This will be a week long remembered. This Friday begins what hopes to be a resurgence of the Star Wars franchise. Not that Star Wars was in dire need of that but ever since EP3 completed the less than stellar prequel series back in 2005, fans have longed for something more and better. Well, Merry Christmas! The Force Awakens opens nationwide on the 18th and by all indications, it will shatter box office records in the way the Death Star took care of Alderaan. Now, in preparation of this event (and yes it’s an event not just a movie), how should we tackle episodes 1 through 6? And what I mean by that is how I should watch them. Should I watch in episode order? The suggested ‘machete’ order that drops Phantom Menace all together and you watch 4,5,2,3 & 6. Interesting but I am a completest. I myself prefer the flashback order.
This is how I think a Star Wars fan should get themselves ready for Episode VII.
Here is the Flashback order –
Episode IV, A New Hope: This is the one that started it all and the one that needs to be seen first. Between the opening of “A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy far far away…”, the opening scroll and then seeing the massive Imperial Star Destroyer fill an entire movie screen that still leaves me in awe you are transported into a world of wonder. Starting with Episode IV makes perfect sense and in doing so actually helps the prequels. Here we meet Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi and we learn about the Clone Wars. We see the power of the Empire and the reach they have in the galaxy. We’re also introduced to the central characters of the Star Wars saga, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Star Wars: A New Hope established the current state of the galaxy the players live in. There is a sense of mystery and wonder when learning that Luke’s father was once a Jedi Knight. Why is Uncle Owen afraid that Luke has too much of his father in him. There are just so much unanswered questions that when you see the prequels in flashback order, it satisfies those unanswered questions. ****1/2 out of 5
Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back: When it comes to sequels, most do not hold a candle to the original. That however is not the case with The Empire Strikes Back.To date, the ESB remains the very best of all the Star Wars films with arguably the greatest reveal of any film for all-time. I would hope by now, everyone knows that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. Here we meet Yoda for the first time and much like when we first met Obi-Wan, time has taken a toll on him. Listening to Yoda talk about the Jedi to Luke and discussing how they were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, gives greater meaning to all of us when watch The Phantom Menace. We also see at the hinted at Emperor. Vader never looked better as a villain. Do not fail or disappoint him. As a bonus to Empire’s overall dark theme, you also get to see the love story between Leia and Han and with it, some of the very best exchanges in the saga take place between these two. Did I mention Lando Calrissian? Sure he betrayed Han and the others but he still turned out to be a huge asset to the rebellion. ***** out of 5
Episode I, The Phantom Menace (flashback of Anakin’s origins): Watching this after ESB makes it more powerful to see who Darth Vader once was as a young idealistic youth named Anakin Skywalker and what he would later become. No matter how you slice it, TPM will probably remain the weakest entry for most fans. Showing Anakin as a rebellious teenager as oppose to a child, in hindsight might have been the way to go but George Lucas thought differently. Regardless though, seeing this right after the events of Episodes 4 and 5 creates for better storytelling. We’ve seen the impact of the Empire and now we see how it was born. We learn about the Sith, we see the rise to power by an ambitious Senator with a hidden agenda. It certainly makes the motives of the Emperor clearer. There is an uneasy sense of irony in some of the exchanges between certain characters especially a quick quip between Palpatine and Anakin. We also see a very human and innocent Anakin who is driven by helping others and doing good especially when it comes to his mother. This will serve a major purpose in later films. *** out of 5
Episode II, Attack of the Clones (flashback to the Clone Wars): The origin story of the Clone Wars, which by the way should have been the obvious title for Episode 2 but again, George thought differently. Here will see how the Imperial army was formed and was simply known as the Army of the Republic. Their formation was built through fear and terrorism that shook the very foundation of Democracy. In a lot of ways it mirrored the world we lived in then and unfortunately now. That was the good. The bad however were the chemistry or lack thereof between Anakin and Padme. Whether it’s because of Hayden and Natalie or poorly written dialogue or both, we just don’t see a convincing love story. We believe Han and Leia, we feel it when she tells him that you loves him and his response was “I know. We’re convinced that their love was real. This doesn’t happen between Anakin and Padme. Then there’s the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. A change in dialogue here and there would’ve sold us on their friendship but much like the Anakin-Padme relationship, we don’t bite. A highlight worth watching is Yoda wielding a lightsaber against Count Dooku. Personally I wish it was Darth Maul. What I do know is that he looked great! ***1/2 out of 5
Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (flashback of the fall of Anakin and the rise of Darth Vader): The final turn for Anakin into becoming Darth Vader and the epic battle between him and Obi-Wan. The battle between the two was well done but slightly underwhelming because the previous two films never established a true bonding between Anakin and Obi-Wan. I think this is due largely to Anakin’s young introduction in The Phantom Menace. If he came in slightly older, a kinship could have been established. Too much of Attack of the Clones was spent disagreeing with each other and you never get a sense that they were brothers. Building a Father-Son relationship would’ve served the overall story arc greater in the end. A lot of this is the on screen chemistry, which there wasn’t much of, between Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor or sadly, Hayden and anyone else to be honest. When I think back at how Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan spoke of his friendship with Anakin, you expected to see something that was deeply rooted in brotherhood but I was never really convinced and I don’t think anyone else was either. Heck, Lando and Han’s friendship seemed more genuine at times. I will say though, seeing Anakin literally becoming Darth Vader was exciting and sad at the same time. Seeing the births of Luke and Leia and knowing that they are the ‘New Hope’ after watching Episodes 4 and 5 brings it all together.
***1/2 out of 5
Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (Fast forward to the redemption story of Darth Vader and the rebirth of the Jedi): Now that we’ve experienced the prequels in a whole new context, we come full circle with ROTJ. And all of a sudden we see Jedias a greater redemption story than ever before. We start with Luke & Leia and the circumstances that brought them together in Episode IV. We see the reveal of Vader being Anakin Skywalker in Episode V. We then go through the looking glass and see Anakin’s rise from a farm boy/slave to prodigy and eventually a Sith Lord in Episodes I –III. He is driven by power. Vader never looked more human though than he did at the end of Jedi when Luke pleaded for his father’s help. Darth Vader is a classic tragic character straight out of Shakespeare and ancient mythology. **** out of 5 stars
Now sit back and enjoy and get ready for Episode VII, The Force Awakens.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
