Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (No Spoilers)

It's been asked for so here it comes....my review.

I am avoiding spoilers here, and will hopefully chime in later with a more spoilery reaction.

I've had a relationship with Star Wars since it's birth. I was five years old, and I lost my goddamn mind. The bottom line is that I wanted to do *that,* whatever that was, and launched myself on a lifetime journey to figure out what the was.

Between the ages of 5 and 11, I had the original trilogy, Episodes IV to VI, wherein we saw the galactic civil war, and the rise of Luke Skywalker as savior of the ways of the Jedi, and redeemer of his father, Darth Vader, AKA Anakin Skywalker. As with so many people, these three films are a defining moment of my life (as the previous paragraph should indicate).

Between the ages of 28 and 34, I had the "Prequel" trilogy, Episodes I to III, wherein we saw the fall of not only the Old Republic and the Jedi order, but of Anakin himself. These films have been a hotbed of contention for years. With long diatribes about their faults and failings.

Here's where I stand; I love Star Wars. I love it all, I love it despite it's faults and failings, but also in many ways, because of it's faults and failings. As a whole, it is an idiosyncratic work, with weird digressions and inclusions that are there for no more reason than George Lucas' fancy. It's that personal touch, for good or ill, that, for me, lift them above standard Hollywood studio escapist fare.

This article pretty neatly encapsulates my feelings.

So, now, here we are. It's 2015, I am 44 years old, and over this past weekend I have seen Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens twice. It's a very, very good movie. It introduces exciting new characters into our saga of the Skywalker family, returns old favorites to the screen with vim and vigor, and pushes us forward into a new trilogy of adventure tales.

I do not think it's anywhere near perfect. However, it's imperfections are along totally different lines from the films made under Lucas' supervision, and will not detract from it's entertainment value. In fact, I feel it's imperfections run almost perfectly opposite from the earlier films.

Let's bottom line this....Do you have any interest in the type of film that Star wars is? Space opera (NOT science fiction) on a grand scale? If you say yes, see this movie. It's not the best film of the year, or even the best adventure film of the year (that would still be Mad Max: Fury Road), but it's the best space opera since at least Revenge of the Sith (sorry Wachowskis). I had a great time with the film, so what I'm about to go into is NOT "this film sucks" criticism, don't read it as such. It is so worth seeing, and I cannot wait to see where Rian Johnson takes up with Episode VIII in two years.

My first viewing of The Force Awakens was after spending nineteen hours in a theatre watching the previous six films. While this made me excited as hell to see the new film, it also made the shift in tone with this film very apparent to me. Lucas' Star Wars films were pastiches of 1930s sci-fi serials, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and the like, with a heap of Joseph Campbell to take all that nonsense and give it a sheen of real cultural and anthropological importance. The Force Awakens, in a very, very real way, is a pastiche of Star Wars itself, and the reverence to Campbell-style myth-making has been supplanted by the filmmakers reverence to this specific myth.

Which was probably utterly unavoidable. I would guess there is not a single competent filmmaker in Hollywood, who would have any interest in making a Star Wars movie, who doesn't revere the earlier films. Honestly, the saving grace here was likely the involvement of Lawrence Kasdan in scripting. He was there, having scripted both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (not to mention Raiders of the Lost Ark). He clearly enjoys this type of material, and yet, I'd guess, isn't star-struck by it.

There is a sequence in the center of the film that, if I'm fully honest, didn't feel like Star Wars, but rather like one of the myriad Star Wars ripoffs that littered the 80's. A lot of the humorous dialogue struck me as a lot more glib and unceasing than the earlier films, like it was the product of someone who remembered all their favorite lines, and regurgitated them without the breathing space that made those lines originally pop. Now, to be fair, the writing here is so far beyond Lucas that I hardly cared, but I was struck by the change in tone.

And the structure. There is more than a little truth in the criticism that the film is little more than a remake of A New Hope (AKA the original Star Wars). That's not a huge problem for me, because that fits with Lucas' vision. The Phantom Menace echos A New Hope, as well, but less slavishly. There is a point when I'm thinking, "oh this is like the Mos Eisley Cantina....Oh, look at the echo of the trench run...etc." I almost wish they'd just made our new desert planet, Jakku, a return to Tatooine. The production design is so virtually identical that it's obvious that they were trying to have their cake and eat it too. There is a long, long list of elements that fall into the "remember that?" category.

All of that becomes almost totally forgivable because Abrams and Kasdan have given us a nice big pot of terrific characters to revisit and get to know. I loved, loved, loved all of the new characters, and I was surprised by how much I was drawn to Kylo Ren, in particular. He's a villain that gives us a new perspective of the Star Wars universe, and The Force, that we've not really seen before now, and Adam Driver does a wonderful job with the part. Harrison Ford is better than he's been in years and Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are honest-to-God movie star finds. Oscar Issac isn't given much to do, but fills his moments. Much like with his Star Trek films, you can find absolutely zero fault with Abrams' casting instincts.

Watching the film is a blast, and I'm resistant to even delving into the plot very much, so as to allow you to discover it yourself. It's an experience, and all of the critical comments I've made are pretty irrelevant while you're watching. However, as a huge fan, I am concerned with the ultimate health of the franchise. There's things here that make me worry, specifically with Disney's aggressive plan of a new Star Wars film every year.

The Force Awakens is now corporate product, you can't deny it, and I see echoes of Disney's (financially, if not always creatively) successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. The fact that the emotional beats work as well as they do is a testament to the skill and talent of J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, because in other hands, this film could've easily toppled over into Transformers territory.

My Thoughts on "Machete Order" (Star Wars)

Star Wars is generational. The stories are generational, and now we have a second, and even third generation being brought up as fans. This leads to this unending question of "how do I introduce my children to Star Wars?" Which has lead to all sorts of theories and concepts.

Now, to preface, I am, in no way, trying to tell anyone how the saga is "supposed to be watched." I think that every fan is free to experience the films as they wish. However, I am fascinated by this fixation on how to introduce a new viewer to the Star Wars universe, and what each theory seems intent upon achieving.

I'm going to focus on just one today, although there have been several put forward. The so-called "Machete Order." Which basically suggests you watch the saga in this order.

Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode II: The Attack of the Clones
Episode II: The Revenge of the Sith
Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi

Episode I: The Phantom Menace is completely eliminated, and the other two prequels are treated as a "flashback" of sorts. The reasoning is something along the lines of this (sourced here):

As I mentioned, this creates a lot of tension after the cliffhanger ending of Episode V. It also uses the original trilogy as a framing device for the prequel trilogy. Vader drops this huge bomb that he’s Luke’s father, then we spend two movies proving he’s telling the truth, then we see how it gets resolved. The Star Wars watching experience gets to start with the film that does the best job of establishing the Star Wars universe, Episode IV, and it ends with the most satisfying ending, Episode VI.

Basically, as far as I can reason, this whole thing is in service to three things:

1 - Keeping the saga focused on Luke

2 - Maintaining the "I am your father" reveal.

3 - Eliminating the unimportant Episode I

Essentially, "this is what I, as a first-generation Star Wars fan, think is important, based on the experience I had with these films."

Here's my bottom-line problem, especially in terms of "how to introduce Star Wars to my kids?"with "Machete Order." You've basically rigged the game to make sure that your kids will have the exact same experience you did. Children should have their own experience with Star Wars.

Take the desire to keep things focused on Luke, which is point 1. It's a generational saga, with each chapter having it's own characters for kids to bond with. In ten, fifteen years, there will likely be a generation who think that Star Wars is REALLY about Rey and Finn and Poe, and that Luke, Han and Leia were just there to set up the "real story."

The saga works the way it does because each generation should have their own heroes, and the expansion of the lead roles beyond white dudes with The Force Awakens is a testament to that. Don't pigeonhole the enterprise to the characters you identified with first, because each kid, each viewer, should have their opportunity to grab hold of their own heroes.

I've shown the saga to people, who've never seen it before, in chronological order. I'm going to tell you what I observed. There was an investment in Anakin as both a hero, and as a soul who needed redemption. There was an investment in Luke as the heir of a power and birthright that he never really understands....

Until Vader reveals their relationship. Which addresses point 2. It's a powerful, powerful moment no mater what information you have before hand. It's either one scene of surprise, or almost a full two movies of suspense. The audience knows, but Luke doesn't...and that can be just as powerful as learning something with a character.

I'll let Alfred Hitchcock explain (source):

"Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, "Boom!" There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"

The newbie I showed chronological order to also read this scene as Anakin wanting to bond with his son. Asking Luke to join him wasn't just about power. Granted, it's in that same stunted, emotionally immature manner in which he woos Padme, but he's legitimately telling Luke that the Dark Side is better and more freeing. Vader has been alone, essentially, since Mustafar. Locked inside that armor, cut off from everyone he loved. Now he's reaching out to what he thinks is his only remaining blood relative. He wants his son by his side.

That may not be the gut-punch reveal that we got in 1980 (and even then, I, personally, wrote it off as a lie), but it's not undramatic. There's still a myriad of emotions on call...no mater which character you bonded with. Bottom line, it plays either way, based on what the audience knows.

Now, the real bugaboo is, of course, the removal of Episode I.

Now, I get it. I get it that people hate this movie, I get that they feel betrayed by it, I get that they hate Jar-Jar Binks. I admit, I don't feel that strongly negative about it, and I could also make the argument that the three-way cutting of the final battle(s) is the strongest editing work in the entire saga. I acknowledge that all the films in the first trilogy have problems, but they are not valueless.

However, I think the argument that the film "adds nothing" to the overall story arc is not really correct. First off, I think seeing Anakin before he enters the Jedi order, a life beholden to Watto, is important. I think seeing the council turn him away, and then grudgingly allow his training, is important. Not to mention admitting that he is the chosen one, which is, IMHO, the psychological trigger for almost all Anakin's problems and eventual fall. I think seeing that Obi-Wan is not the best person to train him (tell me that Obi-Wan doesn't give in to anger to defeat Darth Maul) is important. Seeing how Anakin leaves his mother is important in framing what happens in Episode II.

Not to mention, that it's within The Phantom Menace that we see the dysfunction of both the Jedi Order/Council and the Republic Senate most clearly. The seeds of Palpatine's rise are not in some Machiavellian plot, though he is manipulating events, but in the exploitation of the corruption and bureaucracy that was already well underway. It's a demonstration that the "golden age" that is spoken about in Episodes IV, V and VI is yet another example of Obi-Wan's discussion of "point of view."

All of that isn't covered in the scroll of Episode II, except in the most cursory and incredibly brief way. On top of that, as any writer will tell you, it's better to show than to tell. So, I think there is much information here that informs what comes after.

Now, I offer this not as evidence that chronological order is "better," only that it can provide it's own rewards, rewards that maybe your child, or any audience, should be allowed to discover for themselves. Many already have, and their love for Star Wars is as strong as yours or mine. Likewise, there are other viewing orders that can illuminate structural and storytelling intricacies.

I've considered watching the films in a I-IV-II-V-III-VI progression, in order to see the way the trilogies reference each other. I'll also speak out for watching the films as silent movies, which Lucas always claimed they were most like. That is an illuminating experience, though I've not watched the whole saga that way (I wish there was an isolated score track on the Blu-Rays for that purpose). The possibilities are myriad.

My only agenda with this piece is to encourage that, we, as the "original" fans of the franchise, resist imposing our experience on those who come after. Even the term "prequel" suggests subservience. The Star Wars universe, now under the aegis of Disney, is going to continue far beyond the lives of it's first-generation fans. Now is the time to accept that our experience will never be the universal one. Now is the time to let the succeeding generations have their own experiences.

Well, Dumping All Those Novels Sure Simplified Things

I confess, I have never been a big defender of the Star Wars "Expanded Universe." A fan? Yeah, I guess.

I mean, there's good stuff in there, but about halfway through "The New Jedi Order" (which I read every word of), I realized how much of what I was reading was filler, or uninspired. I mean that's nothing new, there have been Star Trek novels for years and years, but those were, specifically and without fail, regarded as "not canon." I pretty much just care if the story I'm reading is good or not, anyway, so I'm not overly concerned if Spock's son in Yesterday's Son is "real" or not. It's a good novel, and that's enough.

But, once George Lucas made it clear that there would be no movies past Episode VI (Return of the Jedi for those keeping score), suddenly these novels took on vast importance as the authorized continuation of the Skywalker story. In addition, they started to get swamped under in their own navel-gazing interconnectedness. I mean, Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy" was a pretty decent diversion as a way to see what happened after. It's certainly not bad, but it's also vastly overrated among the fan community.

Bottom line, I am overjoyed that Disney and the Lucasfilm brain trust have made it very clear that The Force Awakens, and all Star Wars movies/TV/whatever going forward will be free of having to honor the EU material. Of course that doesn't stop our lovely fanbase from grousing ("Thrawn better be in there!!"), or claiming it's all a scam (Kylo Ren is a code name for Jaicen Solo!!!), because they can't let go of what they've read.

Anyway, here's the infographic Geekologie put together to track what "counts," and what doesn't going forward. I do have a gut feeling it's not entirely accurate, the placement they have of the Han Solo Anthology film would make the character about 25, and they're saying he'll be late teens. Also, the Battlefront game seems to be set in a pretty wide range of eras, so putting it in one spot seems a bit off.

Star Wars is Back at Marvel

Star Wars was, obviously to anyone who's read this blog, extremely important to my childhood. Seeing the film when I was five, in a tiny, packed movie theatre (people sitting in the aisles, and on the floor in front of the screen) was...it changed me. I wanted to do THAT. I didn't really grasp exactly what THAT was for a few more years, but a course was set.

Part of the genius of Geroge Lucas was how he left opportunities for his universe, his story, his characters to expand beyond the film itself. Many people bemoan the toys and merchandise now, but...they were tools to find more stories for Luke, Han and Leia....

My stories. New stories. The concept, the universe, felt so vast that almost anything was possible. New planets, new adventures on old planets...How many sandboxes in this country became Tatooine between 1977 and the mid-80's?

Part of what fed that was Marvel's comic books, which adapted the original film in the first 6 issues, and then immediately jumped into new stories and new adventures. The first story arc after the film was, flat out so cool. A loose re-telling of The Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven with Han Solo recruiting a rag-tag group of misfits and mercenaries to defend a backwater community from a gang on speeder bikes, essentially. I tell ya, I LOVED Jaxxon, a six-foot tall green rabbit who Solo recruited, created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin, big legends of the industry. I often think that Jaxxon paved my path to being relatively unperturbed by Jar-Jar Binks.

George Lucas, however, apparently HATED the big rabbit. Thomas has inferred that the rejection of this character, and the demands of Lucas licensing, led to he and Chaykin walking away from the series. This led to Archie Goodwin and the truly great Carmine Infantino coming on board. Honestly, my memories of Star Wars in comics are dominated by Infantino's art.

Infantino

 As time went on, and Star Wars reached the dark days after the release of Return of the Jedi, interest in the book waned, and, eventually, marvel cancelled it with issue #107. Right after I had subscribed, no less, the first and only issue I got of my subscription was #107.

The property was fallow for a long time, but when Timothy Zahn released his "Thrawn Trilogy" of novels, beginning with Heir to the Empire in June 1994. The release of those books marked a resurgence of Star Wars fandom that we are, really, still in. A smaller publisher, Dark Horse Comics, snatched up the rights to do Star Wars comic books in 1996, and continued to publish until 2014, last year.

That's eighteen years of comics. Mini-series, ongoing series, specials, etc, that touched on every era of the imagined history, and created a few of their own. The books embraced drama, horror, comedy, and really showed the sort of expansive creative canvas the Star Wars galaxy is. In my mind, even if I was a much more consistent reader of the Marvel comics of the 70's and 80's, Dark Horse is THE publisher that should be associated with Star Wars (even if I, myself, am uninterested in endless Boba Fett mini-series).

Well, of course, we all know that Disney bought Lucasfilm, Star Wars with it, and already owns Marvel Comics. Corporate synergy being what it is, Star Wars is now being published my Marvel again.

I read the first issue, written by Jason Aaron (he of the AMAZING Southern Bastards), with art by John Cassaday. It's good. No big complaints, but somethign does feel fairly....mechanical about the issue. It's wrapped up in a lot of bells and whistles, and a $4.99 price tag, that wants to scream "EPIC!!!," but the story feels a little forced. It's kind of hard for me to imagine that Luke, Han AND Leia, all high-profile Rebel Alliance members and associates, would all be assigned to the same espionage mission. They make a viable case as to why Han would be useful, but then undercut it by pointing out the price on his head, and who put it there.

But, y'know...it's Star Wars. Sometimes shit happens just so the plot can move along. I can roll with that. The characters feel pretty true-to-form, and the action is appropriate.

However...and this is just me, your mileage may vary....

I liked the Star Wars ongoing series that Dark Horse began in 2013, at which point I think they knew they were losing the license, and took the opportunity to do a classic, Luke/Han/Leia series. It lasted 20 issues, was quite rewarding, and I think Carlos D'Anda's artwork is much more dynamic and appropriate to the concept (Cassaday is a bit too studied and stiff for my tastes...but it is pretty), and Brian Wood had a real solid handle on the characters. I was invested in what that team was doing, and it was sad, if fully expected to see it end.

That series was the first Star Wars I'd had on my pull list in years. Marvel's new series is, as well, and I am willing to give it a good six issues to well and truly grab me. It's a good, solid start.

Just Because

Viva La Star Wars

Darth Mickey

We say things are gonna "break the internet in half" a lot, but few things really do. Yesterday, it happened, unexpectedly, and I'm still trying to suss out how I honestly feel about it.

The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm Ltd. for 4.05 billion dollars. Disney now owns Star Wars and it's related characters, although I believe Fox still owns Episode IV: A New Hope, as a film (they paid for it, Lucas kept the sequel rights and characters, and financed the rest himself). Disney is jumping head-first into the Star Wars business, with Episodes VII, IIX and IX (from a reportedly detailed Lucas outline) tenatively announced for 2015, 2017 and 2019. The plan is also for a Star Wars-related film "every 2 or 3 years" after that.

The Mouse now also owns Indiana Jones, as well, but the legal entanglements with Paramount Pictures apparently have put any development there on the back burner. Too bad, I think an Indy animated show would be more exciting than, say, another Star Wars cartoon.

On one hand, I am shocked that Lucas, who proudly operated Lucasfilm without studio support (he's probably the most successful indy film producer in the world, technically) would up and turn the keys over to one of the largest corporate entities in the world. His criticism of Hollywood studios for having lost creative thought, due to their ownership by various conglomerates, is legendary. He seemed to relish the freedom that his success bought him, even, at times, from his most rabid fan base.

On the other, I bet George is happy as a clam right now. Let's be really honest here, running Lucasfilm for the last few years must've been a real pain in the ass. First you have the fanbase itself, who keeps begging for more, and then bitches incessantly when they get it. Not to mention that Red Tails, a non-Star Wars, non-Indy passion project that he's been working on for years, crashed and burned at the box office. There was much talk after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released that Lucas would return to more personal projects, "art" films, and things like Red Tails.

The fanbase, however, was never gonna let that happen. Oh, yeah, the fan community gave much lip-service to "I can't wait to see what George will do," but really, nobody cared if it didn't have Boba Fett in it. No matter how much they professed to HATE the Prequels, the 1980's claim of a nine-part Skywalker family saga was always been thrown in his face. No matter how much disappointment surrounded Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there's continual calls for another Indy film. It's a complete no-win situation for him.

Why put yourself through that? Now he can retire. Turn the business over to Kathleen Kennedy (great choice - hard to imagine that this titan of film business was Steven Spielberg's assistant), and the folks at Disney, and let them take the heat. "Here's the plot, have at it. Call if you have questions."

I've often said that Star Wars fans, or at least the vocal contingent, are a bunch of whining losers. Far too caught up in their own visions of what Star Wars should be to actually enjoy the thing. Too aggrieved over a perceived slight to just embrace the joy and fun that this series, and Lucas, have given them.

The reaction to the sale reflects it...for YEARS I've heard "just turn it over to someone else, George, and it'll be great again!" That is, essentially, what this sale is, and yet, now we have "he sold my childhood!!" (which is better than that asinine "raped" crap, I suppose). Personally, I just think anybody who says that is a little too consumed by their childhood. This coming from a man who collects action figures and dolls.

Me? Look, I'm not all that happy to see Disney take up another property that they can turn into a "branding engine," as they have with Marvel Comics and The Muppets. I have many problems with details of how they've worked those properties, but no one can say they haven't done well by them. It's hard to argue with success.

As to the prospects of the final trilogy being realized, I am cautiously optimistic. I really won't get excited until some talent is attached. I am very glad Lucas is plotting. I can nitpick the Prequels to death (I prefer not to, and just enjoy them), but the overall plots were not the issue. George understands his themes and how they should play out. He's not a great writer (he knows this), so I'm interested in who's brought in to put meat on the bones.

Who will direct? This could go any number of ways. Disney is just as apt to find a cheap film school graduate (not necessarily a bad thing) as to reach out to established directors. If I can throw in my two cents...call Andrew Stanton. Yes, I know John Carter lost a boatload of money, but that was the fault of Disney marketing, not the film, and certainly not Stanton. That film had the sweep, scope, style, humor and speed that a Star Wars film needs. Your guy is right there.

I will also say this...Somebody better have already reached out to Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford would be cool to see, as well, but I also think that, thematically, Han and Leia are not intrinsically needed for moving the story of the Skywalker Jedi forward. Luke is. I also think Fisher and Ford are less than enthused about the idea of going back to those roles. we know Ford isn't, and Fisher seems truly retired from acting.

Here's the other important thing that our raving fanbase better get a grip on real quick: The Expanded Universe material from the various novels/video games/role playing products....NO NOT MATTER. I suspect George may've mined some interesting bits (such as naming the capitol planet Coruscant for the Prequels) for his outline, the ultimate screenwriters may as well, but it's time to accept that anything that wasn't in a movie, or Lucasfilm TV show...is NOT cannon.

They are not going to make the Thrawn trilogy, you are not going to see three films that say "Story by Timothy Zhan." I'd love to see Mara Jade, too, but, thematically, Luke will serve the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon role in a third trilogy...having a wife would be odd. The Solo children may be the leads, and they may be named Jaina, Jacen and Anakin, but to expect everything to paly out EXACTLY as you expect is to doom yourself to disappointment.

Fan art by Tom Hodges - Calm down

I suspect that there will be much fanbase consternation over this issue. Probably outright hatred. That's silly, this is as it should be. You cannot constrain a creative team because Chewbacca died in such-and-such a novel. Star Trek fans have been living with it for years, get used to it. Maybe we'll all learn to just enjoy the story, and not try to make it mean more than it does.

I'll leave you with something I'm REALLY excited about. I'm betting a Star Wars theme park on the Disney World property in Florida just in time for the 40th anniversary in 2017. Hell, they gave Cars their own corner of California Adventure, you can't tell me a Star Wars Land wouldn't be VASTLY more lucrative. That's five years from now, which may seem quite quick, but look at it this way: they kept this sale, which must've been ongoing for months, completely under wraps. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the plans weren't already underway.

That's so much cooler than a Marvel vs. Star Wars video game, in my book.

R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie

Rest In Peace

Ralph McQuarrie

June 13, 1929 - March 3, 2012

The man who first brought Star Wars to life. 

 

Captain America is Not on Steroids

Except that he is, kinda.

The other day, I saw a post that said something to the effect of Captain America: The First Avenger being a commercial for steroid use. My first reaction was that the poster missed the entire point, and, frankly, I still feel that way.

But there is a point to explore, there.

Professor Erkstein's Super-Soldier Serum, and Vita-Rays, are, yes, a super-steroid. They take a weak, asthmatic man and turn him into a beyond Olympic level athlete. With photographic memory and amazing eyesight, to boot. There's really no way to not call them a steroid.

But I also think that it's selling the whole concept, and the character, short to think that way about it. Steve Rogers is not, by any reach of imagination, a "take the easy path" type of person. The comics make that abundantly clear, and I think the film does as well.

We see Steve, weak, frail Steve, work with every fiber of his being to keep up with those around him in boot camp. We see him think laterally, look for options that others may have missed. We see him act, instinctively, for others, not for himself. The film takes pains to show us that a great man, a good man, as Erkstein calls him, lives within a body that betrays him.

The Super-Soldier Serum, and the Vita-Rays represent the classic hero myth trope of the transformative catalyst. Steve Rogers, as we meet him at the beginning of his story, is very similar to Luke Skywalker when we meet him in the first reel of Star Wars (or, Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope if you're a stickler). He is already a hero, waiting to be awoken. The elements are all there, they just need to be activated.

For Luke, it's receiving his father's lightsaber. For Steve, it's undergoing a dangerous and painful experimental medical procedure. Honestly, I'd take Obi-Wan handing me a lightsaber over whatever's happening to Steve inside that capsule, screaming in pain, such to make onlookers want to halt the process, then pleading to continue, because "he can do this." The subtext is that what Steve is enduring is not, at all, easy.

The process we are seeing is iconic, and, in a word, magical. Yes, yes, Marvel (and especially Marvel Studios' film universe) likes to wrap it in super-science, but it's inherently a magical transformation. Just as much as Perseus receiving the magical weapons from the Gods of Olympus, to fight the Gorgon. Would you, upon watching Clash of the Titans (the ORIGINAL one - please, people) think "oh this is just telling me to take possibly dangerous gifts from strange people?"

Now, that's being a bit facetious on my part, because, yes, there is a direct correlation between the Super-Soldier Serum and steroids. I have a feeling that, if the origin consisted simply with bathing Steve in Vita-Rays, this would never even come up. No one thinks The Hulk, who's great strength comes from exposure to Gamma Rays, has anything to do with steroids (even if you can draw "Roid Rage" comparisons easily). It's the act that Steve Rogers is being injected with a chemical formula that makes the equation.

But still, I think looking at what happens to this character, and saying "oh my God, STEROIDS!!" says more about the person making that judgement than the character or story. It's making a decision to ignore everything that both the film and the comics have spent much time trying to impart to you. The very simple fact that Steve Rogers is special, a man of deep heart and bravery, who will do the right thing. That he's proven worthy of the power given to him.

I think that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. The idea that how you live your life may, in fact, determine your success or failure.

I see it over and over, movie stars, musicians, politicians, anyone in the public eye. There is a faction of our society who, when confronted with a figure, real or fictional, who represents either a commitment or ability to achieve, will automatically feel threatened. The immediate reaction is to TEAR THEM DOWN. Even a cursory scan of the internet will show you that this faction is large, and very, very vocal.

Yet, you take a character like Iron Man, an industrialist, a weapons manufacturer, one of the wealthy elite, who's origin requires him to be brought low. Requires him to be shown that his wealth and station do not absolve him from responsibility for his creations, and his fellow man. Well, we rally around that, we talk about how "interesting" and "unique" that character is. (In no small part thanks to Robert Downey Jr's indelible performance, for certain) Likewise, Thor, and honest-to-goodness God (or something along those lines, in the Marvel Studios film world), is only a hero after he's realized that these mere humans are worthy of his respect and comradeship.

Why? Because these characters only require us to accept that those who already have power need to be taught to respect that power. To learn that they are no better than those who don't have it. No wonder they go over without comment in a world where, it seems, so many people have a problem when those who work toward a reward, who make sacrifices to achieve, earn it.

I'm certain that more than a few people reading this are going to start to draw conclusions about me, at this point. I vote Democrat, OK? That said, I also feel like the "everyone has the right to achieve" message (which I firmly believe in), in practice, tends to become "everyone has the right to achieve, as long as they don't get more than I have" (which I most certainly don't). A fair shake doesn't mean everyone wins, it means everyone gets the chance to apply themselves, and see how far they can go.

Which is an interesting place to end up, when you're talking about a pulp superhero character.

Yet, this is what these characters are for. They're folk heroes, mythology, and legend. They're the hero myth, and their job is to help us see the proper way to live and treat each other. To fight that which is unjust and wrong, and protect those weaker than ourselves. It is good for those with power to know they're no better than those without, but it's also good for the powerless to see that valor and courage can be the path to greatness. No, no one may present you with a lightsaber, or give you a magic formula, but you can carry the beliefs and values that would make you worthy of those things into your everyday life.

That's the point. If you want to make it about injecting a scrawny guy with steroids, that's your problem.

The Trap of an Amazon Wish List

Like almost everyone in the world, I have an Amazon wish list.

Yeah, I know..."his birthday's next week, so he's drawing attention to the wish list." That, my friends, is really not the case.  I was just looking over my wish list, and thinking about the way I use it, and how vaguely insidious it is.

Most of the time, I use it to remind myself about things to buy for myself. I see a game, or a movie, or whatever, that's coming out in a few months, and I slap it in there, so I can always find it. Yeah, occasionally, I'll pre-order things a week or two before, but never 9 or 12 months in advance...Well, Ok, some things.

Yet, I also have a bad habit of just shoving things in there. Yeah, it's all stuff I'd like to have, but any time the list gets over 2 pages, I start to feel antsy. Yes, antsy...the reality that I'll never actually buy all this stuff starts to get to me. Which, I suppose, is better than actually buying it, and living in poverty. Yet, then there's the stuff that I can't bear to take off, because I know I want it...eventually, yet I never get around to buying...

Freaks and Geeks, anyone?

God, being a mass media/pop culture whore is difficult.

Still the good, let's be honest, outweighs the bad.  I mean, before Amazon I'd have had to WRITE DOWN LISTS...and REMEMBER WHERE THEY WERE. Surely, this alone is proof of the advance of our civilization. Let alone...how would I know that there's a Lemmy autobiography available without Amazon and it's wonderful suggestions?

Seriously, the thing is a millstone at times. Add things, then, crap, I'm over two pages. Yet, I keep dropping crap in there. Maybe someday I'll be independently wealthy, and it'll be a useless thing...I'll just buy what I want, right then and there.

Woah! I need this!

And So, The Big One is Announced for Blu-Ray

In case you've been under a rock for the past 24 hours (if you're one of my geekier readers), the Star Wars Saga, as a whole, will be released on Blu-Ray disk in September 2011. No exact street date, yet, but it'll be that month. As you might have guessed, I've already put in my pre-order with Amazon.

Yeah, I am an old-school, first generation (5 years old at the initial release in 1977) fan. These movies have loomed LARGE in the choices I've made in my life, for good or ill. I am who, and what, I am today in no small part because of what George Lucas created.

There's three buying options, Each trilogy, the original (Ep. IV, V & VI), and the prequels (Ep. I, II & III), is available individually, or you can purchase The Complete Saga on 9 Blu-Ray disks. This includes all 6 films, and 3 disks of what amounts to 30 hours worth bonus content. This bonus content will only be available with the complete saga set.

I'm sure you can guess which I've pre-ordered.

It's worth it to me. I mean, yeah, sure, I've purchased these movies over and over again. I'm on that consumer treadmill, I fully admit it. The simple fact is, these movies, and I do mean all six of them, make me happy. There's something about that moment, right after "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." fades off the screen, and you're waiting for the blast of John Williams' unmistakable fanfare, with the bright yellow "Star Wars" logo. It just hangs there, and I feel like that five-year-old kid, sitting next to my father, waiting for something magic to happen.

Y'know, it almost always does happen.

Oh, yes, I am well aware of the problems with the Prequels, the oddness of some changes in the "Special Editions" of the Original Trilogy, I get it.

I don't care.

I mean that in the most sincere, "live and let live" way possible. I realize that there are a lot of people out there who feel betrayed and hurt by the way George Lucas has developed and handled the Star Wars Universe. I understand the desire to get a decent copy of the Original Trilogy exactly as they appeared in theaters in 1977, 1980 and 1983. (Although, I doubt few would want Episode IV A New Hope without the "Episode IV: A New Hope" title that was added for re-releases when The Empire Strikes Back was in production)  I get that, and I was very happy when those versions were included as "special features" with the original films in 2006, even if they weren't remastered, and not in anamorphic widescreen.

(Meaning, the films were presented "letterboxed," so the full widescreen frame image was there, but the image would not "size up" to fill the screen of a 16x9 television [which most are now]. So, you got black bars not only above and below the image, but also to the left and right. It was not optimal, but it was the movies as originally released)

I understand that having Han shoot Greedo first in the cantina scene is ridiculous, and changes something about the mercenary attitude that was inherent and cool about the character. That was a mistake, and it bugs me every time. Doesn't help that the digital manipulation is just downright sloppy. The change just isn't possible with the footage as it is.

So, that's a problem....

But that for me doesn't change that I love the new footage of the Sandtroopers and Dewbacks, as well as the really, truly awe inspiring new shot of the Sandcrawler coming over the ridge to the Lars homestead. That I love the changes to the architecture of Cloud City, the more open hallways and windows. The city was clearly never supposed to be a claustrophobic as the original sets required.

I am not against digital reconstruction of sets, and new footage of creatures to add mobility where limited puppetry was used before. The Wampa cave sequence, as re-worked, is cool to me. I even like the Jabba sequence in A New Hope, even if it really only repeats exposition we've already heard from Greedo. It's not needed, but it's fun...

I understand why some are bothered by this stuff, I really do...but I'm not. Especially since I now have the original versions on a legally-obtained DVD, even if it's absolutely, positively the most bare-bones release you'll ever see. I enjoy watching Escape from LA, too, and my copy is non-anamorphic, too. Yeah, it's a obviously begrudging acquiescence to fan wishes by Lucas, but it's there, and I've always said, "change everything you want, but let us have access to the original too."

(Spielberg does it the best with the E.T. The Extraterrestrial DVD release, and the Close Encounters of the Third Kind Blu-Rays...every version of the movies, the original, and every different cut, with every change, is available by picking a menu choice, or dropping in another disk. Classy, Steven.)

I think it's also important to really understand that Lucas doesn't do these things just because he hates his fans...He really just feels the original versions of the original trilogy are utterly flawed, and do not represent what he wanted to put on screen. I love this story that Drew McWeeny put up for his "Motion Captured" blog on hitfix.com yesterday;

"I remember going to see "Star Wars" at the Egyptian theater with George Lucas in attendance at one point, and he sat about two rows directly in front of us.  Watching him watch the original version of the film, with visible matte lines and all of the "flaws" of the film still in place, and it was like watching someone get waterboarded.  He was physically uncomfortable with the experience, and there were moments where it looked like he was about to bolt.  I may not agree with his reasons for not selling me the versions of the films that I fell in love with, but I get that it really does make him crazy.  I wish there was some middle ground..."

I do too, but I also have to respect that Lucas made these films, he put his own money on the line, and owns them. I don't, no one else does, and the sooner we all just learn to live with that the better. Shouting and bitching and dumb comments about "raping my childhood" aren't going to change anything, and just make you seem like a loser who's WAY too wrapped up in a dumb movie.

Then, of course, there's the Prequels, and the firestorm of disappointment that their releases in 1999, 2002, and 2005 engendered.

Again, all I can say is that I get it. I get that there is clunky dialogue, and some of the performances are far less than amazing. I also get, very clearly, that the storyline didn't turn out to be what everyone wanted to see.

Again, I don't care. Ditto on the "live and let live" vibe.

As it happens, I found the idea that maybe the Jedi have become too complacent and convinced of their superiority for their own good to be really interesting. That a democratic body could be manipulated by fear and anger into destructive choices (Hmmmmm....That NEVER happens!) equally so. That Darth Vader, the terror of a universe, becomes that by trying to do what he thought was the right thing, out of a desire to protect the people he loved, to be really, really cool.

And certainly more of a thought-provoking lesson for kids than, "bad people are just bad, and should be defeated."

I also think that Hayden Christensen gets a load of shit for playing a bratty teenager (albeit without a ton of nuance from the script or dialogue) as exactly that. At least he was trying. Natalie Portman checked out the day she walked on the set for Episode II. I mean, you have a kid, told early on that he's "the chosen one," raised by a bunch of guys who already seem to feel overly entitled, and you wonder why he can't understand why he can't have what he wants, exactly when he wants it?

No, there's not a lot of subtlety or grace to how the Prequels are executed, and they are not, even remotely, as good as the originals. However, they do have a lot of really interesting concepts and ideas. Plus, here's the deal;

They felt like Star Wars. I'm sorry, but it cannot be denied. The design, the way things worked, the nature of the imagery, it didn't feel like we were in a whole new universe from what we'd seen before. A different part of it, sure, but there was a unifying vibe.

The other point to be cognizant of. These are the story. This is how Anakin Skywalker fell from grace. This is it. So, you can reject it or accept it, vow never to watch them again, or embrace them as, no matter how flawed, the story. Bitching and screaming about it won't help change the facts. I don't mean to be snotty by saying that, just...There isn't going to be a "do-over."

And there's Ewan MacGregor as Obi-wan Kenobi. I've never met a single person who didn't think he was wonderful. He truly is the only member of the cast, save Ian McDiarmid, who approaches the effortless level of performance that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have in the original trilogy. I still think a lot of people got star-struck about "being in Star Wars," and just forgot to make anything real. (Looking at you, Sam Jackson.)

I just, really, can't believe people continue to be upset about all this stuff. I know, it's a fringe element, and it only seems pervasive because they're quite, quite vocal. Still, I think I can make a pretty strong argument that these movies, or at least the first one, were THE pivotal moment of my life. I've been plenty mad about things regarding this (The cheap over-use and insertion of Boba Fett to curry fan favor, the feeling like the entirety of Episode II was a naked attempt to suck up to the fanbase), but man...I got things to do.

It's just a bunch of movies.

Movies I love, movies I'm willing to talk about, and engage in vigorous debate over, for hours. Movies that inspire my imagination and make me feel young. That said, the fact that Lucas made choices that I didn't particularly think were strong, or were downright poor, is not something I want to dwell over, and launch into a rage about every, single time the movies are re-released on some new home video format.

I'd rather think of the enjoyment that the films, and George Lucas, have given me. the friends I've made, and the fun I've had. That's why I can't be angry that I'm not getting everything that I want, because the Star Wars Saga, from day one, has given me more joy than I ever had any right to expect. It boggles me how so many people can forget that joy over some bit of CGI frippery on the screen.

Yeah, maybe I allow nostalgia to whitewash some of the more egregious problems. Doesn't matter. I don't care. This franchise has given me so much, I'm willing to allow myself to still be a little starstruck by it.

International STAR WARS Status Day

In honor of this "really ought to be" Holiday, I represent a blog post from way back in the MySpace days. (It's also over on my Flixter page.)



The impact this movie had on me is impossible to really explain. I was five years old, at the time living in a tiny town in Nebraska. The word about this movie had been trickling to us, heck my mother and my aunt even saw it on a trip to Kansas City.

The waiting was killing me.

Finally, it arrived in our one-screen local theatre. Nothing more than an old vaudeville house, with a screen and projector installed. My father agreed to take me, and away we went. The line was enormous for the town, literally around two blocks, unheard of for a movie. I was in full five-year-old with too much candy mode.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to see. My mother had described a few things, and thought I would like it. I knew it had something to do with outer space. I'm always amused by the experience, frankly, because the things that would've occupied my mind now, (Would we get in? Would the seats be good?) I had zero frame of reference on. In fact, I couldn't tell you if I'd seen a movie before that day.

When we got inside, the only word for it is "madhouse." People were literally sitting in the aisles, in the front under the screen. There was little room to move, one you were in your seat, you were in your seat. I doubt I'll ever see anything like that again.

Then the movie started. From the opening crawl, the star destroyer roaring over our heads (in a mono theatre to boot!) the lightsaber duel, to the battle over the Death Star, I was no longer in that room. I was inside the screen, soaring along with Luke, Han and Leia. The images flashed past, some burning their way into my brain. (From the moment I walked out of the theatre, the shot of the alien called "hammerhead" by the toy line was pristine and clearly imprinted on my imagination. To this day, when I see the film, that shot gives me a little jolt, how clearly I know what it's going to look like.)

I just sat there, stunned. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, how cool it was, how amazing and exciting. I just had one thought in my head for weeks afterward...that is what I wanted to do. I didn't know what that was, or how you would do it, but I saw my future. First, I thought I'd need to become an astronaut, (my early desire to be a fireman was flushed away quickly) then, as I read more and grew older, I realized that what was really exciting was filmmaking.

I went through the next twelve years of my life convinced I would be a film director. It was the most certain thing I knew about myself.

...Alas, it didn't work out that way.

I regret it, from time to time, and I still think there's a film in the back of my head that's waiting to spring forth...

But enough about that.

Star Wars started me down the path I'm on. Led me into the entertainment business, and more than anything else, that's what I thank George Lucas for. If I hadn't seen Star Wars at that moment, in those conditions, the spark of curiosity that led me to explore film, theatre, writing, directing, etc, would never have been lit. I'd be a stockbroker or banker somewhere, and I'd probably be happy, but the joys I've had in my life wouldn't have come about.

The movies, all six, have flaws, but it never fails that when I sit in a mighty Dolby Digital theatre and that 20th Century Fox fanfare rolls over us, the Lucasfilm logo sparkles on the screen, then those now-immortal words;

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

The chills start creeping up my back, the screen is dark, the room is silent. Then BAM! The Star Wars logo, falling back into the starfield with the blast of John Williams wonderful score. It's a Pavlovian response for me, I feel waves of joy, a feeling a well-being...

In short, I'm a five-year-old kid again.

How could it not be my favorite movie(s)?

PS - I even love the prequels, so sue me.