Lord Vader, Rise
So I guess just about everybody is ranting about Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It’s the flavour of the hour. This is the end of an era, something I witnessed. Now I’m going to throw in my two cent’s worth. I saw the film last night. First off, let me say that I was thoroughly impressed and that I really enjoyed the film. I don’t know if it was just George Lucas who had succeeded to make everybody’s expectations as low as possible after the previous two films or if it was something else, but the film was quite good and brought the closure that was needed in the epic saga. The film is a rousing success all over the world. This is not only because it leeched off the wallets of the Star Wars junkies, but because, after three decades, the Star Wars story spans over two genres of science fiction. The series now caters to two mindsets. Let me explain.
People like to say that “Star Wars is so successful because it appeals to everybody blah blah sense of good and justice blah Jedi blah struggle between good and evil yada yada technology will advance, but fail us blah wisdom yada yada Yoda yada...” This is indeed the case. Well, it was the case. In the seventies. Think about it. The original Star Wars and Star Trek came from roughly the same period. In both stories there was conflict, but the good guys always came out on top. It was a metaphor for any (good versus evil) struggle and of course people want good to triumph (peace of mind, better future for everyone etc.). Back then, it was something people could relate to. It was a real life “good versus evil” struggle. It was the Cold War. Everyone was dosed up to the eye balls on propaganda and it was important to emphasise the victory of “good” in order to give the masses peace of mind. “In the end, everything is going to be all right.”
Come the eighties, there started a shift of focus. A new type of science fiction had arisen: cyber punk. Suddenly the future wasn’t as rosy as we had always been told it would be. It was dark, oppressive and the protagonist was often an anti-hero. Situations and stories got a new “sting in the tail” and everything sweet left a bitter aftertaste. I’m not exactly sure why this mindset, this divulgence into cynicism and despair, caught on, but it did (it was obviously sparked by the punk and goth movements which basically aimed to contrast the set ways of society). I sort of grew up with the cyber punk themes. Examples of cyber punk stories include Blade Runner, The Matrix (including all the stories it was drawn from), Ghost in a Shell (anime), Evangellion (anime), Fallout (game), Deus Ex (game) and Jeremiah (comic and TV show). Think of all the ‘hacker’ and post apocalyptic stories. Even X-Files and Sliders. We are still in this era. Indeed, cyber punk has only recently become ‘pop’. Even Star Wars and Star Trek has adopted the new mindset.
The last Star Trek movie (Nemesis) had an antagonist that drew on a lot on dark elements, but was also a reflection of the protagonist. Spoiler follows in next sentence. In the end, one of the best loved characters in Star Trek: Generations die. In the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise, the mood and feel of the show was turned around 180 degrees. The cynicism and heavy demeanours that followed after the crew heard of a massacre on Earth completely contrasted the temperament of the first two seasons. Fans had mixed feelings about season three of Enterprise. Season four was better and saw a slight realignment to the first two seasons, but could not save the show for a fifth season.
Now I come full circle back to Star Wars. One of the teasing points of the movie was the statement that episode was going to be “the darkest episode of the whole series”. Whether he planned it or not, George Lucas played it well. Two decades ago, crowds in cinemas cheered Luke Skywalker on as he triumphed over the dark side in “Return of the Jedi”. Now audiences watch as a Jedi falls and Anakin dons the infamous Darth Vader costume. The watch as the Jedi’s, the keepers of peace and justice, are betrayed and literally slaughtered. The movie ends where the forces of good have to flee from the over powering dark Sith lords. See the contrast? Episode three echoed much of what one could see in the game Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords. It’s a RPG and you eventually chose your own path. But the game is laced with despair and cynicism. It boils down that an excess of either good or evil upsets the natural balance of everything. A balance is needed. For example: in the game, give a beggar some money and someone will mug him and steal his money, causing him grieve; don’t give him money, he turns to crime and kills someone for some money to survive. You are constantly reminded of paradoxes like these that exist. Thus the good versus evil conflict can never be resolved.
So, that is why I believe Star War’s success will survive for yet another generation. But the lure of the dark ending is only one element. Like I said, the movie was enjoyable by itself. Scarred by the previous two films, I started watching the movie very critically, but I couldn’t keep up the front. Money well spent.
Incidentally, not even Luke Skywalker is safe from the modern mindset. There exists a sequel trilogy to the original movies in book form. I haven’t read them, but apparently Luke falls to the dark side...
People like to say that “Star Wars is so successful because it appeals to everybody blah blah sense of good and justice blah Jedi blah struggle between good and evil yada yada technology will advance, but fail us blah wisdom yada yada Yoda yada...” This is indeed the case. Well, it was the case. In the seventies. Think about it. The original Star Wars and Star Trek came from roughly the same period. In both stories there was conflict, but the good guys always came out on top. It was a metaphor for any (good versus evil) struggle and of course people want good to triumph (peace of mind, better future for everyone etc.). Back then, it was something people could relate to. It was a real life “good versus evil” struggle. It was the Cold War. Everyone was dosed up to the eye balls on propaganda and it was important to emphasise the victory of “good” in order to give the masses peace of mind. “In the end, everything is going to be all right.”
Come the eighties, there started a shift of focus. A new type of science fiction had arisen: cyber punk. Suddenly the future wasn’t as rosy as we had always been told it would be. It was dark, oppressive and the protagonist was often an anti-hero. Situations and stories got a new “sting in the tail” and everything sweet left a bitter aftertaste. I’m not exactly sure why this mindset, this divulgence into cynicism and despair, caught on, but it did (it was obviously sparked by the punk and goth movements which basically aimed to contrast the set ways of society). I sort of grew up with the cyber punk themes. Examples of cyber punk stories include Blade Runner, The Matrix (including all the stories it was drawn from), Ghost in a Shell (anime), Evangellion (anime), Fallout (game), Deus Ex (game) and Jeremiah (comic and TV show). Think of all the ‘hacker’ and post apocalyptic stories. Even X-Files and Sliders. We are still in this era. Indeed, cyber punk has only recently become ‘pop’. Even Star Wars and Star Trek has adopted the new mindset.
The last Star Trek movie (Nemesis) had an antagonist that drew on a lot on dark elements, but was also a reflection of the protagonist. Spoiler follows in next sentence. In the end, one of the best loved characters in Star Trek: Generations die. In the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise, the mood and feel of the show was turned around 180 degrees. The cynicism and heavy demeanours that followed after the crew heard of a massacre on Earth completely contrasted the temperament of the first two seasons. Fans had mixed feelings about season three of Enterprise. Season four was better and saw a slight realignment to the first two seasons, but could not save the show for a fifth season.
Now I come full circle back to Star Wars. One of the teasing points of the movie was the statement that episode was going to be “the darkest episode of the whole series”. Whether he planned it or not, George Lucas played it well. Two decades ago, crowds in cinemas cheered Luke Skywalker on as he triumphed over the dark side in “Return of the Jedi”. Now audiences watch as a Jedi falls and Anakin dons the infamous Darth Vader costume. The watch as the Jedi’s, the keepers of peace and justice, are betrayed and literally slaughtered. The movie ends where the forces of good have to flee from the over powering dark Sith lords. See the contrast? Episode three echoed much of what one could see in the game Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords. It’s a RPG and you eventually chose your own path. But the game is laced with despair and cynicism. It boils down that an excess of either good or evil upsets the natural balance of everything. A balance is needed. For example: in the game, give a beggar some money and someone will mug him and steal his money, causing him grieve; don’t give him money, he turns to crime and kills someone for some money to survive. You are constantly reminded of paradoxes like these that exist. Thus the good versus evil conflict can never be resolved.
So, that is why I believe Star War’s success will survive for yet another generation. But the lure of the dark ending is only one element. Like I said, the movie was enjoyable by itself. Scarred by the previous two films, I started watching the movie very critically, but I couldn’t keep up the front. Money well spent.
Incidentally, not even Luke Skywalker is safe from the modern mindset. There exists a sequel trilogy to the original movies in book form. I haven’t read them, but apparently Luke falls to the dark side...
posted by phantom-99w at 10:19
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home