The True 100th Post - Star Wars

After my debacle of mixing up the number of posts published and post written, this will be the true 100th post. And what a better way to commemorate the 100th posting, but by talking about a movie that changed the world: Star Wars.

I was recently searching for movie reviews by one of my favorite critics, James of Cinemassacre, better known as the Angry Video Game Nerd, when I stumbled across this review he did on Star Wars. The review reminded me how important Star Wars is in the history of film and how it will change with the next generation of movie enthusiasts.

We almost all saw Star Wars at an early age, and it made a lasting impression upon us. I remember drawing Boba Fett all the time with my friend Brian Woods in the third grade. At the time, nothing could be cooler than having a jetpack and an awesome helmet.

The fight scenes and special effects blow us away. Watching the X-wings make their run on the Death Star is as exciting today as it was when I was a little kid. We rarely see so many interesting, fantastical characters as in the Mos Eisley bar scene. Everything seems so familiar, but at the same time so new.

Star Wars pays tribute to history, genres of films, and archetypal adventure. If you have ever seen an archetypal journey chart(i.e. ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal to the call, meeting with the mentor, etc.), the first film follows it exactly. It is the classic adventure story.

Much of Star Wars follows the Akira Kurosawa film Hidden Fortress, which tells the story of a princess leading rebels against an evil empire. It begins with the perspective of two peasants just like how Star Wars begins from the perspective of two droids.

The bar scene in Mos Eisley is reminiscent of the old Westerns. The bar has an edgy atmosphere where a fight can break out at anytime. Luke runs into a little trouble with the bar natives who don't like him because of his face. A bar fight ensues which Obi Wan saves him from. We even have a quick draw between Han Solo and a bounty hunter proving brains and skill will get you out of a tight situation.

The rise of a dictatorship from a democracy is like that of the rise of Julius Caesar. There is a biblical allusion to the birth of Anakin Skywalker. Even the beginning of the film with the "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is the classic fairy tale opening "A long time ago in a kingdom far, far away". Star Wars is a mash up of all of the greatest stories ever told. No ideas are original, but George Lucas takes these ideas and turns them into something slightly new.

Now, how will this change for the next generation of viewers? We have seen the movies in the order of 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3. But what will the next generation think if they watch the series in chronological order? They will not be shocked by the reveal of Darth Vader as Luke's father. To me at a young age, this twist blew my mind. I couldn't believe it, and for the next generation, they will have been waiting for the reveal since Episode 3.

They will see Darth Vader more as a tragic hero instead of as one of the most bad ass villains of all time. In fact, by knowing he's a tragic hero, Darth Vader's switching of sides in Episode 6 will be less powerful. Not to mention, the unveiling of his face was one of the biggest moments for me as a kid. I didn't know what to expect.

George Lucas has made little changes between the editions like including Jar Jar Binks voice in the celebration scene in the end of the sixth episode. Or putting in more CG scenes like trying to make Mos Eisley more realistic. There's a charm to the old videos knowing that everything you see has been reproduced in real life with puppets and camera tricks.

Much of the power of the Star Wars story line depends on how you reveal the story. Will you choose to show the film in chronological order or in the order they were made? Will you show the original film on VHS or go to the DVD? How would you show Star Wars to your children? (Pretend for the two of our blogists who refuse to have children.)