Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 21 : ‘Brothers’ Review

The wait is over for the last two weeks of Clone Wars season 4 and it seems like we’ll be waiting a little longer until next week to get a little more of Darth Maul onscreen. This episode deals mainly with Savage Oppress still searching for his brother, a search that takes him to the planet of Lotho Minor. Lotho Minor was a very interesting planet, akin to the junk planet of Raxus Prime,  and it had its very own collection of hazards and residents. One character who I really couldn’t stand was one of these residents in particular who guided Savage through the wilds of Lotho Minor, a snake-like alien that reminded me unfondly of an evil Jar Jar Binks. I still cringe at the thought of him.

The reveal of Darth Maul of course was the best part of the episode. He was very dark and menacing, though more along the lines of a rabid dog than a carefully calculating Sith Lord. Maul has definitely gone through some mental wear and tear over the years and it shows through Sam Witwer’s voice acting of the character as he moves fluidly between sobs of sadness into yells of rage. His body itself is quite the mess with his upper torso being covered in dirty bandages and his legs replaced by an amalgam of metal parts to form spider legs. It appeared in the trailer as if we will get to see him next week with a little more functionality in the form of two sturdy legs instead of the nearly broken down spider body he was sporting this episode.

Other than that, there isn’t really much else to say about the episode. I’m putting all of my hope into the finale next week since this one was a bit of a letdown. Mother Talzin is clearly still alive, and Ventress isn’t out of the game yet as she is still hanging out with the bounty hunters on Tattoonie. The Jedi are also very much aware of Darth Maul’s return as Yoda very ominously warns Obi-Wan at the close of the episode. The showdown between Obi-Wan and Maul next week will no doubt be fantastic. I remember reading the Star Wars: Visionaries graphic novel short story where Obi-Wan and a half mechanical Darth Maul dueled on the sands of Tattooine and that was tension filled, even though at that point it wasn’t continuity as this portion of the Clone Wars is.

Savage Oppress – Womanizer

I give the episode a 3 out of 5 bears. I enjoyed seeing the planet of Lotho Minor and the return of Savage Oppress who is still just as brutal as ever. I mean, the guy was choking some random lady in a diner and jettisoned a guy out of the airlock of his own ship!

And Darth Maul goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing him back as a twisted shell of his former silent and stoic self. Sam Witwer is definitely bringing new life to the character with his portrayal of him. I can’t wait to see how Maul uses his rage as a weapon in the coming episode. Until next week!

Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 20 : ‘Bounty’ Review

At least the Clone Wars is providing us with some entertaining filler before the final two episodes of the season featuring Darth Maul. Last night’s episode ‘Bounty’ was rather excellent, featuring a new planet and a couple of species that I’ve never seen before. Not to mention the newest addition to the growing cast of bounty hunters. Not only do we get to see some of the soon to be veterans such as Bossk, Dengar and Boba Fett but also a couple of newcomers.

The episode follows Ventress after last weeks defeat and general annihilation of the Night Sisters on Dathomir by the Separatist forces of Count Dooku. It seems like Ventress is basically on a path to nowhere, perhaps letting the force lead her to her next point in life which in this episode happens to be on Tatooine where she runs afoul of Boba Fett and his motley crew of bounty hunters. After killing one of their number for the huge mistake of hitting on her, Ventress is sort of forced into joining their team for a job, even though I’m pretty sure that she could have killed them all in about ten seconds flat if she wanted to. And so begins the episode which is ultimately not linked to the storyline for next week’s episode but filled with plenty of action which was beautifully shot against the backdrop of a unique planet where all of the action takes place well below the surface.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 4.19 -‘Massacre’ Review

The Clone Wars is wrapping up its fourth season with a bang as the first of the last four episodes airs in the form of “Massacre“. We see Ventress making her return to Dathomir and swearing full allegiance to the Night Sisters of Dathomir, forsaking the Sith. Count Dooku in the meantime has ordered General Grievous to strike hard at the planet and rid the galaxy of the witches. These rich Sith types just tend to hold a major grudge ya know?

It was actually kind of hard to decide which group of scumbags to root for. I mean, Grievous and the Separatists are a no brainer, they suck. But the Night Sisters are equally as shady, with the hairless harpy leading the charge of laser bow-wielding Night Sisters and even a contingent of zombie Night Sisters. Yes, you heard me…. zombie Night Sisters. They were definitely creepy as hell, but nowhere near as creepy as the wrinkled old Night Sister who is even older than Mother Talzin. I thought Talzin’s double-layered voice was unnerving enough but the oldest Night Sister blew it away with all of her crazy chanting.

So, even though the battle itself was pretty awesome there was no indication of why it would be best if one side or the other was to win. I’m actually a little sick of Grievous being bested over and over again in combat, but even as he lost to Ventress after a short spar he went on quite the killing spree and savagely killed the super old Night Sister and her guards. One might wonder what happened to Mother Talzin but I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of her.

The force magic of the Night Sisters was an interesting thing to see, albeit some was a little ridiculous. I find it curious how Talzin was able to procure a lock of Dooku’s hair, but it’s a minute detail. The episode certainly did live up to its name. It truly did turn into a massacre as not one Night Sister except Ventress was left alive by the episode’s end. Again, I’m not too broken up about this and I can’t feel much sympathy for Ventress being left all alone. We’ll certainly see where she lands next episode as it appears she may be taking on the role of a bounty hunter!

Stayed tuned next week for the continuation of the Clone Wars ending arc. I give the episode 2 out of 5 grizzlies, great visuals but I just couldn’t find myself caring who won this round on the Clone Wars. Bring on the Maul Bros in a couple weeks!

Star Wars – The Clone Wars: The Return of Darth Maul Trailer

It’s been pretty official by now that Darth Maul is returning, and kudos to Lucasfilm for their clever re-release of the Phantom Menace and his simultaneous Clone Wars appearance which is sheer marketing genius. It seems like I can’t go into any store where there are toys or books without seeing that ugly Sith bastard adorned on something. Even my McDonald’s Happy Meal toy was a top spinner with him on it! But anyways….

Maul is back and whether you like it or not you have to admit the trailer for his return in the final season’s arc looks pretty excellent. Not to mention the fact that he is being voiced by none other than Sam Witwer who is a sort of sci-fi superstar at the moment. Witwer has done extensive work with the Star Wars franchise, starting off with the Force Unleashed video games as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller who kicked major ass with his uber force abilities. Some may not know that he also voiced the Emperor in the Force Unleashed and did a damn fine job. This is also not his first appearance on the Clone Wars as he also played the Dark Side being “The Son” in the Mortis Trilogy. He also played a large part in the 8th season of Smallville as Davis Bloome A.K.A. Doomsday and is currently playing the vampire Aidan on the American version of Being Human. Being Human was recently renewed by SyFy for it’s third season. And all of that on top of a missed chance to be featured in an entire flashback episode of the Walking Dead in a storyline that was set up by show creator Frank Darabont, but was ultimately discarded after his “leaving” the show. The guy is a talented actor no doubt, but his voice acting sure packs a punch too. Check out the video below to see how intense Witwer gets when he is slipping into his crazy Darth Maul persona:

Freaky ain’t it? For more of the half Sith Lord, check out the FULL trailer below the bump and prepare to change your underpants afterwards:

So it would look as if Ventress is choosing to side with the Night Sisters of Dathomir and that Dooku may be getting some payback for their attempted assassination of him: Grievous style. I’m interested to see the Night Sisters in combat, particularly Mother Talzin who is seen in the trailer unleashing some crazy witch powers on the Separatist forces. But let’s face it, that’s all bantha poodoo compared to what I think may be the best part of the episode arc and that’s Obi-Wan v.s. Maul…. the rematch! This has potential to be one of the best moments on the Clone Wars, overshadowing even the awesomeness that was Savage Oppress’s debut last season. But then again I thought that with the return of Boba Fett and I was left quite crestfallen. But this has to be way better than the little half pint bounty hunter. The part where Maul emit’s a harsh “Jedi!” and his mechanical leg steps on the ground before Obi-Wan was chilling and gave me a case of the goosbumps. What’s everyone’s thought on the whole deal? Expanded Universe blasphemy or totally awesome? I for one am glad they stuck with the Star Wars Visionaries robo-legs concept. It wouldn’t have done to see a Darth Maul walking on his hands and using the lightsaber with his mouth.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4 Trailer – New Footage!

If the first trailer for season 4 of the Clone Wars didn’t quite do it for you then wait, there’s more! Now there’s another trailer that shows quite a bit more than just the spectacular (And physics defying) battle underwater on the Mon Calamari homeworld of Dac. Sorry fellow geeks if they stray from EU continuity by just calling the planet Mon Calamari. So take a look at the trailer below so we can sift through all of the goodness and I can push all of the things I’M interested in for Season 4 onto all of you! Enjoy!

Once again, the underwater battle looks breathtaking, but all of the other stuff bodes well for a good season. Of course we’ll get another trailer showcasing the second of the season during the show’s break in winter. Now to the most interesting stuff to me:

Grievous v.s. Ventress

Ventress wasn’t on very good terms with the Confederacy last time we saw her. Her attempt to kill Dooku with his new apprentice failed so now she’s all on her own. So is Grievous sent to eliminate her once and for all so Tyranus has no loose ends? And will Ventress accomplish something to get back into her former master’s good graces? I think so.

Savage Oppress

Ok he wasn’t in the trailer but don’t act like this subject isn’t the Bantha in the room. It appeared in the end of his episode arc last season that Savage had a brother and it sure the hell looked like Darth Maul. So it looks like that might be covered in the second half of the season and I can’t wait! Is Maul going to have robot legs? Will he be a holocron gatekeeper? A Dark Side force ghost? The anticipation is killing me. I want to see Savage in action again because he was a sight to behold in Season 3. I’m wondering who will end up killing him…

The Jedi… With two double-bladed lightsabers!

Seriously doesn’t this whole thing seem a little overkill?! Yes, but I love it. This Jedi better be able to do some damage. And he’s the same species as Dex from Attack of the Clones so that’s something new.

The Togruta Slaves

Unless I’m wrong it looked like there was a lot of talk about slaves when they showed numerous Togruta people lining up. (same species as Ahsoka) I’m interested because we all know how Anakin despises slavery and he looks to be getting pretty pissed in this trailer. Also they kind of covered the Togruta getting enslaved in the Slavers of Zyggeria clone wars book, but I guess it wouldn’t be the first time they deviated from continuity. And I may be completely wrong about the Togruta being slaves.

Ackbar’s Back!

And that’s all I have to say!

So here’s to double-double lightsabers, light-whips, Mon Calamari and Grievous fighting gungans! Be sure to tune in on September 16th at 8:00pm for two episodes: ‘Water War’ and ‘Gungan Attack’ and I’ll be sure to review it!