"The Force and Computer Creatures"
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What You Need To Know:
Seeing the old gang on the big screen remains a thrill. The THX sound is loud, clear and very effective. The color has been restored to its original hue. As pure entertainment, STAR WARS is great science fiction, loaded with action, adventure, humor, love pathos, and best of all, the end has good triumphing over evil. As a device to move the plot along, the idea of the Force (spirit over matter) works; as a theological statement it is a New Age travesty. STAR WARS is a fun movie, but practice caution because of the mysticism that forms its world view
Content:
(Pa, B, L, VV, A, D) Pagan worldview of impersonal, monistic force empowering man and controlling circumstances with many moral elements; 1 “hell” & 1 “damn”; moderate action violence including star fighter planes shooting & exploding, explosions, abductions, distant view of two burnt corpses, shooting deaths, & dismemberment; no sex; no nudity; alcohol use implied; and, smoking
More Detail:
Twenty years after its initial release in 1977, STAR WARS comes back to the big screen with a major face lift. George Lucas and his company, Industrial Light & Magic, equipped with modern technology, have given STAR WARS digital sound, some added creatures created with computer animation and even a whole new scene involving Jabba the Hut. With anticipation of a whole new trilogy documenting the clone wars and Vader’s fall to the dark side, Lucas releases STAR WARS to a new generation of young people who weren’t even born during the first release.
George Lucas wrote and directed the STAR WARS trilogy in the style of the serials of old. The Imperial Galactic Empire is ruled by the Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), and his evil aide, Lord Darth Vader (with the voice of James Earl Jones). All that stands against these evil rulers, as they attempt to suppress the entire universe, are the rebel leader Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), farmer Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and starship pilot Hans Solo (Harrison Ford), who are aided by robots C-3PO and R2D2, anthropoids, rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), and the light side of the force.
Seeing the old gang on the big screen remains a thrill. The THX sound is loud, clear and very effective. The color has been restored to its original hue. The film doesn’t look like it has aged at all, except for some 70s haircuts. The new computer animated creatures, including dinosaur-like transportation lizards which Storm troopers ride, are also fun to watch. Lucas hasn’t added many new creatures. The greater part of the movie remains untouched, but some of the scenes look a little too busy with activity. The biggest difference is an added scene where Jabba comes to see Hans Solo at the Millennium Falcon. Jabba comes to Hans and demands payment. This seems a little redundant because in the previous scene, we see Greedo, the bounty hunter, also demanding Jabba’s money from Hans. Purists will find the additions extraneous and harmful to the integrity of the original story. Others may like to see this lost scene, including a computer-animated Jabba.
As pure entertainment, STAR WARS is great science fiction, loaded with action, adventure, humor, love, pathos, and best of all, the end has good triumphing over evil. As a device to move the plot along, the idea of the Force (spirit over matter) works; as a theological statement it is abhorrent New Age monism. (When some eager young person asked Alec Guinness to explain about the Force, Mr. Guinness replied that he knew nothing about the Force, but he did know about Jesus Christ.)
As with any good saga, in the end, the good underdogs defeat the Evil Empire. STAR WARS is a fun movie, but be advised of the mysticism that forms its world view.