Today is the last day that I can conceivably avoid spoilers for this last Star Wars film. I think I have done a good job staying away from early reviews and spoiler sites and friends who have played the game and read the novelization. It can be tough when the media onslaught is huge and there have been so many pre-release screenings and such. The most I have done is see the trailer and various commercials and checked out the figures.
Anyway, I am not sure why I started to write this. I guess I just wanted to get some last Star Wars related thoughts out of my head, so please forgive if I ramble or become incoherent for any reason.
The Star Wars saga began nearly 30 years ago, 28 to be exact, with the culmination of all that was good about independent cinema. It simultaneously helped to usher in the age of the blockbuster, along with Jaws. I was quite young and not yet ready for the movie experience. I am not sure when it was that I first came into contact with the universe. I know I saw Star Wars at some point in the early 1980's. I know I had a collection of figures which were routinely abused by yours truly. I also remember my first experience with Empire Strikes Back was while standing in line at a haunted mansion just before Halloween, what year? I don't know. It was being projected on a big screen while we waited forever to get in. I was enthralled by the Imperial Walkers at the beginning. Return of th Jedi was the only one of the original three that I saw theatrically, and loved every minute of it, even the goofy Ewoks.
I had the previously mentioned figures, some vehicles (I never did have the Millenium Falcon or a TIE Fighter), the story books, the sheets, and probably other stuff I don't remember.
From those early years the love affair began. I watched the films many, many times on VHS tape and on broadcast television, back when the networks still showed quality films on a regular basis. Then in the early 1990's talk started picking back up about the prequel trilogy, taking us back to show us how Darth Vader became evil, what Obi Wan was like as a young man, how th Emperor came into power, and I became giddy at the prospect.
Then something else happened, also in the early 1990's. There was a resurgence in interest in Star Wars novels. With that came the phenomenal, my opinion of course, Thrawn Trilogy from author Timothy Zahn, these three books remain the pinnacle of plethora of Star Wars related novels that this spawned. The three books (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command) were incredible. They were set a few years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Han and Leia were married, Luke was trying to get the Jedi order back in shape, and the remnants of the Empire were trying to back what was there's. Leading this resurgence is the last of the Grand Admirals, Thrawn. Sadly, my memories are fuzzy, it has been years since I read them. Anyway, if you haven't read them, do so.
The next event that shaped my Star Wars world was the impending release of the Special Editions. This brought out many emotions in me. The overriding feelings were that I would finally be able to see these films they way they were meant to be seen, sort of. Sadly they were not going to be the original films that we all had fallen in love with, but new versions with redone special effects and a few sequences reintegrated. This really did not bother me all that much. I went to all three of the films twice during their theatrical run, and loved every second. There were however a few issues, in the first film there is the famous Greedo shoots first seen, which was and is a travesty (helped slightly by the even more modified DVD release in 2004). Much more of a problem for me was the scene in Return of the Jedi where the Sarlacc pit has these wildly moving tentacles and snapping jaws, I very much doubt any creature that takes 1000 years to digest it's meal would have the metabolism and energy to act that way. These are nit picks, and there are others, but they're there.
1999 roll around and another exciting event is nearing. This marked the release of The Phantom Menace. There was much excitement to be had, tickets selling a month in advance, lines waiting for days and weeks in front of the theaters, it was a crazy time. Then I saw the movie, and I loved every second of it. I saw it twice, and it jumped way up in my esteem. The years have tempered that. It still features some outstanding visuals and a great lightsaber battle, but the dialog was rather poor and many characters hollow.
Three years later came Attack of the Clones. Reactions were much the same as for the previous film. I think it was a step forward in quality, but there were still issues. The love story portion was awful, and the dialog was still rather poor. The action was amped up and we see the origins of Boba Fett, and the introduction of his "father" Jango Fett. There are more cool lightsaber battles and a great fight between Obi Wan and Jango in a rain storm.
I think a big problem of these prequels is that there is too much setup, too much chess like maneuvering. Both of the films lack the heart that the original trilogy had an abundance of. They have been all about getting the players into position, there is a lack of the adventurous spirit.
Essentially having two strikes now, anticipation is high. Unlike the Matrix trilogy where they got progressively worse, these have been improving, one can only hope that the trend continues.
I almost forgot something. The fall of 2004 brought us the animated micro series Clone Wars. It was masterminded by George Lucas, but it was realized by Genndy Tarkovsky, the mind behind the great Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack. Each episode was only a few minutes long, but that was all that was needed. It fills in the gap between episodes II and III. This probably represents the most pure vision of the universe since the original trilogy. All of the nonsense is stripped leaving concentrated story and action, and the results are perfect. So perfect in fact, that a second series was ordered and aired a few months back, this time featuring longer episodes, at around 15 minutes each. These continue to give us the adventures between the two films and planting more seeds for Anakin's turn. The final episodes essentially playing out what the screen crawl will be for the final installment. Plus there is word that there will be a third series with full length episodes, I can't wait.
There is one last thing that could help expand the Star Wars universe, and that is the proposed television series that Lucas has mentioned. He has mentioned plans for a 100 episode television series to take place between episodes III and IV. The first season would be written and directed by Lucas, and it would all be shot at one time. I look forward to any more details that may come about this.
The trailer looks fantastic. It promises great space battles, lightsaber action to hopefully top what has come before, and an overall darker meaner edge. I hope not to be setting myself up for a fall, but I am very much looking forward to seeing this movie.
Look to see my thoughts sometime this weekend, if not sooner.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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