This week Fox released the complete Star Wars saga on Blu-Ray; the entire six film set retails for about $140, and two sets of three films each (the original trilogy and the prequels) retail for about $70. I did not receive a press copy of any of these, but I'm told that -- once again -- only the 1997 "special editions" of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi are here, rather than the original theatrical versions from 1977, 1980 and 1983. The full set includes nine total discs, with three full discs of extras. Here, for fun, are blurbs of my reviews of all six films.
There are a hundred small things wrong with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, from lack of character development, to bad dialogue, to too many CGI effects. It tries to overwhelm us with its sound and fury in a vain attempt to cover up the distinct lack of decent writing. However, it gives us at least three scenes that are wondrous and thrilling.
I suppose when it comes down to it, large portions of this movie thrilled me with their spectacular, breathtaking art direction and beautifully directed action scenes. Many of these sequences work if you can mentally make the connection between these characters and their warmer, far more interesting "future" counterparts. If you can imagine Alec Guinness during some of McGregor's scenes, you're bound to have a good time. Yet it's probably too much to ask for Lucas to insert these things into the movie himself. It's as if he's succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force himself, caring more for technology than for the human spirit. On the other hand, perhaps Lucas is still focused on "B" movies and serials. How can he not be with ridiculous titles like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones -- as well as that dialogue, which sounds like it came right out of a 1940s Republic serial? Not to mention the presence of Christopher Lee, a bona fide "B" movie star from days gone by.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the movie we've been waiting for, the movie that should have been made all along. It leaves The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones so far behind that they're almost unnecessary. Detractors have blamed writer/director George Lucas for writing clunky dialogue and failing to support his actors while they gamely struggled through. Now the performers appear far more comfortable, and in fact, enthusiastic about their jobs. The overall quality of acting has improved 90%, and even Samuel L. Jackson sounds like his old self. Ian McDiarmid in particular gives one of the series' best performances since Alec Guinness in Star Wars.
I'm continually impressed by how the movie is shot in partial-documentary style. The camera just breezes over fantastic droids or creatures or gimmicks in some shots. The Cantina scene was revolutionary, because it took all of those fantastic, imaginative creatures for granted. (In some ways the new stuff draws attention to itself, in contrast.) I couldn't help getting an adrenaline rush, butterflies, and tingles at certain moments. All in all, this movie is a classic that deserves its spot in the heart of America with The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca and the others.
Now, in 1997, seeing the big screen re-release of the two movies within weeks of each other, I finally relent and admit that The Empire Strikes Back is the better of the two. In fact, it's clearly the best -- and the most warmly human -- of the entire series.
The third Star Wars film, and the sixth in the series, begins with a bang as our heroes try to wrap up the threads left hanging at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. This exciting sequence, set on the desert planet of Tatooine, has the good sense to keep certain details from the audience, constantly surprising us with the breadth and depth of the elaborate rescue plan. As directed by Richard Marquand (Jagged Edge) and cleanly edited by Sean Barton, Duwayne Dunham, and Marcia Lucas, the well-paced action adds up to one of the best sequences in the entire series, bursting with the characters' charisma and well-earned chemistry. Unfortunately, from there the film takes a nosedive with careless exposition and with the much-hated introduction of the fuzzy Ewoks.
TooFab: How did you two meet?
