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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Big spoilers here. Of course, any prequel discussion invites comparison to the originals.

Say what you want about the prequels, but the fact of the matter is the prequels did end on a strong note with Revenge of the Sith. With expectations mostly gone due to Episode I and II’s direction, all Revenge of the Sith had to deliver was the birth of Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker’s transition to Darth Vader. And for the most part, it does that. But we get so much more out of Revenge of the Sith that gets buried by the failures of the previous two prequels  (I know I gave Episode I a great review, but this was and still is the fan perception).

So why does Revenge of the Sith work? Because it took out most of the stuff the hardcore fans didn’t like in the first place. There’s no comic relief here. There’s no horrid love story. We’re all-in on the demons Anakin is facing. The film from beginning to end is almost non-stop action, and each scene seems to matter. Another big reason it works is because Hayden Christensen went from an F in Attack of the Clones to about a solid C+ here. While a C+ doesn’t sound all that great, he absolutely has his moments this time around. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Natalie Portman’s Padme.

It’s satisfying to see Palpatine’s evil plan come to fruition. Ian McDiarmid is great here once again. And while one may roll their eyes at McDiarmid hamming it up in some scenes, that is how the Emperor acted in Return of the Jedi as well.

As for the action, there are no less than five lightsaber battles and they range from good to awesome. Anakin getting revenge on Count Dooku? Really good, especially the finish. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. General Grievous, really fun. About Grievous, stupid cough aside, I thought he was a really fun side villain that also seemed like a bad ass. Mace Windu vs. The Emperor himself is probably the weakest of the battles, but still solid. Of course, the finish to that is Anakin’s turn to the dark side. The two finals battles are also a lot of fun, as Yoda takes on the Emperor and Obi-Wan and Anakin have the best lightsaber battle in the whole series. There’s so much more action here too. The opening sequence is probably in my top 5 favorite openings. We get to see some battles on other planets, including one with all the wookies. That’s also pretty awesome. The actual Order 66 declaration sees the Jedi get gunned down by their former allies, a combination of more action and some really good emotion.

I mentioned earlier there wasn’t a horrid love story here. But there is a decent, even ranging on good one here. Yes, some of the dialogue still sucks. But when Anakin and Padme aren’t going for cheesy lines they’re providing some strong emotional scenes. The scene where Padme tells Anakin she’s pregnant? It’s pretty awesome and Hayden really pulls it off with a mix of concern and happiness. How about when they’re both in separate rooms when Windu is going to face the Emperor and Anakin starts crying? That’s pretty awesome too.

One more point about Anakin. Once he turns evil…he looks awesome. I have little doubt at that point that he is Darth Vader. When he destroys Gunray he looks awesome. When he’s standing on that small flying droid in the battle against Obi-Wan, he looks awesome. It always felt earlier that Anakin was held back, to see him go on an all-out assault on Obi-Wan is satisfying.

Yeah, there are some silly scenes at the end. When Vader becomes Vader, we get a ridiculous NOOOOO! And we also learn Padme died of a broken heart, which was hilarious in itself. But we also get a few chilling scenes too…with Vader looking at the Death Star from a Star Destroyer, and Owen holding a baby Luke.

I didn’t even get into the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Obi-Wan Kenobi being pretty fun here or a bunch of other stuff. What can I say, it’s a film with a lot of good stuff in it.

Pros:

+Hayden Christensen is passable, and sometimes even more than passable, this time around.

+The transition from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader works well.

+Some of the love scenes are actually pretty good this time around.

+Action scenes are really good.

+Lightsaber battles are really good.

+Emperor Palpatine is really good.

Cons:

-Some silly scenes still.

-Natalie Portman is still pretty bad.

Revenge of the Sith, without a doubt, is the best Star Wars film. It may get the same grade as Empire, but Revenge had a lot more to it and didn’t have the benefit of being able to shock people like the “I am your father” line did. Revenge of the Sith had almost everything. And if this was the only Star Wars prequel ever made, people would regard it highly as well.

Grade: A

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie

Big spoilers here. Not that anyone’s really going out of their way to see this one…

You know how everyone decreed that the Star Wars Prequels were absolutely awful and such? Well, Star Wars: The Clone Wars actually is that awful.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars was basically made as a commercial for the Clone Wars animated series. While not the strongest reason to make this film, I’m surprised (and not in a good way) by the direction the film went.

The story on paper sounds solid. Set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are battling the separatists all over the galaxy on behalf of the republic. Jabba the Hutt’s son has been kidnapped, and since the Hutts control important routes through space that would aid either side in the war, Yoda has Kenobi and Skywalker rescue the Hutt child. Count Dooku though is in fact setting the republic up, making it seem like the Jedi were in fact the ones who kidnapped the child, and Dooku himself is going to rescue him. Also, Yoda decides Skywalker can have an apprentice and Ahsoka Tano comes along for the adventure.

Let’s get the good out of the way because it’s quick: the action scenes are pretty cool. In fact, if the entire film was just action scenes it would have served as a great commercial for the TV show. Also, Asajj Ventress, a Sith warrior, is also pretty cool.

Alright the bad. Everything else. Skywalker’s apprentice is one of the most annoying characters I’ve seen in a feature film. Between calling her Skywalker “Skyguy” and complaining about almost everything Skywalker asks she’s unbearable. There’s a scene where Skywalker and Tano are hiding in a container, Tano actually complains about now being able to crouch too long and that she needs to stand up, blowing their cover. This is someone who wants to be a Jedi. She does have the occasional moment I guess. Speaking of unbearable, once the Hutt child comes into the picture the story moves from the Clone War to taking care of a sick Hutt. The Hutt son is just as annoying, if not worse. It’s also a lot less interesting.

Obi-Wan Kenobli could also obtain the unbearable tag, although luckily in small doses. Everything he says is some positive cliché, and he’s also involved in one ridiculous scene where he tries to set up a surrender. I won’t spoil it here, but if you ever watch it try not to shake your head on how stupid the idea is.

There’s also an entire 3rd act that’s completely unnecessary involving Jabba’s uncle, Queen Amadala and a storyline twist that seemed completely random.

But hey, the actions scenes were good.

Pros:

+Action scenes.

Cons:

-Annoying characters.

-Stupid plot choice.

-Missing major Clone Wars characters. Where’s Savage Oppress, Darth Maul and General Grevious?

Avoids an F for one reason…the action scenes really are cool.

Grade: D

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Big spoilers here. Of course, any prequel discussion invites comparison to the originals.

One thing that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones didn’t have to deal with that Episode I did were outrageous expectations. Because Episode I’s reviews were bad to mixed, no one really expected Episode II to be much better. Unfortunately, this showed in the box office as well. I don’t think Episode II is awful or anything, but it has two things that really hold it back: it’s quite boring and Anakin and Padme’s love story.

Yes, Episode II for the most part is boring. All of the criticisms that many used against the prequels I see here. Too much political talk about war. Too much exposition. Not enough action. The title of the film is Attack of the Clones, but we don’t really see this attack until there are twenty minutes left in the film. There are some parts that work, but most of them don’t.

The main plot point of Episode II is that Padme (Queen Amidala) is the target of an assassination attempt. She mentions something about thinking Count Dooku is behind it, although we have no clue who Dooku is. This leads to a split up that’s similar in a way to how The Empire Strikes Back was structured. A grown Anakin Skywalker is left to protect Padme, while Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to find out information about one of the Queen’s attackers. Let’s be clear, the Anakin-Padme side is unbearable. Hayden Christensen is awful here, and Natalie Portman isn’t far behind. It’s not even that the actors do poorly, but the writing is a wreck as well. No one cares about Padme’s first kiss. No one wants to see the future Darth Vader having a picnic. Awful all around.

Obi-Wan’s journey to find out who the Queen’s attacker is does lead to some interesting scenes. When he ends up on the planet Kamino he finds out that the Republic possesses a Clone Army (which is boring), but confronts the bounty hunter Jango Fett (which was pretty cool). But most of Obi-Wan’s side of the adventure either shows the audience about the Jedi Order (where we meet the younglings) or get exposition about Count Dooku and the Emperor’s plan. I will say that the Emperor’s plan is well done, and Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku is a bright spot. Attack of the Clones is a smart film in this regard as Dooku doesn’t make it clear he’s a bad guy, he’s just someone who doesn’t believe in the Republic and even pretends to try to get along with Obi-Wan (which Obi-Wan has none of). All of this though isn’t enough to save the film.

There are three major action scenes. The first is a flying car chase which is fun. When the Clones attack that leads to another good scene. The final lightsaber battle is short and disappointing compared to what happened in Episode I, but seeing Yoda battle was pretty cool. Again, none of this is enough to save the film.

It should be pointed out there is a lot less Jar Jar Binks, which is good, but the return of the C-3PO and R2D2 pairing might have been a nod for old school fans, but it’s not memorable or anything here.

Pros:

+The actual attack of the clones was awesome.

+Christopher Lee as Count Dooku is a great choice.

+Jango Fett is pretty cool.

Cons:

-The attempted love story sucks.

-Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker was awful here.

-Pretty boring overall.

Attack of the Clones is still better than I expected it to be and I don’t think it’s much worse than A New Hope. Then again, I thought this was the worst ever at one time and found there was definitely some good stuff in it. I still wouldn’t go with “good” though.

Grade: C

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Big spoilers here. Of course, any prequel discussion invites comparison to the originals.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace had expectations that were just impossible to meet. The first Star Wars film in sixteen years has the challenge of bringing in new fans as well as satisfying those who were loyal to the brand (which isn’t much different than the upcoming The Force Awakens). Unfortunately, the Phantom Menace disappointed pretty much all of the Star Wars loyalists, and really it’s a shame because this film is brilliant.

Our story places Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the middle of a dispute between the Trade Federation and the planet Naboo. It turns out the Trade Federation is dealing with Darth Sideous and is about to start a war to occupy Naboo. Queen Amidala escapes the Federation invasion with the two Jedi and they end up traveling to Corusant in order to plead their case to the Republic. On the way they pick up a very young Anakin Skywalker during a stop at Tatooine, a planet chosen because it was hidden from the Federation and their ship needed help. Palpatine…who anyone who saw the originals know is Sidious, is causing all kinds of chaos in the Galactic Senate in order to gain power for himself. He uses the Naboo-Federation dispute to his advantage…but seems surprised when Amidala wants to return to Naboo to fight. Ultimately, our protagonists  come out victorious in Naboo, although victory comes at a price as Qui-Gonn is killed by Sidious’ apprentice Darth Maul. The Phantom Menace introduces a ton of characters at viewers to establish a story that would lead us to A New Hope. It mostly does a good job.

Let’s talk about the worst part of this film. Jar Jar Binks. Binks is a character that Qui-Gon and Ob-Wan run into early, and Jar Jar joins them on their adventure. He’s annoying and clearly there for the kids. He’s a terrible character overall, and while the film would do best without him (which is what The Phantom Edit did), he doesn’t ov’rshadow the rest of the film. Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon does a great job often playing the straight man in any “comedy” Jar Jar is a part of, and he’s pretty great at it. It’s almost as if Neeson knew how ridiculous the Jar Jar character was and decided to make it look bad at every opportunity. Somehow, it works.

The other part old school fans didn’t like was child Anakin. I really don’t understand this one. I thought Jake Lloyd  did a great job showing just how innocent Anakin once was, which in turn really puts over just how strong the Darkside of the Force really is.

As a character, Palpatine is awesome. He’s just so evil and the way he manipulates everything and everyone provides a brilliant character arc. Obi-Wan Kenobi is pretty good here too. I don’t care for Amidala or Padme, and to be honest Natalie Portman seemed pretty bland here, but it could have been a lot worse.

Something that seems to never come up when someone talks about The Phantom Menace is just how much emotion is in this film. First off, Anakin loses not only his mother, but a father figure in Qui-Gon as well all in a short period of time. The scene where he leaves his mother is one of the strongest in the entire saga. Obi-Wan Kenobi loses his mentor as well. There’s a lot our main characters have to go through. It’s a shame that in future installments we don’t really hear about what Qui-Gon meant to Anakin.

I also liked the Gungans and how they helped the Naboo. One of my biggest problems with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi is that they pretty much own “the empire’s best troops”. Here, the Gungans know they’re getting slaughtered and that their role is to just kill time. It’s a very smart decision that helps the end of the film. Speaking of the end of the film, the Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Darth Maul lightsaber battle is incredible. There has to be some extra credit as this was the first lightsaber scene since Return of the Jedi, and really, it puts all of those lightsaber battles to shame. Darth Maul’s appearance and the double lightsaber reveal is also one of the best moments in the saga.

I didn’t even get to pod racing and how fun and awesome that is. Shame that didn’t get brought back in later installments either.

Pros:

+A lot of emotion that really sets up our main characters in the future.

+Some great moments (Anakin leaves his mother, Darth Maul reveal).

+A lot of awesome characters here. Palpatine and Qui-Gon are especially strong characters. Darth Maul is just cool.

+Appearances from some of our older characters, like C3PO and R2D2 are very fun.

+Music and visuals are both top notch, although the visuals do look dated now.

Cons:

-Jar Jar Binks is pretty bad.

-Some characters are boring, like Padme.

The Phantom Menace may have not been what fans expected, but it shouldn’t have taken them away from what turned out to be a great start to the prequel trilogy. Unfortunately, it did.

Grade: A-

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Big spoilers here…are you even reading this if you haven’t seen the film. Also, all Star Wars films have to invite comparison to the prequels…because inevitably any discussion of the Star Wars films invites such comparisons.

For years I thought this might have been the weakest Star Wars film of them all. Watching it again though, Return of the Jedi finally gives us the hero we’ve been waiting for in regards to Luke Skywalker and the result is a satisfying conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy.

We start off right where we left off in Empire Strikes Back, with Luke, Leia, Chewy, Lando, R2 and 3PO heading to Tatooine to save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. Return of the Jedi is practically a two part act, with this being the first act. It’s quite an effective act as it establishes that this is now the established, prepared and most importantly confident Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (despite what Yoda says later) who is ready to take down the Empire. Luke makes pretty quick work of the Hutts (random awesome point, it was cool to see Leia find an opening and take down Jabba herself instead of being rescued). It’s exciting to see Luke as the confident hero as in the previous two installments I wasn’t completely buying it (similar to the popular opinion about Anakin Skywalker becoming Vader in the prequels actually). Here, I buy it. There’s no whining or anything. It is as if the battle and loss to Vader hardened him. I don’t completely buy the path of how he got to this point, but now that he’s here it’s great to see. We tie another loose end as Luke visits Yoda, and Yoda confirms what Vader told Luke about being his father. Overall this is a brilliant first act that I just completely overlooked years ago watching this film.

I do think the film goes slightly downhill the rest of the way. The story is that the Emperor has coming to oversee the creation of the 2nd Death Star. He tells Vader, who unfortunately has been neutered as an amazing bad ass villain here that only together can they convert Luke to the dark side. The Rebels meanwhile have received information about the Death Star that gives them one last shot to destroy the Empire once and for all. Little do they know the Emperor is setting a trap to end the Rebellion once and for all. The second half here breaks up into two parts: Luke’s confrontation with the Emperor and Vader, and the battle on Endor. Before this we get the revelation that Luke and Leia are brother and sister, one of the weakest plot points in the entire saga and something that takes away from Luke a bit. In fact, pretty much everything that happens on Endor is weak and underwhelming (other than “god” C3PO. That was hilarious). The Ewoks taking out the Empire’s best troops takes a huge suspension of disbelief to get behind and I can’t do it, even if the Ewoks are supposed to be warriors. Just compare this conclusion to A New Hope’s and you’ll realize the seriousness is just gone.

But Vader and Luke’s confrontation? It’s great. While yes it is disappointing that Vader isn’t the monster he was in Empire, it is at least understandable here. He’s about to do a face turn (turning into a good guy) and the focus of evil needs to be on the Emperor. Since the Emperor is awesome himself, this is still perfectly fine. We finally get that emotion from Luke Skywalker I’ve waiting three films for when Vader threatens to convert his sister to the Dark Side. While I never once believed that Luke was going to turn, the entire sequence is well done.

There’s a lot of good in Return of the Jedi. It was a lot better than I remembered and tied up a lot of the loose ends from the first two films.

Pros:

+Luke Skywalker finally comes into his own and becomes the hero this franchise was sorely missing.

+A fitting conclusion to the saga. The story tied up quite nicely.

+The Emperor is awesome.

+”God” C3PO is awesome.

Cons:

-While the Emperor is awesome, it was disappointing to see Vader as basically a sidekick.

-95% of what happens on Endor is disappointing and underwhelming.

-Ewoks are terrible.

-The Luke-Leia brother-sister relationship was forced and put a value on the love for one another. I’d be more interested in Vader threatening to turn Luke’s friends to the Darkside as opposed to forcing a sibling narrative.

Overall, very good.

Grade: B+

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Big spoilers here…are you even reading this if you haven’t seen the film. Also, all Star Wars films have to invite comparison to the prequels…because inevitably any discussion of the Star Wars films invites such comparisons.

Considering the fact that the original Star Wars was just about the most successful film ever, there was never any doubt that we would get a sequel. Three years after the original, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back came to the big screen…to surprisingly mixed reviews.

I’m going to get the negative out of the way first. Episode V doesn’t resolve anything. It’s a middle of the plot film and you could basically call Episode V and Episode VI a Part 1 and Part 2 film series. There’s no real beginning and there’s no conclusion at all. You KNOW there’s going to be a sequel just how it plays out. Otherwise you’d have an incomplete story.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Empire Strikes Back is awesome. Let’s revisit some of our characters from A New Hope. Luke Skywalker is better this time around. While I still have issues with his character in regards to maturity, he finally shows that emotion that I felt was missing in A New Hope, especially in the latter half of the film. Yes, our hero has to be saved not once but twice this time around, but he does enough to make me think that he at least has the potential to be the one to take down the Empire.

Han Solo and Princess Leia’s romance really comes together here, and Solo and Leia’s journey throughout the film may be some of the best sequences in the series. Han Solo’s “I know” to Leia when she declares her love for him is iconic (and improvised by Harrison Ford!). I might have thought their dialog missed in a New Hope, but it’s on the mark here.

And oh man, while I don’t quite see it for Episode IV (and Episode VI) I understand why Darth Vader is an iconic villain here. With Tarkin gone, Vader is in command and it’s absolutely awesome. Vader shows no mercy (with one exception that’s totally fine) for anyone that fails him. He kill his admirals who make mistakes, leading to a great moment when a newly appointed Admiral gulps in fear when called upon. Just incredible all around. When Vader is the top bad guy to deal with, you feel scared for the Rebels.

The supporting characters are all great this time around. You really believe in the loyalty Chewie has toward Solo. This time around I actually find C-3PO funny (the ridiculous odds he gives out in life or death situations is pretty great, it’s a lot better than saying “we’re doomed” all movie) and R2D2 still has incredible charisma for a robot on wheels that doesn’t even say words. One of the best scenes in the film (and the series) is when R2 opens the blast door for everyone to escape Cloud City. Lando is a new character. He’s the head of Cloud City and like Solo, he’s someone who does what’s best for his interests until eventually realizing he needs to help.

I think what helps Empire is the splitting of Solo, Luke and Leia. In a New Hope Solo at times overshadows Luke. Here, we see Luke’s story and we see Han and Leia’s, and this allows us to really get invested in both sides of the Rebellion (the Rebels themselves, and then the Jedi who need to provide the finishing blow). When both sides come together in the finale, we feel like we have a totally different Luke Skywalker and a totally different Han and Leia. It’s great character development all around. As a bonus, Yoda is pretty awesome as the old Jedi Master who teaches Luke, also giving us another iconic quote (“Do or do not, there is no try”).

There are two big moments at the end of the film, one that I’m all for and one that I don’t like. Obviously Vader being Luke’s father is incredible and a great moment in film overall. No issues there. Leia having a telepathic moment with Luke, foreshadowing their revealed brother-sister relationship I think is one of the weaker parts of the original trilogy. I don’t think it adds anything to the series. Before I believed in Luke and Leia due to their past. Adding a sibling relationship unnecessarily forces them to have a connection with one another despite that they had a strong one already. And it all starts with that telepathic link.

That’s Return of the Jedi’s problem though.

Pros:

+Once again, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader are all great characters. This time I also thought Leia and Luke were good to great as well. And let’s not forget Yoda!

+Strongest part of the story for sure. You really understand everyone’s motivations and feelings this time around.

+Can’t stress enough how awesome Darth Vader is here. Just considering Empire Vader you’re looking at one of the greatest film villains of all time.

+The huge reveal regarding Vader and Luke at the end is nothing short of iconic.

Cons:

-Clearly a story with no ending. Basically forced you to see the sequel in three years.

-Just how many times does our hero need to get saved?

I might prefer the prequels, but I have full appreciation for Empire. It’s great.

Grade: A

 

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RDT Reviews Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Big spoilers here…are you even reading this if you haven’t seen the film. Also, all Star Wars films have to invite comparison to the prequels…because inevitably any discussion of the Star Wars films invites such comparisons.

Without a doubt, Star Wars changed the way we look at big blockbuster films. It’s crazy looking back that George Lucas didn’t have a ton of confidence in his film and thought he was going to get killed by Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. While perhaps it hasn’t aged beautifully, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was a special effects masterpiece that launched the careers of several stars (Harrison Ford, for example) and made more money than any other movie at that point.

But let’s be honest, that doesn’t mean it’s the greatest film of all time or anything. In fact, it may be the most overrated. Looking at the critical acclaim the film has received in every way, as well as it’s revered state among most Star Wars fans only shows just how overrated the film is.

I had some pre-conceived notions about A New Hope before watching it again for this review, since truthfully I didn’t entirely enjoy it when I was younger. I found it rather boring and I didn’t see much in Luke Skywalker, our main protagonist, to get invested in. I felt the same way on both accounts watching the film again.

The film begins with the evil Empire, led by Darth Vader, hunting down several members of the Rebellion who have stolen integral plans of the Empire’s moon-sized weapon, the Death Star. The best that Princess Leia can do is send the plans and a message with a droid named R2D2 to another planet where Obi-Wan Kenobi resides. After that we get an unnecessary argument between R2 and fellow droid C3PO, splitting the two. They end up captured and reunited, and it’s really one of the more pointless and slower starts to a film I’ve ever seen.

They eventually get bought by Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle. Luke stumbles upon the message for Kenobi, and knows a Ben Kenobi himself. We learn a little bit about Luke’s dream of one day being a Jedi like his father and Kenobi’s past as a Jedi Knight himself. Kenobi tries to convince Luke to come with him to follow him and follow his dream, although Luke declines as he feels tied at home. Luke’s aunt and uncle are killed though, and we come upon one of the first problems with Luke Skywalker. Other than a two second bowing of his head, he seems to not be all that concerned that his family as just brutally murdered and joins Kenobi on his quest.

On the Empire side of things, I think it’s well known that Darth Vader is one of the best film characters in cinema history. I don’t buy him as particularly a great villain though, and some of the interactions here with Grand Moff Tarkin, the commander of the Death Star show why.  While Vader definitely shows his dominance at times, there are other moments where it seems like Tarkin is running the show on the Death Star. Luckily, that’s rectified near the end.

The film picks up when we’re introduced to Han Solo, a smuggler/pilot looking to make money however he can in order to pay back from debts. Ford’s Solo outshines Mark Hamill’s Skywalker on pretty much every level. Eventually, they are picked up by Death Star and Solo and Skywalker look to rescue Princess Leia while Obi-Wan looks to help anyway he can…and confront Vader. Our heroes end up in a pretty ridiculous situation…without the droids our New Hope would have been crushed in a garbage disposal…while Kenobi faces off with Vader. Vader kills Kenobi in front of Luke’s eyes…and we finally get some emotion out of Luke that isn’t whining or complaining.

Getting to that point, Luke Skywalker complains about everything. Watching them film he actually reminded me of Robin in Batman and Robin. So I don’t continue to harp on the weakness of Skywalker, it’s also worth noting that his fascination with Leia is pretty creepy considering what would happen with the rest of the series.

Anyway, the film does end on a strong note, although the pacing is messy. The Empire tracks Skywalker, Solo and Leia to the Rebel base, and the race is on. The Rebels send attack fighters to exploit a weakness in the Death Star while the Empire look to destroy the planet the Rebels are on. With some “help” from Kenobi, Luke gets in the final blow at the last minute with a Han Solo assist…and the Rebels win for now. The Death Star blows up (Vader wasn’t inside) and the Luke and Han are given medals at the end. The entire ending sequence is the first time we can believe in Skywalker as a top hero…although I’m unsure how we got that to that point.

There’s a lot to analyze with Star Wars and there is more good than bad for sure. But the bad is often ignored for whatever reason. I often laugh at some of the comments about the prequels in regards to the terrible dialog in those three films (a fair criticism) while wondering where those comments are when it comes to a New Hope. There’s an especially cringe worthy statement from Leia to Tarkin that made me wonder if Lucas wanted to base Leia off of spoiled English royalty. C3PO is also quite annoying here, which surprised me because I remember at one time thinking C3PO was funny.

Pros:

+Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader are all great characters.

+For 1977, this was a technical masterpiece.

+Great third act.

Cons:

-There’s nothing inspiring about Luke Skywalker at all.

-Tarkin is a good character, but unfortunately his presence holds Vader back.

-Downright boring opening.

-Dialog misses at some parts

For its historical significance and the pros listed I can’t put the film too low, but’s worth repeating that this is one of the most overrated films in cinema history.

Grade: B-