Star Wars Trilogy

Of course, "The Empire Strikes Back" isn´t all psychological and philosophical mumbo-jumbo. Left in the capable hands of director Irving Kershner, Lucas´s story (cowritten with Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan) is a terrific action yarn, too, starting with that great battle on the Ice Planet Hoth, with the Imperial Walkers and all. Classic stuff. Then, remember the Cloud City, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), Luke´s confrontation with his father, and, of course, the introduction of the diminutive Jedi Master, Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz).

In "The Empire Strikes Back" Lucas was not constrained by having to "end" his story, as he was in the very first "Star Wars." Yes, Lucas always envisioned three movies; he hoped for a second set of three beyond that; and looked forward to maybe even a final trilogy, making nine films in the series. But that didn´t stop him from ending the original "Star Wars" on a note of finality. He was hedging his bets. If the first "Star Wars" failed and there weren´t going to be any more, he want to be sure the movie ended with a victory for the good guys and a sense of closure. But for "Empire," he knew full well there would be a part three, so he had no hesitation in ending on a cliff-hanger, with Han being handed over to Jabba the Hut as a wall decoration, the galaxy left hanging in the wind, and Luke still puzzling over his identity and his fate.

Star Wars: Episode VI--Return of the Jedi
The Wife-O-Meter and I agree that "Return of the Jedi" (1983) was Lucas's first serious decline into juvenilia for the "Star Wars" saga. It was as if Lucas thought he had already captured the adult market and now needed to make a conscious effort to draw more youngsters into the fold. The inclusion of the cartoonish guards and creatures in Jabba's stronghold and then the teddy-bear Ewoks at the end of the movie pointed the way toward the completely out-of-place comic relief of Jar Jar Binks and the silly space aliens in Episode One years later.

I'm not sure why Lucas felt the need to include the Ewoks at the end. In addition to their pleasing kids, I suspect he liked the irony of the galaxy being saved from the Evil Empire by a bunch of teddy bears. I mean, what child didn't have a teddy bear or a doll to comfort him in his youth? Bringing on the teddies reassures us that all is right with the world. It's an idea along the same lines as making Chewbacca a big, lovable stuffed animal and Yoda a tiny, so-ugly-he's-cute fellow with immense power and wisdom. But with regard to Chewbacca and Yoda, the strategy worked perfectly, and in the case of the Ewoks it falls flat for most everyone but tikes. I also didn't much care for Vader's deathbed repentance, but I suppose it's there to remind us the whole series is still a fairy tale after all.

This is not, of course, to suggest that "Return of the Jedi" is without merit. Director Richard Marquand does a good job moving Lucas's script along (cowritten again by Lawrence Kasdan, with the help of an uncredited David Webb Peoples, "Blade Runner," "Unforgiven," "Twelve Monkeys"). The movie does have Luke's struggle with the giant beast in Jabba's cave; that thrilling chase through the Redwoods; the outer-space battles; and, of course, the climactic confrontation between Luke and Vader and the Emperor that brings the whole trilogy to a close. Plus, it's also the best-looking of the first three "Star Wars" movies, the one that involved the most special effects.

Now, if only it weren't for those darned Ewoks. I remember my wife turning to me in the theater when the Ewoks finally got to her and saying something about airlines providing barf bags. I really thought she was going to get up and leave early. But we've all learned to stay the course for this one, too, now that we know what to expect.

Video:
By the way, before I discuss the video quality of the newly-restored movies, let me confirm that Lucas and his people made enhancements and changes to some of the movies´ visuals. For example, some vehicles and Jabba the Hutt look better now than they did in 1997 (the year of the "Special Editions" theatrical releases), and Ian McDiarmid replaces the actor who appeared as a holographic projection of Emperor Palpatine in Episode V. The most controversial addition may be that of replacing the original Anakin Skywalker ghost with a ghostly image of Hayden Christensen, who plays the young Anakin in Episodes II and III. I´m glad that they kept the goof of a storm trooper banging his head on a door in Episode IV.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen images are so clean and sharp and generally good-looking that they are essentially embarrassments to Lucas because they demonstrate how good film and "real" objects such as miniatures, puppets, and animatronics look compared to the nearly-completely-computer-generated world of Episode II. I don´t have anything philosophical against the use of digital video or the use of computer graphics, but at this point in time, when judging Episodes IV, V, or VI against Episode II, you can see that digital video´s current high-definition resolution of 1080 horizontal lines (1K) pales greatly in comparison to film´s resolution of at least 5000 horizontal lines (5K). The movies look so good that you can tell what has been done by Lowry Digital to clean up the prints. Basically, scratches, nicks, and tons of dust have been removed to reveal the contrasts and rich colors of the cinematography.

Audio:
Big-time fans will rejoice that you can still hear Mark Hamill shouting "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!" towards the end of Episode IV. Aside from that one trivia note, I don´t know if Lucas and Co. added or got rid of certain "tricks". However, I do know that Lucasfilm officially admits that previous Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks for the movies weren´t true 5.1 mixes. My guess is that the rear surrounds used the same feeds, so you really had 4.1 tracks. At any rate, the DVDs feature newly-engineered Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English tracks, and the audio is tremendous. People have always thought of the "Star Wars" movies as extravaganzas of directionality-effects and deep low-ends. The new DVDs significantly expand the scope of the sound fields. Therefore, not only are you immersed in a crisply, cleanly, and evocatively created audio environment, you also feel as if you are part of a large, living world.

My only complaint is that some dialogue gets lost in the sonic tumult that seems to be the rule in the "Star Wars" universe. This is both a major and a minor quibble--major because a movie viewer needs to know about what is happening and minor because it´s actually appropriate that the actors´ voices get drowned out sometimes. It´s a tough judgment call, but I´m going to go out on a limb and say that the dialogue need not have been buried. An overly "hot" or aggressive mix isn´t pleasant.

Each movie also has DD 2.0 surround English, DD 2.0 surround French, and DD 2.0 surround Spanish tracks. Optional English subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
Like Lucasfilm´s collaboration with Paramount for the "Indiana Jones" box set, the movies come in a four-disc box set, with the first three discs containing the movies and audio commentaries and with the fourth disc devoted to bonus materials. In any case, it´s a sensible idea because at least the viewer has a pretty good idea where to find everything.

There are audio commentaries that are must-listens for every "Star Wars" fan. Lucas and the other participants not only provide a wealth of practical, behind-the-scenes information but also give us a ton of trivia, too. True, much of this minutiae can be found at the Internet Movie Database, among other places, but it´s fun to hear it straight from the horse´s mouth. Specifically, here´s what´s on the four discs.

Disc One contains the first feature film, "A New Hope", with an audio commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher. Disc Two contains "The Empire Strikes Back" with an audio commentary by George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher. Disc Three contains "Return of the Jedi" with an audio commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher.

On Disc Four, you´ll find the most important extra created for this DVD release--the two-and-a-half hour documentary "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy". This is where we learn everything we could possibly want to know about the unfolding of the trilogy´s beginnings. The documentary is quite extensive and includes behind-the-scenes shots from all three original films, plus new interviews with the writer/director and many members of the original cast and crew, along with quite a few other filmmakers and film people.

There are three featurettes that complement the "Empire of Dreams" documentary. "The Birth of the Lightsaber" and "The Characters of Star Wars" have self-explanatory titles. "The Force Is With Them" is a collection of interviews with moviemakers who have been influenced by "Star Wars".

"Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview: The Return of Darth Vader" is a promo for "Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith" that explains how the young, noble Anakin becomes the ruthless Darth Vader. In the featurette, Lucas tells us about Anakin´s fall and gives us a look at Vader´s wardrobe.

Then, there´s a promo for "Star Wars Battlefront" as well as a playable Xbox demo for the game. The full version of "Star Wars Battlefront" will be available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PCs. There is also a "Star Wars: Episode III--Making the Game" preview. This video game is based on Episode III, and the featurette tells about its production and play.

Finally, there are bonuses that are considered to be "archival" in nature--trailers and TV spots galore, a gallery of hundreds of still photos, and posters and printwork from the original advertising campaigns.

--DVD-ROM--
Each disc in the set allows you to access web materials if you use the DVDs with a computer. For the moment, there are few such bonuses worthy of mention, but Lucasfilm will undoubtedly enhance consumers´ experience as street date approaches.

--Miscellaneous--
Each movie is housed in its own keepcase with an insert that provides chapter listings. The DVD for the extras is housed in its own keepcase, too, and it also has its own insert that guides viewers in navigating the disc. The keepcases are stored inside two cardboard slipcases.

Parting Thoughts:
There is no doubt that the original three "Star Wars" movies are classics. It´s good to have them on DVD, at long last. Individually, by the way, I´d rate them 9/10 for "Star Wars," 10/10 for "The Empire Strikes Back," and 7/10 "Return of the Jedi." A 9/10 seems to me a fair evaluation of the complete trilogy.

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