Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

By Steven Di Costanzo

Released in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back is the probably the most popular Star Wars film among its fans. Similar to A New Hope, Lucas was able to continue creating the Star Wars universe. Only this time, he was able to do more!

    Again, in the beginning of the movie we see the slow introduction crawl up the screen. From there we see Imperial droids fall towards the planet of Hoth, looking for the Rebel base. While Han and Luke are making their routes around the planet, Luke is injured and taken by a local beast. Han struggles to find Luke, but Luke eventually escapes the clutches of the snow beast by using the Force and his lightsaber. After escaping and collapsing, Luke is visited by a hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi informing him to visit the Dagobah system to learn the ways of the Force from Yoda. Soon after Kenobi disappears, Han rescues Luke.

    Later, while Luke is recovering and after it is discovered that an Imperial droid has found their base, they prepare for evacuation. Imperial star destroyers set their courses for the Hoth system to attack the base, but their surprise attack does not work. As the Rebels prepare for an Imperial assault, they are met by several Imperial walkers, AT-ATs, and the epic Battle of Hoth begins. The Rebels deploy their ground forces to protect their base as well as their small snow speeders/fighters to face the ever so mighty Imperial walkers. The armor is too tough for the speeders’ blasters to penetrate, but they manage to some of them down, thanks to their harpoon cables. Although the Rebels fight gallantly, the Imperials are able to destroy the Rebels’ main power generator.

    After taking down an Imperial walker by himself, Luke keeps his promise and flies to Dagobah to train with Yoda. On the other hand, Darth Vader and his troops enter the Rebel base, but before they can capture anyone, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO blast out of the base, escaping the clutches of the Empire. Unfortunately, the Millenium Falcon’s hyperdrive is damaged and they are unable to fly into hyperspace. In order to escape from star destroyers in space, Han is forced to enter an asteroid field where they take refuge in a very large meteor.

   

On the other hand, the Emperor warns Darth Vader that the Force is strong with Luke, and that he must be destroyed. But Darth Vader suggests to turn Luke to the Dark Side of the Force, or he will face death. Meanwhile, Luke meets Yoda on the swampy land of Dagobah and begins his training. Luke’s training with Yoda is extremely interesting because the audience learns more about the ideals and the training techniques of the Light Side of the Force and of the Jedi. The spirituality of the Jedi is really captivating and peacefully strong.

As part of Luke’s training, Yoda tells Luke he must enter a very dark cave, that is strong in the Dark Side of the Force. Luke enters with his weapons, despite Yoda’s warning that whatever is in there is what you bring in. While in the cave, Luke is found in a dream sequence where he has a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. Luke decapitates Darth Vader. When Vader’s mask explodes, Luke’s sees his face as Vader’s face, foreshadowing what is to come.

    Meanwhile, Han and Leia soon discover that the cave they thought they were in on the asteroid turns out to be the belly of a space worm-like creature. After escaping from the monster and the Empire, they set their course for Cloud City, led by Han’s old friend, Lando Calrissian. Although they are welcomed by Lando, Leia is worried because C-3PO gets partially destroyed and lost. Fearing that his friends are in danger, Luke leaves Dagobah in order to save them.

To make matters worse, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are betrayed by Calrissian, when he gives them up to Darth Vader and a bounty hunter named Boba Fett. Although Calrissian tries to help his friends, he tells them that Vader is trying to lure and trap Luke, who is on his way. Chewbacca and Leia are supposed to be under the care of Calrissian, whereas Han is to be frozen in carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine.

The sequence when Han is frozen in carbonite is an extremely memorable one. It is a very emotional scene between Han and Leia, especially when Leia tells Han that she loves him, right before he is frozen into carbonite. After surviving the freezing process, the chamber is reset for Luke. Fett takes Han, and Leia and Chewbacca are taken by the Empire. Fortunately, Calrissian and his people help Chewbacca and Leia escape, and they rush to try and save Han.

In the meantime, Luke and Darth Vader meet. This is the beginning of one of the most important sequences in Star Wars history. Luke’s skills as a Jedi are tested when he faces the powerful Sith Lord. Luke is a complete underdog against Vader, but he continues to stay focused and strong. Struggling against Vader, Luke manages to injure Vader’s arm. Just as things are getting more and more tense, Vader successfully cuts off Luke’s right hand, leaving him defenseless. As Luke spaces away from Vader, Vader tries to convince Luke to join the Dark Side of the Force. It is then that Vader informs Luke that he is his father. Luke screams out in disbelief, and chooses to jump down the air vents, where is inadvertently escapes Vader, until almost falling completely out of the sky beneath Cloud City.

Concurrently, Chewbacca, Leia, and Calrissian manage to escape aboard the Millenium Falcon. But as they are escaping, Leia gets the feeling that Luke is in danger. After turning the ship around, they find Luke hanging from the bottom of Cloud City and rescue him.

The film ends when Luke gets a replacement hand as he, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 look over the galaxy.

George Lucas created a more powerful vision of his Star Wars universe, and was able to do more than he was ever able to do with A New Hope. He furthered the innovations of special effects, mostly by using stop-motion photography during battle scenes with spacecraft, and was able to create more beautiful and creative landscapes and characters.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

By Steven Di Costanzo

Released in the Summer of 1977, Star Wars became a huge success! From this point until now, Star Wars is one of the most influential and most popular film sagas. One of the first blockbusters, young and independent filmmaker George Lucas captivated his audiences with a imaginative universe of Star Wars.

From the very beginning of the movie, audiences are blown away by the intro crawl sequence of events. Although this would have been very unusual at the time, the intro crawl sequence is very effective explaining the actions that are about to take place. In addition, the audience is immediately drawn into the film, as they sit and watch a space battle between two space-cruisers.

The audience is in awe as they watch an Imperial star destroyer attack Princess Leia’s consulate ship. Her ship is overtaken by the star destroyer. This is the first time we see one of the most important and recognizable characters in the world: Darth Vader. His  dark,mechanical suit, his deep voice, and powerful demeanor makes him one of the most evil and scariest villains of all time.

Before Darth Vader captures the beautiful Princess Leia, she is able to hide the secret Death Star plans inside a droid named R2-D2. R2-D2, along with C-3PO, escape to the sand planet of Tatooine, where they journey to find the Obi-Wan Kenobi, an exiled Jedi.

From there on, C-3PO and R2-D2 are sold to Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle, who are farmers on the planet of Tatooine. With his new droids, Luke discovers his true destiny after Obi-Wan Kenobi saves Luke from Tusken Raiders, also known as sand people. Luke learns about “the Force” and is given his father’s lightsaber. After his uncle and aunt are killed by the Empire, Luke vows to train under Kenobi to become a Jedi. Hearing about “the Force” and the introduction of a Jedi’s powerful weapon, the lightsaber, the audience is immediately entertained. The lightsaber is one of the coolest, and most powerful weapons that everyone wishes they had. The lightsaber itself is very popular and influential, appearing as toys sold in places like Target and Wal-Mart.

Furthermore, we are shown the power of”the Force” when Kenobi  uses Jedi mind tricks and says “these are not the droids you’re looking for” in order to escape from Imperial Stormtroopers. Kenobi also shows his skills with a lightsaber when Kenobi protects Luke from getting into a small fight in a cantina.

It’s in the same cantina when we meet two more major Star Wars characters, Han Solo and Chewbacca. In addition, we are introduced to their ship, which finished the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.

Furthermore, we are introduced to the giant, and most-powerful weapon the Empire has conjured: The Death Star. We see it’s strength when Grand Moff Tarkin tests the machine on Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan. Imperial gunners start the Death Star’s beam, and a great green beam shoots from the Death Star and completely destroys the entire planet.

A more dangerous sequence for the Millenium Falcon and its passengers is when they are caught in the Death Star’s tractor beam, and they are forced to hide in the Falcon’s smuggling cargo holds. Once they manage to sneak away from the ship impersonating stormtroopers, Kenobi heads to deactivate the tractor beam. After finding out that Princess Leia is being held in captivity, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca make a plan to rescue her. After a firefight with the guards, they free Leia but  jump into a trash compactor once more stormtroopers arrive.

Just as they are making their escape, Luke witnesses Kenobi and Darth Vader in an epic lightsaber duel. This is what drove people insane! Watching a Jedi and a Sith battle with their respective lightsabers is an awesome image, with beautiful implications. Kenobi sacrifices himself, allowing Darth Vader to slay him, becoming one with “the Force.” This is extremely important, not only for Luke, but for the audiences understanding of “the Force.” It is terrible when Kenobi is killed, but we are relieved when we still hear Kenobi’s voice guide Luke to safety. Kenobi’s death, although a sad one was necessary in order to shift’s the story now to Luke and his journey to defeat the Empire, he is the new hope.

One of the most memorable sequences is when rebel X-wing fighters fly into space in order to prevent the Death Star from destroying Yavin 4, the planet where the rebel base is. This sequences includes great space images, and special effects such as laser blasters and small starships. The Rebel Alliances’ starships battle against the strong Death Star weaving in and out of the large space station, dodging large cannon fire and other enemy fighters.

While Rebel fighters try and destroy the Death Star, Darth Vader, along with two other TIE fighters, begin to destroy the Rebel fighters. Before Vader can destroy Luke, Han flies in to disrupt Vader’s formation, whose fighter gets knocked into the depths of space, helping Luke destroy the Death Star!

The film ends as Luke and Han are awarded for their bravery and their efforts to the Rebel Alliance.

Lucas successfully created a world filled with space creatures, awesome technologies, and with deep culture and history. A New Hope with its innovation with special effects in a futuristic, space-world really puts the audience in the movie, it really feels like you are experiencing what the characters are experiencing.

As an independent filmmaker, Lucas has been able to control every aspect of his film, allowing his creativity to reach lengths that have never been reached before. Changing the landscapes of film, Star Wars is the most popular and most influential films of its time. When you think about fantasy, or even science fiction movies, Star Wars is the first to come to mind. The type of detail that went into creating entire worlds, weapons, planets, names, histories, etc. is definitely why we wouldn’t be where we are without it. After 30 years, Star Wars continues to be a major impact on today’s generation.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

By James Vickary

This is a story of Indiana’s quest to fight off the deceiving soviets and try and find the crystal skull. While dealing with psychic powers of the skull, saving his ex-wife and newly shown up son, Indiana must look past these faults and play with the cards he was dealt with. He tries to control Ox and his ways and tries to locate the skull by the second half of the film followed by much adventurous action. I think some important sequences we have to look at is finding out Indiana has a son, trying to overcome the psychic powers of the skull, and fighting over the soviets to get back what is right. The sequences with the soviets and Warehouse 51 are to ultimately kill of Indiana.

But as you know Indiana doesn’t leave without a fight. He’ll even hide in a refrigerator to save himself in a nuclear test. The whole main reasoning behind Indiana’s actions are to flea from the Soviet’s. Not only does he have to flea, but he has to save his ex-wife and never met before son. They also find a hidden temple inside older ancient civilizations. Even though the ending is unpromising through aliens and unique portals, they still get the answer they were looking for. Lucas helped drive the story forward by these unique sequences. While focusing on the political and environmental aspect of the film, Indiana must overcome these distractions while saving his own self. Indiana assumes that this psychic power comes from ancient aliens. So when they go to the chambers containing the crystal skulls he has some sort of idea of what is going on. All of the important sequences like getting chased between the amazon jungle and overcoming the swarm of ants eventually lead up to the hidden chambers where the crystal skull is. I think there is some symbology to it when using the crystal skull as a powerful mind disruptor. The soviets are the enemies trying to prevent Indiana and his new formed team from discovering the kingdom of the crystal skull before them. They try and kill him, taunt him with psychic powers from the skull and try and rip apart his family, even though they weren’t all together in the first place. Evaluating sequences is important. What does the audience take from each sequence? What do they learn from each sequence? I’d like to think that each sequence helps drive the story forward in one way or another. Whether it is Ox getting the soviets to come help them in quicksand to the Amazon jungle chase where the skull is tossed around like a sac of potatoes. Of course these sequences are filled with huge action and special affects, as Lucas tends to do, but these sequences have meaning behind them. The importance of the crystal skull in this movie is similar the importance of Dr. Jones’ diary in the Last Crusade. It is something within un parallel importance and drive. It is something that holds hints and answers to future findings and discoveries. Yet it seems to always get tossed around and ends up in many different hands. It is important that Lucas uses his symbology in all of his movies. It takes the focal point out of all the action and allows the audience to look for something more than just steep cliff drops and killer swarms of ants. He purposely places these situations and symbolic instances together so that the characters have to deal with these struggles.

These sequences give that audience an unsteady feel. The feeling that nothing can be right unless Indiana settles it. I think that these sequences test the audiences ability to follow the story and to pay attention to the minor details. I think that Lucas allows the audience to sort of put two and two together when evaluating sequences. He allows the audiences imaginations to run wild and conduct answers for themselves. In the end the aliens actually help out the gang and help them exit the temple through a portal. Lucas uses his imagination when coming up with a payoff. He knows how to drive the characters forward by knowing their strengths and weaknesses. But does he know how to reward the characters for their struggle? I think the payoff is helping out the aliens and escaping the temple alive and with his family. I think that Lucas was thinking about his technological techniques when he was writing about the end of the movie. He abuses these sequences. He tosses them around and shows what mischief characters can get into. He ends up having the characters succeed successfully and helping them come out alive and well for the finale. I think that George does a great job with his organization and plot formation. He uses the right timing with the right material. He informs the audiences of the problems and comes up with a reasonable solution in all of his films. George is a professional when it comes to his organizational skills and techniques. He knew what would sound right and what would not. He knew what sequences would work not only for this film, but for Harrison Ford’s character as well. He accommodates the movie in a way we can’t explain. After all he is the master mind of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Sequences in these films can make or break the trilogy. It is a matter of opinion as to what Indiana Jones movie was the best or what worked better. But after all Lucas discovered a way to make it work. He knew what was intended and he executed it with style. Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a unique film with many different aspects of special sequences followed with a natural payoff. George Lucas helped generate a new wave of cinematic sequences. He stood out and played the cards he was dealt with. I think that we need to look at these Indiana Jones movies as films that are apart of our history.

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

 By James Vickary

The Holy Grail is the sole focal point in this film. The grail diary by whom his father has trouble holding onto throughout the film is very important as well. I am going to talk about the sequence in Venice where Indiana and Marcus travel to Venice, Italy to meet Elsa. Indiana was introduced to Marcus Brody as a source of donating his previous Cross to his museum. Elsa is Dr. Henry’s estranged co-worker and sort of colleague within his travels. Indiana is on the mission though. He tries to not get distracted by Elsa’s great looks and suspicious ways. Indiana has received his father’s diary and goes to the library in Venice with Elsa and Marcus. His father’s diary is the best given information has as to where the grail might be. There are some missing pieces to the puzzle though. The diary gives only a little bit of information to its whereabouts.

Therefore Indiana must travel and bring the diary with him in search for more clues about where the Grail is. The importance of the library is finding the first crusade with the missing tombstone piece which leads to more discoveries. I find that it is important with whom Indiana makes his discoveries with. He travels with Elsa beneath the library in the sewage with rats and makes his way. But later on Elsa deceives Indiana and sides with the Nazis. I think it is important to evaluate Elsa’s existence in Indiana’s life. She basically uses him as a love interest as he is lured to take her to find more clues as to where the the grail might be. The discovery of the tombstone and the first crusader are short lived though. They get into more trouble as Marcus isn’t a very good lookout and the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword chase Indiana and Elsa underneath the library. Kazim the leader of the brotherhood sets fire so that Indiana and Elsa cannot escape. They eventually escape in a speedboat and flea from the brotherhood in a close escape. The enemies boats are destroyed. One boat being crushed between two bigger ships. I think this sequence plays a very valuable role when looking at the big picture. The big picture being the holy grail. We see the diary being used, the secret Nazi informant being used, and the tombstone from the first crusade being utilized as well. These people and objects help drive the story forward. The diary is such a huge symbolic piece in the film though. It’s whereabouts are extremely important and the delicacy of its condition is crucial. It is stolen, being as a gift, won back, and tossed around in so many ways. The diary is a key piece to unlocking the secrets of where the holy grail is and its dangers within. I think George Lucas wrote it as if the diary is a safe keeper. When so many things are going on in the story, it is always reverted back to the diary for reference. Whether it is in Henry’s hand, Indiana’s hand, or the Nazi’s hands. The diary is the centerpiece for driving the last crusade deeper into its importance. These are important sequences because they show content and tone. They show discoveries and hints as to where the story might lead. It is always good to look at what you have and then to use what you have and look ahead. All this leads to the finding of the holy grail. They eventually get their with the brotherhood and Elsa. After some trial and tribulation, Henry ends up getting shot. Indiana cures it by the water he drinks from the right cup. Lucas wrote this as a thrilling adventure. He would want their to be drastic explosions, cool special effects of the last crusade, and high speed boat chases. It is important to realize his use of objectivity to allow each character to suffer and overcome struggle in their own way. With the diary being the driving point of the story, the rest is an adventure to the grail. As you watch, you wonder. Where is the grail at? Will the diary solve the next clue? Will they get the diary back? Will the Nazi’s kill Indiana and Dr. Jones. While secretly she is working with the Nazi’s as an undercover personnel as she works Indiana’s weaknesses. Whether it is the sequence or the characters in a sequence, we see people changing as the plot changes too. It is important to see what is going on in Indiana’s head so that the audience will have an understanding of why he has made a decision and what he stands for. These sequences are important landmarks in the movie. They help establish genre, tone, character development, and plot details. I think that Indiana thrives in these sequences and learns from his mistakes. Indiana must overcome obstacles in order to better himself, to help his dad, and to come out victorious. Indiana Jones is the national hero of adventurous films.

These are the questions the audience asks ourselves while intently watching this film. Sequences like the library tombstone, the holy grail camouflaged bridge walk, and the opening sequence where young Indiana retrieves the cross from the thieves are all important to help drive the story forward. Of course all these sequences come with plenty of action, but its significance is outstanding. Indiana retrieves the stolen cross because it was the right thing to do. He said that it belonged in a museum. With this sequence we see Indiana stepping up from being a boy to a young man and stealing the cross from the thieves because it was the right thing to do. He was a hero, so he thought. By that situation though, we see Indiana as a good person. We see that he is more of the heroic good guy rather than an evil villain. With his instances with Elsa we see Indiana fall for her as she suckers him in to believing that she is innocent and doing the right thing.

George Lucas...

….is one of the most widely known directors in the world. Lucas started to gain prominence in the 1970s, with releases such as THX 1138, American Graffiti, and the ever-so-popular Star Wars trilogies. American Graffiti was Lucas’ first big success. It was released in 1973 and included up-and-coming actors, such as Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, and Lucas’ most recognizable talent: Harrison Ford. The film was made for under $1 million, yet it grossed over $50 million! Among its other accolades, American Graffiti was nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director. This was Lucas’ big break.

After the success of American Graffiti, Lucas began working on a space-fantasy story, called Star Wars. Initially, Lucas had trouble pitching the idea to major studios, but eventually, Star Wars was released in the summer of 1977. Filled with dynamic characters, fantastical landscapes, and groundbreaking special effects, Star Wars was an instant success! If American Graffiti didn’t get Lucas recognized, Star Wars definitely did, grossing over $500 million.

Since then, Lucas has released other episodes in his Star Wars saga, including The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Lucas also set-up two companies, his special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and also Skywalker Sound.

Taking the initiative to control all aspects of his films, Lucas began working on a new adventure series called Indiana Jones. Lucas calls upon Harrison Ford to star as Indiana Jones, who appears in all four installments of the series, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

After working on Jurassic Park with Steven Spielberg,a recent collaborator of Lucas’, Lucas was convinced that technology had finally caught up on the original concepts of Star Wars. Hence, he began working on the prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy.

After bouncing between Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and some other smaller projects, Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to the Walt Disney Company in late 2012 for millions.

After selling to Disney, Lucas announced his retirement from big-screen releases to focus more on independent films.

   

   

From creating a multi-million-dollar franchise to discovering technological advancements in special effects, Lucas has made his mark on American film history. Utilizing his basic independent filmmaking tools, Lucas was able to create imaginative worlds of complex and captivating characters in various exotic landscapes. Not only is he a director, but he is also a writer and producer, allowing himself to take control of all creative aspects of his imagination. ILM has advanced special effects over the past 30 years, providing visual effects for over 300 feature films. Companies also under Lucasfilm Ltd. include LucasArts, Lucasfilm Animation, Lucas Licensing, and more.

George Lucas has revolutionized the film industry. Although he is currently retired, all of the Lucasfilm companies have set the standard for visual effects and are heavily involved in the entertainment industry. Without George Lucas, independent filmmakers would not be allowed to create vivid stories from their imagination and have total control from from pre-production through post-production.

"George Lucas." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 15 2013, 08:55 http://www.biography.com/people/george-lucas-9388168.