star wars movie review

Movie Review: STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005)

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REVENGE OF THE SITH MOVIE POSTER
REVENGE OF THE SITH, 2005
Movie Reviews

Directed by George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz
Review by Andrew Kosarko

SYNOPSIS:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. Sometime during Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker will make a fateful decision. Faced with a choice between losing the one he loves or giving up his soul to gain the power to save her, Anakin will fall prey to the seductive temptations of the dark side of the Force. Just what Anakin’s decision is, why he makes it and how it leads him to don a frightening suit of black armor have been the stuff of Star Wars legend.

One word: Finally. And even that is pushing it.

REVIEW:

The Story:

Finally, Lucas pushes the “Go” button that he’s been afraid to hit for the past 2 movies. And even so, he waits until halfway through this movie to hit it. The story is so much more focused than the other two prequels and really provides a dynomite character piece that overpowers the CGI and the action. This here, is the good stuff. We finally will get to see how it all goes down, and here folks, is where the mystery truly lies. We finally see the Jedi annihilated, but sadly, mostly from the hand of the Emperor and not Darth Vader. But don’t let that phase you, Darth Vader does murder children in this film. Yeah…as sick and depraved, this is what I have been waiting for. For once in the prequel trilogy I was emotionally captured throughout everything happening in the film. I recall seeing the film for the first time at midnight, watching the death of Mace Windu and thinking to myself “Oh man…this sucks.” Anakin finally embraces his selfish wants to save the galaxy and his woman by his own hands and we understand why and we can justify everything he does through his eyes. We needed not the filler of yester-film, just to know the man was in love and that he would do anything to save it. We also get a great story of a teacher who feels immense regret for his actions and his own selfish promises that have come to a great cost to his world. We see an evil dictator rise to power and the groups who realize they unknowingly helping it come to fruition. Basically, the story works great for mystery, betrayal and epic action.

Acting:

Alright, here’s where I get defensive mode. It’s not Hayden’s fault for his performance. At first, I was like most and thought Lucas had hired the wrong man for the job. But once I got my hand on the DVD for this puppy, my view point changed. Watch some of the bonus features and see some alternate takes of Hayden performing. The man blows the roof off the house. And then watch as Lucas interrupts the take and asks him to change the performance to what we get in the final film. Sadly for Christensen, when George Lucas tells you to do something, you do it. Veteran actors like McGregor, Jackson, McDiarmid must have picked up on this way back in Episode 1 and figured out they were really on their own in terms of their performance. Even Portman steps it up in this film and impressed me. But of all the players, Christensen was the only one on his second outing. I don’t blame him for the faults in his portrayal of Anakin and even at it’s worse, it’s still somewhat tolerable.

Ewan rocks the house. I mean it. This is the Obi-wan we were all waiting for. It’s almost like he mixed a little of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo into his Obi-wan. But the detail is in the subtleties that really shows his ability. Watch the following shot after the end of the lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-wan. Anakin lays on the bank in pain and the first instinct of Obi-wan is to go and help his fallen brother. But he can’t. He stops himself. THAT, to me is absolutely phenomenal. I love it. Obi wan is a man driven in this film, which is what makes him most interesting. Just as Anakin becomes Darth Vader in this film, Obi-wan becomes the Obi-wan we’ve all been waiting for. He’s wise and understanding of the mistakes he’s made and out to fix them. Meanwhile, all trying to save his best friend. I mean come on, it just doesn’t get any more interesting than that if you ask me.

Lastly, I’d like to mention Ian McDiarmid. The dude steals every scene that he’s in. It’s not so subtle that he’s the one pulling the strings behind everything so they just run with it. It’s not revealed to us the audience until it’s revealed to the characters and that’s what makes it fun. We know it, but we’re not completely assured there’s a twist coming on it or not. Which is what makes it so rewarding that we can say “Yes! I knew it was him.” Even though most of us knew it from Episode 1 haha. But in all seriousness, the man goes from vile and mysterious to straight up evil and intimidating. A great arc is clearly seen in this film as he takes over the galaxy. So much, that this is more his movie than anyone else’s.

Directing:

Lucas gets everything right this go around. Yes the CGI is still heavily there, but there’s so much great story going on and great character development that we don’t mind it. It only adds to the story the way we hope. That’s what we needed in the other films. My only complaint is that he was so influential on Christensen’s performance that it hurts the film overall from most of everyone else’s opinions. That and making the cyborg Vader scream out like a little punk bitch at the reveal of his wife’s death. There, I said it.

Cinematography:

Stunning and original. This is when the HD 24p cameras were really working at full capacity. The film looks flawless. It really does capture a great crisp look that almost makes all of the CGI work better along with it so that it helps to suspend disbelief. Sad only because it’s the last film that will have it for Star Wars….at least until Star wars 7,8 and 9 come out.

Production Design:

Was there any? Aside from a few sets, everything is CGI. Most of the production design goes into costuming and set design, and even those are CGI influenced. As much as I praised the work above, I still favor actual objects when they can be there. But that’s just me.

Editing:

Great, there’s never a side step the entire film. I’m captured in every moment and never find myself bored. The pacing is on and while it takes a little while for the story to reach the point we’re all waiting for, we still aren’t looking at our watches. It gets there like clockwork and flows nicely. Again, shame it only took them 3 movies to figure it out.

Score:

John Williams jumps back to the level of great scores that he had in A New Hope. This film has it all. A perfect 50/50 blend of the old and new films to bridge the gap. There’s exciting new music that still channels the spirit of the original trilogy and gives us an emotional backbone to support some of the great battle scenes – most notably “Battle of the Heroes” between Obi-wan and Anakin. Simply powerful.

Special Effects:

The movie is 75% CGI. Literally. While still, in my opinion, over stylized, the film’s story keeps the CGI from overpowering the image and removing our attention from the events at hand. Some of the work is very impressive, while other parts are very obvious CGI that got less attention and is needing heavy work. Massive props have to be given to the work on Yoda however. While it’s not perfect, it’s damn close to it. I was very impressed with how close to life like it looked.

In closing:

Revenge of the Sith delivers. It’s not how any of us would have done it, but it is indeed George Lucas’ baby. It’s not perfect, but it works greatly. It’s one of those darts that get’s so close to the bulls eye that your friends are like “alright, I’ll give you that one.”

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Movie Review: Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002)

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ATTACK OF THE CLONES MOVIE POSTER
ATTACK OF THE CLONES, 2002
Movie Reviews

Directed by George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels
Review by Andrew Kosarko

SYNOPSIS:

In the second installment of the Star Wars series, EPISODE II–ATTACK OF THE CLONES, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now a teenage Jedi apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Together they must protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) from a militant group of political activists that is trying to assassinate her. This group is led by the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Among other troubles, Anakin faces some hard choices as he begins to fall for Padme, knowing this love is forbidden by the Jedi knights’ creed. In addition, Anakin begins to show his rebellious attraction to the dark side–which will eventually conquer him, when he becomes the future Darth Vader. The story is set 10 years after STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, and there are appearances by some of PHANTOM’s characters, including Jar Jar Binks. CLONES also brings back familiar faces from the original STAR WARS: the lovable droids R2D2 and C3PO, and Yoda, who plays a key role in this film.

 

REVIEW:

For a title that includes the term “attack” there seems to be a repeat of the problems of Phantom Menace in this film. The lack of action and the continued overstylized CGI that possesses every frame. This was supposed to be, in a fans mind, where things got good. And when I say “good” I mean, “bad” for just about everyone in the story. We got the setup in Phantom Menace, everybody knows everybody and things are set in motion. The sad part about this film, is that instead of trying to follow through on those setups, the film attempts to vicariously channel the romance aspect of Empire Strikes Back without including the darker elements. Sure, there’s a slaughtering of the sand people and the not so subtle of Count Dooku, but I mean, the rest of the time it’s just Hayden and Portman giggling in the gardens and using the force to pass the dinner salt. Meanwhile Obi-wan takes a space vacation and runs into the Boba-fett wannabe dad while Yoda and Windu sit around the temple watching Palpatine run amok constantly saying “this is gonna be bad” and not doing anything to stop it. There ya have it. There’s the movie. The problem, again, is basically Lucas’ mindset of “we have to save all the good stuff for the next one.” And that’s basically explains the reason for this movie. Filler.

The Story:

Granted, it takes a step in the right direction after Menace and there’s no repeat fish chase scenes, but overall, this is a Star Wars movie for teen girls. And there’s nothing wrong with that….well, except the core audience of this film don’t talk to members of that gender unless they’re members of the 501st. I do enjoy seeing Anakin and Padme falling in love, but I don’t need it dragged out for 2 hours. The romance aspect is just “there.” It doesn’t ever “build.” That’s my problem with it. The mystery aspects involving the clones and Obi-wan isn’t so much a mystery given what we know from the original films so maybe this movie will play different to my kids one day if I decide to have them watch them in order for Lucas and not release. Speaking of which, I think one day I’ll hold an experiment and have one son watch them in Lucas order and the other son watch them in release order and then watch them duke it out. Who knows how that could end haha.

Acting:

Now, here’s where people are going to raise an eyebrow. I don’t think Hayden Christianson is a bad actor. I honestly don’t. Go see Shattered Glass if you have a chance. The dude can act. I don’t know what happened to him in these movies.Wait, on second thought. Yes I do. But I’ll explain his acting problems when you read the Revenge of the Sith review. Because until I saw something with that I thought he sucked just like the rest of the world.

The rest of the returning cast do the same old song and dance. Jackson is more characterized in this film as being the strict badass so he works a lot better in this film and if Ewan McGregor was channeling Alec Guiness every night, I wouldn’t be surprised. He works very well, even down to the subtleties of Guiness’ acting and speech. Very impeccable work. The only weak link, in my honest opinion is Christopher Lee. Yes, I know he’s a famous cult actor and one that fits this genre….well…kinda. Nevertheless, I never felt any life in his character. Never despised him like I do all of the Star Wars villains. I still think if Darth Maul had survived Menace and carried on until the third film in the same spot as Lee that it would have been a hell of a lot more interesting. Not only for us as an audience who see Maul as a mysterious and intriguing character, but also as a personal emotional arc on seeing how Obi-wan dealt with the theme of revenge as opposed to Anakin. But that’s just me.

Directing:

Here ya go Mr. Lucas, let’s try this for a second time…don’t drop the ……..ball. Damn it George what did I tell you? As with the past of George Lucas famous directing shouts (“Faster and more intense.”) I have came up with his new ones all my own. For Menace it was “slower and more subdued.” For Clones? I’m going to make a guess and say it was “not too much, save it for the next one.”

Cinematography:

Again – beautiful when not dealing with the CGI explosion love fest taking place.

Production Design:

Same as Phantom Menace, the problem here being that Lucas now using a digital high def 24p camera has a lot more ability to manipulate things with a computer so there’s a whole heck of a lot less production design and more CGI. And this, as a loyal student to the old school, makes me sad.

Editing:

Much better off this time around. While I felt Phantom Menace moved too slow, this film still carries a nice pace. Like I said, most of this film just comes off as filler in the end, but it still keeps you hooked for the majority of the film.

Score:

John Williams makes moves. More movements towards the original score so the audience “gets it”. Granted, I’m pretty sure it was easy to tell the Clone Troopers would become storm troopers, but the music really gets you excited about it all, even if it’s just for the last 30 seconds of the film.

Special Effects:

Too much of the same old song and dance. Sorry, the film comes off being a little too altruistic in the CGI sense. It’s almost as if the aesthetic is the only selling point of the film, and even at that, it chokes the story most of the time. Massively hinders the suspension of disbelief. There in lies one of the problems. Yes, we’ve made massive strides in CGI realism, but it’s not there yet. I can still tell when something’s fake, even in something these days like District 9.

In closing:

Filler. I honestly think you could skip this movie, go straight to the third one and really only miss a beat or two. Nothing that a friend couldn’t explain in a sentence. The filler doesn’t really do much to justify or explain the details, oddly enough something we got too much of in Menace, to make it worthy of repeat viewing. The film is a let down mainly because this is the one we expected to see the rise of Darth Vader and then the next film to be full force Vader badassery. Hunting Jedi, taking over the galaxy. But no.

Flowers. Giggles. Clones and Wannabe’s. And a lot of “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Next…..the bad guys come a callin in Revenge of the Sith….

 

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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

Read Interview with Star Wars Storyboard Artist Kurt Van der Basch

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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