So, in honour of Star Wars day, I watched Episodes IV, V and VI (I didn't do the prequels, although I am not one of those people who absolutely loathe them, because I do think they have some redeeming qualities, this time I went completely old school!). It had been a while since I had seen them, especially back to back, so it was about time. (Those who know me, know I love my movie marathons... my favourite being The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, on a rainy Sunday, back to back special editions... Nothing better! :0D Except that it always makes me cry...).
Now, the only editions that I have are the "re-mastered" ones that George Lucas and Lucasfilm released a number of years ago (that's not entirely true, because I also have the VHS set that was redone in the 90's, where they just cleaned up the picture and didn't screw with too much else, but, since I no longer have a VCR anymore, it's kind of a moot point...), the one's with the added scenes, and the altered visuals. Now, there are many purists out there that loathe these releases (apparently Star Wars fanatics are hard to please!) and are angry that George Lucas monkeyed with them. And, I can definitely get on board in regards to certain aspects...
HAN SHOT FIRST!
Always has, always will... Han Solo is who he is, a scoundrel and a rogue, and there's no point in trying to change him now. He killed Greedo because Greedo was going to either kill him or take him to Jabba, who would then kill him. I get it. It doesn't make me love the character any less. The world of smuggling is kill or be killed... we all understand that, so let it go George. We love Han, even though he's a jerk. Get over it!
I understand Lucas' need to update the visuals through the entire trilogy, however. A lot has happened in the world of visual effects in the last... oh my God, I can't believe I'm about to type this... 30 some-odd years... Heaven help me that I'm now talking in multiple decades... so I get the fascination to really want to bring your vision to life. And some of the choices are lovely. I mean, honestly, has Cloud City ever looked better? You can argue about lots of things, but the job the visual team did with the views from Cloud City are breathtaking.
These movies have been a huge part of my life, for as long as I can remember. I honestly don't remember the first time I saw either Star Wars (as it was known back then... it's only been more recently that people have been referring to it as A New Hope) or The Empire Strikes Back, although it had to have been on TV, as I was too young to see either in the theatre. (Did I actually just say that? Finally something I was too young to see in the theatre... Doesn't happen very often! :0) ). I did, however, see Return of the Jedi on the big screen, in it's original theatrical run. Jabba's palace, the Sarlacc pit, back to Dagobah and the death of Yoda, Endor, the Ewoks, Luke confronting Vader, "It's a trap!", the redemption and death of Darth Vader... it's been etched in my memory since I was 8 years old.
It wasn't until I got older, and with repeated viewings, that I truly appreciated the beauty that is The Empire Strikes Back. The Ice Planet Hoth, the tauntaun, escape, Dagobah, the asteroid field, facing Vader who turns into Luke, being trash, Cloud City, betrayal and carbonite, "No, I am your Father." Being of the highly romantic, female persuasion, I was always drawn to the love story between Han and Leia. The scene when he's about to be frozen and Leia say "I love you." and Han replies, "I know." is one of my all time favourites.
A New Hope is the one I've probably seen the most over the years... I will always remember the size of the Star Destroyer, Leia standing up to Vader, Tatooine and it's twin suns, finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, the death of Owen and Beru, "These are not the droids you're looking for.", Han shooting first, the destruction of Alderaan, the rescue, the death of Obi-Wan, the attack on the Death Star, using the force and the help of Han Solo and the medal ceremony.
The original Star Wars Trilogy is a simple story at it's heart. It's a story of good versus evil. Of rising above temptation and staying true to who you are. It's about survival and doing what is right. It's about redemption. And for an entire generation of us, it's about possibilities. Star Wars was the first movie of it's kind to show us what was possible in the world of film and visual effects. It pulled us into that Galaxy, far, far away. We were hooked. Changed in ways that we didn't even know were possible.
In a word, it was magic... plain and simple.
So, my friends, I'll see you in line on December 18, 2015. And until then, May The Force Be With You, Always! :)
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