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This review contains spoilers.

4.22 Revenge

There’s a moment in this season finale that sends a real unnerving shudder through the body. After bad boy Darth Maul has eviscerated a village, off screen sadly, we find one solitary astromech droid banging its head against a wall; moving to and fro.

It’s such a telling moment, that even a heartless machine is left scarred, horrified and bewildered by the destructive work of the aforementioned, resurrected horned Sith. The underlying unpleasantness of the past few episodes comes to a head.

But before this, Maul must be reborn. His “brother” Savage Opress brings him back to Dathomir where Nightsister Mother Talzin performs some dark side magic – changing his scorpion like bottom half into a more manageable two-legged affair. As a side note, I find it a tad odd, given the powers the witch has, that Maul wasn’t given actual legs rather than the mechanical ones he receives. A missed opportunity there I feel.

Once the star of The Phantom Menace is back on his feet, revenge is on his mind and lures Obi Wan Kenobi to the planet Raydonia, where Maul devastates everything and everyone in his path (including cute little droids). It’s not long before the Jedi finds himself at the mercy of the two brothers but, of course, rather than killing him immediately, the horny villains toy with their prey.

Enter another failed Sith, Asajj Ventress. And then enter a lightsaber smack down the likes we have never witnessed – a witch, a Jedi and two barbarians with skills that better their opponents. It’s a truly eyebrow-raising, gasp-inducing and wow-making battle and will not disappoint.

Indeed, Revenge is an incredibly satisfying end to this four-part arc from Katie Lucas and certainly the best season finale we’ve had from the series. Her understanding of character and how they fit into the Star Wars world is demonstrated wonderfully; just witness Maul’s sadness that the Clone Wars “started without” him. An almost sympathetic moment.

Oddly, as I mentioned last week, the Clones and the Droids, so prevalent throughout The Clone Wars, are absent again allowing for the pure Star Wars notions of light and dark. One wonders if this is a foreshadowing of the next season and, if so, we are in for another brilliant collection of episodes from the Star Wars animated spin-off.

Rating : 10/10

source:denofgeek.com
by:Cameron K McEwan

This review contains spoilers.

4.20 Bounty

The return of Asajj Ventress continues as the would-be Sith finds herself on the Outer Rim after her clan of Nightsisters were massacred by General Grievous and his droid army.

In fact, the Dark Lordette pops up on Mos Eisley – in the Cantina no less! Oddly, Figran Dan and his Modal Nodes aren’t pumping out the tunes we’ve come to expect from the Bith hit-makers.

Lurking in the shadow of this hive of scum and villainy, is bounty hunter Bossk (who made his first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back) and fellow crim-for-hire, Latts Razzi (voiced by Seth Green’s wife Clare Grant, fact fans). Ventress is recruited to join their gang, which also includes another Empire bounty hunter, Dengar; who you may already know is brought to life by Simon Pegg.

The Spaced and Star Trek star doesn’t actually get that much to do (or, rather, say) in the episode, so it’s slightly surprising to see that much was made of his role last week. Odd too that a comparatively big name was brought in for such a small role. Such is the lure of Star Wars, I guess (even if you don’t like half the films…)

Headed by a young Boba Fett, the gang, which also includes heavily armed droid C-21 Highsinger (an IG-88 knock off), head to the planet Quarzite – an intensely pressurized world that prevents spaceships from entering into its atmosphere. It’s a neat conceit which delivers a couple of nods to the excellent multi-media story, Shadows of the Empire.

Not only do we get another Clone Wars look at Bossk’s transport of choice, the Hound’s Tooth (first seen in Shadows) but there’s also a nod to the skyhook of the 1996 story, which allows access to the planet below. Definitely an appreciated moment for us fans. Great also to have a new planet with new qualities for the Star Wars universe.

We’re also presented with a new race, the Belugans – who look not unlike a cross between an exotic bird and a whale. And it’s one of these Belugans, Major Rigosso, who has brought the unruly band to Quarzite.

It’s here the majority of the episode and action takes place, and there’s a lot of action. The Bounty Hunters are protecting their cargo which is on delivery via subtram through the caves system. It’s beautifully done though the struggle between the Fett & Co. and those who want to “steal” their cargo is perhaps a tad too long.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s stunning. Simply stunning and excellently directed but we’ve come to expect more from The Clone Wars than just amazing visuals (we are spoilt).

The plot leads up to a change in heart from the once evil bitch Asajj Ventress, who is on a journey to find herself after dispensing with becoming a slave to the Sith. This change is also brought about rather abruptly and some may well not believe in the schmaltzy nature of the denouement.

Of course, this may well be part of the grander plan for the season finale, just weeks away, where the Jedi have to make an uncomfortable alliance in order to defeat a returning foe…

Bounty isn’t a classic by any means but it’s solid. One wishes writer Katie Lucas had cut back on the action and given more to the characters (of which there are many). Re-structuring and re-thinking could have rendered this particular episode as good as the ones that preceded.

Rating : 7/10

source:denofgeek.com
by:Cameron K McEwan

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

4.17 The Box

After two episodes of planet jumping, prison escapting and death faking, the latest arc in the Star Wars animated spin-off applies the brakes to the plot and pits some of the nastiest bounty hunters in the galaxy together in the same space.

That space is The Box.

Obi Wan, undercover as assassin Rako Hardeen, has found himself, along with new buddies/criminals Moralo Eval and Cad Bane, at the stronghold of Count Dooku. The Sith is looking for only the very best in his next audacious plan in the war – to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. And how does he do this? By collecting some of the worst (well, best actually) Bounty Hunters around to scrum it out against one another in a building known as The Box and see what five remain. Sound simple?

Not quite. The Box has been designed by the aformentioned Eval and contains traps and conundrums that only the very best (or worst) will survive. And this is how the majority of the episode plays out – a gripping selction of set pieces that get increasingly ghastly as the game continues.

Despite the enclosed nature of the story, the drama and excitement is most definitely palpable as each bounty hunter falls (usually damn horrifically, it has to be said) in a kind of The Poseidon Adventure-style journey. If the tone in the previous two episodes were downbeat, this is positively morbid – death stalks every pixel of the piece.

And this wouldn’t be nasty Star Wars without some bad boy Sithery taking place. Dooku, who eyes Hardeen (Obi Wan) and his skills, throws The Box’s maker Eval into the fray – pitting him against the resourceful bounty hunter. There are genuine gasps to be had as it seems Kenobi is about to die but is saved by the hand of the once mistrusting Cad Bane. It’s a supremely thrilling moment. Kenobi’s subterfuge has been accepted and is now very much a part of the gang.

During this latter third of the episode, the score is simply astonishing and really invigorates the proccedings with cinematic stylings and beautiful choral work. A real treat.

I will also draw attention to the wonderful binding of prequel and original trilogies during a scene where Yoda admits the ruse of Obi Wan’s death to Anakin. After delivering some brutal honesty to him, regarding his impetuous and dubious temperament, the little green one warns Skywalker, “If you leave, help him you could… but his future uncertain is,” mirroring Luke’s warning from Dagobah’s finest in The Empire Strikes Back. The depth and thought added within such a simple moment is to be applauded.

Although I stated that the brakes are applied to the plot of the ongoing story, the entertainment is no holds barred. The Box is as gripping as The Clone Wars has ever been and this slight stop sets up, what looks like, an incredible finale to the four-part arc.

Rating : 9/10

source:denofgeek.com
by:Cameron K McEwan

This review contains spoilers.

4.16 Friends And Enemies

Last week’s Star Wars prison break adventures continues, and finds Obi-Wan Kenobi, in disguise as bad boy Rako Haardeen, onboard a vessel with bounty hunter Cad Bane and criminal mastermind Moralo Eval.

The tone remains downbeat and unrelenting as the untrusting trio crash-land their ship into the choking bogs and swamps of Nal Hutta – a planet that’s not unlike a cross between Dagobah and Tatooine. As an opening, it’s visually spectacular, but nothing less than the audience has come to expect from The Clone Wars.

There’s more dazzling imagery to come, but before then we find the escaped prisoners in need of ditching their orange jumpsuits and claiming some new cloth. Amusingly, Bane ditches an Indiana Jones-esque fedora in favour of another hat. But the laughs stop abruptly as the bounty hunter ends his relationship with Rako, pushing him off their leaving ship.

Furthermore, Obi Wan’s new persona is subject to a nasty scene of heavy violence at the hands of several Gamorrean and Nikto guards. The Clone Wars, yet again, bats no eyelids in regards to torture. Though, thankfully for Kenobi, he can now use his Jedi powers to free himself.

On the other side of the galaxy, we find Palpatine suspicious of the Jedi, who are being a bit too sneaky for his liking. Indeed, the Jedi’s plan (concocted by phone-loving Yoda, Mace Windu and Obi Wan) finds itself coming seriously unhinged with Anakin off to find Rako, who he still believes killed Obi Wan. The little green one ponders that this confrontation could see the end of at least one of the Jedi.

Perhaps they’ll learn from this and not keep secrets from their ‘friends’ in the future? Yes?

Regardless, Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are hot on the trail of the fugitive trio and it’s not long before they find them, leading to another eye-popping treat for the brain. But this is not before we find Anakin in Dark Side mode again. In his quest for information he takes to force-strangling a bartender in the middle of a saloon.

Disturbingly, this is witnessed by Tano, who seems to take as much pleasure in the deed as her mentor does. Last week’s Deception saw some hints of the Sith raise their head and here we find it in both Jedi. It had never occured to me previously that the young Padawan would jump to the Dark Side and one wonders if this is a precursor to a possible shift in allegiances.

Friends And Enemies is a thought-provoking installment with writer Brent Friedman continuing to throw up challenging ideas and notions, whilst director Bosco Ng (who also wrote The Incredibles short Jack-Jack Attack, fact fans) delivers a number of beautifully crafted moments. None more so the the final few moments as Skywalker and Tano catch up with the Bane, Haardeen (that is, to say, Obi Wan) and Eval.

Amid crashing ships, hand to hand combat and gorgeous lightsaber action, a secret is revealed and evil escapes. It sets up the third part of this arc with breathtaking style.

Rating : 9/10

source:denofgeek.com
by:Cameron K McEwan