FF Classics
3 total works
The phenomenal success of George Lucas's first Star Wars trilogy quite simply revolutionized the cinema; but what sets Lucas's films apart from their legion of imitators is the quality of their screenplays. Lucas originally intended this trilogy to be a single film, but the epic scope of the story (combining hi-tech, sci-fi cinephilia with elements of Arthurian myth and mysticism) demanded that it be split into three.
The first panel of the triptych is A New Hope. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, young Luke Skywalker leads a dull, isolated existence on his uncle's homestead. One day, two androids, C3PO and R2D2, show up bearing a message from Princess Leia, the leader of the rebel forces engaged in a struggle against the vicious tryranny of the Empire - as personified by the rasping presence of Darth Vader. The message leads Luke to realize his heritage as a Jedi Knight. He sets out on a wild adventure across the galaxy and, together with Leia and rogue pilot Han Solo, attempts to thwart the Empire by destroying its menacing base of operations: the Death Star.
Return of the Jedi is the trilogy's concluding section. With its myriad peculiar creatures, it seems, at first, to be a lighter film than the others. However, as its subtle narrative unfolds, it becomes apparent that the centre of the trilogy is not Luke Skywalker but Darth Vader, and it is his redemption that forms the culmination of this epic story. The power of this conclusion excites curiosity about how someone who began so idealistically could have turned to the dark side of the Force - the story of which will be revealed in the next three instalments to the Star Wars saga . . .
