Star Wars: A New Hope

I don’t know that it’s possible to write any sort of “real” review
for Star Wars anymore. It has grown to be far more than just a film and has invaded the cultural consciousness. Even those few who have never seen it are aware of its influences.

I was 6 years old when Star Wars was first released to theaters. I can’t say that I remember much from that age very vividly, but I do remember Star Wars. I remember seeing the line stretching from the front door of the theater, out around the corner, behind the building and all the way around to the front again. I remember the feeling of excitement and although I didn’t really comprehend why, I understood that it was an “event.”

Star Wars changed the world. I’m not talking about changing the world in “everyone now loves one another” kind of way. But it certainly changed the way the world looked at movies. Star Wars somehow managed to speak to the child in everyone. Kids, obviously, wrapped their identities with Star Wars sheets, lunch boxes, t-shirts, toys, and just about everything else on which it was possible to print those bold, yellow letters, but even the most conservative corporate executives could be heard whistling John Williams’ famous theme.

Even now, as the world has grown up, the film is still magical. It may not be slick and polished like today’s top budget features, but that is part of its charm. And I don’t care who you are, the rumbling of the bass and the passing overhead of the endless belly of the Star Destroyer is still a powerfully intimidating scene.

But back to 1977. At that time, Star Wars teased us with hints of a tantalizing back-story, but it remained a self-contained entity. It was a story of heroes and villains, of destiny, of friendship and loyalty, and of good triumphing over evil. No one knew there would be more movies and “A New Hope” didn’t exist yet (that title wouldn’t be added until the film’s re-release in 1980).

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back is by far the darkest of the Star Wars films (this opinion may have to be revised after Attack of the Clones – we’ll see), and as such, is the richest story. The film begins with the Rebel Alliance hiding on an ice planet. The Alliance is still very small and very vulnerable, but they feel they have dealt a strong blow to the Empire with the destruction of the Death Star.

The Empire, meanwhile, is scouring the galaxy for the band of Rebels. Darth Vader (David Prowse and James Earl Jones) has become obsessed with finding the young pilot, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), responsible for destroying the massive space station.

Luck is with the Empire when a small probe on the surface of the ice planet sends back images that prove to be the Rebel base. A massive ground battle ensues and the Rebels are forced to scatter into space. Relentless in his pursuit of Skywalker, Vader foregoes following the other Rebels and instead chases the Millennium Falcon, believing that if Skywalker isn’t aboard, his friends will at least lead Vader to him.

Luke journeys to the jungle planet Dagobah, in search of the ancient Jedi Master called Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). Luke hopes to complete his Jedi training before his inevitable confrontation with Vader. In the midst of his training, Luke has a vision that Vader has captured his friends and is torturing them in order to lure Skywalker. Falling for the bait, Luke abandons Yoda and rushes off to meet his destiny.

Star Wars (after all these years, I still can’t get used to calling
it A New Hope) was all fantasy and fairy tale. The beautiful
princess, the young hero, the dark villain. It was fantastical
escapism. The Empire Strikes Back is the fairy tale all grown up. Now, there are consequences to the heroes’ actions and the film leaves us with a devastating blow to the gut. Maybe things won’t all turn out all right in the end.

This film is also, in my opinion, the most creatively ambitious of the original trilogy. From the lumbering Imperial Snow Walkers in the opening battle, to the Cloud City in the finale, this film is a wonder of new sights to behold.

Even the final Lightsaber battle between Vader and Luke at the end seems much more satisfying than the conclusion of Return of the Jedi. Perhaps this is because the stakes are higher. Luke is untried and inexperienced and we get the feeling that Vader is simply toying with him. By this point in the movie, we have seen our heroes tortured and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) has been frozen and taken prisoner by a bounty hunter. There is a feeling that all bets are off and Luke may very well not survive his first duel.

Empire ends on a note of uncertainty. The Rebels have regrouped, but Han Solo is lost and Luke is injured and conflicted by a stunning revelation from Vader. We are left with the feeling that the good guys will still prevail, but now we know that the victory won’t be easy and the losses may be grave. When the final credits roll, only one thing seems clear: anything might happen.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

If The Empire Strikes Back is the most ambitious of the Star Wars films, then Return of the Jedi is the least. Where Empire was willing to take risks, Jedi plays it safe, returning to a similar story structure as the first film. The result is a film that is still fun to look at, but almost completely lacking the excitement and wonder of the previous two efforts.

The film begins with Luke (Mark Hamill) and company conspiring to rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. We are never really told how much time has passed between Empire and Jedi, but Luke now seems much more confident and his Jedi powers have grown quite a bit.

Following the rescue attempt, Luke returns to the planet Dagobah to meet Yoda and complete his training as he promised. He discovers that the years are finally catching up to the old Jedi Master and he is dying. Before leaving to rejoin the Rebel Alliance, Luke learns that he has a twin sister and that she is also strong in the Force.

The Rebels, meanwhile, have discovered that the Empire has been busy constructing a new, bigger Death Star. They reason that their only chance to destroy it is to attack before it’s completed. The new space station is being constructed in orbit around a forest moon called Endor, and a power generator on the moon is providing a shield for the construction. The Rebels must send a commando unit
to the moon to destroy the shield generator before the starships can attack the defenseless space station.

As the Rebels are in the midst of their final battle against the
Empire, Luke finds himself once again face-to-face with Vader, and this time, also the Emperor. Vader and the Emperor try to tempt Luke to succumb to the Dark Side of the Force and join them. The Emperor is delighted when Luke’s anger finally surfaces and he attacks both he and Vader. Will Luke fall to the Dark Side? Or will he prevail and bring about a return of the Jedi to the galaxy?

Jedi is visually the most sophisticated of the original three
films. Even by today’s standards, the final space battle is pretty spectacular in its complexity. But the film suffers from too much style and too little substance. As I said, the film returns to a similar structure as the earlier efforts, which gives the entire production something of a “been there, done that” feel. The dark tone of Empire is completely lifted and there is never any real feeling of jeopardy in Return of the Jedi.

Also, the characters don’t really seem to be having quite as much fun here as they were in the first two films. There is a weariness to them that suggests that they, too, don’t feel any real excitement with this story. It's unfortunate that Jedi is the end of the series. Star Wars should go out with a bang, no a whimper.