"Star Wars"(1977)
So, what more needs to be said that hasn't already, about this unrivalled pop culture colossus? I'm sure there was a fair amount of anticipation for "Exorcist II" before stunned audiences saw that Imperial Star Destroyer. Alec Guinness should have won Best Supporting Actor for the instant credibility he brought to the table as wizened old warrior Ben Kenobi(sorry, Jason Robards). "Wars" should have probably taken Best Picture from "Annie Hall" for that matter, as artful a representation of the romantic comedy as Woody Allen's crowning achievement is. Mark Hamill's youthful energy made him the perfect stand-in for the average viewer, as he's whisked a million miles away from his dull farm-boy life on Tatooine, while Carrie Fisher's hair-buns are as iconic as they come. Now let's talk about Han Solo. This lovably snarky space pirate positioned Harrison Ford as Hollywood's next great leading man, and is arguably the most beloved character in the vast "SW" universe that ISN'T supplied with the booming voice of James Earl Jones. Which brings me to Vader. Is there a more towering villainous presence in the annals of cinema? Don't let his early 21st century backstory fool you. We'd have to wait for the Joker(Jack AND Heath) and Hannibal Lecter to even MAKE that an interesting argument.
I shouldn't have to tell anyone old enough to drive that this film was a phenomenon on par with Beatlemania, surpassing Spielberg's juggernaut "Jaws" as the movie event of the 1970s. It wasn't just a movie, that's a puny word to describe what happened in May 1977. During that confusing, transitional post-Vietnam/Watergate era, an eager public was literally transported into a fully immersive world that was far more appealing than the realities they were forced to deal with on a daily basis, and it's one they chose to return to again and again. Lucas' legacy lies in more than just special effects(that climactic aerial attack on the Death Star remains incredible), he's the first filmmaker to unleash the full power of escapist entertainment, inspiring countless others to follow his lead. The level of fan-boy obsession he created couldn't have possibly been predicted back when 'serious' movies ruled the day(with all due respect to "The Godfather" and "Taxi Driver"), nor could an entire generation's religious devotion to a 'silly sci-fi movie'. Yes, I know "Star Trek" had already amassed a sizeable following, but this is "STAR WARS" we're talking about here. I guess you know which side I'm on.
"The Empire Strikes Back"(1980)
"I AM your father". The four words that left aspiring Jedi as shaken as Luke Skywalker himself and changed the entire complexion of the saga. It's hard to believe there was ever a time when we weren't aware of Vader's revelation(it's also hard to believe George ever conceived of the idea before 1978, regardless of what he's been saying for the last thirty-plus years). It's the most famous moment in a flawless masterpiece that's as good as "SW" is ever likely to get. Ask anybody. The blistering opener on ice planet Hoth, Han and Leia's budding romance(she loves him, he knows) and the enormous effectiveness of Frank Oz's wrinkled green puppet all contribute to the exalted status of Yoda's debut flick. Director Irvin Kerschner and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan are often credited for finding a darker, more intimate tone, while Lucas was busy setting up his FX house ILM and making sure he pocketed the lion's share of the profits. Ironically, "Empire" was the lowest-grossing film in the trilogy with a still VERY impressive $222 million- proof that moviegoers don't always know what's best for them until some years pass.
Legions of tireless supporters came out in 'Force' to declare "ESB" THE greatest movie of all time in a 2014 Empire magazine poll. The franchise's undying influence and appeal insures that titles like "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" will never again claim the top spot in such a survey. I won't bother disputing these results, I know what I'd rather watch. As if it's genius creator didn't have a strong enough revenue stream, Lucas put Ford in a fedora and launched Indiana Jones the following year with his crowd-pleasing counterpart Steven Spielberg, irreversibly altering the cinematic landscape, for better or worse, depending on your point of view.
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| "What do you mean my acting career is over?" |
"Return of the Jedi"(1983)
The least beloved third and final chapter in the groundbreaking OT, still beats the shit out of nearly every CGI-heavy spectacle designed to pounce on our wallets since the new millennium. "Pirates of the Caribbean"? Sorry. "Iron Man 3"?? Fuck off. Jabba the Hutt and Ian McDiarmid's Evil Emperor are the nasty new bookends, and I can't decide whose more vile. Luckily, Leia's gold bikini helps balance things out. No disrespect meant to late director Richard Marquand, but I was told Lucas was calling the shots on Endor. The triple-stranded climax contains the most relentless, thrilling forty-five minutes of action this side of "Aliens", unless you allowed Warwick Davis in a teddy bear costume to ruin that for you.
"Jedi" was the second biggest moneymaker of the 1980s behind "E.T", and a mass-merchandised monster to boot. Lucas said in an accompanying interview that there would be SIX more "SW" movies, a statement he would back away from in the mid-to-late '80s(the dark times) as bearded basement-dwellers waited for ANY type of word on a possible continuation of their reason for being. Lucas would stay active overseeing Indy sequels and the eerily prophetic "Howard the Duck", before the astonishing success of 1993's "Jurassic Park" and it's promise of limitless technical advancements prompted him to pen the tragic tale of a young Anakin Skywalker. The resulting prequel package is discussed at length in a previous blog. But his seminal, ahem MIDDLE trilogy contains an innocence and a purity before those 'Episode' appendixes that even Disney can't replicate. They will try. Repeatedly. I'm nonetheless cautiously optimistic about the first "Star Wars" movie NOT presided over by it's now-retired tyrannical overlord. The man that once fancied himself an indie filmmaker with wacky ideas, became the cold, inflexible establishment that he used to fight like a member of the Rebel Alliance. Don't get me wrong, he opened the floodgates and shaped Hollywood into the PERMANENT premier destination for scripted family fun for children of all ages(forty former Lucas employees founded Pixar in 1986) and the Mouse House secures the survival of his brand for decades to come. Time will tell if that's really a positive thing. J.J. Abrams put a lightsaber back in Mark Hamill's (robotic) hand, though. I have a good feeling about this.
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