Lucasfilm recently divulged its plan to re-release all six Star Wars movies in 3D format. Since the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi in 1983, Lucasfilm has done little but constantly update and release the Star Wars films. Some of these updates were extremely necessary, such as the remastering of the original analog/mono mix into a crisp digital/surround mix. Other alterations included added or altered scenes (Han Shot First!). In the midst of all of this, the prequel trilogy came into being while video format evolved. Recently, DVDs have started to give way to BluRay and 3D is back in style. In the endeavor to keep Star Wars current, Lucasfilm is currently remastering the films again, bringing them up to BluRay quality standards, before embarking on this six year, six film 3D conversion project.
While the effort that George Lucas is expending to preserve his films is certainly self-serving, it is also commendable. Star Wars will continue to be eternally loved. Almost. Some of the films’ fandom hates the alterations made to the original trilogy, while harboring a multiplicity of issues with the prequel trilogy, mostly in terms of story, plot, and characterization, though a few harangue endlessly on petty issues. The Original Trilogy (episodes IV, V, and VI) are revered as the groundbreaking, exceptional cinema they are while the Prequel Trilogy (episodes I, II, and III) are panned (at best) or truly despised (at worst). Most intriguingly, the love/hate divide has generational aspects to it: those that were born just prior to the release of A New Hope (IV) (say, in 1967) remember the cinematic history of Star Wars first hand and love the old while hating the new. Those who were born just prior to the release of The Phantom Menace (I) (say, in 1989) Tend to prefer the new to the old. The rest of us, born somewhere around the release of Return of the Jedi (1981-1988), remain more ambivalent.
I was born in 1987, a mere five years after Return of the Jedi and 12 years before The Phantom Menace. I grew up with the original trilogy, and eagerly anticipated the prequels. Most of my childhood I actually wondered if they ever would be made, and was very excited when they were announced. Though I was slightly older than the 10 year olds who were to undergo a similar experience to that of their parents, I was still caught up in the fervor of Star Wars’ revival. Well, almost. During the time before the theatrical release, I remember seeing an image of the main characters from the movie (sans character names), and thinking that Ewan McGregor must play an older version of Jake Lloyd’s Anakin while Liam Neeson must be Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was shocked (and confused) to find things otherwise when I saw the movie (not to mention annoyed at the character of Jar Jar Binks). While I could’ve done more research, my point is that even at 12, unsophisticated and almost ready to hail anything Star Wars as purely awesome, I was experiencing some cognitive dissonance between what I saw and what I thought I should be seeing.
Going into the 2002 release of Attack of the Clones, I was ready to move on from the little-kid Annie and into the adult world of Anakin. I hungered for the conflicts that would inevitably transform him into the evil Darth Vader. What I saw, however, was more a prolonging of the story and only a taste of the true darkness within Luke’s father. I was forced to wait until 2005, and the Revenge of the Sith, before I saw anything close to the storytelling of the Original Trilogy, and even that was lacking. In the five years since I have watched all six movies many times. With the prequels I have tried to ignore the cringe-worthy bits and enjoy the better parts, and try not to think about how far below Empire Strikes Back they remain. However, in this atmosphere of renewed discussion about the horribleness of the prequels (in light of their 3D conversions) and with the background of my newly earned college degree (in literature) I can no longer view the prequels through rose-tinted lenses.
I am therefore going to engage in a step-by-step critical deconstruction/analysis of all six Star Wars, as fairly as I can possibly manage. My current plan is to take one movie at a time, divided up into ten minute chunks for close analysis, with occasional references to the film (or trilogy/saga) as a whole. In this way I hope to be able to pay attention to some detail, without getting mired in minutiae. Anyone who creates anything at all, if honest, will admit that there is always a marked difference between the imagined work and the finished project, and the real world imposes limitations that often cannot be overcome. With that in mind I will try to ignore minor inconsistencies or idiosyncrasies and turn my attention instead to plot, character development, narrative, and structure.
This is being done, like Lucas’ remastering, for my own purposes: I want to examine the films critically for my own enjoyment/edification, but I hope that anyone reading this blog can enjoy the process along with me. I seek not to destroy, but to understand and appreciate.
All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost.
a simple man 