Star Wars Clone Wars - Season 3 [Blu-ray][Region Free]

Okay, Im almost 40 years old and a fan of Star Wars since seeing 'Episode IV - A New Hope' on TV a long, long time ago in a galaxy.....na na na haha. I was pretty disappointed with the 'prequel' trilogy save for the brilliantly malevolant but criminally under-used Darth Maul, the introduction of Boba Fett and the clones, the Jedi fight on Geonosis, Mace Windu and the superbly dark last half of 'Revenge of the Sith'

Its taken me time to get round to watching Clone Wars as I was very sceptical of its merits but over the past month Ive become addicted and watched every episode.

Season 3, in my opinion, sets the quality bar ever higher and as yet I havent seen anything to match it in season 4 which is currently airing. The 9 episode run starting from episode 12 is just brilliant and probably the best Star Wars on screen since 'Empire'. We see Count Dooku ordered to destroy his powerful padawan, the excellent Assajj Ventress and the creation of Darth Mauls kin brother Savage Opress. We have Anakin fighting with his inner demons and ultimate destiny on a planet of the living force and we have a low key but significant introduction of Captain Tarkin, later Governer Grand Moff Tarkin.(the Peter Cushing character from Ep IV)

Outside of these highlights we have other good, good episodes featuring Ashoka really coming into her own when assigned to Mandalore and then in hunting down Aurra Sing, we get to see the seperatists as more than just evil when Padme tries to broker a deal for peace with an old friend who sits on the other side of the fence, more cool clone trooper focused stories (I love the clones and it makes me sad to think Rex, Cody, Fives et all are all going to become nameless stormtroopers at the feet of the Emperor) and, at last, the introduction of Chewbacca :D RAAAAWWWRRNNNKKK!!!

As ever, when things focus on the machinations of the senate or when Jar Jar Binks is involved it can be a little tiresome but its not nearly as bad as 'The Phantom Menace' and I still found these 2 or 3 episodes enjoyable if not particularly worth repeated viewing.

For anyone undecided, and there cant be many, this boxset is worth its asking price just for the latter half of the season but with 22 episodes of @22 minutes of cool new Star Wars lore plus nice little featurettes its a winner every day of the week. The only thing extra Id like is possibly some episode commentaries from the folks behind the scenes as what they have to say in the featurettes is great to watch and Id like to hear more.

Magnificent!!!

Season 3 of The Clone Wars continues the CGI series that has become very popular in the last couple of years. It's on my to-watch list every Friday night/Saturday morning but, I have to admit, it didn't quite reach the standards of Seasons 1 and 2. We do get to see more exciting adventures and some "Secrets Revealed" but there were a number of episodes that didn't thrill me. I still give it 4 stars as I am a Star Wars fan and I am grateful that we have this series to look forward to.

The first thing to notice is the change in look for Anakin and Obi-Wan - both appear a little older and battle-hardened. The main character development is with Ahsoka who, by the end of the series, has become a more confident and assured Padawan. We also learn about the past of assassin/Sith wannabee Assaj Ventress who returns for a fascinating turn of events. This involves another new character, Savage Oppress, an absolute beast of a warrior who makes you wonder what could have been if he was in the movies.

There are several story arcs covering our heroes and villains. The good ones for me were Ep.1-2; following the clone troopers in Domino Squad (see "Rookies" from Season 1), Ep.12-14; Ventress turns against Count Dooku, Ep.18-20; a rescue mission from a notorious Separatist prison and Ep.21-22; Ahsoka's capture and escape from a Transdoshan moon. These last two episodes are a homage to the Predator movies and I think worked really well.

Other story arcs such as the three episodes on the planet Mortis (Ep.15-17), where the force is extremely strong, were disappointing in my book, though some may like them. There were also stand-alone episodes following the politics of the war but most of them just didn't do it for me and my kids. We like good old fashioned action!

This is the list of 22 episodes on discs 1-4 (disc 5 has bonus features):
1. Clone Cadets
2. ARC Troopers
3. Supply Lines
4. Sphere of Influence
5. Corruption
6. The Academy
7. Assassin
8. Evil Plans
9. Hunt for Ziro
10. Heroes on Both Sides
11. Pursuit of Peace
12. Nightsisters
13. Monster
14. Witches of the Mist
15. Overlords
16. Altar of Mortis
17. Ghosts of Mortis
18. The Citadel
19. Counterattack
20. Citadel Rescue
21. Padawan Lost
22. Wookiee Hunt

Look out for a young Captain Tarkin and Chewbacca in the later episodes. I am very happy another season is earmarked, but with the way some of the stories are becoming stretched I worry it may be the last.

I love this series of adventures, but after viewing this season's offerings, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed in a few areas.
First of all is the broken time-line that the episodes are viewed in.
There are characters who have been killed in the first and second seasons making a reappearance, which is something I don't really like to see, although some of them are familiar and among my favourites, yet still, I don't care for the skewed time-line in this season.
Second gripe is the way they have taken the plots of other films and segued them into the Star Wars Universe, which,for me personally, is a big disappointment, as so far this series has been quite refreshing in its scenarios and expansion of the Star Wars Universe.
However, the graphics are getting so much better since season 2, and it is a real pleasure to just sit back and forget that they are animated episodes, and allow yourself to be carried along with the excitement.
Also, Ahsoka is obviously growing up fast, and has become a much stronger character than the one we first saw in the Clone Wars movie.
She is still the sarcastic tongued teenager I've come to know and love (If she is a teenager, that is), but there's also a growing maturity coming through, and being sent on lone missions has shown exactly how strong in both her character and the Force she is becoming.
There's also a cameo from a Jedi of the same race as Ahsoka, which delighted me no end, and that's without seeing the exotic Twi'Lek dancers in this seasons episodes.
There were some sad moments during this season, with the sacrifice shown by one Jedi and his clone comrades, which really touched my heart, as well as "99," the reject maintainence clone, who shows his true worth at the cost of his own life.
I like some of the new droid army troops as well, and look forward to next season, if things carry on in the same vein.
The betrayal of Assaj Ventress is a storyline I had looked forward to since seeing previews a few months ago, as for me, she is one of the most enigmatic, powerful characters since this series began.
Her history is finally revealed, and was a shock for me, I have to admit, but also pleasurable, as it fleshes her character out even more, and I love it!!!
Seeing characters from earlier episodes popping up here and there is wonderful, as it expands their characters even if only slightly, but it's something that works very well.
The Hutts get a good showing this season, and their underhand dealings and internecine conflicts are shown to a greater degree than in previous seasons, and adds to my liking of these characters, even if I can't understand a word they're saying :-)
Bane and Singh, my two favourite bounty hunters after Boba Fett also make memorable appearances, to my sheer delight, as it appeared that Singh had been killed off in season 2, so when she reappeared, much jubilation was heard in my house (so it's a good job I don't have any neighbours, as I was rather loud in my celebrations).
All in all, this series is making many in-roads into further exploring the Star Wars Universe, and is evolving nicely, at a good pace.
The appearance of Opress Savage is also a gem to see, as his race haven't been seen since The Phantom Menace, and really adds to the history behind the Darth Maul character.
If the people behind this series hadn't borrowed so much from other sci-fi films, and instead carried on with creating better storylines, and kept the time-line from previous seasons running, it would've been much better, but hopefully next season will redress the balance, hence only 4 stars from me this time round.