General Grievous is running rampant when the second part of
Clone Wars begins. He has single-handedly changed the course of the war against
the Jedi Knights, who are now dwindling in numbers thanks to the ravages of the
never-ending Clone War that has gripped the galaxy. At a Jedi council meeting,
Obi-Wan Kenobi suggests that they give Anakin Skywalker a fast track promotion to
a full-fledged Jedi Knight. But since this is a time of war, desperate measures
must be taken, and so despite the reservations of some on the council, the
decision is passed to finally anoint Anakin as the newest Jedi member. Yet no
sooner is Anakin finally promoted a Jedi Knight than he is thrust back into the
conflict of the war, repelling the enemy forces wherever they attack.
These setbacks are minor, since Darth Sidious has a much bigger plan in the
works, plotting an assault on the capital planet of Coruscant itself. He orders
Count Dooku and General Grievous to lead the attack, giving Grievous a special
mission to carry out in the meantime. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Anakin travel to a
distant, snow-covered world where Anakin must undergo an arduous trial in order
to save the indigenous people from an unusual threat. In facing this threat,
Anakin also faces the darkness within himself. All I can say is damn, this is
freaking great! Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume Two is even better than the first
set of cartoons. Watching them all together on DVD, the story plays out like the
first act of Revenge Of The Sith, ending right where that film begins,
essentially making this a prequel to Sith.
It’s an enthralling ride as the Jedi Knights desperately battle enemy droids and
a ruthless Grievous in an effort to protect Chancellor Palaptine from harm. The
action is dynamic, exciting, and smartly handled. And being a direct prequel to
Sith, Clone Wars - Volume Two even answers a question I’ve had about that film:
why does Grievous cough so much? The special features include "Connecting The
Dots", a 10 minute documentary where the creators talk about making their own
story set within the confines of George Lucas’ epic universe. There’s also an
audio commentary, and a still gallery. But the real goodie in the special
features is "Revenge Of The Brick", a five minute CGI short featuring the Star Wars
characters and ships as Lego building blocks. This is very funny, and ingenuous:
when Anakin’s fighter explodes, he uses the Force to pull the Lego pieces back
together to form a new ship. Overall, Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume Two is well
worth your time. --SF
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