DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume One (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

As I said in another thread recently, I have always hated how lines from the films (particularly the OT) get reused all the time in books and other sources. It's dreadful, and I cringed the other night watching the new Clone Wars when it was done again and again. Timothy Zahn's trilogy of books from the early 90s -- which are credited with bringing the franchise back to a mainstream audience -- are full of lines lifted from the movies, and that's one reason I never thought they were all that.

 

[Mike Williams]

When the line is part of a particular character's character, then there is nothing at all wrong with using them. Anakin saying, 'I have you now" when he has someone's ship targeted is very much in keeping with character, nice continuity and a nice nod at what is to come. However, if Season 3 of the Clone Wars actually had someone saying the line, 'What a wonderful smell you've discovered," then that is just plain stupid.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Season 2 already did. Obi-Wan. It was jarring.

 

[Dave Vaughn]

My family and I haven't finished watching Clone Wars yet...will finish the last 20 minutes or so tonight. I have to agree that 69 minutes in a row is TOO much! Overall thought it is very well done, but there is very little dialogue in Chapters 1-20 at all...just a lot of violence. I look forward to watching Season 2 since I have them all on my DVR...unfortunately, I wish they were the same quality as the DVD which is visually excellent!

 

[Mike Williams]

Dave Vaughn, Lemme see if I get this straight. After watching the full hour of Volume 1 on DVD, which you had deemed "too much," you came away from that experience with the thought that it offered nothing but "JUST a lot of violence"???

Interesting.

 

[Nick Graham]

Well, last night's final episode was just about as good as anything produced with the Star Wars name on it. Please let Episode III be at least half as good as these cartoon shorts
(which Episode II was not) and I'll be at least partially happy.

I'll also concur with Dave though. The first "season" did have a few too many stretches that were all battles and not really any story development. Season 2 has remedied that quite well, though, so you shouldn't be disappointed this time, Dave. Good grief that final episode is awesome.

 

[TravisR]

I think the reason that there's more development in the second set of episodes is only because they are longer. They can take a few minutes (out of the 12 minutes) to have the characters actually talk to each other Where as a few minutes of the first ones would have taken up the entire episode and there'd have been no action. And the show was definitely intended to be an action packed show so they couldn't have entire segments with all talking and no lasers or 'splosions.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

Brandon

Thanks for reminding me about the commentary. I'll add this in the review - I must have skipped over it in my notes. I remember listening to it though. Both commentaries sounded exactly the same at the same points. Did I miss something? Audio options 4 & 5 sounded the same to me even though they were supposed to be different.

Mike

 

[Jay Pennington]

Halfway through the first commentary now. Not very illuminating/insightful. Just naming the creatures and characters and vehicles, etc. He mispronounces several words consistently, too.

 

[TravisR]

Yeah, the commentaries are very, very similar. To the point of making me wonder why they even recorded a second one. The 'Hyperspace' commentary was done for starwars.com. I wish they had had another participant in that second track though. They might have covered new ground that way.

Jay, my favorite was when he pronounces gladiator like "glade-iator". And seismic being pronounced as 'sesmic' was good too.

 

[Geoff_D]

The new commentary is a waste of space. As soon as Tartakovsky started simply describing the action, I switched to the Hyperspace commentary, which is much more informative. Travis is right - another participant on that commentary would've been the better option (Paul Rudish would've been my choice as he seems very exciteable in the DVD interviews).

But this is still a great little package; the picture quality is awesome, I found the sound to be pretty good and the extras are worth a look. Thanks for the review Michael.

 

[TravisR]

Let me make it clear that (like Geoff said) that just because one of the commentaries is bad, the cartoons themselves are top notch and well worth the money for the disc.

 

[Mike Williams]

glade-iator and sesmic may not be mispronounciations, but rather different pronounciations from different cultures (his name is Tartakovsky). Patrick Stewart says SHedule instead of Schedule, but that doesn't make it wrong, it's just different from an American pronounciation.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Tartakovsky was born in the Soviet Union, and lived there for many years before his family defected to the US. Outside of a few different pronunciations, one might believe he was born and raised in America to see him in interviews.

Paul Radish reminds me of a guy none of you will have heard of called Mark Kistler, who did a kids' art program called Imagination Station. Judging solely from the Bridging the Saga featurette, they both have that same manic energy. They practically use the same voice when Rudish is yelling something towards the end. Kistler always puts on that voice and says, "Pencils up over your heads! I'm having an art attack! Ahhhhhh!" I don't remember what Rudish said right now, but the tone was practically identical.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

I've heard of him! He also taught a drawing class that I was in many years ago.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Unless he used a different approach for older students, I bet it was a pretty wild, fun class. I like how he always does voices for his brother, Karl. "Karl'd always say, 'MOMMMMMM! Mark's eating all of my cereal! AHHHHHH!'" He's a bit of a nut.

 

[Jay Pennington]

If English is his second language, then I agree he speaks it remarkably well, considering.

(But Mike, his aren't variant pronunciations...they're just wrong. But that's okay! Not a biggie.)

 

[TonyD]

i just finished all 25 eps.

general grievous is a devastating figure, figuatively and literally.

i cant wait to see what he looks like in the RoTS.
and with as powerful as he is,
what could be his final fate?

is there any clue as to what he is?
robot, android?

didnt notice the credits but he sounded alot like darth vader(jej).

on vol 1 the ep with mace windu and the giant pounding ship was the hi-light for me.

and then the last ep with greivous.

 

[TravisR]

I'll put this in spoiler text for the Episode III fan that is very spoiler sensitive. I don't think his origins will even be covered in the movie but I may be wrong

General Grievous is (more or less) a cyborg. He was a general for his planet but was horribly injured. Count Dooku and the other bad guys rebuilt him as the cyborg that you see in the cartoon and movie so he could lead the Confederacy's droid armies.


The preceding was brought to you by your friendly neighborhood nerd.

 

[Michael A. H.]

I couldn't agree with this more. The quality is totally unacceptable.

I have captures of the episodes when they were originally broadcast, and they sure don't sound like that. I'm about 1/4 through the extremely tedious process of cutting and joining the broadcast audio to fit the dvd video.

Another "deliberate creative decision" on the part of LucasFilm, and another unwatchable dvd....