Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 1 (2008)

The Star Wars: Clone Wars field is getting a bit confusing. First we got Star Wars: Clone Wars: Vol. 1 and 2 with Genndy Tartakovsky's appealing style of 2D animation in a series of cartoon-length snippets. Next we got Star Wars: Clone Wars with Dave Filoni's totemic style of 3D animation in what amounts to a prequel to the present Star Wars: Clone Wars: Season 1. (It thereby becomes a prequel to a prequel to a prequel, since the whole Clone Wars saga is meant to expand on the Star Wars saga between the second and third movies, which are themselves later-released "prequels" to the original Star Wars movie, now called Star Wars IV: The New Hope.) This TV series -- where Count Dooku continues to look and grandstand like a totem pole -- shows more development and maturity than its introduction in that the battles are a bit more realistic (if such a word could ever be applied to anything in the Star Wars canon). The battles that turn ships into laserbeam-riddled pincushions occur less at the hands of droid ground troops and more at the onslaught of Gen. Grevious's ship, the Malevolence. (Aside from his cantankerous and combative personality, being commander of a ship so named is a dead giveaway that you're the alpha bad guy.) Obi-Wan still looks carved from wood too but Anakin seems slightly more humanized. (He wryly jokes more and is kinder to his apprentice Ahsoka.) Best of all, Jedi masters Yoda and Plo Koon show their love and loyalty to each individual clone trooper, recognizing their individuality and value and standing with them to the last. Battle droids are used to more humorous effect though Yoda proves his mettle against 1,000 of Dooku's troops. This series will appeal to must-see-it-all Star Wars fans, of course, but also boys through age 13 and a smattering of parents and siblings who get pulled in with them. 4 stars.