May the Force be With You on DVD - Star Wars Trilogy

George Lucas created a story that would take him almost thirty years to complete. In 1977, he started with the middle of the story and Star Wars was released. The movie went on to be very successful and is considered to be one of the best movies ever by many people. Two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were also made, completing the original Star Wars Trilogy. Those movies are now known as Episodes IV, V, and VI. The conclusion of the story began in 1999 when Episode I was released. Episode II followed in 2002 and Episode III is due to be released on May 19, 2005.

I will be bringing up things in discussing the Star Wars Trilogy that would be spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen these movies yet. Read at your own risk.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

The Empire had controlled the galaxy for many years. They built a planet size battle station called the Death Star to wipe out any opposition. A small group of rebels were fighting to overthrow the Empire. Princess Leia was part of the rebellion. Before being captured by Darth Vader, she recorded a message on a small droid, R2-D2. That droid, along with another one called C-3PO ended up with Luke Skywalker. Luke was a young man living with his aunt and uncle on their moisture farm. Luke wasn’t happy being farmer. He discovered the message in R2-D2 and set out with the droids to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man the message was for. Obi-Wan was a former Jedi knight that had known Luke’s father Anakin. Obi-Wan and Luke set out to rescue Princess Leia. Obi-Wan hired Han Solo and Chewbacca as pilots. Han and Chewbacca ended up more involved in the rescue plan and the later plan to destroy the Death Star.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids were at a rebel base on the ice planet Hoth. The Empire and Darth Vader were searching for the rebels and Luke especially when they discovered the base and attacked. Han took Leia with him to escape the Imperial fleet. They eventually arrived at the cloud city of Bespin which was run by Lando Calrissian, an old friend of Han’s. Luke traveled to the Dagobah system to find Yoda, the last living Jedi master. Luke convinced Yoda to continue his Jedi training. Darth Vader continued his search for Luke and set a trap. The two had a light saber duel and Vader revealed something shocking.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Luke and Leia travel to Tatoonie to rescue Han from Jabba the Hut. Chewbacca, Lando, and the droids were also involved in the plan, though C-3PO didn’t seem to realize what was going on. After getting away from Tatoonie and that situation, the group meets with the rebels who have received the plans for the new Death Star that the Empire is constructing. A plan was made to destroy it before it became operational. Luke traveled to see Yoda again and learned something else he hadn’t known about his family. The Emperor, who was going to supervise the final stages of construction, and Darth Vader had a new plan to lure Luke to the dark side.

The Star Wars Trilogy actually tells the second half of a long story about the Skywalker family. Luke was raised by his aunt and uncle and really knew nothing about his father until after he met Obi-Wan. Luke discovered some shocking things about his family while training to be a Jedi like his father had been. Just over twenty years after A New Hope was first released, the first movie in the prequel trilogy was released. That trilogy focuses on Luke’s father Anakin and how he became a Jedi. The third movie in the prequel trilogy should show why ultimately turned Anakin to the dark side. I have seen the five Star Wars movies that have been releases so far and I plan to see Episode III once it is released.

Even after the first of the new movies were released, I still watched the movies in the order they were originally made and released, Episode IV, V, VI, I, and II. It doesn’t seem right to me to watch the newer movies first even though they are really the beginning of the overall story. I think there would be more surprises if the movies were watched in that order for anyone who hasn’t seen any of the movies before. The big surprise from The Empire Strikes Back, which was really the biggest surprise in the whole trilogy, would be ruined if the prequels are watched first. There are things about the original trilogy that I think will tie up some possible loose ends after the end of Episode III. The movies are all connected, though a few minor things from the newer movies did seem to contradict things from the original trilogy. All of the movies feature a battle between good and evil.

There was action in all three movies in the Star Wars Trilogy. There were battles on different planets and in space. There were large scale space battles in Episodes IV and VI. Luke learned to use a lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi, and he and Darth Vader had some duels. Obi-Wan also fought Darth Vader. Most of the other characters carried guns which were used frequently throughout the movies. Different characters were injured or even killed. A few characters lost limbs in fights. I really didn’t think the movies were that violent. The movies probably are a bit too violent for younger children. I can’t remember now how old I was the first time I saw Episode IV. I do remember that Darth Vader, and even the music that played before his first appearance, scared me. The breathing noise from Darth Vader’s outfit still creeps me out a bit. The only other part I remember having a problem with was when Obi-Wan and Darth Vader had their final confrontation. I still don’t like how that turned out. The Empire Strikes Back was the darkest of the trilogy and by the end, things didn’t look good for the rebellion or the main characters. Humor was added here and there throughout all three movies to help lighten the mood. Most of what made me laugh was connected to C-3PO. Chewbacca also made me laugh a few times. C-3PO did seem to be around for comic relief at times.

Special effects were used in every movie of the Star Wars Trilogy. Effects were used for all the space battles. When the movies were originally released, there were limits to what could be created with special effects. When the movies were released again in 1997, Lucas redid some of the special effects and even added in things that he hadn’t been able to do before. One of those was a scene in A New Hope that showed Han talking to Jabba the Hunt before leaving Tatoonie with Luke and Obi-Wan. Before the update, some of the effects were looking a bit dated and they do look much better now. Some things about the movies still look dated, but that is to be expected since they are all more than twenty years old now. There were all kinds of aliens featured in the movies. Most of them were created through make up effects. Yoda, along with some other alien creatures, were puppets. A few creatures were added in with special effects in the 1997 release.

The acting in the movies of the Star Wars Trilogy was all right, but nothing special. Mark Hamill played Luke, the main character of the trilogy. He was young when the first movie came out and that was clear in his performance. His being young did fit in with the part. Luke changed a lot over the course of the trilogy. Hamill did seem to go a bit over the top at times, but it fit with the movie. The role of Leia was only the second part that Carrie Fisher played. She did all right with the part. Harrison Ford was Han Solo. He was one of my favorite characters. He went on to star in several other successful movies, including the Indiana Jones trilogy. He played a different sort of character in What Lies Beneath. Peter Mayhew really didn’t have too much to do as Chewbacca since the character just made these grunting noises. Anthony Daniels was fine as C-3PO. His voice fit the character perfectly.

Alec Guinness was wonderful as Obi-Wan. He felt guilty about what had happened with Anakin. Obi-Wan was still a powerful Jedi when Luke met him. David Prowse played Darth Vader and the voice for the character was provided by James Earl Jones. The voice matched the character well. Once Darth Vader was trying to turn Luke to the dark side, he kept saying the same line about how Luke didn’t know the power of the dark side. I lost track of how many times he said that in the last two movies, but it did get to be a bit corny. Frank Oz was the puppet performer for Yoda. He also provided the voice for the character. Every time I hear Yoda talk, I think of Fozzy Bear, one of the Muppet characters that Oz also did. I really like Yoda. Clive Revill played the Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back originally. Ian McDiarmid played the character in Return of the Jedi. Billie Dee Williams did fine with the part of Lando Calrissian.

CAST

Kenny Baker - R2-D2
Phil Brown - Uncle Owen
Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett
Peter Cushing - Grand Moff Tarkin
Anthony Daniels - C-3PO
Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia
Harrison Ford - Han Solo
Alec Guinness - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker
James Earl Jones - Voice of Darth Vader
Ian McDiarmid - Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca
Frank Oz - Voice of Yoda
David Prowse - Darth Vader
Clive Revill - The Emperor
Sebastian Shaw - Anakin Skywalker
Billie Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian

Over the years, the movies in the Star Wars Trilogy have been released several times on different formats. The movies were released again to theaters in 1997 and included changes and improvements made by George Lucas. Some fans were very upset by the changes, but they didn’t bother me. I have the VHS set of the trilogy after the changes were made. That was the only version of the movies I owned until I received the DVD set for Christmas of 2004. The trilogy was first released on DVD in the fall of 2004. There is a full screen and a widescreen version of the trilogy. I have the widescreen version. Lucas made additional changes to the movies for the DVD release which angered some fans again. I wasn’t bothered by the changes. I don’t understand why Lucas made one change at the end of Return of the Jedi, replacing the ghost version of Anakin with the younger Anakin played by Hayden Christensen. I’m not upset about the change, but it doesn’t make sense to me. The original versions of the movies that were first released are not included in the DVD set. All three movies are rated PG. There wasn’t anything too violent or offensive in any of them, but these movies aren’t for younger children.

Each movie is on one DVD for this set. The only special features on each disc are commentaries with George Lucas and a few cast and crew members and DVD-ROM access to exclusive content. All three movies are in Dolby surround sound. The picture and audio quality of the movies is wonderful. A fourth DVD of extras is included in the collection. There are several documentaries on the making of the trilogy included on this disc. The Birth of the Lightsaber shows how the weapon of the Jedi was created. The Characters of Star Wars delves into the characters of the movies and included interviews with George Lucas and different cast members. In The Force is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars, other directors talk about how the Star Wars movies influenced them. Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy tells how George Lucas managed to make the movies. There are new interviews included with cast and crew members. There are trailers for new video games based on the movies. Trailers and tv spots for the movies are also included. There is a preview for Episode III.

I have liked the movies in the Star Wars Trilogy since I first saw them years ago. Some of the acting is a bit over the top and some of the dialogue is really bad, but the movies are still very entertaining and some of my favorites. Fans of the trilogy should pick up the DVD version, though some will be upset that it only contains the updated versions of the movies.

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Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters ~ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace ~ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones ~ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ~ What Lies Beneath ~ Robots ~ Sleepy Hollow ~