I’m not a huge star wars fan solely because I haven’t seen all of them (I’ve only seen one), but this was a really fascinating read. I’d like to watch them all soon.
I think you'll really like them, but if you're going through the whole series, I would recommend starting with Episode IV and doing them in release order. You could do in chronological order, but the prequels are of very varying quality!
There’s a reason why the first two Star Wars movies are the best. The first two have Harrison Ford. More than any other actor in the Star Wars franchise, Ford was able to ground the series in reality for the audience. Ford had a look on his face that suggested to the audience that he was just as confused by the goings on as they were. At the same time, Ford’s presence and charisma reassured the audience:”I don’t understand this either, but I’m having a great time, so put your brain under your seat for the next two hours and just enjoy the ride.” The 1-2 punch of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back” was thus the high point for Star Wars. So when it came to Return of the Jedi, Lucas had a decision to make: he could strive for gravitas, or he could start rhyming. Lucas chose the latter.
It was Ford who suggested to Lucas that in Return of the Jedi, Han Solo should die in order to add weight to the myth that Lucas had created. But Lucas chose instead to start rhyming. Jedi reuses themes from the first movie and retcons the story from the original. There is a second Death Star. Ignore that kiss, Luke and Leia are brother and sister. Luke’s father isn’t dead. The same kind of cheats that infected the last trilogy can be found in the first trilogy. When Disney ultimately chose to take Harrison Ford’s advice from the third movie, and put it in the seventh movie, it was too late. Disney, intent on ringing the neck of George Lucas’s golden goose just kept on rhyming.
Great read, Graham! 👏🏼
I’m not a huge star wars fan solely because I haven’t seen all of them (I’ve only seen one), but this was a really fascinating read. I’d like to watch them all soon.
I think you'll really like them, but if you're going through the whole series, I would recommend starting with Episode IV and doing them in release order. You could do in chronological order, but the prequels are of very varying quality!
There’s a reason why the first two Star Wars movies are the best. The first two have Harrison Ford. More than any other actor in the Star Wars franchise, Ford was able to ground the series in reality for the audience. Ford had a look on his face that suggested to the audience that he was just as confused by the goings on as they were. At the same time, Ford’s presence and charisma reassured the audience:”I don’t understand this either, but I’m having a great time, so put your brain under your seat for the next two hours and just enjoy the ride.” The 1-2 punch of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back” was thus the high point for Star Wars. So when it came to Return of the Jedi, Lucas had a decision to make: he could strive for gravitas, or he could start rhyming. Lucas chose the latter.
It was Ford who suggested to Lucas that in Return of the Jedi, Han Solo should die in order to add weight to the myth that Lucas had created. But Lucas chose instead to start rhyming. Jedi reuses themes from the first movie and retcons the story from the original. There is a second Death Star. Ignore that kiss, Luke and Leia are brother and sister. Luke’s father isn’t dead. The same kind of cheats that infected the last trilogy can be found in the first trilogy. When Disney ultimately chose to take Harrison Ford’s advice from the third movie, and put it in the seventh movie, it was too late. Disney, intent on ringing the neck of George Lucas’s golden goose just kept on rhyming.