Feature Presentation: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, and Billy Dee Williams

Twentieth Century Fox, 1983. Rated PG.

Synopsis: With Han in the clutches of the gangster Jabba the Hutt and the Empire building a new Death Star in the orbit of the moon of Endor, things look bleak for the Rebels. Luke sends C-3PO, R2D2, Chewbacca, and Leia to rescue Han and the band of heroes regroups with the rebels to take down the new Death Star and hopefully cripple the Empire once and for all.

The climax to the original trilogy, Jedi is the longest of the three films and as much as I love it, there are parts where it seems just as long as its 134 min. running time. We also see the ruler of the Galactic Empire, Emperor Palpatine, in the flesh and he is every bit as frightening as his title suggests; not only in appearance, but his general manner and personality. And he’ll go as far as he needs to in order to keep the galaxy under his eerily translucent thumb. Luke seems to have finished his training and seems well equipped to be mentally challenged by the Emperor, but will he hold up better than the last time his friends were threatened? But wait, this time the Alliance has some help from the inhabitants of Endor, the Ewoks, a teddy-bear like creature that seems far more adorable than it does threatening. The set-up for the final showdown between the Imperials and the Rebels is rather epic and intense and ends just as dramatically, both on the part of the spaceships taking down the Death Star and Luke taking on both Vader and the Emperor. It’s a fitting finish to the trilogy, tying up a fair amount of loose ends, but still leaving some questions unanswered as to expand upon later.

And finally, I will again entreat you to watch the original 1983 version or even dig up a VHS version of the 1997 Special Edition, particularly with this film and I will tell you why: there is an extended segment at the close of the film when it was re-re-released in 2004 that was altered to match the casting of the prequels and I feel like that change completely ruins the original work.

 

Feature Presentation: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Frank Oz, and Billy Dee Williams

Twentieth Century Fox, 1980. Rated PG.

Synopsis: In the continuing adventures of Rebels trying to restore order to the galaxy, the Imperial Empire engages the Rebels at their base on the ice planet of Hoth, forcing Han to escape with Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO in a disabled Millennium Falcon. Despite their attempts to hide out on Bespin, they are captured by Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Luke takes R2D2 and goes to the planet Dagobah in search of Jedi Master Yoda at the posthumous command of Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Luke learns of the capture of Han and Leia, he abandons his training despite Yoda’s protests to go and rescue them.

Originally released in 1980 and re-released in 1997 along with A New Hope, Empire introduces us to a whole host of new creatures and arguably two of the most iconic characters in the franchise: Yoda and Boba Fett. The pop cultural homages are boundless, so I won’t list them here, but I think my favorites are Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda books and then this gem by MC Chris called Fett’s Vette.

In the trilogy’s second installment, we’ve upped the ante significantly: the Empire is gradually closing in on the Rebels, the Millennium Falcon has become (if possible) more decrepit, and our heroes now have Vader toying with them psychologically. We also delve more into the love story portion of the film when we find Han and Leia (who are already rather stand-offish around each other anyway) in a situation where Luke isn’t there as a buffer and the threat of imminent danger is forcing them to think about how they really feel. Luke on the other hand is being challenged both physically and mentally training with Yoda and it’s bringing out more of the impatience that we saw in the first film pre-Tatooine extradition. He’s struggling to become the leader the viewer knows he can be but he’s somewhat more preoccupied with his emotions – a decision that’s going to put him in a situation in which he’s playing right into Vader’s hands. Then there’s Yoda and Fett. Yoda is mysterious, green, and has a distinctive sentence structure. Fett is a bounty hunter with his own agenda with a cool helmet that he never takes off. Why he won’t take it off, no one knows, but let’s face it, it’s so cool, by would you take it off? Both add a layer of depth to the story that helps to further the overall plot and adds a little bit of character development to Luke and Han’s characters respectively. It’s also said that Empire is supposed to be the ‘favorite’ of Star Wars fans, but I would tend to disagree. While Empire unveils one of the greatest secrets in cinematic history, it doesn’t have the same climactic finesse of Return of the Jedi, the third installment of the original trilogy. I would also entreat you to find the original 1980 version in all of its campy special effects glory because although it’s probably not the version that Lucas envisioned when he made the film, it’s probably the most definitive version and the geek-approved version to boot.

Feature Presentation: Star Wars: A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, and Peter Cushing

Twentieth Century Fox, 1977. Rated PG.

Synopsis: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the star systems are ruled by the Imperial Empire and kept in check by the villainous Darth Vader. Vader is after some stolen plans to the Empire’s greatest weapon, the Death Star, supposedly intercepted by Princess Leia on her way to Alderaan. Meanwhile, young Luke Skywalker has just come into the possession of two droids, R2D2 and C-3PO, who are seeking Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose last known residence on the desert planet of Tatooine. When Luke and Obi-Wan are pursued by Imperial troopers, they form an alliance with smuggler Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca to rescue Leia and find the Rebels fighting to restore order to the galaxy.

Though the film was first released in 1977 as the first in a trilogy, my first encounter with this particular geekdom was when the films were re-released in 1997. I was pretty much engrossed the first time I watched it and I’ve watched it at least once a year since. And really, if you are going to start in on Star Wars, I’d start here. Also, do yourself a favor and try to find the original 1977 version – it’s highly entertaining in large part due to the fact that a) the special effects are giggle-tastic and b) the DVD versions they re-released after the prequels came out changed a number of little elements in the film that don’t mean very overall but I personally think takes away from the story.

It’s a story and a series that borrows from a number of different sources, but George Lucas’ combination of elements makes for a cinematic masterpiece that continues to engage fans both old and new. Luke is an unlikely hero, and spends the first twenty or so minutes of his screen time whining and complaining. But he’s clearly very clever and wants to do something more with his life than be a moisture farmer like his uncle, and his contact with R2D2 and C-3PO is the beginning of a much greater journey. Han Solo is clearly along for the money and couldn’t really care less for Luke or Leia, but his sarcasm and devil-may-care nature make him a popular supporting character. As a heroine, Leia blur the line between a strong female character and a damsel in distress – she can clearly look after herself and defend herself, but needs some help to be freed from her captors. However, as the only primary female character in the original trilogy, she does fill a sort of role model role in a male-dominated cast. As a villain, Darth Vader is perhaps one of the most sinister in all of science fiction. He has the command of the entire Empire’s battle fleet, has no qualms about taking lives to ensure the Empire stays in power, and the perfect example (among others) of how corrupting power can be. Engaging characters, a fast-paced story, and probably the most recognized score of any film combine to form cinematic excellence that continues to draw in fans (despite the prequels, but that’s another post…).