Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)

Info  About Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series):

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm Animation with the division Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, Lucasfilm Ltd. and CGCG Inc.^[2] The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008.^[3] It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period as the previous 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars series (the three-year time period between the films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith).^{[citation needed]} Each episode has a running time of 22 minutes, to fill a half-hour time slot. Star Wars creator George Lucas says "there will be at least 100 episodes produced [about five seasons]".^[4] Dave Filoni is the supervising director of the series.^[5] Genndy Tartakovsky, director of the first Clone Wars series, is not involved with the production,^[6] but character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from the 2D series when designing the characters for the 3D series.^[7] There is also an online comic,^[8] depicting story-snippets between the single episodes.
The first trailer for the series was released on the official Star Wars website on May 8, 2007.^[9] The series was launched with an animated feature film, which was released in theaters on August 15, 2008. Season 2 ended on April 30, 2010. Season 3 premiered on September 17, 2010, with the complete second season releasing on Blu-ray Disc and DVD October 26, 2010.^[10] Season 4 premiered on September 16, 2011 with the Complete Season 3 on Blu-ray Disc and DVD released October 18, 2011. The fourth season was released for Blu-ray Disc and DVD release on October 23, 2012. Season 5 premiered on September 29, 2012 with a new time slot of 9:30 A.M. PT/ET.
Because of the recent acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is expected to leave Cartoon Network next year and move to Disney XD.^[11][12][13]

Production

At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, Lucas stated that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of the pilot series that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year."^[6] In July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations.^[14] Sansweet referred to the series as "the next generation of the Star Wars saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between Episode II ... and Episode III." Sansweet described the look of the new series as "a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling." Primary production will take place at the Lucasfilm Animation facility in Singapore.^[15]
According to another statement by Sansweet, "Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both California and Singapore locations to produce not only the series, but animated feature films in the years ahead." He said about the series, "to get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project." Sansweet has said that "a large component of the future of Star Wars and Lucasfilm is CGI animation."^{[citation needed]}
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesk software to animate both the film and the series. The Maya 3D modeling program was used to create the highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.^[16] Animators also reviewed designs from the original 2003 Clone Wars series when creating the animation style for the film and the new series.^[17]
Anthony Daniels, who portrayed C-3PO in all six films as well as the Star Wars Holiday Special, Star Wars: Droids and Star Wars: Clone Wars, confirmed in June 2006 that he had been contracted for the series.^[18]
In a video interview with Rob Coleman from Imagina 2007 divulged that there were 15 episodes in production, one episode was complete, he was going to direct 5 of the first 22 episodes, reaction from licensees was very positive, and that final assembly of shows is done at Skywalker Ranch.^[19]
At Lucas' March 3, 2007 appearance at the 2007 William S. Paley Television Festival,^[20] Lucas revealed the series is episodic, and as such will not focus on Anakin Skywalker's story; with episodes dedicated to clone troopers and other characters. Lucas revealed further information in a fan interview,^[4] a new character named Ahsoka Tano, over 100 episodes and a possible appearance by Boba Fett. In an interview in the September 24, 2007 issue of TV Guide, Lucas confirmed that 39 episodes of the series have been completed.^[21]
On April 8, 2007, Ain't It Cool News reported that musician Eric Rigler had recorded music for the series.^[22] Rigler disclosed that each planet in the Star Wars galaxy would have its own theme music. The episode Mr. Rigler performed on was based on Bulgarian music and played on Uilleann pipes. Kevin Kiner composes the original score for each episode.
Stuart Snyder, who oversees Cartoon Network and other Turner Broadcasting System cable networks, said he became interested in the new Clone Wars series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007. Snyder flew out to San Francisco, California to screen several episodes, and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network. Snyder wished to create an action/adventure block of shows on Friday night in an attempt to rejuvenate Cartoon Network. Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings: "You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results". "I can say there's a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us."^[23]

Broadcast

The Clone Wars premiered on October 3, 2008 at 9 p.m. on the Cartoon Network. The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network is shown in a 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio, cropped from its original aspect ratio (OAR) of 2.35:1 (as seen in the UK Sky Premiere screenings). The show began airing on Adult Swim as of March 14, 2009, making the series the first Cartoon Network series to simultaneously air on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars also aired from January 15, 2009 to March 26, 2009 on TNT. This show was the first animation aired on that channel in over a decade.^[24]
An August 29, 2012 news release by the producers announced that the Season 5 premier will be broadcast September 29, 2012 with episodes continuing weekly on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am. Also announced was that Seasons 1 & 2 would be entering syndication in September 2012. It will be broadcast for the first time outside of the Turner Broadcasting System cable networks and for the first time over-the-air in the USA.^[25] A state-by-state list of local television stations and broadcast times was also released.^[26] Trifecta Entertainment and Media announced that they will be handling U.S distribution.^[27]
When The Walt Disney Company, a competitor to Turner's parent company Time Warner, acquired Lucasfilm on October 30, 2012, sources theorize that the Clone Wars series will end its run on Cartoon Network at the end of the 2012-13 season and will be moved to one of Disney's own networks, such as Disney XD.^[11]

Reception

Despite the negative response to the show's movie counterpart, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" has been better received, with a Metacritic score of 64/100.^[28]
On July 11, 2008, television critics were shown a completed episode of the series. The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog called the footage "likely the most photo-realistic animated TV series ever produced."^[29] On August 31, 2008, a sneak peek of the new series was shown on Cartoon Network. IGN named it the 89th best animated series.^[30] They specifically praised the episodes "Rookies", "Cloak of Darkness", and "Lair of Grievous" saying that their storylines stood out as some of the best in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.^[31]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars became most-watched series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The series averaged 3 million total viewers in its debut, according to Nielsen Media Research. Cartoon Network said the Star Wars spin off ranked as the number one channel among all major animated networks in the time slot among total viewers (the largest in the demographic for any premiere telecast of an original Cartoon series).^[32]
On July 23, 2010 at the San Diego Comic-Con; Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness World Records presented Star Wars: The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni, CG supervisor Joel Aron and lead designer Kilian Plunkett a certificate proclaiming the cartoon series "the highest rated sci-fi animation currently on television".^[33]
From Season 1 to Season 2, the viewers in the US were roughly around 2.75 – 3 million. In Season 3, however, they have been around 1.5 - 2 million with the episode "Citadel Rescue" being the least viewed at 1.55 million viewers. For Season 4, it has suffered lower viewership from around 1.9 to 1.3 million, however until mid-season it has picked up from around 1.3 to 2 million views, with "Mercy Mission" standing out as the least viewed episode with 1.35 million viewers.

TV series

Each season consists of 22 episodes. George Lucas has said he would like to make at least 100 episodes, regardless of the ratings. A repeat of season one aired in "decoded" episode format. Each installment contained unobtrusive text windows giving supplemental information about the characters and events playing out on screen.^[37]

Main article: List of Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes

Season	Title	Episodes	First air date	Last air date
Season 1	The Clone Wars	22	October 3, 2008 (2008-10-03)	March 22, 2009 (2009-03-22)
Season 2	Rise of the Bounty Hunters	22	October 2, 2009 (2009-10-02)	April 30, 2010 (2010-04-30)
Season 3	Secrets Revealed	22	September 17, 2010 (2010-09-17)	April 1, 2011 (2011-04-01)[38]
Season 4	Battle Lines	22	September 16, 2011 (2011-09-16)	March 16, 2012 (2012-03-16)
Season 5	Army of Revenge	22	September 29, 2012 (2012-09-29)	Spring 2013

Home media releases

DVD/Blu-ray name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
A Galaxy Divided (DVD only)	March 24, 2009	March 24, 2009	July 1, 2009
Clone Commandos (DVD only)	September 15, 2009	September 15, 2009	September 23, 2009
Season 1 (DVD & Blu-ray)	November 3, 2009	November 16, 2009	November 18, 2009
Season 2 (DVD & Blu-ray)	October 26, 2010	November 15, 2010	November 10, 2010
Season 3 (DVD & Blu-ray)	October 18, 2011	2011	October 19, 2011
Season 4 (DVD & Blu-ray)	October 23, 2012[39]	October 22, 2012[40]	October 31, 2012[41]

A Galaxy Divided was an early DVD release of the series which included the first four episodes ("Ambush, "Rising Malevolence", "Shadow of Malevolence", "Destroy Malevolence"), and Clone Commandos is another, which includes episode five "Rookies" as well as episodes 19 through 21 ("Storm over Ryloth", "Innocents of Ryloth" and "Liberty on Ryloth").
A director's cut DVD titled "Darth Maul Returns" that includes Season 4 episodes "Massacre", "Bounty", "Brothers" and "Revenge" is available exclusively at Target.^[42]


All Extracts Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_(2008_TV_series)



Star Wars: Clone Wars TV Trailer (2008) & Star Wars: Clone Wars TV Series Trailer #2:

Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series)

Info About Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series):

Star Wars: Clone Wars is an Emmy Award and Annie Award-winning American animated microseries set in the Star Wars universe.
Chronologically, the series takes place during the three-year time period between the films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The show depicted the actions of various characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and other Knights of the Jedi Order during the conflict, leading the clone trooper forces of the Galactic Republic against the battle droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Sith.
The series was produced by Cartoon Network Studios in association with Lucasfilm Ltd., and was aired both online and on Cartoon Network in 25 chapters from 2003 to 2005. The first two seasons, comprising Volume One, were produced in a two to three minute "micro" format, while season three was produced as fifteen minute episodes making up Volume Two. Both volumes were later released on home video edited as feature length films. It was ranked 21 on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series list.^[1] Entertainment Weekly ranked the series 20th out of 25 of the best science-fiction films or television of the past 25 years (1982–2007).^[2]

Plot

Backstory

Star Wars: Clone Wars is part of the prequel trilogy storyline surrounding the fall of esteemed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his subsequent transformation into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. With the series beginning in the year 22 BBY (in real world terms, twenty two years before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), the Clone Wars have just begun, with the frailing Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order under siege from the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who wish to secede from Galactic society with the help of the Sith. As the war rages, more and more planets slip from Republic control. Both the Jedi and the Sith use a metaphysical power source known as the Force for a variety of purposes, however in different manners: the Jedi draw on the "light" side, which is fueled by selflessness and compassion, while the Sith draw on the "dark" side which is fueled by primal urges such as greed and hate.

Synopsis

The main storyline of Volume One features the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi being assigned to lead an assault on the planet Muunilinst, home of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, benefactors of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who wish to break away from the Galactic Republic. His apprentice Anakin Skywalker, is personally appointed to lead the space forces the by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who is the secret alter ego of Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord who is controlling both sides of the war. Meanwhile, Separatist leader Count Dooku takes in the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress as his apprentice and sends her off to assassinate Anakin. Anakin diverts his attention in the middle of battle to pursue Ventress to Yavin 4, where he manages to defeat her in a lightsaber duel, though only through the means of fear and anger, the path to the dark side of the Force. Surrounding this storyline are various battles focusing on other Jedi and their wartime exploits: Mace Windu faces an entire droid army unarmed on Dantooine, Master Yoda travels to the ice world Ilum in order to save two imperiled Jedi Knights, the amphibious Kit Fisto leads an aquatic regiment of clone troopers on the waterworld Mon Calamari, and a team of Jedi encounter the dreaded General Grievous on Hypori.
In volume two, story picks up directly from Anakin's defeat of Ventress and Obi-Wan's victory on Muunilist. With General Grievous emerging to claim victories for the Separatists, the Republic is in need of more Jedi Knights. After much consideration, the Jedi Council decides to promote Anakin to a Knight. Three years later, Anakin has become a strong Jedi Knight and has helped the Republic several times, such as aiding Obi-Wan capture a fortress, save Sansae Tiin overhead a space battle, and rescue a couple of Jedi from bigger droids. During the rest of the Clone War, Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to find General Grievous on the planet Nelvaan, but end up liberating a group of Nelvaanians enslaved and mutated by the Techno Union instead. Meanwhile, General Grievous leads an assault on Coruscant and, despite the best efforts of Yoda, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti and others, kidnaps Supreme Chancellor Palpatine for his master Count Dooku. Anakin faces a spiritual trial that shows him becoming Darth Vader and also manages to rescue the Nelvaan warriors, though he once again draws upon his anger, then sets out with Obi-Wan to rescue the Chancellor over Coruscant (as seen in the opening minutes of Revenge of the Sith).

Production

The series was produced by Genndy Tartakovsky and employs a similar animation style to Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack. Tartakovsky revealed in his Hyperspace commentary tracks on the official Star Wars website and on the Volume I DVD that he purposely animated C-3PO with moveable expressive eyes to pay homage to the animators of and the animation style of Nelvana, the production company behind the animated segment from The Star Wars Holiday Special and the 1980s Droids cartoon series.

Release

The pilot series, produced primarily with traditional animation, originally ran on Cartoon Network. In addition to being shown on television, the episodes were released online simultaneously at the Star Wars and Cartoon Network websites. The series was heavily advertised by Cartoon Network, and was originally shown immediately before their popular Friday night lineup. The show was also featured on kapow on teletoon.

DVD releases

Volume I/Season 1 & 2

• Chapters 1–20 of the series were released March 22, 2005, as "Star Wars Clone Wars: Volume I". The episodes were edited together into one continuous feature. The set featured English subtitles, and commentary tracks on all the episodes, as well as art galleries, behind the scenes information, and the featurette "Bridging the Saga: From Clone Wars to Revenge of the Sith", the Revenge of the Sith teaser trailer: with interviews of George Lucas, Genndy Tartakovsky, and the Clone Wars production crew. The disc also featured a glimpse of Star Wars: Clone Wars – Volume Two, an Episode III game trailer, and a playable level of the Xbox game Star Wars: Republic Commando.

Volume II/Season 3

• Chapters 21–25 of the micro-series were released on December 6, 2005. The release was an edited together compilation of the five chapters, similar to the Volume I release. The set featured English subtitles, and commentary tracks on all the episodes. Features included a Revenge of the Sith movie trailer, art galleries, trailers for the Star Wars games Battlefront II and Empire at War, an Xbox demo with two levels from Battlefront II, and the LEGO short film Revenge of the Brick. Also included was the featurette "Connecting the Dots", which highlighted the creative process that Genndy Tartakovsky and his team used to link Clone Wars to Revenge of the Sith.
  The second volume of Clone Wars series was released significantly later than the DVD release of Revenge of the Sith. According to Van Ling, the producer of both DVDs, the Volume II disc was released at such a late date due to an extremely tight schedule in producing the DVDs. According to http://starwars.com, both DVDs were produced at exactly the same time, but the Clone Wars DVD could not be finished in time for the DVD release of Revenge of the Sith. Ling apologized to fans for this.

All Extracts Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Clone_Wars_(2003_TV_series)

Star Wars: Clone Wars 2003 (Micro Series) Complete Season 1 & 2 From YouTube:

Star Wars: Episódio III - A Vingança dos Sith (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

Info About The Final Episode Of The First Trilogy:

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology.
The film takes place three years after the onset of the Clone Wars. The Jedi Knights are spread out across the galaxy leading a massive clone army in the war against the Separatists. The Jedi Council dispatches Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to eliminate the evil General Grievous, leader of the Separatist Army. Meanwhile, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, separated from Kenobi, his former master, grows close to Palpatine, the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and, unbeknownst to the public, a Sith Lord. Their deepening friendship proves dangerous for the Jedi Order, The Republic, and Anakin himself who inevitably succumbs to the Dark Side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader, changing the fate of the galaxy forever.
Lucas began writing the script before production of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones began. Filming took place in Australia with additional locations in Thailand and Italy, and lasted over three months. The film was released in theatres on May 19, 2005, and received generally positive reviews from critics, especially in contrast to the previous two prequels.
It broke several box office records during its opening week and went on to earn over $848 million worldwide,^[1] making it the second-highest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise (not adjusting for inflation). It was the highest grossing film of 2005 in the US, and the second highest-grossing film of 2005 worldwide behind Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.^[1]

Plot

As the Clone Wars rage on, the Galactic Republic has suffered major setbacks against the Separatists. Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi infiltrate the flagship of Separatist commander General Grievous to rescue the abducted Chancellor Palpatine. However, they are confronted by Count Dooku, who engages the Jedi in a lightsaber duel. After Dooku knocks Obi-Wan unconscious, Anakin fights and kills Dooku at Palpatine's urging. After a skirmish with Grievous, who then flees, the Jedi crash-land the ship that has split in half on the planet Coruscant. There, Anakin reunites with his wife, Padmé Amidala, who reveals she is pregnant. Anakin is happy at first, but he then begins to have disturbing premonitions of Padmé dying in childbirth.
Palpatine places Anakin on the Jedi Council as his representative, but Anakin is denied the rank of Jedi Master and ordered to secretly monitor the Chancellor. Frustrated at being excluded from the Council, Anakin begins to lose faith in the Jedi and becomes more attached to Palpatine, who tells him that the dark side of the Force holds the power to prevent death. On the planet Utapau, Obi-Wan engages and kills Grievous. When Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith lord Darth Sidious, Anakin reports his treachery to Jedi Master Mace Windu. In the ensuing lightsaber duel, Windu subdues Palpatine by deflecting his opponent's Force Lightning back at him. Just then, Anakin rushes in and intervenes on Palpatine's behalf, severing Windu's hand; Palpatine then kills Windu. Desperate to save Padmé, Anakin becomes Palpatine's apprentice and is rechristened Darth Vader.
Palpatine issues Order 66 across the galaxy to have the Clone Troopers turn on their Jedi Masters, and sends Vader with a legion of clone troopers to the Jedi Temple to kill everyone there. Vader then travels to the volcanic planet Mustafar to kill the Separatist leaders hiding there. Palpatine addresses the Senate and reforms the Republic into the Galactic Empire, declaring himself Emperor.
Obi-Wan and Jedi Master Yoda discover Anakin's treachery, and split up to confront Vader and Sidious. Unable to convince Padmé of Anakin's turn to the dark side, Obi-Wan stows away on her ship when she travels to Mustafar. When Padmé discovers what Vader has done, she tries to take him back, but Vader accuses her of betraying him and uses the Force to choke her into unconsciousness. Vader and Obi-Wan engage in a fierce duel, taking them across the entire volcano, and eventually Obi-Wan severs Vader's legs and left arm and Vader falls down to the edge of the volcanic river. Soon after, Vader's clothing ignites, and Vader is horribly maimed by the fire. Obi-Wan takes his former apprentice's lightsaber to help Padmé. Meanwhile, Yoda confronts the Emperor, but is forced to retreat when their duel reaches a stalemate.
In a medical facility on Polis Massa, Padmé dies after giving birth to twins Luke and Leia. Meanwhile, Palpatine finds Vader barely alive on Mustafar and brings him back to Coruscant, rebuilding his apprentice's ruined body with cybernetic limbs and a respirator. Tormented by the discovery of Padmé's death at his own hands, Vader screams, the last vestige of humanity now driven from him. Vader begins overseeing the construction of the Death Star at Palpatine's side. A funeral is held for Padmé, her body dressed to continue the illusion of pregnancy. Knowing that the twins must remain hidden from the Empire, Senator Bail Organa adopts Leia and takes her to Alderaan, while Luke is to be taken to his stepfamily on Tatooine. Organa allows the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 to remain aboard the Tantive IV and has C-3PO's memory erased. Yoda teaches Obi-Wan how to commune with the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn before going into exile on Dagobah. Obi-Wan takes the infant Luke to Tatooine, where he intends to watch over him until the time is right to challenge the Empire.

Cast

• Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi: Obi-Wan is a General for the Galactic Republic and is a Jedi Master who sits on the Jedi Council. He often travels and performs missions with his best friend and former Padawan, Anakin.
• Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader: Anakin is a recently-knighted Jedi and hero of the Clone Wars. Upon learning of his wife's pregnancy, he begins to have recurring visions of her dying in childbirth. Because similar visions accurately foretold the death of his mother, he swears that he will do whatever it takes to save her, and in his determination, he falls to the Dark Side of the Force and becomes the evil Darth Vader. While many assume that James Earl Jones is the uncredited, briefly heard voice of Darth Vader at the film's conclusion, Jones, when specifically asked if he had supplied the voice, either newly or from a previous recording, told Newsday, "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know".^[2] However, the commentary on the DVD release states that, while the voice will always be uncredited, any true Star Wars fan "should know the answer".^[3]
• Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala: Padmé is Anakin's secret wife; she has recently become pregnant with twins. As Senator of Naboo, she is deeply concerned about Palpatine's growing power, and her husband's increasingly disturbing behavior.

• Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious / Chancellor Palpatine: As the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Palpatine enacted the start of the Clone Wars against the Separatists. As a result, the Senate has voted him vast emergency powers, effectively turning him into a dictator. By this time, he becomes a sort of mentor to Anakin, manipulating him into distrusting the Jedi. In reality, Palpatine is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who finally steps from the shadows to destroy the Jedi Order and the Republic it serves, and lure Anakin to his side.
• Frank Oz voices Yoda: The wise old leader of the Jedi Council. He is a friend and mentor to many Jedi. He plays a major role in the Battle of Kashyyyk.
• Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu: Windu is a Jedi Master who sits on the Jedi Council and is also a Jedi General in the Clone Wars.
• Matthew Wood voices General Grievous: Grievous is a fearsome cyborg and General of the Separatists' droid army. He is responsible for kidnapping Palpatine at the beginning. He is also skilled in lightsaber combat, having been trained by Count Dooku, wielding two green and two blue lightsabers taken from Jedi he has killed.
• Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa: Bail Organa is a Senator in the Galactic Republic and friend to the Jedi, who grows concerned at Palpatine's growing power.
• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO: C-3PO is Padmé Amidala's personal protocol droid, created by Anakin Skywalker.
• Kenny Baker as R2-D2: R2-D2 is Anakin Skywalker's former astro-droid and C-3PO's counterpart.
• Silas Carson as Nute Gunray and Ki-Adi-Mundi: Gunray is the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, who distrusts Grievous and dares to question his leadership. Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Jedi Master who sits at the Jedi Council and General in the Clone Wars.
• Temuera Morrison as Commander Cody and Clone Troopers: Cody and the clone troopers are part of the army for the Republic. As seen in Attack of the Clones, they are the clones of the bounty hunter Jango Fett.
• Christopher Lee as Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus: He is a Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious, Leader of the Separatists, and Grievous' superior.
• Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca: Chewbacca is a Wookiee who is friendly with Yoda, and fights alongside him in the Battle of Kashyyyk.

It was announced in 2004 that Gary Oldman had been approached to provide the voice of General Grievous,^[4] however, complications arose during contract negotiations after Oldman learned the film was to be made outside of the Screen Actors Guild, of which he is a member. He backed out of the role rather than violate the union's rules.^[5] Matthew Wood, who ultimately voiced Grievous, disputed this story at Celebration III, held in Indianapolis. According to him, Oldman is a friend of Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and recorded an audition as a favor to him, but was not chosen.^[6] Wood, who was also the supervising sound editor, was in charge of the auditions and submitted his audition anonymously in the midst of 30 others, under the initials "A.S." for Alan Smithee.^[7] Days later he received a phone call asking for the full name to the initials "A.S."^[8] An internet hoax said John Rhys-Davies was considered for the role.^[9]

Cameo appearances

Lucas makes an appearance at the Coruscant Opera House as a blue-faced being named Baron Papanoida; he can be seen outside Palpatine's box. It marks Lucas' only appearance in any of the Star Wars films. His three children also appear in cameos: his son, Jett, as a young Jedi-in-training named Zett Jukassa who is killed defending the Jedi Temple against clone troopers; his daughter, Amanda, as a character called Terr Taneel, seen in the security hologram; and daughter Katie as a blue-skinned Pantoran named Chi Eekway, visible when Palpatine arrives at the Senate after being saved by the Jedi, and talking to Baron Papanoida at the Opera House (she also has a brief speaking role in one of the deleted scenes where Padmé is meeting in secret with other senators). When Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Palpatine arrive via shuttle to the Senate docks after crash landing on Coruscant, the Millennium Falcon can be seen landing on one of the lower platforms as the shuttle approaches.^[10] While not a direct cameo, it was confirmed in the Revenge of the Sith online text commentary that Tarfull's growl in the scene of Yoda's departure from Kashyyyk is actually Itchy's growl from The Star Wars Holiday Special.^[11]
New Zealand actress Keisha Castle-Hughes appeared as Queen Apailana of Naboo. She is seen during the funeral scene.
Much of the crew also make cameos in the film. Nick Gillard, the stunt coordinator, plays a Jedi named Cin Drallig (his name spelled backward, without the k).^[12] Jeremy Bulloch (who played Boba Fett in the original trilogy), appeared in a speaking role as Captain Colton, the pilot of the Rebel Blockade Runner Tantive IV.^[13]

Releases

Revenge of the Sith premiered at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival (out of competition) on May 16.^[30] Its theatrical release in most other countries took place on May 19 to coincide with the 1999 release of The Phantom Menace (the 1977 release of A New Hope and the 1983 release of Return of the Jedi were also released on the same day and month, six years apart). The global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas claimed one week before the premiere that it may have cost the US economy approximately US$627 million in lost productivity because of employees who took a day off or reported in sick.^[31] Grauman's Chinese Theatre, a traditional venue for the Star Wars films, did not show it. However, a line of people stood there for more than a month hoping to convince someone to change this.^[32] Most of them took advantage of an offer to see the film at a nearby cinema, ArcLight Cinemas (formerly the "Cinerama Dome").^[33] On May 16, the Empire Cinema in London's Leicester Square hosted a day-long Star Wars marathon showing of all six films; an army of Imperial stormtroopers "guarded" the area, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gave a free concert of Star Wars music.^[34]

Leaked workprint

A copy of the movie leaked onto peer-to-peer file sharing networks just hours after opening in theaters. The movie was a time-stamped workprint, suggesting it may have come from within the industry rather than from someone who videotaped an advance screening.^[35] Eight people were later charged with copyright infringement and distributing material illegally. Documents filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney allege that a copy of the film was taken from an unnamed Californian post-production office by an employee, who later pleaded guilty to his charges.^[36] The illegal copy was passed among seven people until reaching an eighth party, who also pleaded guilty to uploading to an unnamed P2P network.^[37]
Shortly after the above-mentioned print was leaked, it was released in Shanghai as a bootleg DVD with Chinese subtitles. The unknown producer of this DVD, for unexplained reasons, also elected to include English subtitles, which were in fact translated back into English from the Chinese translation, rather than using the original English script. This translation was particularly inept, translating many characters literally and losing the meaning of words, leading to unintentional humor; the title of the movie, for example, was given as Star War — The third gathers — The Backstroke of the West. One error in translation that recurs several times in the film is that the phrase "it seems" (好象) was rendered as "good elephant". Jedi Council becomes Presbyterian Church. The mis-translation also caused the word "fuck" (a mis-translation of "work") to appear four times in the subtitles, and rendered Darth Vader's cry of "Noooooooo" (不要) as "Do not want."^[38][39] This last translation error would later be popularized as an internet meme.^[40]

Rating

Revenge of the Sith is the only Star Wars film to receive a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, officially for "sci-fi violence and some intense images", namely for the scene in which Darth Vader is set aflame by lava and molten rock. Some critics, including Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, later responded that children would be able to handle the film as long as they had parental guidance, hence a "PG rating".^[41] At the same time, Lucas had stated months before the MPAA's decision that he felt the film should receive a PG-13 rating, because of Anakin's final moments and the content of the film being the darkest and most intense of all six films.^[42] All previously released films in the series were rated PG. The PG-13 rating had not existed when the films in the original trilogy were released; however, the films in the original trilogy were later re-submitted to the MPAA due to changes in the re-released versions and once again received PG ratings. When Revenge of the Sith was released in Canada, it was given a PG rating in most provinces, excluding Quebec, where it was rated G. In the United Kingdom it received a 12A rating. In Australia the film was rated M for mature audiences (similar to PG-13).

Home video

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released on DVD on October 31, 2005 in the United Kingdom, on November 1, 2005 in the United States and Canada and on November 3, 2005 in Australia. It was also released in most major territories on or near the same day.^[43] The DVD was a two-disc set, with picture and sound mastered from the original digital source material. Unlike any other films directed by Lucas, Revenge of the Sith was released on DVD without any noticeable alterations from the film's original theatrical cut. The only alteration made was the change of a scene transition near the end, which involved the change from a wipe to a straight cut.

The DVD included a number of documentaries including a new full-length documentary as well as two featurettes, one which explores the prophecy of Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One, the other looking at the movie's stunts and a 15-part collection of web-documentaries from the official web site. Like the other DVD releases, included is an audio commentary track featuring Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll and Roger Guyett. Six deleted scenes were included with introductions from Lucas and McCallum. An Xbox game demo for Star Wars: Battlefront II along with a trailer for the Star Wars: Empire at War PC game was featured on the second disc.
Also, a special two-pack exclusive, sold only at Wal-Mart stores, included another bonus DVD, The Story of Star Wars.
This release is notable because, due to marketing issues, it was the first Star Wars film never to be released on VHS in the United States.^[44] However, the film was released on VHS in Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries in the world.^[45]
The DVD was re-released in a prequel trilogy box set on November 4, 2008.^[46]
The Star Wars films were released on Blu-ray Disc on September 16, 2011 in three different editions.^[47]

Reception

Critical reception

Critical reaction towards Revenge of the Sith was generally positive. Film review site Rotten Tomatoes calculated an approval rating of 80% based on 253 reviews, making it the highest-rated out of the prequel trilogy and the third highest-rated film of the entire Star Wars saga: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Return of the Jedi are rated 57%, 67%, and 79% respectively, while A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are rated 94% and 97% respectively. Some critics considered it the best of the prequels,^[49] while other reviewers judged it to be the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. A. O. Scott of The New York Times concluded that it was "the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed," and equal to The Empire Strikes Back as "the richest and most challenging movie in the cycle".^[49] In a 2007 summary of the 100 Best Science-Fiction Films on Rotten Tomatoes, Revenge of the Sith was placed 51 out of 100, making it the only prequel film in the Star Wars series to earn a ranking. Jonathan Rosenbaum, a critic who disliked A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, gave the film a positive review saying that it had a "relatively thoughtful story." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of four, writing "If [Lucas] got bogged down in solemnity and theory in "Episode II: Attack of the Clones", the Force is in a jollier mood this time, and "Revenge of the Sith" is a great entertainment."^[50]
Though many critics and fans saw it as one of the best of the series, or at least, the strongest of the three prequels, some saw it as more or less on par with The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.^[49]
Much of the criticism for the film was directed towards the dialogue, particularly the film's romantic scenes, and for Hayden Christensen's performance (which won him his second Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor). Critics and fans alike were quick to jump on such lines as "Hold me, Ani. Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo...where there was nothing but our love..."^[49] Critics have claimed this demonstrated Lucas' weakness as a writer of dialogue, a subject with which Lucas openly agreed when receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.^[51]
Some American conservatives criticized the film, claiming it has a liberal bias and is a commentary on the George W. Bush administration and the Iraq War. Some websites went so far as to propose a boycott of the film. Lucas defended the film, stating that the film's storyline was written during the Vietnam War and was influenced by that conflict rather than the war in Iraq. Lucas did note, however, that "The parallels between Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable".^[52]

Box office performance

Revenge of the Sith was released in 115 countries. Worldwide gross for the film eventually reached nearly $850 million—ranking making it the top film of 2005,^[53] The film earned an estimated $16.5 million from 2,900 midnight screenings in North America upon its release. In total, it earned a record $50 million on its opening day.^[54] It was surpassed the following year by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which earned $55.5 million on its opening day.^[55]
With only the May 19 earnings, the film broke four box office records: midnight screenings gross (previously held by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $8 million), opening day gross (Spider-Man 2, with $40.4 million), single day gross (Shrek 2 with $44.8 million) and Thursday gross (The Matrix Reloaded with $37.5 million).^[54] Its single day gross record and opening day gross record were later surpassed by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest on July 7, 2006, when that movie grossed $55.5 million on its opening day,^[55] and midnight screening gross was broken by The Dark Knight on July 18, 2008 with $18.5 million.^[56] It still retains its record for Thursday gross, however. According to box office analysis sites, Revenge of the Sith set American records for highest gross in a given number of days for each of its first 12 days of release except for the seventh and eighth, where the record is narrowly held by Spider-Man 2. On its fifth day it became the highest-grossing movie of 2005, surpassing Hitch ($177.6 million). The film earned $158.5 million in its first four-day period, surpassing the previous four-day record held by The Matrix Reloaded ($134.3 million), and joining Spider-Man, The Matrix Reloaded and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as the only movies to make $100 million in three days. In eight days, it reached the $200 million mark (record tied with Spider-Man 2) and by its 17th day, Sith had passed $300 million (surpassing the record of 18 days of Shrek 2). It was eventually the third-fastest film (after Shrek 2 and Spider-Man) to reach $350 million.^[1]
The film ended its run in American theaters on October 20, 2005,^[1] finishing with a total gross of $380,270,577. It ranks 16th in all-time domestic grosses and is the highest-grossing movie of 2005 in the U.S., outgrossing second-place The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by nearly $90 million.^[1]
International grosses that exceeded $10 million include Australia ($27.2 million), France and Algeria ($56.9 million), Germany ($47.3 million), Italy ($11.3 million), Japan ($82.7 million), Mexico ($15.3 million), South Korea ($10.3 million), Spain ($23.8 million), and the United Kingdom and Ireland ($72.8 million).^[57]

Awards and nominations

Despite being the best reviewed and received film in the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith received fewer award nominations than the previous films. It became the only Star Wars film not to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects; however, it was nominated for Best Makeup (Dave Elsey and Nikki Gooley), losing to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.^[58] It also won "Favorite Motion Picture" and "Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture" awards at the People's Choice Awards,^[59] "Hollywood Movie of the Year" award at the Hollywood Film Festival,^[60] Empire Awards (Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film),^[61] and the Teen Choice Awards (Action/Adventure Movie).^[62] It also was nominated for Best Score Soundtrack Album at the 48th Grammy Awards in 2006.
As every film of the original trilogy, the film won the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.^[63] Williams also won Best Music. The film was nominated for ten Saturn Awards overall, including Best Director and Best Writing for Lucas, Best Actor for Christensen, Best Actress for Natalie Portman and Best Supporting Actor for Ian McDiarmid
The film did, however, receive the fewest Golden Raspberry Awards nominations: only one, for Christensen as Worst Supporting Actor,^[64] which he won.^[65] (The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones received seven nominations each, with one and two wins, respectively.) It is the only Star Wars prequel not to receive a Razzie nomination for "Worst Picture". Christensen further won the "Best Villain" award at the MTV Movie Awards.^[66]


All Extracts Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_III:_Revenge_of_the_Sith

More Info: http://www.starwars.com/explore/the-movies/episode-iii/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/