You read that right. It’s been 35 years since Luke Skywalker wielded the green lightsabre, the ewoks outsmarted the Stormtroopers, Sebastian Shaw, and not Hayden Christensen, came back as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker, C3PO was mistaken for some sort of deity, and good finally prevailed over evil, bringing a sci-fi classic to a tumultuous end. Take a bow George Lucas and co.
And in the 35 years following these memorable events, we have seen 8 more films, cartoon series, theme park attractions, novels and graphic novels (including a Shakespearean retelling), a laughing chewbacca mask, lightsabre replicas, massive cult following, and much, much more.
There has been a general murmur of agreements about the ups and downs of the twists and turns taken in the Star Wars universe. Whether it’s Jar Jar Binks being the most annoying character in the saga, the originals being far more superior to the prequels, or Darth Maul always being cut in half, when will Lucas’ franchise finally power down and stop milking the cash cow?
Lessons from the original trilogy
Okay, let’s face it, the duel between Obi Wan and Darth Vader in New Hope was a little underwhelming. But give the filmmakers props, it was an emotional scene, and many of us really did miss Old Ben (uh, spoiler?).
So the special effects weren’t quite what they are today, but seriously guys, this was the seventies, what else could you expect? I think George Lucas and team were still miles ahead of the game by this point, and truth be told, you could excuse the little CG glitches when you think about the overall impact of the films.
It was all about the story. The dialogue, character building, chemistry, you name it. The story was centred on the sassy, scruffy-looking nerf-herder Han Solo, the bold and righteous Princess Leah Organa, and the farm boy with potential to be great, that was our dear old Luke Skywalker. Between the three of them, there was some excellent dialogue, real treasurable moments, and pure comedy gold.
In comparison, the prequels seemed a little on the dry side, the conversations did not flow, and even Liam Neeson seemed a waste (even though he was probably the best thing in Phantom Menace). In short, there was no character, no personality, just a run-of-the-mill script, better fight-choreography, and Revenge of the Sith was probably the saving grace in what was otherwise received as a mediocre attempt to revive a beautifully-crafted trilogy.
What lessons can they take away for future Star Wars films? Substance and style should go hand-in-hand, it shouldn’t be style over substance, because no flashy, extended lightsabre duel is going to replace lines like ‘look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.’
Solo, Boba Fett, Obi Wan…
The Star Wars factory seems to be releasing a new feature practically every year now to satisfy the higher ups that twiddle their thumbs in their boardrooms, figuring out ways to squeeze a dime from a defenceless Star Wars fan. With Solo already out, word’s going round about a potential Boba Fett standalone, and even an Obi Wan story.
The question here is: Is Star Wars losing its touch? In a series of controversial interviews, Mark Hamill was fairly vocal about his qualms with Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” highlighting creative differences on the direction of Luke’s character. Speaking to Spanish outlet SensaCine, he outright admitted that he had to start thinking of Luke as a whole other character, “Maybe he’s Jake Skywalker, he’s not my Luke Skywalker.”
Jury’s out on where the films are heading, but if Hamill’s words are anything to go by, we can all agree that the new features have lost pretty much all the essence of the originals, and no amount of nostalgic references like the Millennium Falcon making its return to the big screen for “Force Awakens” can ever bring back the sparkle of this big-budget monolith.
Harrison Ford summed it up best when he reportedly said that he “doesn’t give a rat’s ass” about where the franchise is going hereon forth.
How will you be celebrating ROTJ’s 35th birthday? What do you think of the newer Star Wars films? Let us know in the comments section below.
