- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – Directed by George Lucas.
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Directed by Irvin Kershner.
- Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi (1983) – Directed by Richard Marquand.
The Collection is a monthly opinion piece, which features a single film, trilogy, or the like that I consider to be one of the best of all-time – a must watch film or franchise. A new entry in The Collection will be highlighted and revealed on the third Monday of every month. This month I’m starting The Collection with the original Star Wars trilogy, arguably the best trilogy of all-time.
Star Wars is about family. It’s all about characters, relatives, worlds, galaxies, and the Kessel Run. It almost feels redundant to try to explain what Star Wars is anymore. Since 1977, Star Wars has been one of the biggest cinematic titles ever. You don’t mention the history of film without mentioning Star Wars in the process. George Lucas changed everything – Star Wars perfected the blockbuster. While there are some who would perhaps rather be without the giant blockbusters, no one can deny its importance. If you’ve never seen the original trilogy of Star Wars, then you are seriously missing out.
The original Star Wars film was heavily inspired by one of the most influential directors we’ve known in the somewhat brief history of film. Lucas owes a lot to the late, great Akira Kurosawa and his film The Hidden Fortress. The Star Wars creator borrowed some very similar story elements, as well as some cinematic techniques. For example, without Kurosawa we might’ve never seen the famous Star Wars wipe-transitions, or even seen the original film from the perspective of the bickering partners, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
And even though the following adjective has been overused these days, the characters in Star Wars truly are legendary. Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa – these are some of the most famous characters in the history of film. Incredibly, though, it doesn’t stop there. Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Emperor, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Boba Fett – these are all characters that are historic due to the cultural impact of a trilogy that started with a little independent film called Star Wars, and ended up as a religion.
Set, famously, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars begins in space, as the evil Empire is taking control of a Rebel Alliance ship. The Rebels have obtained the plans for the Death Star, a space station designed to destroy entire planets. In an act of desperation, and in the nick of time, the plans are hidden inside the droid R2-D2, and this astromech droid escapes for the desert planet Tatooine, along with the protocol droid C-3PO.
Now we wait, and hope, for the plans to end up in the right hands. We begin the Star Wars saga: the long war between the Rebel Alliance and the evil Empire. Good versus Evil. The Jedi versus the Sith. Religions, blasters, and lightsabers. Star Wars is something else, and it is so freaking good. If you’ve somehow missed the original trilogy of Star Wars, then, for the love of God, go watch it now!
The Collection will return on the 15th of February 2016.
-I’m Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 