Star Wars: Clone Wars, Vol. 2 – Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

Overview:

Following the relative success of Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, it was almost a given that a sequel would be made. “Clone Wars, Vol. 2” then is the continuation of the story, picking up precisely where Vol. 1 left off – with General Grievous poised to strike down Ki-Adi Mundi – but in many ways, the second installment of the series is an evolution in storytelling. Whether or not the changes were to the benefit of the cartoon may be open to debate, but one thing is clear: this time around, the cartoon series was much more deliberate in terms of character and narrative, bringing the Star Wars saga to the very brink of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Being aired in March 2005, less than two months before the film’s release also helped a great deal.

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Analysis & Criticism

Once again, the original incarnation of the show was a series of “chapters” detailing the exploits of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the rest of the Clone Wars. And once again for the DVD, the chapters have all been mashed together to create an uninterrupted, hour-long narrative. The negative side effects of this alteration for the DVD are somewhat lessened this time around. And that is a result of the fact that the lengths of the original chapters was increased from the previous two to three minutes up to roughly twelve minutes per installment. The result is that, when combined, the chapters form a much more coherent narrative.

The story itself follows three main sections. The first is the most disjointed, detailing the rescue of Ki-Adi Mundi and two other Jedi from General Grievous, as well as the events leading up to Anakin’s knighting ceremony. The second segment, which is relatively short, shows a kind of montage of the Clone Wars, illustrating both the prowess of Anakin, Obi-Wan and Grievous in combat, as well as the seemingly endless nature of the conflict. The final section takes up the largest part of the story, and it depicts the invasion of Coruscant and the abduction of Chancellor Palpatine. Alongside that story is one in which Anakin must confront his inner demons as he tries to liberate a planet from the cruel dominion of the Techno Union and the Droid armies.

Perhaps the biggest asset of the Clone Wars, Vol. 2 is its ability to make use of vehicles and designs that were already planned for Revenge of the Sith. This lends a much stronger authenticity to its story than what we saw in Vol. 1 – which had to make due by extrapolating from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. More than just a stylistic connection, the deliberate attempt at a narrative connection also helped a great deal. In fact, the events in Vol. 2 end just a few moments before the Revenge of the Sith film begins.

Most importantly, however, this episode explores Anakin’s character in a way that, while the overall narrative may be a bit weak, is also much more profound than Vol. 1. Whereas Vol. 1 focused purely on Anakin’s temptation by the Dark Side, as symbolized by Asajj Ventress, Vol. 2 foreshadows the very real, and devastating, internal conflict Anakin will soon face in Revenge of Sith.

The early segments of Vol. 2 are interesting only in a narrative sense – how Ki-Adi Mundi is rescued, how Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight, how Anakin and Padme’s relationship has evolved and become intimate. But very little by way of characterization happens here – which is the same that could be said for the second segment of Vol. 2. In this portion, we do get to see just how potent a “brotherhood” tandem of Anakin and Obi-Wan could be. And we do get to see their friendship and camaraderie, as equals, develop. And, too, watching the heat of the Clone Wars certainly rates high on the “cool” factor.

Anakin’s character development, however, is front-and-center of the final half of Vol. 2. Here he must confront the dark side within himself. This finds its symbolic representation in a vision Anakin has when looking at some cave paintings. In the sequence he sees a warrior, with a “ghost hand” like his own, defending his people but eventually becoming so powerful that he becomes a danger to them. It’s a powerful moment, easily the most compelling of both Clone Wars volumes. But the overall story, the one in which Anakin rescues the alien warriors from the clutches of the Techno Union scientists, just isn’t particularly interesting.

The Coruscant battle is certainly an impressive display of action – and in many ways it manages to be more epic than what we see on screen in Revenge of the Sith. And it certainly helps to see General Grievous in his full, most insidious, glory. But of course, this part of Vol. 2 is meant only to be a surface story. In that sense, it certainly succeeds – with plenty of action for Yoda and Mace Windu, in particular.

Overall Grade: C+

When all is said and done, Clone Wars, Vol. 2 is on about the same level as Vol. 1. Vol. 2 does have a greater element of character development, and it does present a more coherent story. But the overall story itself just isn’t as interesting as Vol. 1.

Topics: TV Reviews
Filed under: Clone Wars