A long time ago — 1977, to be exact — in our own galaxy, George Lucas released Star Wars. In many ways it was an ersatz combination of things that already existed — Campbell’s monomyth, Flash Gordon serials, Westerns, Akira Kurosawa and World War II films, already-written sci-fi novels — but bringing all of these things together, combined with breathtaking special effects that have aged remarkably well, quickly ensured the movie’s immortality.
Many have attempted to recapture the magic of what is now called A New Hope, both inside the Star Wars franchise and outside of it. Chief among them is Lucas himself, who was the primary creative force behind its original two sequels (even though he was credited neither as their director nor their screenwriter). Lucas took the complete reins for an entire “new” prequel trilogy, starting with 1999’s The Phantom Menace, continuing with 2002’s Attack of the Clones, and concluding with 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Though widely anticipated, the movies ultimately became mostly disappointments, full of what one critic described as “terrible screenwriting and wooden acting.”
Comments