AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF OBI-WAN KENOBI' BIOGRAPHY

STAR WARS: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF OBI-WAN KENOBI

Written by Ryder Windham

Published by SCHOLASTIC BOOKS INC-UK

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Hermit - Mentor – General - Jedi

Since 1977, the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi has certainly become amongst the most beloved of the Saga’s heroes-played to perfection by the late, and will always be great, Sir Alec Guinness-so much so that, in many ways, to me and to other fans, he’s the ideal super grandad that we’d always wanted-good spirited, noble, life-affirming (though with the occasional sad stare of a tragic, experienced life-past) and practical-with a warm twinkle in the eyes, and yet also a totally cool, kick-ass warrior, of highly esteemed bravery, and carrying a lightsaber- a weapon for a person from a “more civilized age.” Ewan McGregor, a modern actor of fine note, has carried on the tradition of bringing the part of Obi to life for a whole new generation of fans in the Prequels, and, for the most part, satisfying those that had previously embraced Guinness’s original portrayal, too-not an easy accomplishment but once which he seems to have pulled off with remarkable easiness and style- and equally succeeding in bringing in a whole new legion of fans, who have embraced both him and the older aspect of the character, and Guinness, to their hearts, too (it’s still amazing to consider, as Ewan McGregor once said, that Sir Alec (or “Big Al” as he was once affectionately referred to by Mark Hamill) managed to encompass all the wonderful things about the part and bring to them such magic, in reality, in just three quarters of one film!). For many, Obi-Wan and STAR WARS go together like the solid durability of forged steel, so to tell the story of this unique man, who also just happened to be a unique Jedi Knight, by Ryder Windham, must have been a great challenge to realize in the second of his biography series for the saga.

As Ryder states in his opening acknowledgements, this is not at all the complete story of Kenobi, it never will be as there are still adventures about the venerable Jedi to be written (the same with Anakin/ Vader), but he presents as full a timeline of the important events in his life, and beyond it, as possible, and continues the same type of story framing template he utilized for the previous Vader book, this time starting from SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE leading in to RETURN OF THE JEDI, as Luke Skywalker returns to Obi’s deserted home on Tatooine and learns the secrets of constructing an all important new lightsaber for himself from a special book that the venerable old Master had left for him (with Ryder handily using Luke’s thoughts and memories whilst there to fill in important areas of the story that Kenobi was not around for). It is as Luke reads sections of the book, constructs his new laser sword and meets up with his friends to discover where the Carbonite form of Han Solo has been stashed by Boba Fett, before his arrival at Jabba’s Palace, that the true story of Obi comes to life around him. Though Obi’s youngest childhood is not touched upon until he’s a Jedi Padawan at thirteen in the Temple (taking a trip to the secret crystal world of Ilum with new Master Qui-Gon Jinn (always nice to have his character in the books, especially alongside Obi-Wan)), important bits mentioned or fully realized also include the first meeting between Obi and the loveable Dexter Jettster (one of the few non Jedi in the saga that we actually see Obi having friendly inter-action with-will there be further past timeline stories with the two characters together?? Let’s hope so!!), which takes place during an early mission by Kenobi for the Republic.

It’s clear that the author has more fun playing around with the structuring of the story than before, and it’s never boring to read. As with the Vader book, he also successfully adds a lot of new material, and expands on further sequences to help fill in the greater amount of blanks in Obi’s history, and all of our heroes and villains act in character. There are attempts to tie up lose ends and, whether we like it or not, correct continuity to the new Expanded Universe standard, mostly for the good here (and even adding to the story, with Qui-Gon, prior to his death against Darth Maul on Naboo, fearing for the plight of Anakin’s mother Shmi on Tatooine, trying to help her win some influences against her enslaver, Watto). Unlike the previous Vader biography, the CLONE WARS also gets a bit more depth, though, sadly, Kenobi’s friendship with Bail Organa of Alderaan gets no look in at all bar Leia’s hologram message about his having served under him during the battles. Later on, the possible explanation for Obi-Wan adopting the name Ben, different to what was original planned for by Lucas in the EPISODE III movie, is also revealed.

There are a few wasted opportunities, though-I was disappointed that we didn’t have more about how Obi and Qui-Gon and how they first met in the Temple, and their premiere mission together (a scene actually showing thembecoming Master and Apprentice for the first time would have been most welcome), and, after EPISODE III, how they were able to communicate in the netherworld of the Force, or even how Yoda actually trained Obi to do this... mysteries that may be revealed another time, another place…

Though the latter grief/plight of Kenobi seeing his Padawan Anakin Skywalker’s turn to evil is documented, as is his stubborn weakness-a blindness- to the idea that the newly crowned Darth Vader can’t be turned back to the good side of the Force and therefore must be destroyed, the guilt, the haunted by the past aspects of Kenobi after the destruction of the Republic, the events of ORDER 66 and the introduction of the Emperor’s “New Order” are not really brought to life here, nor is the true horror he feels about the situation with Anakin/Vader (his failure of his late Master’s promise to train him, and the further guilt of not foreseeing/stopping the Chosen One from turning to the dreaded Sith), though Kenobi’s later exile section is commendably brought to life and adapted from several strong works, including James Luceno’s equally commendable DARK LORD novel.

You may have thought old Obi-Wan had been twiddling the thumbs of his lightsaber, looking at his antique animal rug collection and thinking about the good old days of the Republic during his nineteen year period of exile to a small hovel on the outskirts of the Jundland Wastes, but you’d be wrong, the venerable Jedi Knight would prove pretty active in that mysterious and highly elusive time space between REVENGE OF THE SITH and A NEW HOPE. There are also some nice little sequences between Obi and Luke-once again that nice grandfather/guardian aspect by the Jedi towards the boy (an aspect that would be absolutely murdered by FAMILY GUY in their hilarious EPISODE IV “special edition”), whilst still acting as his protector, in the sequence of the book that we should call Kenobi’s “wilderness years” on Tatooine between Episodes III and IV, with Windham writing for both the Ewan version of the character and Sir Alec’s, and very successfully merging one into the other.

Of the Tatooine part, only the Tusken Raider Jedi Knight story, with Obi coming into conflict with the double lightsaber fighting A’Sharad Hett, which previously appeared in the STAR WARS LEGACY comic issue 16, feels out of place for me and didn’t quite work. Despite its adequate inclusion in to the books continuity as part of the exile section, it just feelswrong.

Past the events of his “death” in EPISODE IV, Obi-Wan continues to be lively for a “ghost” (though his transformation is not really expanded on-it literally is a case of he’s there, now let’s get on with the story-a little bit more development would’ve been nice!!) and continues to keep an eye out for Luke in the Force netherworld. However, apart from his on-screen appearances to maintain/deliver vital plot information in EMPIRE (even going to Hoth at one point and prodding Han Solo’s Tauntaun in the right direction to find the injured Luke) and JEDI, this is where the character’s journey, and the book itself, comes to an end. The final chapter, set five years after the events of RETURN OF THE JEDI, and linked into Timothy Zahn’s HEIR TO THE EMPIRE novel, where Obi returns to Luke in a dream to say goodbye, is of much emotional note, bringing a sad but necessary sense of closure for Obi-Wan and his friendship with Luke, yet also providing a positive hope for the future…

AFICIONADO RATING: Despite it’s 9-12 age group reading range, this book, for anyone fascinated by the timeless appeal of the sophisticated, yet old world charm, of Obi-Wan Kenobi, is essential reading. 8 out of 10

Above image: the superb double cover art work for the book series continues, this time by artist Hugh Fleming (with thanks to Chris Baker).

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE TRAP IS SET...

Newly arrived on Bespin, Luke and Artoo smell a trap within the city's so far empty confines, in a classic build-up moment of suspense from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

AFICONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'THE FORCE AMONG US' DVD

THE FORCE AMONG US: A FAN DOCUMENTARY

30 YEAR CELEBRATION EDITION

Written by Cristian George Macht and Cortney Macht

Directed by Cristian George Macht

Macht Movie Productions Ltd in partnership with Video Acumen

“Their journey. Their story. Their way of life.”

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Just what does it mean to be a STAR WARS fan?

Are there any differences between all the fans spread out across the far reaches of the world? Is there such a thing as a unique one off STAR WARS fan, or are we all linked to an immeasurable love, no matter what age we were that suddenly clicked itself on when we saw the opening shot of that incredible Star Destroyer chasing the Blockade Runner?

Are some fans more dedicated than others? How far does dedication have to go to be categorized in that way? Should a fans love for the saga be determined by the collection that they have amassed? Does more mean less? Does less mean more? How can one fans collection be judged better than another? Or should they even be judged?

Does being in love with STAR WARS mean more to you than you think it does? Is there such a thing as an unparalleled love of it that just takes someone over so completely blindly and resolutely?

These are some of the questions to be asked, pondered upon and, for the most part, answered by STAR WARS fans/film-makers Cristian and Cortney Macht in their 86 minute movie documentary, previously updated for the previous Thirtieth Anniversary of the Saga, titled THE FORCE AMONG US.

A high quality production, nicely photographed and edited in a straight forward manner, it was an enjoyable experience-far better than I thought it would be- watching the Macht brothers discover the truth. In honesty, I’m not a great fan films person-be it new adventures within the STAR WARS universe by eager fans turned actors/directors, or previous people’s viewpoint type projects. Recently, however, I’ve been starting to change my mind a lot more, with quality fan films on THEFORCE.NET and non fiction projects like Jambe Davdar’s Making of the Original Trilogy films, as well as the upcoming THE PEOPLE VERSUS GEORGE LUCAS, which, to me, seems almost like an organic extension of THE FORCE AMONG US.

The film breaks some of the modern taboos made by the general audience and the media about the STAR WARS films themselves, and the way those forces have approached fandom, manipulating it mostly in a negative way. For good or for bad, THE FORCE AMONG US tries to give rational thought as to why we all love it so much.

The film doesn’t shy from some of the controversial aspects and decision making by both LUCASFILM and senior fans over the years, either, with varying opinions on topics such as THE SPECIAL EDITIONS, EPISODE I, Jar Jar, the movie marketing and toys, and the way that STAR WARS is involved on the internet, and how LUCASFILM has licensed STAR WARS, and in the way it deals with its fan base, and the whole phenomenon, within cyberspace (I remember some webmasters over the years saying that the internet was basically built for STAR WARS-ten years on, I think they were right!!). There have been ups and downs along the way between LUCASFILM and the fans, and vice versa, but things are pretty stable at the moment.

It’s always fascinating to note the different and highly varying opinions by fans towards the films and the characters-which and who are their favourites, and why? And yes, there’s even a person out there, currently in a FBI protection program (just kidding!!), who likes Jar Jar Binks!! The debate about which Trilogy’s are better, however, doesn’t look like it will ever go away, probably lasting longer than the Cold War ever did between the Americans and the Russians!  

And where would modern STAR WARS life for us be now without the ubiquitous and inevitable Prequel haters. For a film to present a balanced viewpoint on the fans, they have to be there and get there chance to rant their frustrations against Lucas’s decisions. Those on the counterbalance though are the new child audiences that have spawned from the modern day releases, who religiously watch ONE to THREE with the same kind of awe and fervor that all of us oldsters did in 1977. And young Josh Walden- when you grow up I hope you get revenge on your dad for not letting you go to CELEBRATION III. Swimming practice instead of STAR WARS. Man that sucks BIG TIME!

Some critics may make the arguments that there is a sense of madness tinged to fans in their pursuit of their STAR WARS interest. Viewers will have to make up their own minds about some of the things they get up to in the pursuit of their STAR WARS dreams-but is it really any worse than being a Football fan (they dress up, too!!). And what STAR WARS fans get up to is a lot, as the film takes us on a tour through a wide variety of their interests and dedications- men and women- of all ages and from all walks of life- who love their STAR WARS and are proud to show that love in the areas of fandom that they have chosen to live out their lives within. From LEGO STAR WARS builders to costume replicas, it’s a cornucopia of interests that Cris and his film making team explore...

One amazing Floridian toy collector started his collection in 1988 and has now amassed a staggering 10,000 items. I always enjoy looking at other fans toy collections and this is another one of those great visual treats with my face ranging from “Got that figure” to “Oh, that’s amazing, I wish I had that.” There’s also the other determined collectors-those who’ll never sell their collection-they just love them too much-who have to find every available storage resource to house the collections that they so cherish- and then there’s the missions they undertake…the chases…to get the newly released toys-the dedication of those determined fans charging through the US- state to state- to find those figures lurking at the back of the piles at the TARGET stores and get them before they can be acquired by hungry and unfair toy dealers desperate to make tons of money off them via EBAY.!!

Beyond the toys and other memorabilia related moments there’s also the emotional comfort of being a STAR WARS fan and being involved in its fantasy. Some smart-ass journalists/psychologists would say that such an enjoyable immersion would be harmful, but how can it be when it is used in such positive ways as seen in this documentary? How STAR WARS has been used as a powerful counseling technique and as a metaphor to conquer some of the dark times that have affected people over the years is ultimately inspiring-their love for the saga has helped them conquer such tragedy as serious illness and personal loss, even helping a relationship between a father and his STAR WARS loving autistic child-quite incredible, that we should be celebrating the fact that this iconic film series and characters can help them overcome so much darkness.

This film is about the people and goes into the diversity further. Several dedicated fans for the 501^st Stormtrooper costume army tell their story and the way that the costume association has changed, for both good and bad, since its original inception as a fun piece of fandom and now as a fully fledged organization assisting LUCASFILM in events/charity related projects all round the world. The 501^st itself- the amazing way they bring the costumes to life- has become a cult beyond the cult. There’s even a Captain Jack Sparrow Stormtrooper wannabe who sadly talks about his fall from grace with the 501^st after some footage he recorded on one of the films got leaked out on onto a wider part of the world wide web than intended-an act that he will never be forgiven for by either the 501^st or LUCASFILM. Clearly he is in the wrong-and he accepts it-but it is sad that he has been banned forever from the 501^st, which you can see he has always enjoyed!

On the flip side of all that, there’s also a couple of young guys who make their own costumes just for the opposite –there are no rules, no regulations they have to follow, they just like to go to conventions/events and create their own stuff, with no inhibitions, no creative restraints-I remember one of the duo wearing the Luke training gear and a blonde wig with a backpack Yoda at one of the CELEBRATIONs-nicely done.

There’s also a look at life beyond the printed pages and toys, with a look at the “first of its kind” STAR WARS ACTION NEWS pod cast team and their history in coming together -sorry guys, but I have to say that you weren’t technically the first to do it as far as I’m aware- you were pipped to that post by the good folks at Canada’s STARWARSENDIRECT!!

Whatever your opinions, you can’t help but be intrigued in what the fans love to do. For the most part all of the people shown in THE FORCE AMONG US are normal, hardworking people who just love their hobbies. Yep, a few of them may have gone a little bit too far at times-and they’ll readily admit it themselves, but they like to escape the mundane and, in these dark times of recession, who can blame them. The Macht brothers overall approach to the project is refreshingly candid when it comes to the obsession element (one LEGO builder admits there have been times when he’s thought about chucking it all, in but the lure of the STAR WARS universe and all the great LEGO products soon pulls him back to it all). We’ve all gone through it at some point, I’m sure…

The documentary also tries to celebrate the worldwide diversity of fans, but the American-ness of it is overwhelming-it would and should be-it is after all the Saga’s ultimate Mecca-the birthplace of STAR WARS and fandom, in as much a way as Graceland’s is to Elvis Presley, though a few more European fans partaking in it (especially from the Brits side) would have been nice-having been in England in 2005, it’s a shame that Cristian, a fan since he was introduced to it by his late father at just three years old, presumably not having time, wasn’t able to talk to us all–we’re just as passionate about it as you are in the US-we’re second in the worldwide STAR WARS market, after all. To compensate, though, he tells a nice tale of his meeting George Lucas for the first time in London at the 2005 SITH premiere-I had a similar little bit of an “Oh, my God” moment with “The Great Maker!” that day as well.

As well as the varying fan contributions from the fans, there’s also a very good list of contributors, some with longer interview installments than others, linked to STAR WARS and its fan base that viewers will equally enjoy seeing.

Though not known to me, University Professor John Tenuto goes one step further into revealing the habits, likes and dislikes of the fans, providing some intriguing information from his survey of 35,000 of us, again from all ages and all walks of life-questions about themselves in which we discover if they really are nerds, have partners, whether they have active social lives or still reside in their folks basements (that’s not me saying that –that’s the stereotypical opinions as voiced by the fools who work in the entertainment media-the ones who should know better and actually die-hard fans themselves!!). Tenuto soon reveals that STAR WARS fans are certainly not stereotypical at all…

Dick Staub, author of “Christian Wisdom and the Jedi Masters” talks about how Lucas cleverly created his story and its saga. As Mark Hamill called it, the Force is “religion’s greatest hits”, though Staub does his best to bring the argument for it being towards a philosophy nearer towards Christianity than any other faith. I’m not a religious person at all so what he says isn’t relevant to me, but he puts his views across with clarity and he’s obviously as mad about STAR WARS as we are, so that’s always a good sign!!

The ever amiable Dustin Roberts talks about THEFORCE.NET, its history and how he came to be in charge, and talks about his promotion as a Fan Club President. Don’t worry, he’s still a nice guy-he doesn’t throw blue Force lighting just yet!!

The equally jolly Belgian super-fan Marl Dermul (does this man ever NOT smile!! I wish I could be as happy as him) talks about the way that STAR WARS and fandom have inspired him to launch his own autograph website, and later in arranging special group tours to specific STAR WARS locations-more on that later...

Sadly, there’s not enough of the interview piece with Patrick Read Johnson, director of the movie 5.25.77 (has this been released yet?), who amazingly recounts how, under a sneak invite from John Dykstra at ILM in 1976/early 1977, managed to see early effects footage of THE STAR WARS- the blue screen shot of the classic Star Destroyer coming down from the screen to chase the Blockade Runner. Even then, Johnson knew that this film was going to be something special.

One of the nicest people and one of the best interviewees on the film, though, has to be Dan Madsen, who talks about his love for both STAR WARS and STAR TREK, how his from home fan clubs for them became officially recognized (basically, LUCASFILM contacted him in 1988 after the success of his running the STAR TREK club for PARAMOUNT-it was an offer that Madsen, who adored both sets of films, couldn’t wait to bring to life-truly a dream come true), his cameo in EPISODE I, and just what happened that led to other crummy publishers like TITAN getting hold of, and absolutely ruining, such a once beloved and inspiring magazine as the original STAR WARS INSIDER that he was in charge of.

For someone so enthusiastic and dedicated, a true friend to STAR WARS, I found it very disappointing and heartbreaking to hear how Madsen lost SWI, basically due to his having brought a ton of stock for THE PHANTOM MENACE that didn’t sell and leaving him in a situation where he had no choice financially but to secure another company to take his place in running it. As Editor of STAR WARS AFICIONADO, I think it’s a major shame that LUCASFILM, considering what an excellent relationship they had with Madsen, and surely seeing what a good quality product they had under his manager-ship (despite it not being affiliated with LUCASFILM itself-they didn’t, at that time, want to run their own in-house club), were, for reasons unknown, unable to help him keep the Club running with some kind of aid package through a bad time that he didn’t deserve. LUCASFILM take note-we should never, ever, have ended up with TITAN PUBLISHING’s early disastrous running of the magazine and it’s equally inept handling of the fan club member’s needs.

Madsen’s contribution to the merchandise lucrative and popular CELEBRATION conventions mustn’t be overlooked either, especially when he reveals that LUCASFILM almost cancelled that all important first event in Denver as a sign of respect to the lives lost only a few weeks before from the Columbine shootings. Though we greatly appreciate LUCASFILM’s strong gesture of respectfulness in such a time of terrible pain for the people of Texas, the fact they would have deprived fans from all over the world of attending their first major STAR WARS convention experience in so many years, and one of the best marketing potentials for the then upcoming EPISODE I, would have been a terrible mistake, resulting in Madsen fortunately enlisting the help of the Mayor of Denver in persuading LUCASFILM to changing their minds in going ahead with the event, helping Texas get through a terrible time with such a positive and uplifting boost to the community that STAR WARS would give it. Fortunately for all of us, and three highly successful CELEBRATIONS on, LUCASFILM changed their minds…

Dan Madsen we miss you!

The film rounds itself off with Cristian being involved in the Mark Dermul fan trips to Tunisia and Norway, joining the Brotherhood of the Brave in traveling and discovering some of the remotest destinations that the Classic Trilogy were made in. Having not personally been to the barren but equally beautiful wilderness of Finse, Norway, and with so little travelogue material having been previously shot at the site anyway, Chris truly makes the most of this unforgettable filming experience there (we’re with you all the way on this, buddy!), interviewing people who live and work at that almost barren snow outpost- a fascinating adventure story in its own right that fans will greatly enjoy. Though, perhaps it could have been tightened up a little bit on the editing front.

The jump between the talking with the fans and the actual fan trips themselves is quite sudden and there’s no real build up to it. Another problem with a film of this type is that it doesn’t really have a sold definitive ending, literally just stopping with the location filming trips-ultimately, THE FORCE AMONG US is more of a statement of fact than a documentary film that has a beginning, a middle and an end-a situation that is both the projects strength and its weakness-the film celebrates being a devoted, life changed STAR WARS fan, but there’s no through line beyond that-the documentary doesn’t really have a sense of closure or any kind of a denouement to it-no sense of what’s next to being a STAR WARS fan. The film is more a celebration of the uniqueness and diversity of fandom more than anything else, and in that respect it totally succeeds.

Taken as a whole, however, and despite similar internet/fan produced fare from other people over the years, THE FORCE AMONG US stands out as a very individual presentation and production (and with a nice, subtle background music sensibility to boot!!)- it’s a great film-making debut from the Macht brothers (with the thanks of their family and friends who work within the movie industry (including Director of Photography Rick Thomas (FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and PRISON BREAK) and Producer Frank Yario (SPIDER MAN 2/ FRED CLAUS)), as well as serving as their own personal, straight from the heart love letter to STAR WARS, showing us a celebration of all the elements- the trials, tribulations, frustrations, dedication and enjoyment- that go hand in hand with being veteran appreciators of George Lucas’s unbeatable saga.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: A fascinating look at the phenomenon of STAR WARS and STAR WARS fandom itself, THE FORCE AMONG US is a welcome addition to the fan documentary arena, and probably the most professionally made one so far in relation to its subject matter. 8 out of 10

For more information on THE FORCE AMONG US documentary and the DVD, head over to the Macht Brothers website: www.theforceamongus.com

CLASSIC IMAGE: READY FOR THE PODRACE!

Enthusiastic Anakin Skywalker powers up his podracer engines, ready for the excitement of the day's Boonta Eve challenge, in a memorable moment from EPISODE I.

CLASSIC BLOG: HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY, EPISODE ONE!

STAR WARS: CELEBRATION fan art adaptation by Adriano Ticiano.

From May 19th 2009, and another "day long remembered..."

By Scott Weller

Yep, it's the premiere epic milestone for the first film of the Prequel Trilogy.

Today was the day millions of STAR WARS fans dreams were realized. After so long in absence from our cinema screens, a new film, and a new and bold launcher for the Prequel universe, was finally released- nay, unleashed- to the world, and fan excitement and enthusiasm would surely never reach such tall volcanic peaks ever again. Ten years on, peoples opinions on THE PHANTOM MENACE seem to be as divided as ever, but, on this special day, lets celebrate everything that was sooo good about this movie-the scenes we all dreamed about witnessing finally in living breathing richness (the Jedi/Darth Maul duel, the epic ground and space battles that were to come across not only in this adventure but the next two following, and the first steps in the takeover of the galaxy by the Sith Lord to be named Darth Sidious), the evocative new locales (Naboo, Coruscant-the later Imperial homeland- finally witnessed in all its living, breathing spectacle!), amazing, all defining and ground breaking special effects (the pod race is still superb after all these years, and Jar Jar Binks-well, whatever you think of him, he was still the effects revolution that came before Gollum!), the intriguing new characters added to the universe (Padme Amidala-the “Queen” and mother of the Skywalker children, no more shrouded in enigmatic mystery-and now a major player in the new STAR WARS universe, Darth Maul-badass Sith Lord who, to this day, is still unequalled in nastiness by his many legions of beloved fans, the emergence of Senator Palpatine-played with a relish to admire by Ian McDiarmid, Qui-Gon Jinn-the doomed and noble Jedi brought to life with such warmth and bedrock strength by Liam Neeson, and, of course, the brave, loyal, adventurous but ultimately afraid Anakin Skywalker as personified by perky Jake Lloyd and, later, to doom laden tragedy by Hayden Christensen). Finally, there's the Lucas masterplan - to show what happens when a universe becomes too big and too corrupt to sustain itself as a Republic for good-ultimately manipulated and devouring itself into an Empire of fear and control, and what happens when an innocent, loving child turned hero to the people, with no prior sense of greed, ultimately falls prey to the dark.

Brave storytelling, and an epic new saga for a new epic time…

A fun, lively story that fans of all ages could sit together and enjoy, alongside the subtle foreshadowing of doom and menace to come, and against a STAR WARS universe that seemed even bigger than we'd ever seen before. But then, we should have expected all that, shouldn’t we! That’s the unique beauty, wonder and excitement of the STAR WARS SAGA, and one of the reasons why it will continue to endure into the next generation of fans, and the next, and the next…

Thank you, George Lucas, for re-igniting the creative fire we almost thought would never come back, and for once more catching all that magic in a bottle just for us!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EPISODE ONE!!

For more on Adriano Ticiano's great STAR WARS work, check out his site here: Brasil Império - Rio de Janeiro - Adriano T. Ticiano Ilustrador - Terra Fotolog

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE FIRST REBEL!

Princess Leia has no problems using a blaster at her Imperial enemies in this rare posed image of Carrie Fisher from the original STAR WARS. And below, there's the actress on-set, for an as-yet-unseen from the LUCASFILM archives interview conducted at Elstree, during the original 1976 filming, presumably by then documentarian Peter Shillingford.

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'STAR WARS - ROBOT CHICKEN' DVD

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS – THE DVD

Released in the UK by REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“YOUR TONGUES CAN’T REPEL FLAVOUR OF THAT MAGNITUDE!!”

I had originally discovered ROBOT CHICKEN through the wonders of YOUTUBE, and their classic sketches lampooning the original, and in my opinion best, STAR TREK-sadly, these were take down from the site due to copyright violations, but if anyone has the chance to see ‘em at some point they’re classic. Then I saw the Emperor talking to Vader parody which I loved (“Oh no, he’s crying!”), but I had no idea that was for ROBOT CHICKEN, either. It was when the first rumbling that further STAR WARS material had been appearing in the programme, and there was an article on STARWARS.COM about RC, that I was able to discover it was on British cable television. When I read that it was from the ever reliable writer/actor/comedienne Seth Green (Scott Evil from the AUSTIN POWERS films!) I was intrigued to find it much funny than I ever thought it would be-in fact, I found much of just laugh out loud funny, with the use of home made and bought in figurines of people on the show being brilliant. Though short and sweet, is was a daring, and often downright naughty, slice of comedy/parody that greatly appealed to my sensibilities (especially when you like things like MAD magazine!)...and with their parodies there was also a feeling and genuine love and enthusiasm for certain subject matters (especially on films/TV/celebs that I had grown up with, as they had, over the years) that I found very appealing, plus the way they managed to find faults in things that we had all been noticing for years and never said anything about. ROBOT CHICKEN has the ability to connect in a great way with its audience, with its subtle winks and playful, often downright brutally funny humour. Now, after its highly successful US airing, the STAR WARS special finally comes to the UK on DVD.

The DVD, which is mostly all new material with a mixture of STAR WARS gags (35 sketches in total) that had appeared in previous RC episodes, is a true winner for any fans DVD collection. Like FAMILY GUY, this STAR WARS tribute affectionately lampoons the film series-but there’s nothing nasty or derogatory-just very funny stuff… In fact, whoever thought that so much comedy gold could be tapped from a film series that was so predominantly serious!

Once past the opening titles, suitably EPISODE III re-imagined so that the illustrious Robot Chicken of the title is turned into Darth Vader (who looks suspiciously like Gonzo as Dirth Nader from the 1980 MUPPET SHOW STAR WARS Special!!) we’re right into the opening scene with Luke and the Walker from EMPIRE, faithfully recreated in almost every detail with models and the puppets (pity any Imperial AT-AT pilot who has to go the lavatory at the wrong time!!), and its comedy gold sketch after sketch for the most part, from the new infamous Emperor’s rant on Vader, “that was soo wrong” (you’ll know what that sketch is when you see it!!), to the dancing Lobot, to Admiral Ackbar’s cereal advert, a day in the life of Ponda Baba, the Death Star orientation day, a wicked what happened next scene linked to THE PHANTOM MENACE with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trying to break into the command deck of the Neimoidian cruiser, and the now infamous EMPIRE ON ICE-what’s scary about this sketch to me is that, one day with all the film and TV series that have been transformed to ice show spectaculars, I wouldn’t bet it past someone to approach LUCASFILM with an idea of doing it!! And let’s not forget the little running gags like the floor sweeper having to constantly brush away the remains of dead people from the Saga!  Plus, there’s George “Dubyah” fighting Abe Lincoln-a real Duel of the Fates if ever I saw one!

A couple of sketches may run a little bit too long (like the TONIGHT show parody hosted by Zuckuss, and the Han Solo “Boring conversation” gag) but they are still enjoyable and still funnier than a lot of other stuff out there. One of the most consistent characters to appear in the gags is that of the Emperor-I wonder if Ian McDiarmid has seen any of them? I’d love to know what he thinks of it.

Sadly, one of my favourite sketches, which I recalled seeing on either YOUTUBE or STARWARS.COM previously, involving what happened when Han, Chewie, Lando and the Princess had dinner with Vader and Boba Fett at Bespin, didn’t seem to make the episode’s final gag selection. I was so looking forward to seeing it again as well! Perhaps in Volume Two?

Adding to the fun, though, is the fact that it’s great to see (well, hear...) some of the actual STAR WARS actors partaking in the gags, such as Mark Hamill, for his very fun alternate EMPIRE scene as Luke, with Vader on the Cloud City gantry from EMPIRE, where the pair go through a list of revelations that Luke finds more and more implausible, an amusing gag scene with George Lucas (who it’s nice to see being relaxed and having a good time about it all!), playing himself, and being besieged by frenzied fans at a STAR WARS convention, and a stellar comedy moment involving Ahmed Best (nice to have you back-please come back to STAR WARS fandom and do some more signings!) once more as everyone’s favourite (for either love or hate reasons-please tick the appropriate box) gangly Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, in what has to be one of the best STAR WARS comedy sketches ever, in which he is re-united with “Annie” now in his Darth Vader guise-hopefully this sketch will go a long way to healing any wounds that certain fans out there have about Jar Jar, especially when he’s in such a ROBOT CHICKEN sketch as worthy and memorable as this!! And, hey, let’s not forget, Joey Fatone’s in the show as well.

The extras on this disc may not be as comprehensive as those for FAMILY GUY but this is a cheaper release and you kinda get okay value on that front-though they are of a variable quality, and some of them are only there to bolster up the running time and justify the cost of buying it. To me, personally, the deleted scenes don’t work all that well as they are voiceovers to very basic animatics on scenes that were never completed in the first place), the making of is okay (but is pretty brief-you want to hear more from all the people who worked hard at bringing the amazing puppets and sets to life, recreating classic STAR WARS scenes brilliantly in this medium) and Seth Green’s describing the sketches are woefully too short. To compensate, there’s also the bonus of an extra generic episode of ROBOT CHICKEN, which is cool, but I would have preferred an extra two more of the series episodes than the other individual ADULT SWIM programmes that were also included (part of an introduction to the channel as a whole).

On the plus side, though, the edited section of Green and his RC colleagues at the panels of CELEBRATION IV is nice to see, as we at AFICIONADO had missed those due to time constraints- it’s great to catch up on a portion of what we missed. There’s also the obligatory trailers and promotional materials, a stills gallery, a Light Speed Time Lapse of the entire production, and the opportunity to hear an audio commentary with Seth Green on the individual sketches and how they were conceived, which is also good fun and lively to listen to.

The behind the scenes sequence where Seth takes the completed RC episode to SKYWALKER RANCH and meets George Lucas is intriguing but sadly all too brief- I would have liked something along the lines of his FAMILY GUY compadre Seth MacFarlane, when he did that interview with Lucas-that would have been cool, especially as Lucas gave Seth a tour of the companies Archives. Perhaps we’ll get something like that with the next batch of STAR WARS homage madness coming from ROBOT CHICKEN in the near future...

Until then, this disc will keep me thoroughly entertained…

AFICIONADO REVIEW RATING: FOR THE ACTUAL PROGRAMME, 9 out of 10, BUT FOR THE MIXED BAG OF EXTRAS, 7 out of 10

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'THE CLONE WARS' MOVIE SOUNDTRACK - 2008

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS- THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY KEVIN KINER

RELEASED BY SONY CLASSICAL MUSIC

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Pity any composer who has the weighty responsibility of taking over the music duties on a STAR WARS film- John Williams is the man, so it was with a mixture of sadness and curiosity when I heard that a newcomer, to me anyway, named Kevin Kiner, was taking on the series new animated movie and TV series of THE CLONE WARS. So, does Kiner succeed in creating a rich new musical tapestry as worthy as any of the work pioneered by Williams on his six films?

Well, yes and no....

In the same way that DISNEY and PIXAR are using more upbeat modern sounding music, George Lucas, Dave Filoni and his team have obviously decided to go along a similar path for THE CLONE WARS. You have to commend Kiner for his bravery for thinking out of the box-this is one of George Lucas’s primary considerations for his projects and working for LUCASFILM, so his selection as composer is probably gratifying in the STAR WARS creators eyes. In some ways, though, I feel it’s a great shame that Williams was not available to work on the movie, especially as he was busy on his under-rated score for INDY IV at the time. I would’ve been fascinated to have heard his own take on the animated STAR WARS and just what differences/additions he may have decided to bring to it...

Whereas Williams music for the Saga had an organic feel to it in it’s composition, this first Animated movie has the instincts that Kiner is super enthused to work on the project, trying to capture the feel of Williams but obviously bringing his own take to the material, though there are times when I felt that the new composer was throwing everything but the kitchen sink into it stylistically. LUCASFILM, if they had wanted to save money, could probably have gotten away with re-using sections of Williams six film score for the Animated Series/film if they wanted to-the trailer for THE CLONE WARS TV series shown at CELEBRATION IV used the REVENGE OF THE SITH music with the visuals really well- so brave kudos to them on such a chancy move in going the whole hog and getting a fresh take on the music for this new medium..

STAR WARS meets Jerry Bruckheimer would probably be the best way to describe the new score for the saga by Kiner, whose work actually does includes numerous episodes of the Bruckheimer produced series CSI: MIAMI. The modern sound of CSI: MIAMIwhich he had composed many episodes for does come to the fore and it surprisingly works well at times with the visuals. I would be interested in knowing if the modern sound he brought to that series may have been one of the reasons why he was hired-perhaps to help branch the series out to a new younger audiences, which LUCASFILM wants to see the film in order to help the STAR WARS series survive. Not only is the kind of music from CSI: MIAMI prevalent but there’s a also a little bit of THE ROCK and BLACK HAWK DOWN there in places, which the Producers of THE CLONE WARS obviously feel is the right way to go especially in the Clone Trooper battle sequences, to give it that typical STAR WARS fantasy feel, with a tinge of a more modern human familiarity to it…

There’s even a little mixture of homage to Gustav Holst’s THE PLANETS SUITE in there, with a bit of Michael Bay and Han Zimmer type military moments (check out Track 8-ANAKIN VS DOOKU which very much has the Michael Bay sound within it). And don’t forget to throw in a bit of Alan Silvestri and Danny Elfman, too, for good measure, with some inspiration from Errol Flynn’s THE SEA HAWK (in an attempt to capture the style of adventure that John Williams himself did as inspiration in using the iconic film as a template for the first STAR WARS movie). And these days there also has to be the obligatory GLADIATOR style mysterious lady singing in unusual atmospheric moments/ scenes of crisis…with modern film scores these days, it looks like she’s got a job for life doing all her warbling!

THE CLONE WARS is a solid, high octane score from Kiner, but it does not feel as naturally organic as something Williams would have composed, though its works very well enough on screen with the actual movie, where the heightened music has to work in aiding the visual drama a lot more than a live action film. There’s also some nice homage moments to John Williams by Kiner (Track Two: Admiral Yularen pays a little bit of homage to Williams Arrival at Bespin but in a more militarized form, whilst Track 6: Sneaking Under The Shield has a little bit that sounds like part of the scene from EPISODE ONE where Qui-Gon Jinn tells Padme that he can’t fight a war for her. Track 20: Ziro Surrounded sounds a bit like Jango Fett’s fight with Ben on Kamino, with a little bit of the Tatooine pod race where Anakin loses control of his racer).

The battle music, though, especially Track 3: Battle of Christophosis, is extremely well done (with the noteworthy City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra giving it their very best-and more so!!), fusing a new style of synthesizer/modern sounds with the kind of romanticized orchestra/heavy choir that we like to hear in STAR WARS. There are some excellent other non action tracks that work well, and sound like STAR WARS, but there are also others that fans may consider don’t work or clash with our instincts for how we view the music for the saga. Though short and sweet, the opening and closing re-mix of the main STAR WARS theme, I thought, was nicely re-worked for the animated version (but, on first viewing, the lack of the opening crawl was something I missed a great deal. It was like a little piece of STAR WARS’s movie heart was missing!).

Of the film's new modern sound, Kiner’s use of the rock guitar surprised me at times, especially with its dramatic use in Track 5: Obi-Wan To The Rescue, but after a couple of listens I’d gotten used to it, pretty much like I had with the rest of the score.

Apart from a mighty section of music for Anakin, one bugbear for me is that there are no real other hum able new themes, and sadly very little of John Williams music is used at all, not even to briefly highlight our favourite characters-there’s not even Ben’s or the familiar and pleasing Force themes, which I found a bit a surprising by their absence, just the re-worked upbeat opening title and a portion of the Skywalker theme -obviously the musician wants to put his own stamp on the Animated Universe and that’s understandable, though his recent quote that there aren’t any real new character themes in the Prequel Trilogy to use is a bit guff! I expected more nods to the Live Action saga, especially from Director Dave Filoni, whose love for the Saga is more than obvious, but it just doesn’t happen...

Introducing Ahsoka Tano.

Of Kiner’s own newly created character themes, Ahsoka’s was interesting but so slight it didn’t really make an impact on me -at least not yet- and I didn’t really didn’t detect much else theme-wise that was instantly recognizable through the film. This use of new themes, and the return of old ones, may change, will be interesting to hear fused, once the composer’s full taking of the TV series reins begin this October.

Additionally, I wasn’t quite sure if Ziro the Hutt’s nightclub band sounded right for STAR WARS-perhaps too 1940’s Glen Miller style for me-whilst the steel drum Cantina Band music for the Bith Band from the original STAR WARS, which utilized a modern-ish street drum and clarinet sound, worked so well, Kiner’s attempt here just fell flat, ultimately working better on screen with the animation than separately..

In the end, how much you feel you enjoy the new music for STAR WARS depends greatly on your own point of view, but I personally enjoyed listening to Kiner’s work a lot more after a few times and it’s grown on me as a modern action adventure score, rather than as a STAR WARS score.

Away from the actual music on the disc, of which there is a good chunk of score on it- at nearly seventy minutes and worth its price (which I’m sure you’ll be able to get even cheaper on the inter net stores) - the overall package is another nice one from SONY CLASSICAL: as before, the brochure inside opens out to reveal a gallery of lovely images from the film/TV episodes, and a nice colourful poster. But sadly there is no written introduction to the music by the composer-it would have been nice to hear his take on the music and how he got involved with it, and why he made the choices he did stylistically. It may also have been nice to have had some DVD contents on the disc-perhaps putting the trailers on, or a short behind the scenes, would have been a nice touch... 

Though not the essential purchase I’d expected, THE CLONE WARS soundtrack is nonetheless growing on me as I’ve listened to it, and is likely to be played more frequently from now on, if not as often, as John Williams' mighty STAR WARS work. It also acts as as a fine continuance to the efforts previously laid down by the likes of Joel McNeely for SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE.

AFICIONADO RATING: Kiner's first score for the STAR WARS universe is an interesting one, and opens a new chapter for the use of modern blockbuster sounding music within the saga. Nothing can take away or replace John Williams stunning work for the film series, but Kiner's compositions bode well for this altogether different animated medium, especially for television. 7 out of 10.

CLASSIC IMAGE: WHEN TITANS CLASH!

Desperate to stop the sneak-attacking Separatists from escaping Coruscant with their prey- the newly captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, en masse Republic war ships lock horns with enemy vessels above their central world, in the stunning opening scenes of EPISODE III.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: LUKE'S "MINI-ME"!

A rare image from the once Hyperspace area on STARWARS.COM, showing the ILM built Luke puppet, for the lightsaber duel moment when he leaps from the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber pit before its activated by Vader, during the doom-laden finale of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – Luke Skywalker “Force Jump” Puppet | Prop Store – Ultimate Movie Collectables