What is the
only possible way to make a lightsaber cooler? Putting two lightsabers together into some kind of uber-lightsaber you say?
Why, what a coincidence...
I grew up
with Star Wars just as much as those
who saw the original trilogy on its original theatrical run did. I was
obsessed: I had as many toys as possible when you don’t even have pocket money
to spend, I would watch them endlessly, could recite dialogue on cue, and
pretended that the stick in my garden was a lightsaber and that my dog was
Darth Vader. Those of you who say “you don’t know what it was like”, think
again: I promise you, I absolutely do.
So when The Phantom Menace came storming out of
nowhere one day, my entire world was set alight. I still remember the trailer
being shown on GMTV while I ate my breakfast before going to school – I taped
it, and watched it 4 more times before telling everyone in school about it, and
then watching it over and over again when I got home. At the age of 12, this
was the greatest thing to ever happen, and so when the day finally came to sit
in a darkened room and see the “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”
on the big screen finally, there was no possible way I was going to do anything
other than fall in love with whatever I saw. Just as many ‘purists’ did in the
‘70s and ‘80s...
Far from
besmirching the Star Wars legacy, the
prequel trilogy added a depth and complexity missing from the originals, while
expanding the beloved universe and introducing a new generation to its delights.
The thing that so rile the purists are those aspects that explain away the
mysteries of the originals, such as the origins of the Force, or the
Luke/Leia/Vader background. When the stories in people’s heads do not match
what the canonical story is revealed to be, people will naturally be
disappointed.
Don’t get me
wrong – I do not think that the new films are better than the older ones.
However, I do feel that not only do they stand alone as fantastic pieces of
epic entertainment, they add greatly to a full appreciation of the Star Wars universe. The Obi-Wan/Darth
Vader lightsaber battle in New Hope
becomes less two old men fighting each other awkwardly because no one had
directed them about how to do it properly, and more about the relationship
between them. We have seen how close they once were, that they were virtually
brothers and now, one old and the other broken, they face each other again, in
a telling contrast to their last meeting. Alec Guiness’s knowing smile towards
Luke becomes far more powerful, and his death is appreciated for the sacrifice
that it is.
Furthermore,
to dismiss the prequels is to dismiss some of the stand-out movie moments of
the past decade: the blast doors opening to reveal Darth Maul’s hooded figure,
the Duel of the Fates and Love Among the Stars themes, the
electrifying podrace, Anakin’s vengeful massacres of the Sandpeople and the
younglings, Yoda’s use of the force to draw his lightsaber before bouncing
around like a deadly demon, the clash of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s weapons set
against the violent eruptions of the lava planet. Even the smaller moments,
those most derided by its detractors, are still supremely quotable and
enduringly loved: Darth Maul’s falling into two pieces, arms flailing, Yoda’s
“fear is the path to the dark side” speech, the momentary pause before the
newly-suited Vader takes his first iconic breath...
If you don’t
appreciate all things Star Wars
(including the ace new Clone Wars
animated series), then you are not a Star
Wars fan. Excluding the Holiday Special
of course, that’s best left to
rot...
No comments:
Post a Comment