Review #30: Star Wars Franchise, Episodes 4-6 and Episodes 1-3.
For my 30th review, I thought I’d ping up something special. A favourite of most, a nightmare for others.
All 6 Star Wars movies in one big review, in the order they were made, starting with
A New Hope and ending with
Revenge Of The Sith.
Episode IV: A New Hope.
What was initially set as a stand-alone movie under the title of
Star Wars, it has become something that has shaped the movie world forever. It’s hard to imagine how big the movie was at the time of release but it broke the mould in many unbreakable places.
Set in and around an ongoing war between the evil Galactic Empire and a group of Rebels, a young farm boy called Luke Skywalker dreams of leaving his hum-drum life and heading out among the stars to fight the evil Empire.
Holding him back is his uncle, Owen. All Owen wants is for Luke not to end up like his father, Anakin.
Upon buying androids (C3PO and R3D2) from some Jawa (alien) traders, Luke is plunged into a world of mystery when R2D2 suddenly plays back a recording of a woman in distress and is asking for the help of somebody called
Obi Wan Kenobi. Luke makes an assumption that Obi Wan may be related to
Old Ben, a kind of old hermit who lives not far away.
The following morning, R2D2 has vanished and Luke and C3PO go looking for him, in the process they stumble across Old Ben. Ben watches R2D2’s recording and asks Luke and his droids to help him in fighting the Empire. Luke turns down the offer, but forces outside of Luke’s control push him into following Ben out into the stars and off to grand adventure.
Along the way, Ben has told Luke about the truth of who his father was and that he will teach him about an almost extinct way of life, the life of a Jedi and how to harness and use the powers of a mystical force known simply as
The Force.
By the end, Luke joins the Rebels and pits himself against the Empire’s greatest weapon, the Death Star.
The movie is a benchmark for not just sci-fi, but any and all adventure and action films.
The story and the characters, the setting and settings, in fact the entire universe that George Lucas created when making the movie is incredibly realised. It’s dirty, grimy, well used, old and feels very real.
Almost every detail has been thought about, from the sounds to the creatures to the vehicles. It’s incredibly original.
It’s as the movie’s start sequence says, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away".
It’s small at the start and grows into something far grander, then grows some more.
The movie contains hits of humour too. Mainly between Han Solo and Chewbacca as a soul-mate duo and between the droids C3PO and R2D2 as another soul-mate buddy couple. The droids in particular are
laugh out loud at times, especially when they argue.
The special effects in the movie add another depth to the story, they’re extremely well developed. Even today, they hold up against most CG films.
The acting in the movie is exceptionally well directed. Lucas had the gumption to hire unknowns in the lead roles, with the exception of Sir Alec Guinness as Old Ben and Harrison Ford as the space pirate/smuggler Han Solo.
Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were moments of genius. Hamill’s naivety as an actor makes the character’s naivety work even better and Fisher is absolutely perfect as the young but educated Princess in distress.
Alec Guinness as the old, wise wizard is a marvel. He encapsulates the character and lifts it from the page wonderfully.
Initially, Harrison Ford was only hired to help the casting director with reading lines for the other applicants, thankfully, they saw something in him and took him on as Han Solo. He does a tremendous job as the dashing, cocky, self-assured yet occasionally bumbling, loveable space pirate.
Ford and Fisher’s on screen chemistry is wonderful too. They start out hating each other, but you know deep down they fancy each other. They bounce off each other brilliantly.
As for characters, Darth Vader, who made it to #4 in my Top 40 Villains is an absolute
icon of the well made and realised movie character. He is the epitome of theatrical evilness. With James Earl Jones voicing Vader, he has the screen presence that rivals anyone else.
A fault with the movie? Hmm. Not a lot really.
There are times you can tell that the film is the first of it’s kind. The odd show of naivety from the filmmaker/s shows through in the writing and direction, but it’s so easily missed, it barely makes a difference.
What makes the movie really hit home though, is when it’s tied in with John Williams’ brilliant, unforgettable and
iconic soundtrack.
All in all, one of the finest sci-fi/space movies made. Everything about it shaped the genre and is still held in many respects as the God of modern film.
My rating 100%
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Being that Star Wars was said to originally be a stand-alone movie, the fact that it was such a huge hit, Lucas decided to expand his idea into a full on franchise and redub Star Wars as
Episode IV A New Hope.
We, the audience were then treated to Episode V.
The story revolves around Luke doing some more in-depth study into the Jedi ways that Ben showed him in the first movie. He’s been drawn toward a distant planet to find a man called ‘Yoda’. Upon arriving, he discovers Yoda is actually a little green goblin looking thing that speaks in a strange way. Though Yoda is more than meets the eye.
In a separate storyline, Leia and Solo have been fighting their feelings for one another, or that’s what Solo thinks anyway.
Solo has another mission too. He has to face the brutal gangster
Jabba The Hutt, who has put a bounty on his head.
Introduced to the story is an old acquaintance of Solo’s, a man called Lando Calrissian.
After an attack from the Empire, Solo, Chewbacca and Leia have fled to Lando’s city for refuge, unwittingly though, they’re heading into even more danger, especially for Solo.
It’s up to Luke though, after seeing their predicament in a ‘vision’ he heads off to save them, leaving his new mentor, Yoda, to brood.
Cue one of the biggest plot twists in movie history and something that nobody could have seen coming.
As a sequel, it’s another masterclass in it’s own right. It far outweighs the original.
The universe is expanded extensively and there are more highly original characters and settings, planets and societies seen in the film.
It’s a much grander look at the new universe that Lucas created.
The story too is far more extensive. It’s easy to follow but has many, many subtle levels and sub-stories. The introduction of new characters is another easy to follow point but allows the movie to broaden its horizons vastly.
What hits the movie hard though, is that it isn’t the average ‘hero wins at the end’ kind of film. The ending is a rather sombre cliff-hanger. Relatively downbeat and leaves the audience wanting more.
The cast are all still on top form. This time round Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian is an added element of
coolness and charm. He’s like Solo, but with more money and political power.
The special effects are another far bigger and better element of the movie. Obviously the success of the first movie allowed Lucas to pile more money into them and it really shows. The sets too are far grander.
Again, like with the first film, I’m finding it
very hard to find any faults with the movie. This time round Lucas’ naivety has vanished and the change in director has ironed out all the creases of Episode IV.
All in all a vast improvement on Episode IV’s already perfect lead up.
My rating is another 100%
Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.
Revolving around Luke living with the aftermath of the plot twist in Episode V and a rescue attempt of Solo at the beginning.
Luke eventually then takes up his training again with Yoda and has many of his questions answered about
that plot twist.
Yoda then gives Luke a new mission. He must face and defeat Vader and become a fully-fledged Jedi Knight. One thing that stands in Luke’s way though, is that Vader’s Master,
The Emperor, has decided to show his ugly mug and will be there when Luke and Vader clash their lightsabres together one last time.
Leia, Solo, Chewbacca, the droids and Lando take their own separate line again too, a Rebel attack is forming against a new, more powerful Death Star. It’s up to them to lead the attack on various fronts and stop the Empire’s new super weapon.
The third of the original trilogy is a darker looking take on the franchise. Its brooding, moody atmosphere can put people off but it’s an element that really makes the subject matter work.
The subject matter in question is Luke, Vader and The Emperor in a three-way battle to turn Luke and his new found Jedi powers to the
Dark Side Of The Force. It’s a brave move but it hits the nail on the head.
It’s a very low tone movie and takes a more serious turn of events too. The comedy and humour seen between the main characters in the first two movies is dropped and replaced with a more depressed feel.
There is still some comic relief in the form of a tribe of primitive space-bears called
Ewoks. The tribe becomes an important plot device in helping Solo, Chewbacca and Leia in their fight against the Empire. So it’s not a total loss on the humour front.
There isn’t much of an expansion in the universe either, but the film certainly utilises what the first two built so well. It’s more of a ‘wrap-up’ for the franchise rather than another ‘build-on’ movie.
As for the effects, they seem the same as in Episode V. There’s no real improvement as such but they’re certainly not lacking. I think that the technology of the time was at its peak and basically, they couldn’t improve any more than they already had.
The acting from all parties is again, spot on. By now the actors knew their roles and have aged well with the franchise, both mentally and physically and it shows through their performances.
Sadly, the bad point is the lack of
swashbuckling charm that was seen in the first two films. It’s a more linear movie in terms of writing and there’s little in the way of expanding the world that Lucas built.
All in all it’s a slight step backward from the first two, definitely a step back from Episode V though it’s still a romping space adventure and is a wonderfully brooding end to a fantastic build up.
My rating 98%
Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
After years of waiting, the fans of the Star Wars franchise got what they wanted, but sadly, not what they
wanted.
Set 30 years or so before Episode IV, the movie revolves around the
Trade Federation placing a blockade of their battleships around the planet of Naboo.
This of course brings the Galactic Senate into play. They send two Jedi Knights, Master
Qui Gon Jin and his apprentice
Obi Wan Kenobi, to bring an end to the trade dispute (the Jedi in this movie are as Old Ben said in Episode IV, "Guardians of Peace and Justice").
In turn, this causes the Trade Federation to act irrationally under the orders of a Master Sith Lord called Darth Sidious and they land a ground invasion of the planet.
Queen Amidala of The Naboo, under the protection of the Jedi and must do everything in her power to either
politically stop the invaders, or resort to more violent measures to save her planet and her people.
In the midst of this is a young boy called Anakin Skywalker who has been spotted by Jedi Master Qui Gon as being
very powerful with The Force. Qui Gon takes Anakin under his wing and introduces him into the world of the Jedi, without the consent of the Jedi Council.
It’s a very simplistic story that
feels very simplistic. The original pull of Episode IV was that the simple story was utilised and expanded with decent writing, touches of tragedy and subtle humour. Lucas seems to have just gone for a simple story laced with amusing characters called Jar-Jar Binks and slapstick frog looking CG creatures. Then smeared the whole thing with brightly coloured CGI and high-speed chases.
It’s
very cashed in. You feel great when the movie starts, but after around 25 minutes, you start getting fed up with it all.
The CGI isn’t great looking either, with the massive amounts of cash and talent thrown at the movie, it should have been a
hell of a lot better than just an expensive
cartoon.
The acting, well, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Knights are spot on. They’re fit, athletic and have studied hard at the sabre fights. They carry their roles perfectly too. McGregor in particular is fantastic as the young Alec Guinness. A very good choice of actors.
Natalie Portman is apt as Queen Amidala but nothing that will win awards.
Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker is one massive mistake from the filmmakers. Ok he’s only a young lad, but surely there are other kids out there that can actually
act.
For such an important role, Lucas
really missed the mark. If a young enough
actor couldn’t be found, why didn’t Lucas just age Anakin’s character a year or two to make sure the role was
acted properly?
The story involves an almost love story between Anakin and Amidala. They make friends when they meet and the actors try their best at working with Lucas’ lacklustre writing, but it’s just not believable.
One of the biggest let downs of the film is Lucas’ new take on the Jedi way of life in regard to
The Force.
Apparently this
all-powerful force that surrounds us and binds the galaxy together is actually a bunch of microscopic creatures that live inside all living things.
I’m sorry, but where the
hell did
that come from, George?
It would appear you’ve completely smashed a major plot point for the
entire franchise. Bell*nd.
Before I carry on with this review, I’m just popping out into the garden for a minute. I’ve got some battery acid that needs pouring on my award-winning Rose Garden…
… aaah, much better. Now, on with the review.
The action though, I will say, is very well choreographed. Visually it’s exciting and fast paced and the lightsabre battles are the highlight of the movie. But sadly, that’s about it.
Episode I, was the most anticipated movie in history. The question being asked by fans was, "Where did the story begin?"
Sadly, it started in a thrown together excuse for a prequel hidden under a blanket of CGI.
Add to that, Qui Gon Jinn’s use of a tarted-up
Ladies’ Sensor Excel Leg-Razor as a communications device and you’ve got a sure-fire stinker.
All in all a disappointing start to the new trilogy.
My rating 22%
Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.
With the debacle that was Episode I, you’d have thought Lucas would have learned his lesson and improved the new trilogy. Sadly again, he didn’t.
The movie revolves around Obi wan Kenobi’s and Anakin Skywalker’s adventures around the galaxy.
A bounty hunter named Django Fett has been hired as a mould for a Clone Army, ordered in secret by a (now dead) Jedi Knight.
Obi Wan is sent to the planet
Kamino to investigate this disturbing event and let the council know what the truth of the matter is.
Anakin has been reassigned to protect Amidala (now a Senator) as an unknown party and an unknown assassin have targeted her for termination.
Anakin and Amidala’s love story is expanded on as they spend more time together alone in hiding. Eventually finding a common ground and falling in love.
Anakin’s feelings of jealousy toward other Jedi and his delusions of grandeur show a hotter side to his temperament. Eventually a murderous side surfaces when he returns to his home planet of Tatooine and is met with family tragedy.
Obi Wan in the interim has discovered more about the Clone Army and has discovered that the Trade Federation are still up to no good and are working alongside another Sith Lord called Count Dooku and an alien race called the
Geonosians to build a super weapon.
Eventually Obi Wan is captured while snooping and Anakin and Amidala decide to rescue him.
In the meantime, the Jedi Council have gathered all the nearby Jedi and are also heading to Obi Wan’s aide. The Jedi have utilised the Clone soldiers too, to aide them in fighting Dooku, the Trade Federation and the Geonosians.
At the end, Anakin and Amidala marry in secret.
The movie is far more action orientated. It’s full of chases and sabre fights and relies extremely heavily on CGI.
The movie as a whole feels as though Lucas wanted to stick the characters in as many different (and unentertaining) CG cartoon situations as possible.
Yoda, C3PO, the Jedi, the Clones and even Django Fett are all, at some point, turned into a CG character.
R2D2 can apparently fly now too.
It’s
incredibly gimmicky and cliché. It’s almost an experiment in what they can do with CGI.
You can tell also that Lucas didn’t have a single set built for the film. It’s all green-screen.
All of it.
The writing too is substandard.
Lucas’ take on romance between two beautiful young people is
incredibly cringe-worthy.
A child could have written it in crayon and still given it more passion and chemistry.
McGregor is again spot on though as Obi Wan, but you can see he’s starting to wonder what he’s doing in such a pile.
Portman is more wooden this time around. Though she tries her best with the poor script, she seems fed up too.
Count Dooku is a mild highlight. A star turn from Christopher Lee brings a touch of campness to the movie. Eventually though, he too is turned into a CG character.
Anakin Skywalker is again, played by a complete muppet.
Hayden Christensen has absolutely no charisma and recites his lines as though he’s forgetting them as he does so.
He also has no chemistry with love-interest Portman. He’s apt with a lightsabre though but sadly it’s just not enough. Two great big thumbs down from me. He’s actually
worse than Jake Lloyd.
To be honest, I’m finding it hard to find a
good point on this one. Even the huge Jedi/Clone fight on Geonosia is a bit of a miss affair. It looks thrilling and flashy, it’s just got no substance.
I’m thinking the storyline is better suited to Star Wars than Episode I was. Anakin’s darker side is expanded to an extent, but it doesn’t save the movie.
All in all the worst of the Star Wars franchise, a better story than Episode I but still not anything worthy of the Star Wars title.
My rating 17%
Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.
Almost back to basics for the franchise.
Revolving around Anakin’s fall into the
Dark Side Of The Force.
He has been sent with Obi Wan to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from the clutches of another bad guy called General Grievous. Grievous is the commander of a droid army and is working along side Dooku. Both however are under the command of Darth Sidious.
After the rescue of Palpatine, they all return to the planet of Coruscant (home of the Jedi Council and the Galactic Senate) and Anakin meets up with Amidala.
She drops the news on him that she is pregnant with his child. This tears Anakin’s feelings inside. Does he stay with her and admit everything to the Council and risk his future with the Jedi, or keep everything secret with her and risk being caught out?
In the meantime, Obi Wan has been sent on a mission to recapture General Grievous without Anakin by his side, which upsets him even further.
To make things worse, Anakin’s having visions of Amidala dying in childbirth.
Finding solace with Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin has his ego blown up by Palpatine’s praises and seeds of doubts are also sown when Palpatine says the Jedi don’t trust Anakin. Palpatine starts sowing seeds of temptation when he mentions that the Dark Side is much more powerful than the Jedi’s power.
With seeds sown, Palpatine reveals his true purpose in the story and Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side is completed when he kills a Jedi Master. Upon meeting the newly appointed Emperor, Anakin is redubbed as
Darth Vader.
It’s now up to Obi Wan and Yoda to bring an end to this startling turn of events before Vader’s murderous rampage wipes out
all of the Jedi in the galaxy.
Episode III is by far the best written of the prequels in terms of story.
Lucas’ dialogue is still childlike but the story is far superior to the first two.
It’s complex and yet is still easy to follow.
There isn’t a massive expansion in the universe per-say, but the expansion of the Anakin/Emperor/Amidala/Kenobi circle is very well pieced together.
Anakin’s fall, (though loosely told in this review) is a very realised sequence of events. It’s very
real in the fact that Anakin doesn’t realise he’s actually now a bad guy.
The effects of the movie, though heavily CGI, are much better placed than in the first two prequels. They’re less cartoony and edge more toward real looking. They’re also utilised in a more viewer friendly way rather than just smashed into your face with colourful abandonment.
The action in the movie, particularly between Obi Wan and Vader is an absolute joy to watch. They really went all out for the sabre fight.
It does go a little awry when they throw some CG fire and explosions in there though. All the audience needed was Kenobi Vs Vader.
As for the acting, Hayden Christensen is quite a shock as Anakin. He must have had acting lessons between the two movies. He’s still not perfect, but he’s certainly improved.
McGregor and Portman do apt jobs as usual and Portman and Christensen have more of a chemistry on screen this time round too.
The movie as a whole is similar to Return Of The Jedi. It’s darker and more brooding than its predecessors. It’s much more violent too, it’s the only Star Wars movie to be rated higher than a PG. In Britain it carries a 12 certificate.
All in all not a perfect movie, still nowhere near to the original trilogy, but far superior to Episodes I & II.
My rating 55%