Star Wars [The Original Trilogy Review]

Since I'm basically done with my spring semester of college now, I only have two classes tomorrow and one test on Thursday, I'll have more time to delve back into doing more reviews. Today, May 4th, fell at good time because I'd been thinking about doing another trilogy review. Since I had watched the entire series earlier in the year and only touched on the prequels, now is probably the best time. I was a wee little tyke in the 1990s, but I can still vividly remember watching 'A New Hope' at my Aunt's house when I was really young, maybe 6-7, and being enthralled. I had a three VHS set of the trilogy in this golden Darth Vader helmet box that I would watch all the time as well. Let's be honest, who else didn't pretend that they can use The Force to move objects for funzies? The Original Star Wars Trilogy, 'A New Hope,' 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' are some of the best sci-fi films of all times, but not only that, but one of the best trilogies ever produced.

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'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' takes place 19 years after 'Episode III' and follows the story of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) as the biggest part of the civil war that is happening in the galaxy is about to take place. The Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia, who has stolen the plans for Galactic Empire's Death Star. The Empire is led by the evil lord Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), and captures Princess Leia. Leia hides the plans inside of an R2-D2 unit (Kenny Baker), who along side a C-3PO unit (Anthony Daniels) escape to Tatooine. The two droids are found by Jawa traders and are eventually bought by Owen Lars, uncle of Luke Skywalker. One night, Luke accidentally finds Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) that was stored into the R2 unit. After tracking down and enlisting Obi-Wan, they hire Han Solo, and his first mate Wookie, Chewbacca (Peter Mayew), to smuggle them to Alderaan. They get there only to find out that the Death Star has destroyed the entire planet. They get captured themselves by the Death Star and begin the mission to escape, rescue Princess Leia and find a way to destroy the Death Star for good.

'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back' takes place three years after the destruction of the Death Star in 'Episode IV.' The Rebel Alliance has been forced from Yavin IV by The Empire. Princess Leia leads a group that includes Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, to the ice planet Hoth, to a new base. Luke goes out in search of a possible meteor impact, which turns out to be a droid Vader  was tracking him with, and gets attacked by a Wampa. Han eventually goes out to find him after he doesn't return. In the sheer cold, Luke sees the spirit of Obi-Wan who instructs him to go to the Dagobah system and find Jedi Master Yoda. After a massive battle with Imperial AT-ATs, Han and Leia flee, from the mercenary Boba Fett (Jermey Bulloch) and hide in an asteroid field, while Luke heads towards the Dagobah system and crash lands in a swamp on Dagobah, where he meets Yoda (Frank Oz). Luke begins to undergo Jedi training and sees a vision of Leia and Han in pain and leaves, against Yoda's wishes, to save them. Leia and Han head to Cloud City to meet up with Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) who betrays them and hands them over to Boba Fett and Vader. Fett will take Han to Jabba the Hutt where he'll get a big bounty, an agreement Lando doesn't agree with. He also doesn't agree with luring Luke in so he can be captured. Han is then encased in Carbonite. While all this is going on Luke arrives at Cloud City, leading to the first face to face meeting and lightsaber duel, between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

'Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi' takes place one year after the events of 'Episode IV' and follows the story of our three heroes, Luke Skywaker, Princess Leia and Han Solo once again. Luke and Leia have devised a plan to save Han from Jabba the Hutt. Luke, Leia, Calrissian, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, are in on the plan. Leia, disgusted as a bounty hunter, takes Chewbacca as her prisoner to infiltrate, with Calrissian disguised as a guard. They both get captured, but not until after Leia frees Han. When Luke arrives he is also found out and is forced to fight the Rancor and survives. Jabba sentences Luke and Han to death by way of the Sarlacc. Not going without a fight, Luke and Han begin to fight their way out. In the chaos, Boba Fett is knocked down into the pit, Jabba is strangled to death by Leia, and Luke destroys Jabba's ship as they all escape. Meanwhile, The Alliance has learned that The Empire is constructing another, even bigger, Death Star. Darth Vader is still being instructed by Emperor Palpatine (Ian Mcdiarmid). The plan to destroy the new Death Star consists of two parts. Leia and Han lead a team that will take down the shield generators for the Death Star, these are located on the forest moon Endor. Luke takes Vader's bait and infiltrates the Death Star and confronts him face to face, perhaps for the final time, as one of the biggest battles to save the universe is about to ensue. 

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I really do love each one of these films and each one has a distinct style behind them. I could talk about the lightsaber duels and score in each film, and I will, but these films are much more than awesome fights, using the force and awesome music. 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' for me is the weakest of the trilogy, but that by no means makes it a "bad film" in the slightest (I still give it a 9/10). Mark Hamill and Harrsion Ford are on point from the start and bring a great presnese, even in the early going of this series. Mark Hamill plays the young Skywalker expertly, as he's still in awe of everything happening around him, yet has the air of being capable of handling things. Harrison Ford, on the other hand, as Han Solo is the spark plug of the film. He brings a huge amount of presence to the film. Not only that his comedic and action timing is stupendous, you're drawn to every scene he appears in. Carrie Fisher (Leia) is, for a bit of the film a follower, but starts to come into her own by the time the end credits roll. The story and universe are highly original and it's a pleasure to learn all the ins and out of the Star Wars universe. The two factions, The Rebel Alliance and The Galactic Empire, are awesome opposing forces that are more than just feuding groups and have their own thoughts, ways and customs for everything. Being led by arguably one of the greatest villains ever in Darth Vader, makes both sides extremely entertaining to watch over the course of a film. The lightsaber usage in this film is light, but introduces it well. The space battles are where the meat of the action is and the final push in the trenches of the Death Star is iconic. The score, by John Williams, is also iconic and you know all know at least one Star Wars song if you were to hear it. Everything about this film sets up everything in the following two films in such a perfect way, not to mention, everything holds up really well.
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The second film of the original trilogy, 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back' is probably the best of the three when it comes to character development and overall storytelling. The action is bigger when it happens, the AT-AT battle to start and the Luke vs Vader lightsaber duel to close is awesome. But everything in between feels more like we're really learning about everyone (and the Universe itself), and the is where Carrie Fisher as Leia really comes into her own as well and Mark Hamill as Luke. Harrison Ford as Han really doesn't change much as he's still the snarky, funny, wildcard with charisma out of the butt. Leia, while still thrust into the action, is shown as the diplomatic force that she is, as she's really shown to be a Princess more than a fighter. Luke on the other hand is brought to a whole 'nother level. From the moment the best character -- writing-wise -- Yoda, is introduced, Luke becomes a better person and character. Yoda is a fun but honest teacher and brings the inner Skywalker that Luke would need going forward. Darth Vader is also still written well and somehow becomes even more awesomely evil and builds upon the great villainous lore he was created upon. The lightsaber scenes in this film are awesome as we get to see Luke honing his skills with Yoda in the swamp and the epic first face to face confrontation between Luke and Vader in the Cloud City. The music, again by Williams, is iconic and perfectly accents a quieter or action filled scene. While the first film is more well rounded with character introduction and action, I feel that more story and learning about the characters and this universe really sets up the fantastic finale greatly.
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The final film of the original trilogy of Star Wars, 'The Return of the Jedi,' is (film-wise) a perfect blend of the first two films. Full of character development, great action and one of the best endings to a trilogy you can ever expect. Something I haven't touched on yet is the CGI for these films. This is very early in the use of everything CGI, but Star Wars does a good job of not over doing it. While it sometimes looked off, there wasn't an over abundance of it, and when used it was good. The story ends awesomely with almost everything wrapped up nicely, but that doesn't keep it from being an overall great film. The rescue mission, the invasion of Endor to stop the shield generators and the infiltration and destruction of the new Death Star were awesome story lines. The acting was as good as ever in this film and all three leads, and Darth Vader, had really settled into their rols at this point. Carrie Fisher as Leia was strong, yet level headed. Mark Hamill as Luke was smarter and well rounded and possessed the qualities needed to lead (and be a Jedi). Harrison Ford still plays Han Solo perfectly and is probably, alongside Chewie, the most entertaining people in the film. All while Darth Vader has the evil layers (built upon him throughout the entire series) stripped off as he fights off the corruption of Emperor Palpatine. The fight scenes were awesome, especially The Rancor, the Ewok scenes were fun and the final lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader/Palpatine was just plain awesome. Score, John Williams, nailed it, again. I just loved everything they did with 'Return of the Jedi' and it's probably my favorite film of the original trilogy. The character, acting writing, action and lore are as good, if not better. The amount of detail put into not only this, but each of the films really is an outstanding feat.

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The Star Wars Original Trilogy is one that if you get into it, is one that you're going to continue coming back to for your whole life. I was a kid at my aunt's house and now almost 20 years later, I'm still watching and enjoying the hell out of the universe that's been created. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Darth Vader have all been pop culture staples for as long as I've been alive, and with all the new Star Wars films coming out in the future (later this year we get 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens') the trend isn't likely to just fade away. Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrsion Ford were awesome and I love seeing them pop up in other films, purely cause I get to see them on my screen again. The lore and story these first films told, stand tall and will lead into this modern age of Star Wars films. I really do hope that they do these films justice, because as a kid I'd be pretty sad if the Star Wars films that I first watched, weren't as good as Episodes IV-VI. These films, while not the best at times, do what a lot of films fail to do be creative, have fun and immerse the viewer into an awesome world.

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Indiana Jones [A Fat Jesus Trilogy Review]

Indiana Jones is legendary. As a kid, I watched all three films with my mom and dad, but I don't really remember them. Before the 'National Treasure' and 'DaVinci Code' films, to me they're awful, there was Indiana Jones. Pulse pounding action, awesome music and exotic lands abound in some of the best action films in movie history. I've gotten into them even more because they remind me of the 'Uncharted' video game series. Films where I can remove myself from reality for awhile, to go an adventure with a larger than life hero, are some of the best films you can ever hope to see. Indiana Jones fits the bill perfectly.

'Raiders of the Lost Ark' follows the story of Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), a famous archaeologist. In 1936, Jones is hired by the United States government, to locate The Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. The Nazi's are trying to use the Ark, to become invincible like the Israelites of The Old Testament. The Nazis, on the other hand, are being aided by Jones' arch nemesis, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). With the help of an old girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and a close ally, Sallah (John-Rhys-Davies), Indiana Jones must travel to Egypt and find the Ark, before the Nazis.

'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' once again follows the story of Indiana Jones. This time it is set in 1935, a year before the events of the first film. Jones escapes a deal gone bad with Chinese gangsters with the help of singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and Indy's 12 year old sidekick, Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan). The three crash land somewhere in India and arrive in a village whose children have been kidnapped. The children have been kidnapped by a cult, led by Mola Ram (Amrish Puri), and are being used to find two missing Sankara Stones, which are needed for them to take over the world. Indy, Willie and Short Round must infiltrate this cult to save the children, and perhaps, the world.

'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', you guessed it, follows the story of Indiana Jones. We open in 1912 where a young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix), attempts to recover a valuable item from hunters, in which he fails. Indiana completes the recovery on said item in 1938, three years after the events of the second film. When he returns, he is tasked, alongside Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott), by businessman Walter Donovan (Julian Glover), to find The Holy Grail. It is revealed that Indy's estranged father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery), is missing. They fly to Venice to meet Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), to begin looking for clues where his father left off. Then eventually set out to find him and the mystical grail.

These movies, much like the first trilogy I reviewed, 'Back to the Future', are an absolute blast. I was once again astounded by how well these films have held up over the years. Also why they've garnered the critical acclaim that they have. They're just plain fun to watch. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' is the best of the trilogy. We're not even going to touch 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.' Yuck. The first film sets the tone for the series so well. From the opening ten minutes, you know you're in for a thrill ride. Complete with explosive action, a great hero and even great humor as well. The story is awesome. While it doesn't quite kick in until about 15 minutes into the movie, the opening sequence is an amazing precursor of what you're going to see throughout the rest of the film (and series). An archaeologist trying to uncover some of the worlds coolest secrets. That's a cool concept when done right, like in this series. The rest of the films lives up to the start, as the action looks great. Not being aided by the CGI we have now, the live action fights and chase scenes are done amazingly. Indiana Jones, our main hero, is built even further to be the awesome adventurer we see being chased by the rolling boulder. Played perfectly by Harrison Ford (throughout the series as well), Indiana Jones has all the bravado, snarkiness and skills to overcome any situation (that he usually gets himself into). The rest of the cast, aides in this effort. Paul Freeman, Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies make up a great supporting cast. The cinematography was awesome, as the sweeping shots of the deserts and mountains were nice. Not to mention the set design was awesome, especially the opening scenes in the jungle and the snake-pit itself. There's also a good bit of humor sprinkled throughout, and all of it works well. The infamous scene where the giant man with the sword challenges Indy, Indy smirks, pulls out his gun and shoots him, is still hilarious. The iconic score is...well iconic. It makes the action pop and makes you feel all giddy inside. That somehow, someway, Indy is going to pull through. 

'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' is a nice follow up, this one's a prequel is a fun watch. While not quite capturing the same magic of the first film, it's undeniable, that it's an enjoyable film. Everything got bigger with the second installment. From the overall story to the stunts, everything felt, more robust. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones didn't change at all and that's one of the strong points. A character like his doesn't need to ever change. Blasphemous words I know, since you're used to seeing a character grow in films. Without his machismo and sense of adventure, these stories don't work. Kate Capshaw and Jonathan Ke Quan, as Willie and Short Round, are Indy's side-kicks this time around. I very much liked Short Round, but Willie was a little lacking. Comparing her to the hold your own style of Marion in the first film, Willie was made to be merely a damsel in distress. Not to mention the screaming throughout was on the other side of pleasant. The other problem I have with this film is the amount of gags thrown in. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' has that perfect balance of humor, drama and action. While in 'The Temple of Doom' the humor is made more prevalent, and some of the time it falls flat. Despite these two minor gripes, 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' is quite a fun film, same as the first. From the cinematography, to the story, I liked the darker feel to everything happening, to the still awesome score. This film is one that improves upon a lot, but doesn't quite nail everything in the process. Plus, the villain is able to pull a person's heart out at will, how awesome is that?

'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' is a breath of fresh air after the second film, that really does make its mark as being as good as the first film. Not quite as good, but comparable nonetheless. The feel of it, excitement. The action is grand. Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones. Whether is River Phoenix playing his younger self, or Sean Connery playing father Jones, it's a joy to watch this film unfold. The mystery is as grand as eternal life and right from the start, yet again (an action sequence roaring through a circus train) you're sucked in. Action that really only slows down when the archaeologist, and his brilliant father, are devising their next move. Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are as charismatic as a duo can get, working off each other in every scene flawlessly. Even River Phoenix gets Ford's mannerisms and style down pat. The Nazi evil is back, and while the voodoo of the second film was an alright antagonist, the Nazi side of things fits the narrative of "Indiana Jones" much better. The story overall, finding The Holy Grail is quite an interesting one. The final scenes, leading to and in the chalice chamber itself, is an amazing sequence. Once again, we are welcome to a strong female lead, in Alison Doody as Elsa, and that makes this feel even more natural. After watching the three films, you notice just how out-of-place Kape Capshaw felt as the heroine in these films. Everybody, main or supporting cast, has a strong air about them in these films, except for Kate Capshaw. The action is the same Indiana Jones action. This time there's even a bad-ass tank battle, that's now one of my favorite action sequences ever. The humor is there as well, but this time around, thanks to a capable (and charismatic cast) the gags work quite well. All of this done in a way only an 'Indiana Jones' film can do it. Oh yeah, the score is still awesome whenever it really ramps up.

The 'Indiana Jones' trilogy was a blast to watch. Credit Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and John Williams for sticking together from beginning to end. Steven Spielberg knew how to direct these films. George Lucas had a fantastic vision for each film. Harrison Ford was the star power, that really vaulted "Indiana Jones." While John Williams conducted an amazing score for each film. This series is action packed, well told, full of humor, looks amazing and sounds beautiful. While the weak point is 'The Temple of Doom', this series as a whole is fantastic (again leaving out 'Crystal Skull'). 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' is a phenomenal film and 'The Last Crusade' is a fantastic end. This is truly a great trilogy, plus, you can knock it out on a Saturday. It's more than worth your time.

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42 [A Fat Jesus Movie Review]

I love sports and while baseball isn't high up on my list of favorites, playoff baseball is always fun to watch. Baseball movies as of late, like Moneyball and Trouble With The Curve, are pretty good movies. Which gave me the hope that 42 would at least be as good as the latter. Jackie Robinson is one of the most prolific players to ever compete in any sport. He broke down racial barriers in an exclusive sport and changed how things worked within, at the very least Major League Baseball. This movie is about how a sport was changed, now if only players would quit doping up, and maybe the sport can reclaim some of it's former glory.

42 is a biopic and follows the story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) being recruited to, and playing for, the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Robinson is traveling with his team as they stop to get gas on the team bus. Robinson asks to go use the restroom, to which the attendant denies. Robinson threatens to take their business elsewhere, and the attendant lets him use the restroom. Afterward, a scout from the Brooklyn Dodgers approaches him and sends him to Brooklyn to speak with Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). Rickey offers Robinson a $600 a month, with a $3500 signing bonus, contract to play with the Dodgers on the condition he keeps his anger under control. After the meeting Robinson calls his girlfriend, Rachel Isum (Nicole Beharie), and proposes to her, to which she says yes. Robinson already has to deal with being a black man, even in the minor league on the Montreal Royals. Also, because a white man is playing second base, Robinson is forced to learn how to play at first instead. Through racial trials, such as heckling and violence, and being denied residence at hotels, Jackie Robinson broke through barriers and stereotypes when he became a Brooklyn Dodger.

I liked this movie. Let me rephrase that, I like this movie when Chadwick Boseman is on the screen. But we're not gonna start with my likes here, we're gonna start with what I didn't like. There was a fair amount of bad in this. We'll start with Branch Rickey, again let me rephrase that. We'll start with the portrayal of Branch Rickey by Harrison Ford. It started out fine, I figured that was just how he talked, or at the very least it was how a lot of owners talked back in those days. Now don't misunderstand me, I don't mind if a movie drops the taboo "n-word", especially if a movie is set in a racially charged era. It was nothing to do with content, but with delivery. After about the third scene with Rickey in it you get tired of the accent. You get tired of his mannerisms. You get tired of Harrison Ford doing whatever's he doing to portray Branch Rickey. Maybe it was overacting, or maybe it was that Harrsion was told to do it that way. Whatever the reason, it was quite annoying to me throughout. The other big thing about this is that scenes not directly involving Chadwick Boesman as Jackie Robinson were pretty bland. Now thank goodness this was a Jackie Robinson movie of this could've gotten way out of hand. There were a few scenes where it soley revolved around Rickey and other GMs or Rickey and his managers, and they were so boring to me. It's not just limited to Rickey scenes. Even the scenes with Jackie's wife, Rachel, I just didn't seem to care about. There's a definite focus on Robinson, and while I understand he can't be the only person on screen, at least make me care about the others when they are.

I loved the overall story of this. While I don't agree this is a racially dominated society anymore, well at least not at the moment, I do appreciate what Robinson had to go through playing for the Dodgers. Chadwick Boseman did a fantastic job in his first major role, especially such a high profile one. You got the feeling that he really became Jackie Robinson. You felt the highs and lows that he felt. You could feel the emotion pouring out form his performance. He was truly the lead in this movie and made every scene that involved him. From playing on the field, to locker-room interaction and life between games, Boseman personifies Robinson. The story is written very well too, whenever you watch a biopic you want detail. From the little things like having an announcer giving play by plays during the game scenes, to managers setting line up and and working with other players. It all flows so well. When you watch you'll can catch the bigger things like John C. McGinley announcing games, and the smaller things like coaches, well coaching. The other half of this is the story itself. Following Jackie's life both on and off the field from signing to acceptance was a great thing to watch over the course of the movie. The writing was done well, but like I said above, some of the performances could have been handled much better. Finally I'll touch in the baseball scenes themselves. I love the old style of the stadiums. I love the crack of the bat and the olden style uniforms. Everything about the games themselves added a huge air of authenticity. This movie is full of great moments, scenes and historical significance. Everything from the portrayal of Robinson and the scenes full of periodical racism, to baseball mangers behind the scenes and general managers negotiations. Everything is top notch and provides a great looking into the way things worked in the 40s.

42 is a great biopic, but it's execution could have been done a lot better. The story is top notch and has great source material. Chadwick Boseman is phenomenal as Jackie Robinson, and despite this movie's flaws that should not be overlooked. Harrison Ford, in this, to me is annoying, but maybe you'll like what he did with Branch Rickey. If you love baseball you're gonna love this biopic. It has everything from game play to behind the scenes interactions. If you're not a baseball fan you'll still be able to appreciate all that Jackie Robinson went through to break down racial barriers. While 42 has its problems, it's still well worth a watch, and I really do look forward to seeing Chadwick Boseman in other films.

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