5/5 I have a good feeling about this.
  by AMP (Somewhere on Earth)
Show: 4/5 Video Quality: 5/5 Sound Quality: 4/5 Extras: 4/5 Overall: 4.25/5

The Clone Wars must have inspired some kind of wonder ever since Mark Hamill mentioned it in a brief line in the first original movie. Even though it's briefly shown in the prequel films and a cool little cartoon made in 2003, there is still a lot to explore.

Following the 2008 CGI Clone Wars movie, this show features the same funky blocky characters and semi-artistic rendering, but it seems to be of higher quality. Lighting effects, animation movements, lip movements, and action scenes overall seem much improved from the pilot film. More importantly, with multiple story lines to follow, the series offers better stories with deeper issues and stronger characters (characters ranging from the main heroes Anakin, Yoda, Obi-Wan, etc to the lesser known characters like Aayla Secura, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, etc). The show has loads of great action scenes and high-quality effects. There are adventures on many different worlds (once again, some well-known like Naboo, Coruscant, etc to lesser-known ones like Iego), each offering imaginative design and impressive imagery. Production design (sets, props, costumes, vehicles, weapons, etc) matches the Star Wars universe and fits in perfectly; fans should be able to recognize a huge number of familiar elements, mixed in with cool new stuff. Music is not bad. All together, it's an awesome show that fits nicely in the franchise.

This disc set features perfect PQ; I could not find any faults with it whatsoever. It's very sharp and clean, with excellent color and contrast. It is presented in an aspect ratio that is wider than the original broadcast version, providing more of the image to be seen. Sound quality is acceptable (Dolby Digital 5.1), but as a lossy soundtrack, it's not as clean as it could have been, and lacks impact (despite the show's cool sound design). This set includes some cool extras (featurettes, a database feature, trailers, etc). It comes in a large, thick, rather nice digibook-type package with some cool production art inside.

4/5 Well worth the price on Amazon!
  by T. K. Torina
I was very excited when I first read these were coming out as a box set on Blu Ray, but the original price many retail outlets were advertising made me cringe. Thankfully, Amazon came along at nearly half the price! Since I pre-ordered, these were at my door the day it came out. I'm with many out there that are annoyed by having a HD TV and outside of football, rarely get to enjoy the quality it was made to bring in my viewing experience. Cartoon Network does not have HD for these where I am, so this set was a treat. I missed many of the earlier episodes as well, so I also got to do some catch up.

Episodes like "Ambush", "Hostage Crisis" and the whole "Ryloth" trilogy make these alone a must own for any true fan of the series, or Star Wars. Yes, like any show, there are weak episodes (all the Jar Jar episodes (three of them) are even more annoying because they know the disdain so many fans have for this character, yet for some reason "King George" thinks it cute to shove him down people's throats). But overall, there are so many quality episodes and plotlines that you can't even get irriated by the handful of weak episodes on these discs. The extras are top notch, as are the animation and blu ray experience.

4/5 Great show with room for improvement...
  by M. Topping
First of all, I should say I LOVE this series. There is nothing like it on TV, and once again Star Wars is breaking new ground. The show is quality. It can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The graphic design of the settings and characters is beautiful, and the story lines are thoughtful and interesting. As an added bonus, you get to see some characters and species from the Star Wars universe come to life. I particularly enjoyed seeing the IG-88-type assassin droids in action and Aurra Sing in one episode.

As a lot of reviewers have said, the Blu-Ray format is a must here. Simply dazzling.

Now comes the "BUT..." There were a few things that I think could be improved upon.

3D animation: The movement of the characters is not always fluid or natural-looking. I think they claim to have improved upon this for Season 2. Some of the lip-syncing doesn't look particularly great, either. I have seen some examples of improvement in this arena in Season 2, as well. In at least one episode, I spotted a glaring rendering error in which you could see through Padme's head from the back. I was amazed the error wasn't caught and corrected.

Writing: A couple episodes dragged a little. There were also a few plot holes, such as Anakin and Obi-Wan cleverly swapping away their drugged drinks at the end of one episode, but then finding themselves waking from a drugged coma in a holding cell at the beginning of the next episode. Did I miss something???

Voice acting: Some of the character voices sounded like they were done by real amateurs. Ahmed Best played Jar-Jar in one episode, and then in the next Jar-Jar episode it sounded like they pulled someone in off the street. I swear, I can do a better Jar-Jar impersonation than the person who played him in the "Gungan General" episode. I should mention that the actor who did the clone voices was exceptional. He modified the voice ever so slightly from clone to clone, so they don't all sound exactly alike.

Annoying/campy characters: I didn't hate Jar-Jar as much as everyone else in the prequels. Sure, he was a bumbling idiot, but his bumbling usually ended up accidentally generating positive results. I could overlook that. The Clone Wars will make you HATE Jar-Jar if you don't already. His goofiness ends up destroying ships, killing a senator, and costing the Republic victory on several occasions. You have to ask yourself, "WHY ON EARTH would you bring him along anywhere???" Throw him in prison, and the Republic can win the war in a week.

The spinning flying-saucer ship of the pirates and the cliche evil scientist/mad doctor were just a couple examples of George Lucas getting a little too nostalgic for Saturday morning serials at the expense of this series.

I think all of these flaws can be excused and remedied as the series progresses. Overall, the show is beautiful and brilliant. Can't wait to see more.


4/5 Great cartoon.
  by S. Ledgerwood (Maryland, USA)
I was waiting for the whole season to come out before I bought this cartoon. I hate "volumes" because its just a way of milking the consumer for more money. Thanks to Lucasfilms for not being greedy and releasing the whole season as a set, and on Blu-Ray no less! It's definitely worth getting this Blu-Ray release, it looks amazing. Great cartoon as well. Much better than all the crap anime that our children are forced to watch these days.

5/5 Great addition to the Star Wars Universe
  by Chris S. Jackson (Las Vegas, NV)
I admit I was a little skeptical after seeing the Clone Wars movie on Pay Per View. However, after seeing Season 1 in its entirity I believe this is a great addition to the Star Wars Universe. The picture and sound on the Blu-Ray is incredible. The writing and voice acting is great. The colors, textures and modeling is extraordinary. I can't wait for season 2! I will be purchasing it on blu-ray certainly!