Star
Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
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Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
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Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar
Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The JediStar
Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star
Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
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Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star
Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI: The Special Editions
Star Wars:
Episodes IV-VI: The Very Special Editions
Star Wars. For many of Sven's and my generation,
seeing the various Star Wars movies for the first time was one
of the formative experiences of our lives. I remember very clearly
my mother taking me to see Star Wars in the theater's for the
first time (I was three), and making my dad take me three times
in one weekend. I remember riding in the back of my friend's station
wagon after The Empire Strikes Back and arguing about whether
Vader was really Luke's father the entire ride home. Then
the interminable three years to Return of the Jedi, where my parents
stood in line six hours to get tickets for me at Denver's Continental
Theater (two weeks after opening day!), and then we stood in line
for another three to get seats.
Star Wars holds a special place in many of our hearts, and, love it or hate it, it certainly had a massive effect on the movie-making industry as we know it today. In a cynical generation without myths and lacking in legends, Star Wars grew into something more than just a movie - a sort of visual Illiad, an optimistic parable in which Good really can defeat Evil, where righteousness is a power in and of itself, and where they had really cool laser-swords. (Many a concussion can be attributed to various attempts to use our instincts to deflect baseballs with sticks and various battles with plastic Lightsabers. Between the Lightsaber and using frisbees to simulate the discs from Tron, it's a miracle I made it out of my childhood.)
So in some ways, it is unsurprising to me that there have been so many mixed reactions to the new film. How can a mere movie live up to the legend that was Star Wars? Now, Sven and I - masters of media, regents of review, lords of the dance - will do the impossible: turn a critical eye toward the Star Wars series. Kids, don't try this at home...
I used to overlook
this movie a little bit, in the same way that I overlook oxygen.
I took Star Wars for granted and reserved my emotion for Empire
(good) and Jedi (bad). However, I have slowly come to the conclusion
that this movie is truly great, a wonderfully done fantasy/sci-fi
story. Really, it is only sci-fi because they have laser guns
and space ships. In every substantive way, this is a classic fantasy
tale and a well-done one at that.
Frankly, this movie, cheesy as part of it are, still makes me emotional. The climax of this movie makes me want to cheer. I can't think of any other movie that can do that.
This is, in many ways, the hardest to review.
Star Wars started it all, and upon its release, to borrow the
cheesy quote, 'captured the hearts of a generation'. The quote
is pretty accurate, though. There are many good and bad things
to say about Star Wars, but the most siginificant is that very
few pieces of media before or since have had such a profound effect
on such a large group of people.
Star Wars is an enigma. The acting and directing aren't always all that great, and it certainly has its campy lines and cheesy moments. And yet somehow all of that combines into a whole that is much more than the sum of its parts. It is fun and grand and still, twenty-two years later, can take my breath away in parts. It is in some ways a lesser movie than its successor, Empire, but we can't forget that it was this movie that first took us to A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away and made us believe we were really there.
The Empire Strikes Back is, without a doubt
in my mind, the best of the Star Wars movies, and is likely to
remain so even after the completion of the series. A fair amount
of that greatness I think must be attributed to Irvin Kershner,
the director. While Lucas provided the epic story, the cliffhanger
of all cliffhangers that made us all fanatical to get to Jedi
and see the resolution, it was Kershner as director who gave this
film its dark polish, its brooding feel, and helped form it into
such a grand drama. In addition to being the greatest Star Wars
movie, Empire is simply a great movie, regardless of genre.
This has long
been my favorite, for several reasons. First, all the scenes on
Hoth are simply cool as shit. Second, the supreme revelation of
Darth as Luke's dad. Third, the appearance of Yoda. Fourth, the
bad guys win (how many movies ever can you say that about?).
Recently I have begun to think Star Wars is closer to Empire than
it used to be, but Empire is still number one.
This movie
contains what is, in my opinion, the best space battle to ever
appear in a movie. However, the movie is a sell-out. A second
Death Star? Give me a break. And what sort of asshole takes the
best pilot in the fleet and puts him in command of a ground commando
squadron?
Granted, the climactic confrontation between Luke, Darth Vader, and the Emperor is well done, and the space battle rocks. But overall I felt the story was weak (that is it for Yoda?) and cluttered with crap like Ewoks.
Ah, Jedi. On the one hand, it gave us the
revelation of Luke and Leia's relationship and one of the coolest
space battles in the history of science fiction. On the other
hand, it gave us the Ewoks. Jedi tends to make people froth at
the mouth one way or the other, with the argument of its merits
even making its way onto the screen into Kevin Smith's Clerks.
To be honest, my biggest complaints about Jedi have nothing to do with the Ewoks (OK, that's not entirely true: if the final battle had been with Wookies as it was originally supposed to be, we probably wouldn't be having this debate...). I just find that Jedi is neither as original as Star Wars, nor is it as tight and well-directed as Empire, and it also steals liberally from the first two. With the exception of the rescue of Han at the beginning (which is probably the best part of the movie for me), much of the basic plot of the movie we have already seen in the other two. It's still good, because it does take the best elements and in some ways makes them more spectacular, but its lack of originality forever dooms it to be the inferior movie.
On the whole, I have to say that the Special
Editions are pretty much a wash. With both Star Wars and Empire,
there were things I liked combined with things I hated, and the
changes to Jedi are unmemorable enough that, well, I pretty much
can't remember them.
In Star Wars, I loved the expansion of Mos Eisley, the additions to the battle at the end, and the inclusion of the scene with Biggs and Luke towards the end, since it makes Biggs death much more significant. I disliked the Han-Jabba scene primarily because Jabba just didn't look right to me (he was too small) and I absolutely detested the "Greedo shooting first" addition. Even I could hit Han at that range, probably with my eyes closed. In Empire, I liked the new Cloud City and the expanded scenes of Vader's brooding at the end, thought the addition of the Wampa was cool but didn't bring much to the film, and once again detested the addition of Luke's scream as he falls down the shaft rather than go with Vader - it detracts from the sense of Luke's total inner peace at that moment. He would rather die than become what Vader has become. And again, other than the updated stuff at the end of Jedi (which I liked), I really don't remember much of consequence being changed. So while the Special Editions were fun, and I'm glad they were made, I don't think they add much to the original movies.
I have no overwhelming
opinion of the special editions. A few changes were good, some
were very annoying. Not much more to say.
(WARNING - SPOILERS MAY LIE AHEAD)
Every time
I think about this movie I want to lower my rating. The good was
good and the movie was fun, but the bad things were awful and
the sort of things that weigh heavier and heavier on one's mind
as time passes. Basically I am just frustrated with Lucas right
now - everything he did right was consistent with the first three.
Everything he did wrong (basically) was when he tried new things,
like adding a cute kiddie character (a mistake already made in
Jedi), trying to use accents to distinguish races, and trying
to explain the Force. This last is particularly galling because
Lucas wasn't expanding on the first three; he has changed the
whole mythology and in a way that I find offensive. I'll see the
next one of course, but frankly the last twohave been pretty mediocre
movies.
Good:
Jedi - Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were awesome. The characters were great and the acting was terrific. The subtle definition of the powers and attitudes of the Jedi was true to the mythos defined by Alec Guiness' portrayal of Obi-wan in Star Wars.
Story - Slow, but not the total sell-out I honestly expected. It felt like an introductory chapter, as it was supposed to. Elements like Senator Palpatine's actions were not done in a heavy-handed, overbearing manner.
Visuals - We expect a lot from Lucas and he didn't dissappoint.
Bad:
Ethnic accents - The use of identifiable ethnic accents for alien races was offensive and added nothing. Since I saw the movie I have encountered the wide-ranging discussion on this point. Like my reaction to special effects, I do not care how or why it was done. I only judge the result, and the result adds nothing to the story and leaves many people feeling cold. I believe it it especially bad for new people, who aren't fanatics, to leave with the ethnic accents as the most striking thing in their minds.
Pseudo science - The pseudo-biological explanation for the Force was unnecessary and detracted from the story. I prefer my mysticism pure. I don't feel the need to talk more about this because David Brin already has.
Jar Jar - an irritant.
This is about my fifth attempt at a review
for this movie. Of the two of us, I am probably more the drooling
Star Wars fanatic (although I pale in comparison to our friends
Steve and Jason,
who own pretty much every Star Wars toy known to man), and knew
a lot about the film beforehand (although I was surprised at how
little I really knew once I saw it).
My first viewing was something of a religious experience. I litterally lost it in the middle of the movie and just started shaking, although this was probably due as much to three hours of sleep and too much caffeine as to just the movie itself. In subsequent viewings, however, I was able to come up with a more coherent opinion.
I think a lot of how you feel about this movie depends upon your expectations and how realistic your views of the original films were. If you're going with the expectation that the secret of the universe will be spelled out, and that you will suddenly understand how to wield the force and construct a lightsaber of your own, you're going to be dissapointed. If you go with the expectation that the original movies were better than 'Casablanca' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'Blade Runner' and 'Citizen Kane' all rolled into one, you'll be dissapointed.
If you are going realizing that the original movies were great for their simplicity and how much they transported you away, and you go in expecting to have a blast, you'll probably enjoy the hell out of this movie.
This is, through and through, a Star Wars movie. And, as our friend Rob puts it, Star Wars is one half space opera, one half muppets, and this one is no different. It has great pieces for adults, and one of the coolest melee combat scenes of any kind of all time, but is still, in some ways, a kids movie. It is somewhat reminiscent of Looney Toons cartoons - great for kids, but there are parts that you will love as an adult, and no kid would ever understand.
Which is just fine with me. I don't know about you, but one of the things that I love about the original series is that every time I watch it, I feel like I'm ten years old again. One of the things that I hoped for from The Phantom Menace was that it would engender that feeling in me once again. It did. When I walked out of that movie, I wanted nothing more than to go buy the plastic lightsabers and beat on my friends for a while. I found myself making lightsaber noises and swinging a baseball bat around, and got all giggly when I thought about seeing it again.
On a more rational level, there are many things I liked about this one, and a few things I wasn't so keen on. The acting was excellent all around, I thought, in particular Ewan McGregor stood out as the young Obi-Wan, and I can't wait to see more of him. Visually it was outstanding, and the Pod Race and the final duel were beyond amazing. Feelings on Jar Jar Binks are extremely mixed, but I happened to like him. I agree with Sven in that I wasn't so keen on the Star-Trek-y explanation of the Midichlorians, nor the whole virgin birth. It is also apparent that this is an introductory film, and has to move fast to set up a lot later on.
On the whole though, I find that I enjoyed this film as much as the first three. Not as great as Empire, but better than Jedi, it certainly leaves me wanting more, and dreading the three year wait for Episode II.
For another
perspective, check out David Brin's comments
on Salon. Salon also ran an interesting interview
with Irvin Kershner, the director of The Empire Strikes Back.
Another friend (Steve's friend Aaron), came up with something that was so humorous that we had to share it. Now that Lucas has come out with the Special Editions, we think it is time for the Very Special Edition - the version of Star Wars which has a Dewback in every scene. Just imagine:
- The Tie Fighters come flying at you in Jedi, and their, crammed into the cockpit of each tie fighter, looking menacing, a large green Dewback. "WRREAAAAANNNHHH..."
- Luke hangs in the ice cavern on Hoth. He looks to one side and sees the Wampa, he looks to the other and sees a Dewback hanging next to him. "WRREAAAANNHHH..."
- Leia: I wonder who they got to pull that off?
Dewback (shrugging): WRREEEAAANNNHHH.
And one final bit of humor. Steve told us this story, and I thought it was hilarious, so here is my best attempt to paraphrase it. Basically, he was driving through Iowa and heard the telltale voice of Darth Vader come on the radio, telling everyone that he would be at some Tire store this Sunday from noon to five. The commercial finished with the sound of the menacing breathing of the Dark Lord of the Sith, and the dramatic line:
"And I'll have balloons..."
