Star Wars

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)

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THE PHANTOM MENACE MOVIE POSTER
THE PHANTOM MENACE, 1999
Movie Reviews

Directed by George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Lloyd
Review by Andrew Kosarko

SYNOPSIS:

The first of three prequels to George Lucas’s celebrated STAR WARS films, EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE is set some 30 years before the original STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE in the era of the Republic. Naboo, a peaceful planet governed by the young but wise Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), is being threatened by the corrupt Trade Federation, puppets of an evil Sith lord and his terrifying apprentice, Darth Maul (Ray Park). Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, performing an amazing vocal imitation of Alec Guinness, the older Obi-Wan) are called on to intervene in the trade disputes. Along the way, they acquire an apprentice of their own in the form of young prodigy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), or as STAR WARS fans know him, the future Darth Vader. They also encounter Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), a goofy, lizardlike creature who has been banished from his underwater world for clumsiness. When the Trade Federation launches an attack on Naboo, the queen and her allies must battle hordes of robot troopers while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan face off against the sinister Darth Maul. One of the most anticipated films of all time, THE PHANTOM MENACE sets the stage for the tumultuous events to come. Lucas fills the screen with detailed sci-fi creatures and locations, revealing the most creative and exquisite sets, costumes, and character designs to hit the screen since the original trilogy

REVIEW:

A Baaaaaa! Da da duhhhhhh…ba da duh da duh duh duhhhhh.. Bah bah baaah baaaah ba ba baaa baaaaaaa baaaaa. It was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Ever since George Lucas renamed the Original Trilogy (OT) years ago to have episode numbers, fans have been waiting on edge for the prequels to the biggest feature films of all time. There is no argument, nor comparison. Star Trek and Lord of the Rings can kiss my wookie. But sadly, this outing didn’t match fans expectations.

The Story:

The most repeated phrase for this review is going to be “hit or miss.” Simple as that. The story, jumps between awful moments that we don’t need, and spectacular moments that drop your jaw. The problem is that the former is the majority overall. Lucas has no box to be put in so it’s very much that vain indie film maker mentality of “I know how to do it better than the studio.” Which is very apparent in his commentary and bonus interviews. Most of the story is bogged down in details and that’s the problem overall. Yes, it’s nice to see someone selling alien snacks at a podracing event, but it’s not something we need to designate 5-7 seconds to in a stand alone shot. This, in small doses, is alright, but Lucas runs with it too far. Showing every nook and detail of the worlds he has us in with spot light shots (basically featuring just the detail alone) and not contributing anything to the overall story. These short details add up in time and slow the story down. Secondly, the story is paced way to slow. Many of the attempts to bring some life to it feel forced upon repeat viewings – most notably the Qui-gon VS Darth Maul on Tattooine battle. Lucas could have had a shorter film that was paced better if he hadn’t had 2 fish chase sequences back to back that both end the same exact way…I’m still trying to figure out why the hell we watch the same exact thing twice. If anyone knows, please feel free to drop me an email.

Acting:

Alright, here we go again with “hit or miss”. Neeson – hit. McGregor – hit. McDiarmid – Hit. Lloyd – Miss. Portman – Miss. Jackson – ….that one is a 50/50 for me. The biggest ball dropped is Jake Lloyd. I’m sorry – he’s a horrible child actor. The blame does fall to Lloyd’s ability, or lack thereof, and Lucas’ casting decisions here. What’s mind boggling is watching the bonus features and seeing the footage of the two boys it came down to for casting Anakin and Lucas picks Lloyd, who also sucks in the audition. The other boy is fantastic and from that screen test, in this reviewers opinion, would have made the film a lot stronger and more legitimate. Oh and then there’s Ray Park as Darth Maul – That my friends, was a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th in the championship game.

Directing:

Lucas sees these films as his tribute to the old sci fi serials. A vision that was disregarded by Mark Hamil, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher back in the days when he was a little known director. But over time, his reputation has been built off the franchise that he only wrote and directed one film of. Thus, I believe a lot of his direction is taken too close to heart by the actors. Namely, Portman and Jackson, whom I know are capable of a lot more.

Cinematography:

The last Star Wars film to be shot on 35mm. And it shows, in a good way I mean. I love the way 35 looks with this world. In such an epic and fantastical tale, it’s nice to see the grain of film that reminds the viewer of reality. Granted, there’s less control over the image but that’s one of the creative boxes Lucas couldn’t get out of yet. It also most likely diminished a lot of the stylized CGI worlds that were to come. Everything is beautifully lit and framed and there’s never a moment your eyes want to look away, unless of course it’s the back of your eyelids.

Production Design: When it’s actually there, it’s great. I’m a fan of minimal CGI and I enjoy seeing the craftsman ship employed on actual objects an applaud the “movie magic” of yesterday that earned that illusion of disbelief. It’s stylized, but still fits this world and shows early indications of what’s to come in later films. A nice luxury of making a prequel.

Editing: Here’s where they could have done a lot of fixing in terms of the scripts pacing. But it’s not. I feel like the editors, mainly Smith, were influenced by the omnipresence of George Lucas. The Podrace is 10 minutes long. That’s 4 minutes too long by my count. Do you know what you can get done in 4 minutes in a feature film? And again…the “always a bigger fish” twice….come on? Was it so boring in the editing room that everyone fell asleep at the Avid and forgot to extract that scene from the timeline?

Score: John Williams. Duh? Duel of fates sold that score alone. I don’t know if I’d say it tops the OT score, but it definitely defines the new trilogy as having a similar, yet original score of it’s own.

Special Effects: “Too much of a good thing.” I cannot speak ill about the accomplishments of the CGI, but I feel as though there’s way to much, even when there’s no need for it. It over stylizes the film and really takes the audience out of the emotional connection with the characters and the surroundings. I realize puppets and animatronics and real sets are hard to create and cost a lot of money, but if you’re a real artist, you understand that it’s a better pay off in the long run.

In closing: I like this movie. A lot. I hope my review doesn’t lean too much towards the negative side. It’s just not the same as I expected. Which is hard to justify because I’m a film maker and a fanboy of this series. I think as a collective group we all expected the following most of all –

1) An older Anakin right from the start – preferably with better acting.
2) Lucas, being notorious for one single line of directing on A New Hope, “Faster and more intense” would echo that again. Instead we got “Slower, and more subdued.”
3) No Jar Jar.
4) A bit more of darker story tones. I’m not talking The Dark Knight here, but sparing moments to foreshadow Anakin’s eventual turn to the dark side.
5) No Jar Jar.
6) More action. The film plays like a drama instead of an adventure. And the majority of the action is rarely justified. Michael Bay does a better job at explaining why some things blow up in his movie than a couple moments in this film.

Had these things been focused on more, I feel like would be obsessed with this movie and fans would have received it a lot better.

On to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones…..

….and no Jar Jar.

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Movie Review: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)

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RETURN OF THE JEDI, 1983
Movie Review
Directed by Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Sebastian Shaw, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Alec Guinness
Review by Andrew Kosarko

SYNOPSIS:

The third and final chapter in the wondrous STAR WARS saga is RETURN OF THE JEDI. Luke (Mark Hamill) must save Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the monstrous Jabba the Hut, and bring down the newly reconstructed–and even more powerful–Death Star. With Solo imprisoned, Luke accompanies his faithful droids R2D2 (Kenny Baker) and C3PO (Anthony Daniels) in a rescue bid, with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) also lending a hand. After they valiantly disentangle their friends from Jabba’s clutches, Luke returns to his Jedi Knight training with Yoda. Meanwhile, the Rebel Troops amass in an attempt to see off the impending threat from Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones) and his new Death Star, with the operation being lead by Han Solo. But Luke must face Vader himself if he is to become a true Jedi Knight, and as he enters into a spirited battle with his light saber-wielding enemy, some surprising revelations await the young warrior.

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REVIEW:

The always say, save the best for last, and while and I can openly admit that I prefer the New Hope trench run to the “Trap of Death Star II” and the training of Luke to the siege of Endor….Return of the Jedi does, in fact, have the greatest ending of them all with the climactic battle between two sith and a lone jedi. The “filler” up to that just doesn’t add up to it the way it should.

The Story: So, as stated above, the problem lies within taking down the shield generator for the newest Death Star. While an important plot point it is, we get very mislead within the “walking around the forest aimlessly” stuff. The ewoks, while very ‘cute’ to the female audience and quotable to the fanboys, are really quite un-interesting in this reviewers opinion. Upon repeat viewings, you just want to skip over the Jabba stuff or the whole deal with Endor and get right into the Luke/Vader stuff. We have gone through 2 whole movies setting this up and it only goes down in the last ¼ of the movie. In my opinion, there was enough to subject matter to last ¾ of the movie to have Luke and Vader going at it. There is no more of the Vader attempting to convert Luke to help him overthrow the empire. Apparently after telling Luke that he’s his father, Darth Vader figured that wonderful piece of information wouldn’t change Luke’s mind in the slightest to turning to the Dark Side with him. No imaginative tricks or tests are done by Vader to lure Luke away. Instead we have tribal celebration ceremonies by Care Bears. It’s only when Luke comes to face the Emperor, the run-a-way role of the movie, that things really start to get interesting.

Acting: For the most part, it’s the same old same from all the actors. Although, Han Solo isn’t as gruff and pirate-y as he has been in the past. He’s been well, domesticated in a sense. It’s been said in Empire of Dreams that Ford believed Solo should have been killed off, and it really shows in his performance that he doesn’t care much to be there. The newest and really, only main editions are Ian McDiarmid and Warwick Davis as the Emperor and Wicket the Ewok respectively. McDiarmid does a great job making the Emperor the epitome of evil. He’s creepy, malicious and powerful. Davis does some method acting for Wickett. He studied his dog’s mannerisms to show emotion through the mask and act like an animal. Turning his head in various motions to display emotions. Excellent acting for the two newest entries.

Directing:   Richard Marquand does an ok job. But there’s a lack of interest in almost every scene. The breath of emotions are just lacking. The only time you really get emotionally captured into the film, is, the end. Now whether it be the writing or the directing or the acting or the placement of those scenes in the shooting schedule, something rattled that production to make an amazing climax to the best trilogy of films of all time. I lean towards the writing and the idea of adding filler prior to it. I’d have been much more apt to seeing a battle between Luke and Vader/Emperor go for 2 hours. Or even have that occur early in the film and the remainder of how the galaxy is rebuilt. Any way you look at it, the director is the sole responsible factor for it all.

Cinematography: Very gritty and realistic. Now while I don’t love the fake CGI worlds of the prequels, Star Wars, in my opinion, requires a scent of imagination to it. Something otherworldly. Somehow, the world of Endor just doesn’t cut it for me. The cinematography is just boring to look at. As is Tattooine. The Death Star, however, is the strongest of all with strong colors and contrast with dark lighting to set the mood. Production Design: As listed above, the worldly stuff is very bland and “meh.” I understand the concepts of the worldly stuff being very primitive and the Empire being technology based. But I am not intrigued with the primitive world unless you provide a focus on it that makes it imaginative and fresh. This production design lacks it.

Editing: Again, lacks any real focus up until the final confrontation. The parallel action that takes place is the best way to have several climaxes going on at once is the best way to tell the story. Cutting out lackluster action and keeping the audience guessing was the best way to go.

Score: John Williams. Any questions?

Special Effects: The best of the un-Special Editions. Special effects can only get better as time goes on. And while the 80’s isn’t well known for having the greatest special effects of all time, Lucasfilm does one of it’s greatest final visual effects jobs with using real ships and green screens to create realistic, yet imaginative, battle sequences.

In closing: Return of the Jedi, on first viewing, is a great film and a grand finale to the Star Wars trilogy. However, unlike it’s predecessors, is a bit lackluster on follow up screenings. You just want to fast forward to the end and the rest is just filler. Filler that doesn’t even hold your attention or have great scenes of interest. Sadly, this will be the last Star Wars film that people really can enjoy the lack of overdone special effects. On a final “happy note,” the film provides one of the greatest and repeated lines of all time, almost as much as “I am your father,” ………….It’s a trap!

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Movie Review: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

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THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, 1980
Movie Review
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing
Review by Andrew Kosarko

SYNOPSIS:

THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK continues creator George Lucas’s epic saga where STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE left off. The Rebel Forces–which include young adventurer Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), rogue pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and the beautiful but seemingly humorless Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)–have been successful in destroying the Evil Empire’s Death Star. However, the Empire’s top commander, the terrifying Lord Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), is scanning the galaxy for the Rebels’ secret location. After a visually stunning showdown on the ice planet Hoth, the Rebels are forced to flee, and Luke separates from Han and Leia. Masterful storytelling weaves multiple, archetypal plotlines that pit Vader against Han and Leia as he desperately attempts to capture Luke for political–and, secretly, personal–reasons. Luke, meanwhile, finds himself under the tutelage of the tiny but powerful old Jedi Master Yoda, who teaches him the ways of the Force and warns the impatient but talented student against the threat of the Dark Side.

REVIEW:

The movie that redefined sequels, franchises and “dark” movies in general. This movie changed the way we see and make films. It is complex and fun. It’s dark and emotionally tearing. It’s innovate, fresh and original, yet still loyal to the archetypes of old. It’s also proof that other people do a better job filming George Lucas’ ideas than Mr. Lucas himself.

The Story: What can I say? The movie has a narrative outline that has you guessing from the start. Until this point, sequels (sans Godfather pt. 2) really just followed the same outline as the first installment, with writers playing Mad Libs in their creation. This film takes place shortly after a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Our characters have moved on a bit from when we last left them so we’re already hooked to catch up with them before they take off for their newest arcs. Luke is kicking ass as the leader of the rebels, Han Solo is sticking around to do what he feels is right, and Leia is keeping her mouth shut about something.

After the end of A New Hope………who the hell saw all that coming? Well, don’t worry, cuz we’re running past that right away. Han decides he’s gonna blow town and get Jabba off his back so he can….well we never do find out where he’d go after that. I, personally, always believed that he just did that little song and dance to get Leia to out herself and her feelings for him. Space pirates need lovin too. And our boy Luke? Well, when he’s not being used as a pawn in Han and Leia’s love games (which is really sick if you think about it), he’s right back to disobeying his mentors. In this case, the amazing Yoda. And no kiddies, this was before talking in backwards fragments was cool. Obi Wan is ghosting around on occasion, but the real haunting presence comes from Darth Vader, looking for the young rebel who screwed up their plans in the first movie, seeking his revenge. Err….so we think.

Then we find out that Vader is actually after him to try and give him a sales pitch to join the bad guy club. Uh…wait…nope, we’re wrong again. And then we get hit with the biggest and greatest twist in movie history (The 6th sense can kiss Empire’s ass). Oh, and did a mention we get Billy Dee Williams as a Diet Han Solo? Well…..when you have someone as badass as Billy Dee in a side role, you gotta water him down so not to steal the sun from Harrison. All that leads to a culmination of ends for all the characters. You never guess how Luke will end his training, how Han pays his debt to Jabba, Darth’s sales pitch to Luke. All the stories going on are incredibly impossible to predict, which, in my opinion, is what makes a great movie. In this case, one of the absolute undisputed BEST of all time.

Acting: Everyone really steps up here. Maybe it’s because Kershner gave them something past “Faster and more intense.” Hamill is able to play the whiney and emotional character that Hayden Christianson wishes he could have been allowed to hit. Harrison Ford really understands what Han Solo is all about. Not that he didn’t in the first, but you can just really feel the pirate badass in him this go around. Carrie Fisher does a fantastic job as well. For once I have a female lead who is a badass fighter…..and it doesn’t feel forced or “in the movie to have an independent woman.” She’s not trying to be any of those, she just is. Which is what makes her the best female heroin I believe I’ve ever seen. Her emotions are real, she’s still a woman, but still holds a sense of reason and accountability.Directing: Irvin Kershner is my hero. Character directing is what I love the most, favoring it over plot directing. Kershner knows how to blend the characterization with the plot and doesn’t over do it the way Lucas does in the prequels. The story moves through them and we actually care about the characters in a way we never thought we could. We really feel like we’re in it with them and at the end of the first time you see this movie, you’re pretty flabbergasted at what the hell just happened. The mark of great directing if you ask me.

Cinematography: Well done for what it was. I know that filming in snow is a ridiculous and very ambitious job, but I love them for it. The sets of Hoth are beautifully photographed and really open up the worlds. It doesn’t feel like we’re in the arctic. We’re on another world. And that all subtlety comes through the way it’s shot.

Production Design: Once again, excellent. This is before George Lucas was able to go CGI crazy on the film and take the realism out of them.

Editing: Bar far, absolutely great. The dogfights, the chases, the lightsaber duel. All of the above are just so well handled and paced. The movie never really lags sans a couple bits with C3PO, but it flows very well. It’s in, tells ya what you need to know and makes you feel what you need, and then moves on.

Score: John Williams is film composer God. Need I say anymore?

Special Effects: Impressive. Most impressive. A step up from the original, the colors of the lightsabers are better maintained this go around. The Imperial walkers are very realistic, as are the speeders and other ships within the film. All well designed and shot.

In closing: “In every great story, you know that when you launch into the second act, everything goes to hell. And that’s usually the best part of any story.” That’s a loosely paraphrased quote from Lawrence Kasdan, one of the producers, during Empire of Dreams. I live my screenwriting life off that quote because it’s so true. It’s very much echoed in the superhero films of modern day – because they’re franchises. Spider-man 2, Superman II, The Dark Knight and no doubt countless more to come. There’s a great quote from Spider-man in which the Green Goblin explains to Peter, “The one thing people love more than a hero is to see a hero fail. Fall. Die trying.” The epitome of drama is in the fall from heaven and this movie makes you realize how hard you can fall. George Lucas is a master architect of story plot, just not always the best person to tell them. The Empire Strikes Back is a sci-fi epic tragedy that connects us closer to the characters that we thought were just “really cool” at one point. But now we hate them, love them, feel for them. Because of this movie, we’re in it with them. We’re ready to embrace our destinies and do what needs to be done in the next go around……

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Movie Review: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

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STAR WARS, 1977
Movie Review
Directed by George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
Review by Andrew Kosarko

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SYNOPSIS:

As the adventure begins, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), an impulsive but goodhearted young man who lives on the dusty planet of Tatooine with his aunt and uncle, longs for the exciting life of a Rebel soldier. The Rebels, led by the headstrong Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), are fighting against the evil Empire, which has set about destroying planets inhabited by innocent citizens with the Death Star, a fearsome planetlike craft commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and the eternally frightful Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones). When Luke’s aunt and uncle are murdered by the Empire’s imperial stormtroopers and he mysteriously finds a distress message from Princess Leia in one of his androids, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), he must set out to find Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), a mysterious old hermit with incredible powers. On his journey, Luke is aided by the roguish, sarcastic mercenary Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his towering furry sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as they run into a host of perilous situations while trying to rescue the princess–and the entire galaxy.

REVIEW:

A long time ago, in a Hollywood far, far away…..George Lucas was an innovative film maker. Well, I’m a little shocked. I can’t believe this film series has been reviewed yet. So I’m doing it before anyone else beats me to the punch. I also think it’s kind of interesting seeing as I’m one of the few people to “review the first Star Wars Film” after the prequels have come out. So lets get into it, shall we?

The Story: The perfect depiction of “the heroes’ journey.” Anyone who has an interest in storytelling should study this film along with the ideals of the Heroes’ Journey. The structure is perfect. There’s never a boring moment, the story is always pushing forward and revealing more and more about our characters. Those characters are also, near perfect with defining attributes that you would never question their purpose of involvement. Luke Skywalker is at the start of his journey under the guidance of Obi-wan Kenobi. Accompanied by our outside eyes and ears, the druids of C3PO and R2D2, they join forced with the rugged pirate Han Solo and his furry side kick, Chewbacca. Not only does Lucas have excellent stories to tell, but he tells it in a masterful of ways. Chewbacca never speaks a word of English, nor has subtitles and yet we understand everything he’s saying by others’ retorts. Same with R2D2. Obi-wan is wise and mysterious, teaching without teaching. Han Solo, well, one of my favorite words in my reviews is “badass.” And there is no other word that can describe him. And last but not least, we have our strong heroin who is just as tough, if not stronger, than her farm boy brother. The real strength in this film is the story. Luke progresses from farm boy, to new adventurer to growing hero, to a savior of the rebellion. And of course, no one can forget the greatest villain of all time, Darth Vader. It just doesn’t get more evil and sinister than him.

Acting: In the documentary, “Empire of Dreams” which I would suggest to anyone after they’ve seen the Original Trilogy, Carrie Fisher speaks of George Lucas’ dialogue; “You can write this stuff but you can’t speak it.” Which is why the acting is so extraordinary in this film. It’s the same dialogue in the new prequels, but notice how it’s not hard to listen to when Luke or Leia speak it, opposed to Hayden Christianson.

Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker – Now, Star Wars, in a sense, is “before my time.” I know absolutely nothing of Mark Hamill’s early work. All I know is he did a Christmas episode with the muppets and later went on to portray the voice of the Joker on Batman the animated series. Nevertheless, Hamill is the perfect casting for the young farm boy with a heart of gold and the naïve courage to march into a detention center.

Carrie Fisher / Princess Leia Organa – Now I wasn’t around during the feminist era, but I’m sure this was a product or lightning rod of it. Fisher plays the role strong and intelligent. She’s a damsel in distress, but she fights back instead of waiting for the hero to come save her. She is the personification of the Rebellion.

Harrison Ford / Han Solo – I know this role has lead to so many other things for Ford, but I don’t think he’s had a better role. Blade Runner comes close, but still. Han Solo is his defining role. He’s smart, charming, clever, bold, head strong and selfish. I can’t think of a more enjoyable role to play without being a bad guy.

Alec Guinness / Obi Wan Kenobi – The man delivers every line like it’s Shakespeare, and it was just what was needed seeing as these films are the closest we’ve gotten since Billy-Bob Shakespeare put his pen down. Guinness is strikes us as honorable, wise and trustworthy from the second he shows up. Although, to this day I still wonder how he made that weird ass whistling noise to scare off the sand people.

Directing: “Faster and more intense” was Lucas’ main direction to his cast. Which I wish he could have resurrected that phrase when directing the slow prequels. He’s at his best here with the limitations that he had to deal with. This was hard, dirty, gritty rough hands work. Which is one of the strengths of the film. It’s realism in it’s production design and even in the visual and special effects. Lucas did the best he could with what he had.

Cinematography: Old school 70’s cinematography. While there isn’t any really ground breaking shots or techniques in the realistic shots, it’s still well covered.

Production Design: Very strong. It’s futuristic, er, well, in this case, historic. Well, it’s far more advanced than what we ever, at the time of it’s release, thought possible. Or even dreamed. Yet it has a slightly gritty look to it. Not a Bladerunner look per say, but still, not sterile either. It really helps establish the world(s) that we’re playing in as believable.

Editing: For the most part it’s sufficient for what it does. I still don’t know how the shot of the storm trooper bumping his head on the door when they bust in and find C3PO and R2D2 was left in, but ok, whatever. Where I do have to give it some credit is covering the lightsaber duel between Vader and Kenobi. Guinness being his age and only instructed in proper swordsman ship was limited in what he could do (Check out some of the special features and the footage from it all). The edit makes it look like he still has some fight in him.

STAR WARS IMAGESScore: One of the truly remarkable aspects of the entire film. It lifts the material from the scale of amazing to epic. John Williams hit two big scores (no pun intended) in this era with both Star Wars and Jaws. He establishes himself as one who doesn’t resort to gimmicks and remains with the classical approach to music writing, while keeping in tune with the emotional context of the story.

Special Effects: Now this is what’s groundbreaking. There’s a great collaboration between the production team and the visual effects team. The ships combined with the green screens and compilations of layers create some of the most realistic and invigorating elements in the film. The shots and editing can’t really be complimented, seeing as most of them are ripped off from old stock footage of dog fights.

In closing: The beginning of great film making starts here, and ends in the same place. George Lucas both created the most amazing aspects of the film world and then bastardized them by abusing them too much. Letting them spew out into other films and basically demolishing the “aww factor” in movies. The work done in this film was earned and hard done. Lately the cinema business has become lazy and cheaper with the same mind set. Sadly, it takes all the fun out of the movies. Regardless of it’s lasting effects in movies, this film still stands the test of time. It’s engaging, entertaining, interesting and fun. And it’s got a little bit, ok, a LOT of moral lesson whipped into it. But it’s neither preachy nor too subtle. Star Wars is the movie of our century. It still effects film making today, and will remain to for many years to come.

 

 

 

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