Star Wars is possibly the most successful science fiction film saga of all time, maintaining a tough fight with Star Trek (At least in the US). It was the year 77 when the first film, titled “Star Wars” (Later it would be called “Episode IV: A new Hope”) saw the light and, against all odds, it was a box office and critical success, winning 6 Oscars and numerous awards, thus giving a great bag of oxygen to George Lucas, who had had a hard time financing it. Such was the success that 3 years later the second part would be released: “The Empire Strikes Back” and later “Return of the Jedi”, “The Phantom Menace”, “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith”.
The story focuses on the fight between good and evil. How an evil force, the Sith warriors, come to obtain absolute power over the universe after spending time in the shadows, almost annihilated by the Jedi warriors, turning the republic into an authoritarian empire in which the emperor is the most powerful Sith, and his right-hand man is Darth Vader, a former Jedi attracted to the “dark side” through the manipulations of the dark emperor.
Star Wars is possibly one of the film sagas that most people have seen, and despite this it has not been one of the best valued by critics. Although, as always in these cases, they are still personal judgments with some credibility or value for some and none for others.
EPISODE 1: The Phantom Menace
After almost two decades since the premiere of episode 6, the first chapter of the double trilogy is broadcast, which tells us the origins of Anakin, who would later become Darth Vader, and how he met his mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi. A film that in my opinion could only be described as “entertaining”, but which did not convince me and many people.
EPISODE 2: Attack of the Clones
Anakin has grown up and become a boy who cannot repress his feelings towards the only “normal” woman he knows, Padmé, despite being more than 10 (and I would dare say 15) years older than her. A Jedi cannot maintain any type of relationship, so they keep it a secret by bringing Anakin a little closer to the dark side. The death of his mother brings him a little closer to the Sith, sadistically killing the sand dwellers who were holding her captive. In this film, the clone wars also begin, although in my opinion they remain in a secondary place after Anakin’s psychological evolution. I think the movie could be defined as “Boring garbage.” He never convinced me.
EPISODE 3: Revenge of the Sith
Anakin turns bad and puts on some very cool contact lenses to fight with his mentor Obi Wan, against whom he loses and, after getting burned a little in the lava, he becomes deformed, so they have to “rebuild” him, acquiring the cool appearance of the following episodes. The Jedi are almost entirely exterminated and Padmé dies “of grief” giving birth to two children: Luke and Leia. The best movie of all, with hosts like bread and the voice of Constantino Romero.
EPISODE 4: A New Hope
The episode I have seen the most times. When I was little I saw it time after time, every day. In it, Luke met an aging Obi Wan, his sister Leia, Han Solo and Cheewaka and they joined a rebel group to combat the Empire’s repressions. The key moment of this episode is the death of Obi Wan at the hands of his pupil Darth Vader, along with the destruction of the Death Star. A pretty good episode for a 1977 film.
EPISODE 5: The Empire Strikes Back
A boring episode, especially the Yoda part, in which I almost fell asleep, as did a friend of mine. If Yoda’s part were removed, it would possibly be a good movie, with stellar moments such as Han Solo’s transformation into carbonite after Lando Calrissian’s betrayal or the mythical “Luke, I am your father.” There’s not much more to say, since Yoda’s part lasts 70% of the movie.
EPISODE 6: Return of the Jedi
The second film is possibly the most important of all, since in one way or another it completely closes the saga (Although I, personally, like episode III more). In this chapter, after rescuing Han Solo from the hands of Jabba and seeing Yoda die (Weee!), they decide that they must go to the planet Endor to nullify the shields of the new death star. It is on Endor where they meet the hairy dwarves called Ewoks, thanks to whom they defeat the Empire. Meanwhile, Luke, Darth Vader and the Dark Emperor first engage in a dialectical battle until Darth Vader comes to his senses and ends up killing his superior. END.
Broadly speaking, the series can be summarized like this.
Many similarities can be found between Star Wars and Nazism. A clear example is how Darth Sidious comes to power, with the approval of the people, and how he later turns the republic into an empire. Also striking is the shape of the imperial soldiers’ helmets, very similar to those used by the German army in the mid-20th century.
The resounding success achieved by this saga gave rise to countless merchandising. From figures of the characters, books, comics, role-playing games, costumes and, of course, many video games. In addition, Star Wars events bring together countless followers of the saga every year, even going so far as to dress up as one of the characters. There were also quite a few parodies of the saga, such as the “famous” Space Balls, which caricatures all the characters (For example, Darth Vader becomes Darkhelm). The Star Wars phenomenon also has its place on the internet, with countless pages telling us curiosities or simply paying tribute to it (although we must not forget the American boy who became famous after publishing a video of himself in which he simulated a Star Wars fight with a mop).
It is quite stupid to compare Star Wars with other films like The Lord of the Rings, since everything that is narrated in it, as well as the way it is narrated, is quite particular and, ultimately, it is a unique saga.
And for you, is Star Wars an overrated saga?
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