I woke this morning at about 7:30-ish, got dressed and then I went to Wal-Mart to buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-Ray. Why? Because today was the day it came out on Blu-Ray. It’s funny: It only seems like yesterday that Episode VII was released into theaters and now we’re getting it on home video. Regardless, I picked up the movie and when I got home, I proceeded to watch it not once, but twice. I think it’s that good. Considering I saw the film three times in theaters, it should come as no surprise to anybody that knows me that I would do that. So, why would do that? I’ve already given my review and thoughts on the film in a post a couple months back, so everybody should know where I stand on the film itself. What has entered my mind, is why I love Star Wars so much in the first place. What does it mean to be a Star Wars fan? The answer isn’t quite so simple, and it changes depending on who you talk to. So, this is probably not going to be a small post. I’m going to try to explain why I’m drawn to the franchise and what it means to me.
I don’t quite remember my first experience with Star Wars. I know I was at least 1 year old when Return of the Jedi hit theaters in 1983. What I do remember is watching the original trilogy on VHS when I was about 5 or 6. These were some of the only movies that my parents would let me watch unsupervised. So, my exposure to Star Wars and movies in general began when I was very, very young. Star Wars was so much fun for me and I enjoyed every single moment in the trilogy. My and my brother had some of the toys, so we would go outside and play Star Wars in our sandbox. It was an idyllic time for me. But the older I got, the more I began to understand what Star Wars was about. I began to understand the story and the characters. As I grew older, my experience with the franchise became more enriched because I watched the movies so much and understood what was going on. I’ve been watching Star Wars ever since, and have not looked back. My first theatrical experience with a Star Wars film, oddly enough was Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Star Wars is an experience that needs to be seen in theaters. Even the Prequel Trilogy.
So….what makes Star Wars so special? Let’s start with the story. It was a basic “good vs. evil” kind of story. Nothing complicated about it. The issues at stake were black and white. I use the term “black and white” both metaphorically and literally; literally, because the colors that were used to distinguish good and evil were the colors of black and white. Darth Vader was all black, and Princess Leia was all white. That was done on purpose. Again, it was a Rebel Alliance vs. the evil Galactic Empire. The best films have very simple stories, or are presented in a simple way. Now, I’m referencing the Original Trilogy, not the Prequels, which unnecessarily complicated things. It’s not just a great story that drives Star Wars. You have to have great characters, and the Original Trilogy had them in spades. The first real character to be introduced would be the series’ main villain: Darth Vader.
From the get-go, you know who and what we are up against. He’s powerful, scary and awesome. He’s one of the most memorable villains in cinema history. Despite the character being evil, you love him at the same time, because he’s just bad-ass. Then we get our 4 heroes: 1. Luke Skywalker, the farm boy with a destiny. 2. Han Solo, the bad-ass cowboy/rogue of the series. Then we have Princess Leia, while appearing to be the damsel in distress, is more than she appears. Chewbacca, the Wookie, is Han Solo’s trustworthy co-pilot. We also have our two lovable androids, C-3PO and R2-D2. Finally, we have our Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man who starts Luke on his path to become a Jedi. We would get more memorable characters as the trilogy went on: Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, and Jabba the Hutt. The characters at the heart of the story, are what really drives Star Wars.
Let’s not forget the great visual effects of the Original Trilogy, and I’m talking pre-Special Edition. Nobody had attempted anything like this before. George Lucas, on a fairly small budget, was forced to invent techniques and visual effects to help get his story across, and the results speak for themselves. The camera-work, the models and the absolute attention to detail was amazing. The ships were fantastic. You had Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon which made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. The Imperial Star Destroyers are some of the most recognizable ships in science fiction.
This opening shot for the original film in 1977, blew people’s minds. The moment you see that thing fly overhead, you were in for a very special experience. The shot has been imitated in many different movies including the recent The Force Awakens, but it’s never been truly duplicated. The space battles were absolutely thrilling, and because of the unique camera-work, allowed us to feel as if we were a part of the battle. The music by John Williams was beyond phenomenal, crafting the famous Star Wars main theme, the theme for The Force, and The Imperial March for Empire Strikes Back. The music truly helped immerse us in this universe. Also: Lightsabers are awesome.
The original Star Wars trilogy had a major impact, not just on me, but on everybody else, including the film industry. The original film changed things forever, and for the better. I’m going to briefly touch on the Prequel Trilogy, because there really isn’t a whole let there that’s worth mentioning outside of Revenge of the Sith. Episode II was a complete disaster, and Episode I, while not nearly as embarrassing as the second film, just was not a good movie. Does that mean I hate them? Not really, they definitely have good spots, with Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan and Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. What made the Original Trilogy really work was how the characters felt real and organic. In the Prequels, they’re cardboard cutout with little to no personality. Unfortunately, that also carries over to the Prequels themselves. They’re pretty, but there’s not a lot of substance. Lucas tried to change things up with complicated politics and whatnot, with an overabundance of CGI. It just didn’t work. The lightsaber duels are the best parts of the Prequel Trilogy. The duel between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan is probably the best choreographed lightsaber duel in the entire saga. But there was no real emotional impact from those fights. In the original trilogy, Luke went up against Vader, found out that Vader is his father, and confronts him again in Return of the Jedi. That was a father against son moment, and it was extremely powerful. But it was also handled extremely well.
10 years after the release of Episode III, we get the start of a brand new trilogy with The Force Awakens. This movie made me realize why I’m such a huge fan of Star Wars in the first place. It’s got all the elements of a good Star Wars movie. Yeah, there’s CGI, but J.J. Abrams balances that out with practical effects and costumes. Again, the characters of the film are why I love it. You have the new character of Rey, who is a scavenger. Finn is the storm-trooper who turns from the First Order. Poe Dameron is the cocky Resistance pilot who is great. BB-8 is the new droid and he’s just as lovable as C-3PO and R2-D2, who also make an appearance. Kylo Ren is the new trilogy’s villain(so far). But you also have Han Solo, Leia, and Luke Skywalker from the Original Trilogy. It’s a great mix of new and old. Yeah, the story follows the original film pretty closely, but that’s a good thing. It reminds us why the original movie was so damn good. While The Force Awakens isn’t perfect, it’s still really good and is good starting point for the new trilogy. Episode VIII has already started production and filming and will be released in December of 2017. Beyond that, we’re also getting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this December.
Let’s face it: George Lucas, while he gave us the franchise, ended up bringing down the series with his lousy dialogue and overly complicated stories that for most people, ruined the Prequel Trilogy. With Lucasfilm firmly within Disney’s grip, we can anticipate better movies with better writing. I guess it took me a while to get to the point of this whole post. I love Star Wars because of it’s incredible ideas, stories and action. But the series also speaks to me, because we can relate to the characters and the struggles that they are dealing with. Besides the great locations, visual effects and music, Star Wars means so much to me, because it’s fun. This is why we go to the movies. I will still watch the Prequels, because they don’t get everything wrong. There are aspects to those movies that I love, and I will defend Revenge of the Sith to my dying breath, because it didn’t pull any punches and it was the story that everybody wanted to see, and we mostly got it. In conclusion, Star Wars is just plain awesome. Even the bad ones.