Star Wars Episodes I-IV Reviews
May. 4th, 2022 08:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theradicalchildSince today is Star Wars Day I'll repost my reviews of Episodes I-IV, since they're among my longest film reviews.
It’s virtually impossible to encounter a forum discussion about the Star Wars prequel films without chancing the poster who talks about them as though they’re rape cases, or see the rare review that civilly balances intelligent praise and criticism of the movies. Regardless, alleged “fans” of the franchise have an odd disdain for creator George Lucas, unlike the reverence that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry has, which would be equivalent to Christians disliking Jesus. Star Wars was never a flawless franchise to begin with, as I could name a number of plot holes in A New Hope, and it’s pretty hard to objectively “rate” all the films given their lingering issues.
The movie itself about thirty-two years before the Battle of Yavin that occurs at the end of Episode IV, which serves as the focal point in the timeline of all Star Wars media, the antagonistic Trade Federation protesting the taxation of trade routes by taking over the backwater Galactic Republic planet Naboo, whose ruler, Queen Amidala, is consequentially forced to evacuate thanks to the help of Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, the former who provides a good, intelligent foil to the dimwitted, polarizing, reptilian Gungan Jar-Jar Binks.
Saying that Jar-Jar is an example of “bad” acting would be akin to saying Donald Duck’s voicework is “bad,” and the “issues” with actor Ahmed Best’s performance are more a case where the writing, rather than the acting itself, is problematic. As would be the case with science-fiction media since Star Trek: The Original Series, Episode I is full of racial stereotypes, with the Gungans themselves for instance a parody of Africans not well-versed in English, including BRIAN BLESSED’s portrayal of their leader Boss Nass. The Nemoidians represent Asians, and Anakin Skywalker’s slave master Watto Jews.
There is the “inconsistency” of Obi-Wan’s statement in The Empire Strikes Back that Yoda was “the Jedi Master who instructed me,” but since Jedi tend to start training as younglings, it’s likely that Yoda did train him when he was young, as the now-defunct Legends continuity confirmed, before his apprenticeship to Qui-Gon Jinn. Regardless, I think the “inconsistencies” people whine about are vastly exaggerated, and not nearly as bad as those in say, The Simpsons. Also, Anakin is a “great pilot,” even if he’s not professional, as Obi-Wan states in the original trilogy, and I liked the homage to Ben-Hur in the podrace.
Back to the film itself, it also has a plot hole that originated in Episode V where Queen Amidala’s vessel, when fleeing into outer space, has infinite directions to go, and the Trade Federation’s ships aren’t blocking the whole planet, but her ship flies directly near the blockade, but the scene does introduce R2-D2, the only surviving astromech droid who repairs the ship’s shields. Many also bemoan the alleged superiority of the film’s technology to that in the original trilogy, although it didn’t really seem blatant to me and not as much so as in, say, Star Trek: Enterprise and Discovery.
I’ll admit that it’s obvious, as well, as to the true identity of the eponymous “phantom menace,” since when I first saw said character, I was like, “He looks really familiar.” I further think it makes perfect sense that the Force has a biological basis (midi-chlorians) since if everyone in the Galaxy had access to the energy source, it would’ve made Darth Vader and later Kylo Ren’s respective genocides of the Jedi Order meaningless. Even the original trilogy hints that Force-sensitivity could be biological, with Luke telling Leia, “The Force is strong in my family: my father has it; I have it; my sister has it.”
Queen Amidala’s brigade ultimately find themselves on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, where the Republic doesn’t exist and slavery is still rampant, and they encounter Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin, who seems to be of virgin birth, given the absence of any father (although Revenge of the Sith and a canon Darth Vader comic hint a little at Anakin’s possible patronage). Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the prophesized “chosen One” who will bring balance to the Force, which admittedly is out of whack since Jedi vastly outnumber the Sith, who show themselves fronted by the enigmatic Darth Maul.
I don’t think Star Wars has ever been about good, cohesive writing in the first place but more about flash effects and battles, and most can agree that Episode I definitely doesn’t disappoint in terms of its visual or musical presentation. There are questionable decisions with regards to the technology such as the Gungans’ shield capabilities, with the droid armies able to march right on through them but not shoot through them. Before I saw the movie in the theater for the first time, some jerkwad in an unrelated forum spoiled a key plot point, but there is another twist that hadn’t been spoiled for me.
In the end, I definitely think the first chronological cinematic installment of the Star Wars franchise definitely has far more going for it than alleged “professional” film critics and fake “fans” suggest, although it’s definitely not without its issues such as the ethnic stereotyping of certain alien races. I think that 99.99% of the people who dislike the film are blinded by nostalgia and deluded into thinking the original trilogy is infallible, which I think is a load of bull, and just goes to show that most film critics and “fans” are vastly unqualified to judge cinema with true objectivity in the first place.
Most can acknowledge that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a polarizing film among both critics and fans of the franchise, although actual reception of the movie wasn’t completely “negative,” since The Empire Strikes Back and especially Return of the Jedi got weaker reviews upon their original releases. However, the former would ultimately receive vindication as a nigh-infallible “masterpiece,” and while it is indeed an amazing film, it does have serious flaws that “professional” film critics need to consider before passing it off as one of the “greatest movies of all time,” and many of the shortcomings of the original trilogy exist in the prequels as well.
Attack of the Clones occurs around a decade after Episode I, and opens with an assassination attempt upon the life of Padmé Amidala, who has since transitioned from Queen to Senator of Naboo. The culprit is none other than a servant of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, father of Boba, who serves as the genetic base for the eponymous clones that serve as the military for the Galactic Republic’s overwhelmed Jedi, with many star systems declaring their independence under the leadership of the enigmatic Count Dooku. As is the case with ghost-trapping in the Ghostbusters series, no one questions the ethics of using rapidly-aging human clones as an army.
There is also the inconsistency of Chancellor Sheev Palpatine’s claim that the Republic is a millennium old, when Obi-Wan Kenobi says in A New Hope that the Jedi have been guardians of the galaxy for a thousand generations, which the original Legends continuity somewhat addressed. The exact reasons for Palpatine not letting the rogue star systems go in peace is touched upon as well, and Obi-Wan goes to the planet Kamino, knowledge of which was erased from the Jedi Archives, to survey the clone army supposedly commissioned by long-dead Jedi Sifo-Dyas, and admittedly, not all of the holes in the franchise have been filled by the canon literature.
Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker also serves as guardian to Senator Amidala, and develops an attachment to the politician, which, alongside his Oedipus complex relating to his mother Shmi, is a catalyst for his ultimate fall to the Dark Side. Attack of the Clones introduces Anakin’s stepfamily, the Lars, on Tatooine when he goes to rescue his mother from Tusken Raiders that kidnapped his mother, whom Cliegg Lars, father to Owen, married after purchasing her freedom from slavery. Jar Jar Binks has a more subdued role in Episode II, eventually replacing Senator Amidala, with droid C-3PO serving far more as comic relief, and giving a slight tonal whiplash to the film.
Flashy battles conclude the film, with the Jedi deciding to adopt the clone army, and given that its basis attempted to assassinate Obi-Wan several times, it does raise the question of why he didn’t suspect something amiss. Overall, the film does definitely have its flaws, but I probably enjoyed it more than the sequel trilogy since it, alongside its predecessor and successor, aren’t cases of real life writing them or derivative of the original films. Some of the technology does appear superior to that in the original trilogy, but it’s largely due to Star Wars in general being more about the worlds and their inhabitants. Regardless, I would rather watch it and the other prequels than, say, a political documentary.
Spoilers for those unfamiliar with the franchise.
The third and final installment of the eternally-polarizing Star Wars prequel trilogy opens with the off-screen kidnapping of Supreme Galactic Chancellor Sheev Palpatine by General Grievous, leader of the droid armies of the Separatists (which doesn’t have a canon on-screen occurrence, even in the extended Clone Wars television series or in the canon books, unless I’m mistaken). Personally, were I in charge of writing the opening crawl, I would have included something about Anakin’s imminent plight to the Dark Side of the Force, although the quote “There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.” I think accurately describes politics.
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are tasked with rescuing the captive Chancellor from Grievous and Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whom the Jedi duo duels on his ship above the city-planet Coruscant, afterwards crash-landing the vessel. When Anakin reunites with his secret wife Padmé Amidala, he learns that she is pregnant, with her unborn offspring until the last minute referred to as “the baby,” and I somewhat find it odd that Anakin and Obi-Wan in particular, who spend the most time around her, couldn’t sense multiple lives within her womb, despite their Jedi senses.
The final battles of the Clone Wars occur chiefly on the planets of Utapau, where Obi-Wan confronts General Grievous, and on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, where Yoda spends significant time, having interaction with original trilogy character Chewbacca. On Coruscant, Palpatine gradually lures Anakin to the Dark Side with the tale of the tragedy of his old Sith Master, Darth Plagueis the Wise, who could manipulate life itself before his ultimate betrayal. Here, the Force having a biological basis in midi-chlorians actually has some significant basis, with a Darth Vader spinoff comic hinting that Palpatine may have had a hand in Anakin’s conception in Shmi Skywalker.
Palpatine chiefly preys on Anakin’s visions of losing his wife in childbirth, similar to those he had before the death of his mother on Tatooine at the hands of the Tuskens, and feels that turning to the Dark Side can save her, despite the secret Darth Sidious not giving any sort of apparent education in his deceased Master’s dark teachings. The Chancellor also appoints Anakin to be his representative on the Jedi Council, which they accept, although he doesn’t receive the rank of Master, which upsets him. I think a better quote in this situation would have been, “We accept your appointment to the Council, but do not grant you the rank, privilege, or voting power of a Master.”
Playing a significant part in the film’s latter events is the Chancellor’s Order 66, which turns the clone soldiers, genetically-created to follow orders blindly, against their Jedi Generals. I actually don’t feel sorry for the Jedi, since their teachings didn’t give any emphasis on defense against the powers of the Dark Side, and Anakin, knighted Darth Vader after he saves the Chancellor from arrest and death at the hands of the Jedi, storms the Jedi Temple of Coruscant in the beginning of his genocide against the Order. One could argue that Anakin was actually somewhat fulfilling the Chosen One prophecy in his decimation of the Jedi, balancing Light and Dark Side followers, given the latter’s “Rule of Two.”
Padmé is also somewhat equally and unintentionally unsympathetic, since she really should have known what she was getting into when she became intimate with Anakin, and even as a child, Anakin showed potential genocidal tendencies, given his destruction of a likely-alien-inhabited Trade Federation ship in Episode I, and slaughter of the Sand People that killed his mother. Padmé also thinks her husband incapable of his atrocities, despite having in Episode II confided in her about his slaughter of the Tuskens. Her death was also arguably forced; you could say postpartum depression, but given what she went through during the Clone Wars, she definitely got out of worse scrapes than childbirth.
Obi-Wan also is arguably not a good hero in that he fails to prevent every major tragedy in the franchise, given the Jedi, who were initially reluctant to take on Anakin as an apprentice, were actually somewhat right in their reluctance, and that he adopts an alias that includes his real last name (Ben Kenobi), while living in exile on Vader’s homeworld Tatooine near his stepfamily. He was also potentially sexist, given his view in Episode V that Luke was the Galaxy’s last hope, Yoda having to remind him “No; there is another,” which I think would have been better worded as “Do not forget; there is another.” Obi-Wan reiterates his claim in Episode VI, with Luke noting as well that Yoda “spoke of another.”
Ultimately, the film culminates in tragedy with a duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the lava planet Mustafar that leaves him scorched, and put on life support when returned to Coruscant by the new Galactic Emperor Palpatine. Luke and Leia are eventually born and separated, with the latter adopted by the royal family of the later-doomed planet Alderaan. The last scene, where Obi-Wan delivers the infant Luke to his stepaunt and stepuncle on Tatooine, was beautiful, aurally and visually, and nigh-impossible to watch with dry eyes, serving as a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is still hope.
Overall, the Star Wars film franchise as a whole has very much been a subject of my many arguments over the internet, especially with those who consider the original trilogy infallible (which I personally don’t, as Episode III shares many issues with its chronological predecessors and successors), and I feel that the series has been far more about flash effects and battles, and to a lesser extent the characters, than good writing (and even the “best” film, The Empire Strikes Back, has some holes, and I don’t think Lawrence Kasdan is any better a writer than George Lucas).
I definitely don’t think the film, or any others in the Star Wars series, is a masterpiece, although I think it definitely qualifies as being “culturally or historically significant,” since it has some decent sociopolitical commentary (even if a bit of it is ham-fisted) about things such as the dangers of love, the fragility of democracy, the nature of war, and such. Many of the “flaws” film critics complain about in the film are present as well in the original trilogy, and I’m somewhat tired of movie reviewers and even the franchise’s alleged “fans” as a whole considering certain films infallible, and pretending certain ones are better (or worse) than they actually are.
Star Wars creator George Lucas originally wanted to do a film based on Flash Gordon, but couldn’t secure the rights, so he made his own science-fiction franchise instead, which was definitely a successful endeavor, even if the production of the original film in the series, ultimately subtitled A New Hope and numbered Episode IV of the later-named Skywalker Saga, was fairly troubled. The film itself begins with an opening text crawl through space preceding main entries of the saga, describing the Rebel Alliance’s acquisition of plans to the intergalactic weapon of mass destruction, the Death Star (with spinoff film Rogue One showing this key event in the series chronology).
One of the Galactic Empire’s star destroyers is pursuing the vessel of Alderaan’s Princess Leia Organa, who is consequentially captured by Sith Lord Darth Vader in his iconic black life-support armor, although droids C-3P0 and R2-D2, the latter to whom she gave the Death Star schematics, escape, their pod spared destruction by the Imperial forces on account that there were no lifeforms on it, an oversight whose aversion would have ended the events of the original trilogy, and which the Family Guy parody “Blue Harvest” brilliantly points out: “Hold your fire? What, are we paying by the laser now?”
Threepio and Artoo’s escape pod lands on the desert planet Tatooine, which is an homage to the eponymous world of the Dune literary franchise from which Star Wars would filch other narrative elements, and they briefly separate before reuniting, thanks to the diminutive scavenging Jawas, at the moisture farm of Owen and Beru Lars, to whom they sell the droids and with whom their stepnephew Luke Skywalker has been living since his infancy, unaware of his lineage and power, given his stepaunt and stepuncle’s keeping him in the dark about his biological family.
Luke discovers the message Leia left for hiding Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who served her father in the Clone Wars, when tinkering with Artoo, who defies his new owners and makes for the Jedi’s residence, Luke following and rescued from the sand people by his old friend Ben Kenobi. I find it a bit odd that Obi-Wan would adopt an alias that includes his real surname (and just “Ben” would have perfectly sufficed) when in hiding from the Jedi-purging Galactic Empire, and I think the dialogue in the film would have been better-worded as “Obi-Wan Kenobi…I wonder if old Ben would know anything about him.”
Obi-Wan, when he brings Luke to his home, reveals more of the franchise’s critical backstory, mentioning that the Jedi had served the Galactic Republic “for a thousand generations,” which Episode II would contradict with then-Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine stating that the Republic had stood “for a thousand years.” He continues by indicating that his rogue pupil Darth Vader would betray and lead a genocide against the Jedi Order, with the Dark Times approaching and Galactic Empire subsequently rising. Kenobi also mentions the mystical energy source known as the Force, and gives Luke a keepsake of his father, his blue-bladed lightsaber.
The two go to Mos Eisley in hopes of finding a pilot to take them to Alderaan, finding Han Solo in a bar, before which two aliens for unknown reasons pick a fight with Luke, with Obi-Wan coming to the rescue though revealing his lightsaber in a lapse of judgement. Han boasts that his vessel, the Millennium Falcon, “made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs,” with many, such as the mentioned Family Guy spoof, noting that a parsec is a measure of distance, not time. Though Solo’s spinoff film would shed light on this, I personally think Han was just BSing about his ship’s capabilities.
Han also has dealings with the minions of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, including Greedo, who confronts the human pilot one-on-one and threatens to take his life. I honestly don’t care who got the first shot, originally Han, then Greedo in the 1997 rerelease, and then both shooting simultaneously in the latest version of the film. Being a writer myself (though I haven’t written any fiction for several years), I like to make occasional changes of certain details to my works, so I can somewhat emphasize with Lucas. The 1997 rerelease adds a scene where Solo interacts with Jabba, with a cameo by bounty hunter Boba Fett, that gives some foreshadowing.
In the meantime, the Imperials interrogate Leia as to the location of the Rebel base, the Death Star parked above her homeworld Alderaan, which they threaten to destroy if she doesn’t say. They blow up the planet anyway when she gives a false answer, and while it’s sad what happens to the planet’s people, they are somewhat unintentionally unsympathetic, since Leia made no effort before her capture to warn its inhabitants that the world might be a target for the Empire, and they make no noticeable effort to evacuate (and the planet didn’t even have a moon, so the space station was in plain sight).
Back on Tatooine, Luke, Ben, Han, and his furry friend Chewbacca fight Imperials to escape the planet along with Threepio and Artoo, going into hyperdrive towards Alderaan and arriving too late to the destroyed world. The Millennium Falcon is tractor-beamed into the nearby Death Star, where its passengers elude capture, Luke and Han stealing stormtrooper armor and pretending Chewy is a prisoner, going to the detention block to free the captive Princess Leia. The Imperials ultimately catch on to the rescuers, and they escape through a garbage chute. Kenobi, before this, separates from the rest of the party, and confronts his old apprentice Darth Vader.
Most of the heroes escape, but not without the Millennium Falcon having to face off against several TIE fighters, after which Princess Leia rightfully suspects that the Imperials put a tracking device on the vessel, and given that the others aboard didn’t have the sense to change transportation or try to get rid of the tracker, she could have at least warned the Rebels on the moon of Yavin where the Rebel base was that the Death Star was on its way. Han’s ship reaches the base, and he leaves Luke, Leia, Threepio, and Artoo there while going off on other business, having helped the others simply for money involved.
The Rebels find through the stolen plans that the battle station has a weakness in an exhaust shaft leading directly to the core, where carefully-aimed ammunition can set off an explosive chain reaction to destroy the mobile Imperial base. The Death Star does ultimately arrive in the system where the Rebel base is, although instead of simply blowing up the gas planet the moon was orbiting, which would likely have some sort of effect on the gravity, atmosphere or whatnot of Yavin IV (unless the planet it revolves around didn’t have a solid core), they decide to wait and circle the world to crush their enemies directly.
The battle which follows is definitely awesome, with inspiration from war films that predate A New Hope, although both sides of the war seem to forget that outer space isn’t two-dimensional, and one could easily wonder why the Rebels couldn’t simply fly directly towards the exhaust shaft instead of having to skim the trench before it. It’s also somewhat baffling that in the face of destruction by the Death Star, that the Rebels don’t evacuate their base on the moon; were they absolutely confident they were going to win the battle?
Luke does succeed in blowing up the Death Star, although the logic in how this happens is somewhat flawed, as the torpedoes are shown moving straightforward a great distance before curving into the shaft. Predictably, the Rebels win, with several high-ranking Imperials deceased as a result of the Death Star’s destruction (although Darth Vader does get away in his TIE fighter), and the insurgents hold a victory ceremony on Yavin’s moon, ending the film. Naturally, the film’s phenomenal success would convince George Lucas to turn it into a franchise, an endeavor that continues to profit today, and I’m pretty certain our descendants will be watching new Star Wars films in the indefinite future.
John William’s score for the film and its brethren is notable, the theme played during the opening crawls of the Skywalker Saga movies having a motif like Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and a refrain like Tchaikovsky’s “Marche Slave.” Most of the soundtrack takes inspiration from Gustav Holst’s The Planets suite, mostly the Mars movement, other classical musical pieces such as “The Rite of Spring” influencing the score as well. The film ends, like its chronological and temporal successors and predecessors, with a remix of the opening crawl theme that led me to watch the closing credits to the end just to listen.
All in all, A New Hope is certainly an amazing film—there’s absolutely no question about that—but has serious flaws that need consideration before passing it off as an infallible masterpiece, such as its countless plot holes and questionable narrative choices that would plague other entries of the space opera franchise. It does also show its age in some respects, but definitely doesn’t scream “the 1970s,” especially with the “controversial” aesthetic touchups effected since the original release, and while I think movies should be judged on their actual content and cohesion than influence and importance, positive or negative, it’s very much a bucket-list film, and a high point of cinematic science-fiction.
I'll try to watch and review Episodes V and VI later this month.
It’s virtually impossible to encounter a forum discussion about the Star Wars prequel films without chancing the poster who talks about them as though they’re rape cases, or see the rare review that civilly balances intelligent praise and criticism of the movies. Regardless, alleged “fans” of the franchise have an odd disdain for creator George Lucas, unlike the reverence that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry has, which would be equivalent to Christians disliking Jesus. Star Wars was never a flawless franchise to begin with, as I could name a number of plot holes in A New Hope, and it’s pretty hard to objectively “rate” all the films given their lingering issues.
The movie itself about thirty-two years before the Battle of Yavin that occurs at the end of Episode IV, which serves as the focal point in the timeline of all Star Wars media, the antagonistic Trade Federation protesting the taxation of trade routes by taking over the backwater Galactic Republic planet Naboo, whose ruler, Queen Amidala, is consequentially forced to evacuate thanks to the help of Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, the former who provides a good, intelligent foil to the dimwitted, polarizing, reptilian Gungan Jar-Jar Binks.
Saying that Jar-Jar is an example of “bad” acting would be akin to saying Donald Duck’s voicework is “bad,” and the “issues” with actor Ahmed Best’s performance are more a case where the writing, rather than the acting itself, is problematic. As would be the case with science-fiction media since Star Trek: The Original Series, Episode I is full of racial stereotypes, with the Gungans themselves for instance a parody of Africans not well-versed in English, including BRIAN BLESSED’s portrayal of their leader Boss Nass. The Nemoidians represent Asians, and Anakin Skywalker’s slave master Watto Jews.
There is the “inconsistency” of Obi-Wan’s statement in The Empire Strikes Back that Yoda was “the Jedi Master who instructed me,” but since Jedi tend to start training as younglings, it’s likely that Yoda did train him when he was young, as the now-defunct Legends continuity confirmed, before his apprenticeship to Qui-Gon Jinn. Regardless, I think the “inconsistencies” people whine about are vastly exaggerated, and not nearly as bad as those in say, The Simpsons. Also, Anakin is a “great pilot,” even if he’s not professional, as Obi-Wan states in the original trilogy, and I liked the homage to Ben-Hur in the podrace.
Back to the film itself, it also has a plot hole that originated in Episode V where Queen Amidala’s vessel, when fleeing into outer space, has infinite directions to go, and the Trade Federation’s ships aren’t blocking the whole planet, but her ship flies directly near the blockade, but the scene does introduce R2-D2, the only surviving astromech droid who repairs the ship’s shields. Many also bemoan the alleged superiority of the film’s technology to that in the original trilogy, although it didn’t really seem blatant to me and not as much so as in, say, Star Trek: Enterprise and Discovery.
I’ll admit that it’s obvious, as well, as to the true identity of the eponymous “phantom menace,” since when I first saw said character, I was like, “He looks really familiar.” I further think it makes perfect sense that the Force has a biological basis (midi-chlorians) since if everyone in the Galaxy had access to the energy source, it would’ve made Darth Vader and later Kylo Ren’s respective genocides of the Jedi Order meaningless. Even the original trilogy hints that Force-sensitivity could be biological, with Luke telling Leia, “The Force is strong in my family: my father has it; I have it; my sister has it.”
Queen Amidala’s brigade ultimately find themselves on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, where the Republic doesn’t exist and slavery is still rampant, and they encounter Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin, who seems to be of virgin birth, given the absence of any father (although Revenge of the Sith and a canon Darth Vader comic hint a little at Anakin’s possible patronage). Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the prophesized “chosen One” who will bring balance to the Force, which admittedly is out of whack since Jedi vastly outnumber the Sith, who show themselves fronted by the enigmatic Darth Maul.
I don’t think Star Wars has ever been about good, cohesive writing in the first place but more about flash effects and battles, and most can agree that Episode I definitely doesn’t disappoint in terms of its visual or musical presentation. There are questionable decisions with regards to the technology such as the Gungans’ shield capabilities, with the droid armies able to march right on through them but not shoot through them. Before I saw the movie in the theater for the first time, some jerkwad in an unrelated forum spoiled a key plot point, but there is another twist that hadn’t been spoiled for me.
In the end, I definitely think the first chronological cinematic installment of the Star Wars franchise definitely has far more going for it than alleged “professional” film critics and fake “fans” suggest, although it’s definitely not without its issues such as the ethnic stereotyping of certain alien races. I think that 99.99% of the people who dislike the film are blinded by nostalgia and deluded into thinking the original trilogy is infallible, which I think is a load of bull, and just goes to show that most film critics and “fans” are vastly unqualified to judge cinema with true objectivity in the first place.
Most can acknowledge that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a polarizing film among both critics and fans of the franchise, although actual reception of the movie wasn’t completely “negative,” since The Empire Strikes Back and especially Return of the Jedi got weaker reviews upon their original releases. However, the former would ultimately receive vindication as a nigh-infallible “masterpiece,” and while it is indeed an amazing film, it does have serious flaws that “professional” film critics need to consider before passing it off as one of the “greatest movies of all time,” and many of the shortcomings of the original trilogy exist in the prequels as well.
Attack of the Clones occurs around a decade after Episode I, and opens with an assassination attempt upon the life of Padmé Amidala, who has since transitioned from Queen to Senator of Naboo. The culprit is none other than a servant of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, father of Boba, who serves as the genetic base for the eponymous clones that serve as the military for the Galactic Republic’s overwhelmed Jedi, with many star systems declaring their independence under the leadership of the enigmatic Count Dooku. As is the case with ghost-trapping in the Ghostbusters series, no one questions the ethics of using rapidly-aging human clones as an army.
There is also the inconsistency of Chancellor Sheev Palpatine’s claim that the Republic is a millennium old, when Obi-Wan Kenobi says in A New Hope that the Jedi have been guardians of the galaxy for a thousand generations, which the original Legends continuity somewhat addressed. The exact reasons for Palpatine not letting the rogue star systems go in peace is touched upon as well, and Obi-Wan goes to the planet Kamino, knowledge of which was erased from the Jedi Archives, to survey the clone army supposedly commissioned by long-dead Jedi Sifo-Dyas, and admittedly, not all of the holes in the franchise have been filled by the canon literature.
Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker also serves as guardian to Senator Amidala, and develops an attachment to the politician, which, alongside his Oedipus complex relating to his mother Shmi, is a catalyst for his ultimate fall to the Dark Side. Attack of the Clones introduces Anakin’s stepfamily, the Lars, on Tatooine when he goes to rescue his mother from Tusken Raiders that kidnapped his mother, whom Cliegg Lars, father to Owen, married after purchasing her freedom from slavery. Jar Jar Binks has a more subdued role in Episode II, eventually replacing Senator Amidala, with droid C-3PO serving far more as comic relief, and giving a slight tonal whiplash to the film.
Flashy battles conclude the film, with the Jedi deciding to adopt the clone army, and given that its basis attempted to assassinate Obi-Wan several times, it does raise the question of why he didn’t suspect something amiss. Overall, the film does definitely have its flaws, but I probably enjoyed it more than the sequel trilogy since it, alongside its predecessor and successor, aren’t cases of real life writing them or derivative of the original films. Some of the technology does appear superior to that in the original trilogy, but it’s largely due to Star Wars in general being more about the worlds and their inhabitants. Regardless, I would rather watch it and the other prequels than, say, a political documentary.
Spoilers for those unfamiliar with the franchise.
The third and final installment of the eternally-polarizing Star Wars prequel trilogy opens with the off-screen kidnapping of Supreme Galactic Chancellor Sheev Palpatine by General Grievous, leader of the droid armies of the Separatists (which doesn’t have a canon on-screen occurrence, even in the extended Clone Wars television series or in the canon books, unless I’m mistaken). Personally, were I in charge of writing the opening crawl, I would have included something about Anakin’s imminent plight to the Dark Side of the Force, although the quote “There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.” I think accurately describes politics.
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are tasked with rescuing the captive Chancellor from Grievous and Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whom the Jedi duo duels on his ship above the city-planet Coruscant, afterwards crash-landing the vessel. When Anakin reunites with his secret wife Padmé Amidala, he learns that she is pregnant, with her unborn offspring until the last minute referred to as “the baby,” and I somewhat find it odd that Anakin and Obi-Wan in particular, who spend the most time around her, couldn’t sense multiple lives within her womb, despite their Jedi senses.
The final battles of the Clone Wars occur chiefly on the planets of Utapau, where Obi-Wan confronts General Grievous, and on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, where Yoda spends significant time, having interaction with original trilogy character Chewbacca. On Coruscant, Palpatine gradually lures Anakin to the Dark Side with the tale of the tragedy of his old Sith Master, Darth Plagueis the Wise, who could manipulate life itself before his ultimate betrayal. Here, the Force having a biological basis in midi-chlorians actually has some significant basis, with a Darth Vader spinoff comic hinting that Palpatine may have had a hand in Anakin’s conception in Shmi Skywalker.
Palpatine chiefly preys on Anakin’s visions of losing his wife in childbirth, similar to those he had before the death of his mother on Tatooine at the hands of the Tuskens, and feels that turning to the Dark Side can save her, despite the secret Darth Sidious not giving any sort of apparent education in his deceased Master’s dark teachings. The Chancellor also appoints Anakin to be his representative on the Jedi Council, which they accept, although he doesn’t receive the rank of Master, which upsets him. I think a better quote in this situation would have been, “We accept your appointment to the Council, but do not grant you the rank, privilege, or voting power of a Master.”
Playing a significant part in the film’s latter events is the Chancellor’s Order 66, which turns the clone soldiers, genetically-created to follow orders blindly, against their Jedi Generals. I actually don’t feel sorry for the Jedi, since their teachings didn’t give any emphasis on defense against the powers of the Dark Side, and Anakin, knighted Darth Vader after he saves the Chancellor from arrest and death at the hands of the Jedi, storms the Jedi Temple of Coruscant in the beginning of his genocide against the Order. One could argue that Anakin was actually somewhat fulfilling the Chosen One prophecy in his decimation of the Jedi, balancing Light and Dark Side followers, given the latter’s “Rule of Two.”
Padmé is also somewhat equally and unintentionally unsympathetic, since she really should have known what she was getting into when she became intimate with Anakin, and even as a child, Anakin showed potential genocidal tendencies, given his destruction of a likely-alien-inhabited Trade Federation ship in Episode I, and slaughter of the Sand People that killed his mother. Padmé also thinks her husband incapable of his atrocities, despite having in Episode II confided in her about his slaughter of the Tuskens. Her death was also arguably forced; you could say postpartum depression, but given what she went through during the Clone Wars, she definitely got out of worse scrapes than childbirth.
Obi-Wan also is arguably not a good hero in that he fails to prevent every major tragedy in the franchise, given the Jedi, who were initially reluctant to take on Anakin as an apprentice, were actually somewhat right in their reluctance, and that he adopts an alias that includes his real last name (Ben Kenobi), while living in exile on Vader’s homeworld Tatooine near his stepfamily. He was also potentially sexist, given his view in Episode V that Luke was the Galaxy’s last hope, Yoda having to remind him “No; there is another,” which I think would have been better worded as “Do not forget; there is another.” Obi-Wan reiterates his claim in Episode VI, with Luke noting as well that Yoda “spoke of another.”
Ultimately, the film culminates in tragedy with a duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the lava planet Mustafar that leaves him scorched, and put on life support when returned to Coruscant by the new Galactic Emperor Palpatine. Luke and Leia are eventually born and separated, with the latter adopted by the royal family of the later-doomed planet Alderaan. The last scene, where Obi-Wan delivers the infant Luke to his stepaunt and stepuncle on Tatooine, was beautiful, aurally and visually, and nigh-impossible to watch with dry eyes, serving as a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is still hope.
Overall, the Star Wars film franchise as a whole has very much been a subject of my many arguments over the internet, especially with those who consider the original trilogy infallible (which I personally don’t, as Episode III shares many issues with its chronological predecessors and successors), and I feel that the series has been far more about flash effects and battles, and to a lesser extent the characters, than good writing (and even the “best” film, The Empire Strikes Back, has some holes, and I don’t think Lawrence Kasdan is any better a writer than George Lucas).
I definitely don’t think the film, or any others in the Star Wars series, is a masterpiece, although I think it definitely qualifies as being “culturally or historically significant,” since it has some decent sociopolitical commentary (even if a bit of it is ham-fisted) about things such as the dangers of love, the fragility of democracy, the nature of war, and such. Many of the “flaws” film critics complain about in the film are present as well in the original trilogy, and I’m somewhat tired of movie reviewers and even the franchise’s alleged “fans” as a whole considering certain films infallible, and pretending certain ones are better (or worse) than they actually are.
Star Wars creator George Lucas originally wanted to do a film based on Flash Gordon, but couldn’t secure the rights, so he made his own science-fiction franchise instead, which was definitely a successful endeavor, even if the production of the original film in the series, ultimately subtitled A New Hope and numbered Episode IV of the later-named Skywalker Saga, was fairly troubled. The film itself begins with an opening text crawl through space preceding main entries of the saga, describing the Rebel Alliance’s acquisition of plans to the intergalactic weapon of mass destruction, the Death Star (with spinoff film Rogue One showing this key event in the series chronology).
One of the Galactic Empire’s star destroyers is pursuing the vessel of Alderaan’s Princess Leia Organa, who is consequentially captured by Sith Lord Darth Vader in his iconic black life-support armor, although droids C-3P0 and R2-D2, the latter to whom she gave the Death Star schematics, escape, their pod spared destruction by the Imperial forces on account that there were no lifeforms on it, an oversight whose aversion would have ended the events of the original trilogy, and which the Family Guy parody “Blue Harvest” brilliantly points out: “Hold your fire? What, are we paying by the laser now?”
Threepio and Artoo’s escape pod lands on the desert planet Tatooine, which is an homage to the eponymous world of the Dune literary franchise from which Star Wars would filch other narrative elements, and they briefly separate before reuniting, thanks to the diminutive scavenging Jawas, at the moisture farm of Owen and Beru Lars, to whom they sell the droids and with whom their stepnephew Luke Skywalker has been living since his infancy, unaware of his lineage and power, given his stepaunt and stepuncle’s keeping him in the dark about his biological family.
Luke discovers the message Leia left for hiding Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who served her father in the Clone Wars, when tinkering with Artoo, who defies his new owners and makes for the Jedi’s residence, Luke following and rescued from the sand people by his old friend Ben Kenobi. I find it a bit odd that Obi-Wan would adopt an alias that includes his real surname (and just “Ben” would have perfectly sufficed) when in hiding from the Jedi-purging Galactic Empire, and I think the dialogue in the film would have been better-worded as “Obi-Wan Kenobi…I wonder if old Ben would know anything about him.”
Obi-Wan, when he brings Luke to his home, reveals more of the franchise’s critical backstory, mentioning that the Jedi had served the Galactic Republic “for a thousand generations,” which Episode II would contradict with then-Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine stating that the Republic had stood “for a thousand years.” He continues by indicating that his rogue pupil Darth Vader would betray and lead a genocide against the Jedi Order, with the Dark Times approaching and Galactic Empire subsequently rising. Kenobi also mentions the mystical energy source known as the Force, and gives Luke a keepsake of his father, his blue-bladed lightsaber.
The two go to Mos Eisley in hopes of finding a pilot to take them to Alderaan, finding Han Solo in a bar, before which two aliens for unknown reasons pick a fight with Luke, with Obi-Wan coming to the rescue though revealing his lightsaber in a lapse of judgement. Han boasts that his vessel, the Millennium Falcon, “made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs,” with many, such as the mentioned Family Guy spoof, noting that a parsec is a measure of distance, not time. Though Solo’s spinoff film would shed light on this, I personally think Han was just BSing about his ship’s capabilities.
Han also has dealings with the minions of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, including Greedo, who confronts the human pilot one-on-one and threatens to take his life. I honestly don’t care who got the first shot, originally Han, then Greedo in the 1997 rerelease, and then both shooting simultaneously in the latest version of the film. Being a writer myself (though I haven’t written any fiction for several years), I like to make occasional changes of certain details to my works, so I can somewhat emphasize with Lucas. The 1997 rerelease adds a scene where Solo interacts with Jabba, with a cameo by bounty hunter Boba Fett, that gives some foreshadowing.
In the meantime, the Imperials interrogate Leia as to the location of the Rebel base, the Death Star parked above her homeworld Alderaan, which they threaten to destroy if she doesn’t say. They blow up the planet anyway when she gives a false answer, and while it’s sad what happens to the planet’s people, they are somewhat unintentionally unsympathetic, since Leia made no effort before her capture to warn its inhabitants that the world might be a target for the Empire, and they make no noticeable effort to evacuate (and the planet didn’t even have a moon, so the space station was in plain sight).
Back on Tatooine, Luke, Ben, Han, and his furry friend Chewbacca fight Imperials to escape the planet along with Threepio and Artoo, going into hyperdrive towards Alderaan and arriving too late to the destroyed world. The Millennium Falcon is tractor-beamed into the nearby Death Star, where its passengers elude capture, Luke and Han stealing stormtrooper armor and pretending Chewy is a prisoner, going to the detention block to free the captive Princess Leia. The Imperials ultimately catch on to the rescuers, and they escape through a garbage chute. Kenobi, before this, separates from the rest of the party, and confronts his old apprentice Darth Vader.
Most of the heroes escape, but not without the Millennium Falcon having to face off against several TIE fighters, after which Princess Leia rightfully suspects that the Imperials put a tracking device on the vessel, and given that the others aboard didn’t have the sense to change transportation or try to get rid of the tracker, she could have at least warned the Rebels on the moon of Yavin where the Rebel base was that the Death Star was on its way. Han’s ship reaches the base, and he leaves Luke, Leia, Threepio, and Artoo there while going off on other business, having helped the others simply for money involved.
The Rebels find through the stolen plans that the battle station has a weakness in an exhaust shaft leading directly to the core, where carefully-aimed ammunition can set off an explosive chain reaction to destroy the mobile Imperial base. The Death Star does ultimately arrive in the system where the Rebel base is, although instead of simply blowing up the gas planet the moon was orbiting, which would likely have some sort of effect on the gravity, atmosphere or whatnot of Yavin IV (unless the planet it revolves around didn’t have a solid core), they decide to wait and circle the world to crush their enemies directly.
The battle which follows is definitely awesome, with inspiration from war films that predate A New Hope, although both sides of the war seem to forget that outer space isn’t two-dimensional, and one could easily wonder why the Rebels couldn’t simply fly directly towards the exhaust shaft instead of having to skim the trench before it. It’s also somewhat baffling that in the face of destruction by the Death Star, that the Rebels don’t evacuate their base on the moon; were they absolutely confident they were going to win the battle?
Luke does succeed in blowing up the Death Star, although the logic in how this happens is somewhat flawed, as the torpedoes are shown moving straightforward a great distance before curving into the shaft. Predictably, the Rebels win, with several high-ranking Imperials deceased as a result of the Death Star’s destruction (although Darth Vader does get away in his TIE fighter), and the insurgents hold a victory ceremony on Yavin’s moon, ending the film. Naturally, the film’s phenomenal success would convince George Lucas to turn it into a franchise, an endeavor that continues to profit today, and I’m pretty certain our descendants will be watching new Star Wars films in the indefinite future.
John William’s score for the film and its brethren is notable, the theme played during the opening crawls of the Skywalker Saga movies having a motif like Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and a refrain like Tchaikovsky’s “Marche Slave.” Most of the soundtrack takes inspiration from Gustav Holst’s The Planets suite, mostly the Mars movement, other classical musical pieces such as “The Rite of Spring” influencing the score as well. The film ends, like its chronological and temporal successors and predecessors, with a remix of the opening crawl theme that led me to watch the closing credits to the end just to listen.
All in all, A New Hope is certainly an amazing film—there’s absolutely no question about that—but has serious flaws that need consideration before passing it off as an infallible masterpiece, such as its countless plot holes and questionable narrative choices that would plague other entries of the space opera franchise. It does also show its age in some respects, but definitely doesn’t scream “the 1970s,” especially with the “controversial” aesthetic touchups effected since the original release, and while I think movies should be judged on their actual content and cohesion than influence and importance, positive or negative, it’s very much a bucket-list film, and a high point of cinematic science-fiction.
I'll try to watch and review Episodes V and VI later this month.
