Today is May 4th which leads to "May the 4th be with you" which makes this Star Wars Day. So today's Cinema Saturday will be about the Star Wars movies. This might be a more disappointing post than usual as May the 4th is supposed to be a celebration of all things Star Wars and this post is... well, not.
I am not a fan.
OK, I will cop to a certain thrill when that golden Star Wars logo pops up on the screen with the classic John Williams fanfare. You can't hear that magnificent theme without filling a rush of adrenaline that portends something epic is about to happen.
And I concur with the conventional wisdom that the 2nd film, The Empire Strikes Back, is the best of the lot.
But everything else... Man, it makes it hard to be a Star Wars fan.
Return of the Jedi ruins a great villain by having find some good in himself after all by killing to Emperor to save Luke Skywalker's life. My proposed ending for the 3rd movie would've played out along the same beats except....
Instead of being killed by the Emperor's power, Darth Vader actually absorbs those powers and becomes even more powerful. Killing the Emperor, even if it was for the good of saving his son's life, has pushed Vader in further into the dark side of the force.
Darth Vader: "You need to leave the station now, my son. Your friends have proven stubbornly successful and this station will be destroyed."
Luke: "What about you, father?"
Darth Vader (gesturing to the exploding station around him): "This... is not my concern. My power through the dark side is immeasurable. I will see you again.... out there.... among the stars..."
Or something like that. Darth Vader saves Luke not because he has found something good in himself but rather deeper darker reserve of rage at the Emperor trying to take his son away from him. Luke has to live with the fact that he is alive because his father is now potentially a more powerful threat than before.
As for the prequel trilogy, George Lucas did not need three movies to tell the origin of Darth Vader. I saw The Phantom Menace and I still regret it. I've yet to sit through Attack of the Clones for the entirety of the film without falling asleep. Revenge of the Sith has it's value in showing Anakin's downfall that turns him into Darth Vader but damn it takes so long to get him there. Cut it down by about 40% and then add back in maybe a half hour or so to account for any actual relevant points made in the first 2 movies and you may well have one solid Dark Vader origin movie.
As for the sequel trilogy from JJ Abrams, I really feel there were so many lost opportunities. Rey had so much potential as a new character but I feel remained underdeveloped. Ditto for Finn. But Kylo Ren was so much a petulant child unworthy to follow in the shadow of Darth Vader. (If you use my ending for Return of the Jedi, you still have the original deal for the big bad.)
One night my son Dean and I stayed up and re-plotted the sequel trilogy into a much better series.
To be honest, two of my favorite Star Wars movies are a pair of films that were side projects from the main narrative, Rogue One and Solo. Both films were two solid self contained stories that explored the Star Wars universe.
Look, I don't want to go pissing all over the Star Wars franchise, especially on this, May the 4th. I will admit that are things in these films that I have enjoyed. I certainly appreciate the effort to bring the alien worlds of this galaxy far, far away to life. Star Wars had a sleek modern look that other sci-fi franchises like Star Trek and Doctor Who could only dream about.
I think my deal is that I never bought into the larger narrative that connects all the elements that brings Geoge Lucas' creation together. The Star Wars universe may be your thing and may the force be with you if it is. But it's just not mine.
Nonetheless, whenever there may be another Star Wars movie, I sincerely hope for the best.
And look forward to that rush when I hear that John Williams fanfare.
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