(OK, given my expected 2 week hiatus for in camp training, I felt that I have to review something before I head off to some unknown jungle)
For the uninitiated, Star Wars Clone Wars are short episodes (of about 5 minute each) that chronicles the adventures of the clone troopers, and our favourite jedis from Master Yoda to Padawan Anakin Skywalker. The events take place immediately after Attack of the Clones, and showcases the wars between the Repubilc and the Separatists. Familiar villains like Count Dooku and new ones like General Grievious are also introduced in these episodes, along with various character development pieces.
Episodes 21 to 25, just released recently on Cartoon Network and the official Star Wars website (yes, the episodes are available online), lead directly to the crawler of Revenge of the Sith. It doesn't matter if you've missed the first 20 episodes of Clone Wars, as this 5 episodes serve as a standalone story. Also, these episodes are longer than the previous 20, with each being about 10-15 minutes long, so the combined episodes serve as a movie.
And a highly recommended one too. It is in these episodes that bridge the subtle moments that you observe in Revenge of the Sith's trailers, and provide classic moments, some of which I shall just list them down here:
- The "promotion" of Anakin from Padawan to Jedi Knight, with the initiation ceremony and all, and the losing of the padawan "pigtail", which accounts for his new wavy hairdo
- The introduction of the scar at Anakin's right eye
- C3PO and his new golden body
- Anakin facing his Jedi Trials
- The attack on Coruscant, in a Sith plot to capture Palpatine, leading to his rescue in Revenge of the Sith by Anakin and Obiwan
- Camaraderie moments between Obiwan and Anakin, whereby the former acknowledges the latter as a "brother"
- Yoda and Mace Windu fighting alongside each other, their harnessing the powers of the Force is a joy to behold
- The cunningness of Palpatine
- And who can forget our favourite Driod R2D2 in the new jedi starfighter, and showing his handyman-ship in repairing Anakin's droid hand
May the Force whet your appetites and prepare you for the Sith's Revenge!