, as they bring to light the incredible dedication that goes into every moment of every episode, whether we notice it or not.
Conspicuously absent is the gorgeous digi-book packaging we had become used to, missed primarily because Lucasfilm and Warner did such an amazing job with these miniature art tomes for Seasons One and Two.
Final Thoughts
Pacing aside (wars take a while), one questionable trend in The Clone Wars is the almost random sequence of episodes, isolated adventures with little or no impact on the grander story arc. Is it all building toward something, other than the events of Revenge of the Sith that we already know about? Time will tell. And if they keep cranking out terrific sets like this one, I'll be watching.
Product Details
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