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Beginning Of The Middle Is The Beginning12/17/2015 I don’t know when it was exactly when I saw Star Wars for the first time, but it certainly influenced my tastes from a young age. The film has been changed around and discussed at length over the year, but really this is what it all started with, so let’s dive in to it.
Having watched the prequels, a few things immediately stand out. First the beginning is a much simpler. In Episode 3 we’re thrown into a large scale battle, with hundreds of ships, droids and just utter chaos. In Episode 4, a small ship is being chased down by a much larger and more menacing ship. It clearly sets up the conflict of the film, big evil empire vs small group of rebels. From there, we slowly meet our characters, one at a time. C-3P0 and R2-D2 are the first characters we meet, and unlike Jar Jar, have just enough seriousness. No pudu here! And then Darth Vader enters, and he just commands the screen. One step through the door and you know that the big bad is here. From the character design, to him just throwing poor Cpt. Antilles across the room, he just sells the darkness. Now ironically one of the biggest complaints from the prequels is how whiny Anakin is, and here we meet Luke, whining away. “But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!” Clearly the Skywalker’s have a bit of a family trait, but unlike Anakin, Luke grows out of it. This film’s script does a much better job of getting out of the way of its actors. Through out the film, the jokes are subtler, the dialogue is more streamlined, and the action all flows so naturally. Everything in this script shows how badly George Lucas wanted this film. Where the prequels come across as indulgent, and made up of filler, A New Hope is lean and everything feels purposeful! We still talk politics, as the Senate is dissolved; we still sit and talk, but they serve as nice breaks in the action, not as the action; not every single thing is spoken, but is emoted. The film as a result has everything it needs, but little that it doesn’t. The special effects are something I was hard on with the prequel films, but here, even though the film is almost 40 years old, I found the effects to be better then the newer films. Why? Things are real! Even the special editions, with the added computer graphics still look great, because they made the CG match the physical. But when you see that very first starship fly on screen, and then the Star Destroyer following it, its got a weight to it, because it was a model. The interiors are actually constructed, and interact with the actors in a way that green screen just doesn’t. Now that’s not say things are perfect. You get the occasional compositing issue, some things that feel like maybe they were built with duct tape and a prayer, and some dated design choices, but on the whole its never as distracting as the digital disconnect in the prequels. Even though there aren’t as many well known actors (at the time) in this film, because of the better script they’re given an opportunity to shine. As the elder statesmen of the film, Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing really do a wonderful job with their characters. Guinness has just enough of the playful old man, but really brings the seriousness when it’s required. As our only explanation for the force in this film he does a great job of selling it, when it easily could have been silly. Cushing comes across as almost more evil then Vader in this film, and as a man who orders the death of billions, that’s a good thing! Our trio of heroes also do a great job of bringing their characters to life. Mark Hamill takes us from a bored and listless farmboy to heroic starfighter pilot, will still leaving room for more. Carrie Fisher doesn’t give us the damsel in distress, but a confident and in charge woman who is more than capable of action. As Han Solo, Harrison Ford is the essence of bad ass, regardless of if he shot first or not. He’s just the guy you wanted to be. Everyone emotes, quips, and they just inhabit their characters. I wouldn’t want anyone else to play these parts. As the awards are handed out and the film draws to a close, you can’t help but feel elated and inspired by this galaxy far, far away. This is why we’re getting a new sequel movie now, and not a remake or re-imagining. It set me down my path of geekiness, and its not a stretch to say that without Star Wars, there might not be The Random Geek. I certainly am not the only who was inspired by this film, and fortunately one of those people is making The Force Awakens! The series beginning this is, to new heights the sequel will go.
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