"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will..." - Yoda
Every once in a while something comes along in life, something so perfect and beautiful that it touches the hearts of millions. Not only does it touch their hearts, it resides there, burying itself deep within and becomes a permanent lodger. It becomes a part of their lives, becomes a tool for logic and choice. It is used for reference, for quotation and simply, for it's amazing ability to entertain. This thing for me, and for millions of others is; Star Wars.
Now before I start talking about the good stuff that oozes out of Star Wars like fat oozes out of Jabba the Hut I want to get rid of the bad things first. Some people might disagree with me on these, others might applaud my courage for saying that there are flaws in the near perfect sci-fi series. But whatever your opinion on what I'm about to say is, I feel I just need to get these three points off my chest. Star Wars could have done without 'Jar-Jar Binks', the whole pod-racing scene in Phantom Menace, and to be frank, the whole Clone Wars film and terrible television series that followed it. I just can't bring myself to get past these three things. But I guess it goes to show that George Lucas is human, he makes mistakes. He can be forgiven however, because he gave the world 'Han-Solo'.
Let's face it. Star Wars is damn right brilliant. It is the most perfect sci-fi series to ever exist, ever. Its sheer brilliance rises above that of any other science-fiction film, and I cannot think of a better trilogy in the world than that of the three original Star Wars' films. There's action, romance, lightsabers, the ability to move objects by believing you can, a small green man-thing, father and son issues, long lost siblings and Liam Neeson. Chuck in cheesy jokes, incredible script-writing, plot twists, legendary cutting techniques and a ton of special effects and you'll have just scratched the surface of how incredible this franchise is.
Now that my school-girl excitement has calmed I can talk about why this series is so fantastic. You see, I enjoy talking about things that matter in life, and to most of us, films do. They can teach us, hold us, entertain us, move us and most of all leave a lasting impact on our lives. Star Wars is the series that first did this to me. However, trying to describe how Star Wars did this to millions of us might be difficult. It has not only become a cult classic, but also such a prominent part of popular culture it's hard to escape the references, the remakes, the toys, the games, the action figures and all else that Star Wars has managed to influence. You need to watch it to understand, and if you haven't watched the series yet, well then...Shame on you.
I guess I should talk about the history a little, I know that it seems pointless, chances are if you're reading this then you know a substantial amount about Star Wars anyway. However, I like to keep it factual, so here it goes. The first Star Wars film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released back in 1977. The film became an instant hit and a phenomenon to people of all ages. The film was followed by Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983. The series' first film A New Hope did not originally feature the Episode IV part in the title, but after the second and third film featured their roman numerals, the first was changed to include Episode IV. The whole of the series takes place in a fictional galaxy that features plenty of Aliens and Humans alike. The main theme of the film is about the Force. The Light Side verses the Dark Side, the Jedi verses the Sith. The films toys with the ideas of good and evil and how fickle the human endeavor can be, but also how strong human will can become. The original trilogy is driven by 'Luke Skywalker' and his quest to end the tyranny of Darth Vader. The film hosts themes of political power, peace and war. There are a large array of characters from gunslinging, quick talking and smooth like butter 'Han-Solo', to a loud, furry and incoherent Wookiee known as 'Chewbacca'. All of this, and there are still three more (mention-able) films to go.
Star Wars took a break for a while, it took a long vacation with all that money it earned. Probably went to a galaxy far, far away. But when it returned it was bigger, flashier, and more "Yoda jumping about the place" than ever. After the success of the original three movies George Lucas decided to make three prequel films. That's right, episodes I, II and III. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 and was the first film of the new trilogy, the expanded technology and better graphic capabilities were immediately evident in the film. The bigger effects and sharper stunts were prominent and attractive and made the films quiet different to the original three. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones followed after this in 2002 and lastly Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ended the new trilogy in 2005. Like the original trilogy the new films host a large cast, although the story is different. Following the path of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi', the film's show him training his apprentice 'Anakin Skywalker', and Anakin's eventual descent into the Dark Side. This descent leads him to become...Well, I won't tell you in case you don't know, but unless you've been living under a rock for the past two decades I'm sure you'll know who I'm on about. Episode I starts with the Jedi in control and by the end of the new trilogy the Jedi have crumbled and become scarce. The original trilogy is about Luke's ability to resurrect the hope of the people and bring the Jedi back into power. It's all really, really awesome.
But, I digress. I've rambled on about Star Wars enough. It's a huge part of my life, and although it isn't the same for everyone I'm sure there is a film, or a series of films out there that you can relate to. Be it the Die Hard series or the Twilight Series everyone has a film that holds a special place in their lives, a film that they can relate to, a film that becomes a talking point, a conversation starter with others. A film that dictates how their lives will be shaped and manages the choices they make. It's the power of a fictional world, a utopia where things play out and decisions that are made can help you in your every day life. It's the way a film creates so many messages and meanings that you're bound to relate to one of them somewhere in the script. It's a beautiful thing creativity, you know when something this good comes along, it'll simply follow you wherever you go. As I said, Star Wars, amongst other film series, do this for me. I'm sure you know what films do it for you.
Let's face it. Star Wars is damn right brilliant. It is the most perfect sci-fi series to ever exist, ever. Its sheer brilliance rises above that of any other science-fiction film, and I cannot think of a better trilogy in the world than that of the three original Star Wars' films. There's action, romance, lightsabers, the ability to move objects by believing you can, a small green man-thing, father and son issues, long lost siblings and Liam Neeson. Chuck in cheesy jokes, incredible script-writing, plot twists, legendary cutting techniques and a ton of special effects and you'll have just scratched the surface of how incredible this franchise is.
Now that my school-girl excitement has calmed I can talk about why this series is so fantastic. You see, I enjoy talking about things that matter in life, and to most of us, films do. They can teach us, hold us, entertain us, move us and most of all leave a lasting impact on our lives. Star Wars is the series that first did this to me. However, trying to describe how Star Wars did this to millions of us might be difficult. It has not only become a cult classic, but also such a prominent part of popular culture it's hard to escape the references, the remakes, the toys, the games, the action figures and all else that Star Wars has managed to influence. You need to watch it to understand, and if you haven't watched the series yet, well then...Shame on you.
I guess I should talk about the history a little, I know that it seems pointless, chances are if you're reading this then you know a substantial amount about Star Wars anyway. However, I like to keep it factual, so here it goes. The first Star Wars film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released back in 1977. The film became an instant hit and a phenomenon to people of all ages. The film was followed by Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983. The series' first film A New Hope did not originally feature the Episode IV part in the title, but after the second and third film featured their roman numerals, the first was changed to include Episode IV. The whole of the series takes place in a fictional galaxy that features plenty of Aliens and Humans alike. The main theme of the film is about the Force. The Light Side verses the Dark Side, the Jedi verses the Sith. The films toys with the ideas of good and evil and how fickle the human endeavor can be, but also how strong human will can become. The original trilogy is driven by 'Luke Skywalker' and his quest to end the tyranny of Darth Vader. The film hosts themes of political power, peace and war. There are a large array of characters from gunslinging, quick talking and smooth like butter 'Han-Solo', to a loud, furry and incoherent Wookiee known as 'Chewbacca'. All of this, and there are still three more (mention-able) films to go.
Star Wars took a break for a while, it took a long vacation with all that money it earned. Probably went to a galaxy far, far away. But when it returned it was bigger, flashier, and more "Yoda jumping about the place" than ever. After the success of the original three movies George Lucas decided to make three prequel films. That's right, episodes I, II and III. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 and was the first film of the new trilogy, the expanded technology and better graphic capabilities were immediately evident in the film. The bigger effects and sharper stunts were prominent and attractive and made the films quiet different to the original three. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones followed after this in 2002 and lastly Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ended the new trilogy in 2005. Like the original trilogy the new films host a large cast, although the story is different. Following the path of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi', the film's show him training his apprentice 'Anakin Skywalker', and Anakin's eventual descent into the Dark Side. This descent leads him to become...Well, I won't tell you in case you don't know, but unless you've been living under a rock for the past two decades I'm sure you'll know who I'm on about. Episode I starts with the Jedi in control and by the end of the new trilogy the Jedi have crumbled and become scarce. The original trilogy is about Luke's ability to resurrect the hope of the people and bring the Jedi back into power. It's all really, really awesome.
But, I digress. I've rambled on about Star Wars enough. It's a huge part of my life, and although it isn't the same for everyone I'm sure there is a film, or a series of films out there that you can relate to. Be it the Die Hard series or the Twilight Series everyone has a film that holds a special place in their lives, a film that they can relate to, a film that becomes a talking point, a conversation starter with others. A film that dictates how their lives will be shaped and manages the choices they make. It's the power of a fictional world, a utopia where things play out and decisions that are made can help you in your every day life. It's the way a film creates so many messages and meanings that you're bound to relate to one of them somewhere in the script. It's a beautiful thing creativity, you know when something this good comes along, it'll simply follow you wherever you go. As I said, Star Wars, amongst other film series, do this for me. I'm sure you know what films do it for you.
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