"Star Wars, A New Hope", was indeed a new hope for Hollywood. It's astounding success revived the moribund SF genre and helped pave the way for the summer blockbuster. A generation of children, myself included, grew up watching the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia as they battled the evil interstellar Empire in an epic, noble struggle for freedom. With it's boundless imagination and creativity, the first Star Wars film was a blast of fresh air in the cinemas of the 1970s, and it still holds up extremely well today. Harrison Ford, as space buccaneer Han Solo, has some of the best lines, followed closely by Carrie Fisher as the spunky Princess Leia, who is not your typical damsel in distress. Mark Hamil had just the right mix of farm boy innocence and bravado as Luke Skywalker, the central hero whose journey we follow. The late Sir Alec Guiness provided a solid center for the film as Obi-Wan Kenobi, an elderly Jedi Knight who serves as Luke's mentor and friend.

And then there's Darth Vader, with his black-armored outfit, sweeping cape, and deep, mechanical breathing (with an imposing voice supplied by actor James Earl Jones), he is just as menacing as ever. Hammer Horror legend Peter Cushing rounds out the villainous side of the cast with his superb, understated portrayal as Grand Moff Tarkin, the icy administrator of the Death Star. And the Death Star itself, a large gray man-made sphere the size of a small moon, is still one of the grandest, impressive weapons used in a film. The climatic assault on this Imperial monstrosity, by the fleets of Rebel fighters, is still just as nerve-wracking and thrilling to watch as it was in theaters some 27 years ago. And be sure to keep an eye out for Wedge, the only X-Wing fighter pilot, other than Luke, to survive the battle.

"The Empire Strikes Back" was a darker, more mature story than the first Star Wars. It was also a far better film in the sense that it managed to further explore the characters, as well as the whole epic hero myth, on a far deeper level. Although the Death Star had been destroyed, the Empire is still very much in power, and seeking vengeance for the destruction of their super weapon. The Rebel Alliance has gone into hiding on the barren, ice world of Hoth, where Luke has a vision of the deceased Obi-Wan Kenobi, telling him to seek out the Jedi Master Yoda. After the Rebels are forced to flee Hoth after an Imperial attack led by none other than Darth Vader himself, Luke seeks out Yoda on the dense jungle planet of Degobah. He begins the proper training as a Jedi Knight under the old master's tutelage.

Meanwhile, after being chased halfway across the galaxy by Imperial Stardestroyers, Han, Leia, Chewbacca and the Droids seek refuge in the cloud city of Bespin, which is run by an old friend of Han's named Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). Yet this sanctuary in the clouds turns out to be anything but, as Luke foresees in a vision on Degobah. Yoda warns him not to rush off to help his friends, for this is a dangerous time for him. If he faces Darth Vader now--and he will by going to Bespin--Luke may fall to the dark side of the Force. Not wanting to sacrifice his friends, Luke ignores Yoda's warning and journeys to the Cloud City of Bespin, where he indeed confronts Darth Vader in a spectacular light saber fight, and is stunned when Vader reveals himself to be Luke's father.

When "Return Of The Jedi" begins, Imperial troops are hard at work building a brand new Death Star in orbit above the forest moon of Endor when they receive an important visitor. Darth Vader has dropped in to "encourage" the construction crew to work harder and faster in advance of the arrival of the Emperor himself. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker has sent C-3PO and R2-D2 to Jabba The Hutt's palace in a bid to rescue Han Solo, who is still imprisoned within the carbonite casing he was placed in near the end of "The Empire Strikes Back". After capturing a disguised Princess Leia and putting her in a skimpy slave girl outfit, Jabba learns the hard way that his hedonistic ways just won't wash with the new Jedi on the block.

Thankfully, it is Leia who kills Jabba by strangling the big slug with the very chain he used as Leia's leash. Once Han has been properly thawed out, the gang head off to meet with the Rebel fleet for the big attack on the moon of Endor. This battle promises to be the Big One, for they know of the Emperor's presence on the new Death Star and the hope is that by destroying this second battle station, they will effectively cut off the head of the Empire itself. Yet the Emperor didn't get to where he is today without a few tricks up his sleeves. To quote the famed Rebel leader (and a really big fish in a small pond) Admiral Ackbar: "It's a trap!"

While ROTJ is the still weakest film in the original Star Wars trilogy, the first hour, starting with Jabba The Hutt and leading up to the exhilarating speeder bike chase through the woods of Endor is very entertaining. And then, after the speeder bike sequence is over, we meet the Ewoks, and you can pretty much shut the film off at that point. The problem with Jedi is that it comes after the vastly superior "The Empire Strikes Back", which has become a classic film on its own merits and thus raised the bar for the next Star Wars movie. Sadly, "Return Of The Jedi" doesn't come anywhere near that bar, much less raise it to the next level. Characterization and story continuity are sacrificed for cheap laughs, as we're expected to believe that the Ewoks, those little cute fuzzy balls of fur, can overwhelmingly defeat the combat-hardened Stormtroopers of the Empire. And for those of you who say, "Hey, lighten up, it's just a kids' film", keep in mind that "The Empire Strikes Back" pushed the trilogy into a far more sophisticated direction--while "Jedi" not only did not go further in this regard, it actually took several steps backwards with its juvenile antics.

But enough of my quibbles with "Jedi"; overall, the Star Wars trilogy DVD box set is excellent, and highly recommended. All three films, which are the Special Editions with upgraded special effects and added scenes, look and sound fantastic. And the fourth disc, which contains special feature documentaries, is also great. "Empire Of Dreams", which originally made its debut on cable TV, is worth the price of the box set alone. Just as much a biography of Star Wars creator George Lucas as a documentary on the movies themselves, it details the making of all three films in a fascinating and forthright manner. There are other "making of" documentaries, as well as commentaries from the creative team on all three films themselves. While a Jedi may not crave adventure, a Star Wars fan will get plenty of it--along with a healthy dose of fun--from this box set. --SF

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