Star Wars Day!

Day!

I have been so busy these past few weeks, I forgot about May 4th as the coolest time for sci-fi geeks around the world. Today is Star Wars Day, the day is celebrated for what a great cultural phenomenon one idea in celluloid has become. 

Why is it today though? Well not typically cause the first Star Wars movie came out on May 4th, but because the most famous Star Wars line; 'May the Force be with you' became the pun; 'May the fourth be with you'. 

This is a special year to celebrate for Star Wars, since news has arrived that we will be getting one Star Wars movie each year from 2015 onwards. I know how high anticipation was for Phantom Menace among older fans, but I trust JJ Abrams to do his best alongside Disney.

I'll be honest, I am 20 so I was never there for the heyday of the original films. I did though watch all three the day before the release of Phantom Menace in a TV Marathon, I was a wee young lad but in love with the films especially Return of A Jedi (come on, Ewoks!).

When I watched Phantom Menace, I was thrilled. My love for the noble heroic characters (like knights of old) made me cry when I saw Vader smite down Obi-Wan. Thus watching Kenobi as a young adult in his adventures thrilled me, Ewan McGregor became a favorite even though I had no idea of any other movies he'd been in or how to pronounce the name. 

I liked Phantom Menace then, I can still watch it now. Obviously with age and my love for movies plus the outdated CGI, I saw why people hated Episode I and the follow ups. Still apart from some of the acting, the prequels have its own merits; better action and spectacle. 

I adore the originals, growing up watching Bollywood movies, my biggest exposure to the western side of film was with Pixar/Disney movies. Star Wars was one of the few adventures I had that could be cherished, especially since other English and even some Hindi movies had oodles of serious and smart drama.

Not that Star Wars didn't, but it was all about being in space for me. Here's a look at my picks of Star Wars favorites;

Favorite Character: Obi Wan Kenobi

Favorite Moment: 'Emperor's arrival' in Return of The Jedi, Seeing the Emperor live (or as live as he can get on screen) was a scene to witness. Having scene the powerful, merciless and menacing Vader chop of his son's hand, it was a shock to see him bow to the Emperor. This just elevated the Emperor as a much evil and powerful being.

Favorite Quote: "You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"-Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

A quote that was delivered really dramatically in heat of the most awesome lightsaber duel among the six Star Wars films. Unfortunately offset by Hayden Christensen's (Anakin Skywalker) poor dialogue delivery.

Ranking Movies in Terms of Favorite: 

1. Star Wars/New Hope-The original mixes the high adventure and fun from Return of the Jedi while also included the dramatic poignancy of the second installment.

2. Return of The Jedi-This one had re-watch value for me through the early 2000's and was fun cause of the Ewoks. I still like it more than Empire, which is blasphemous so sue me.

3. Empire Strikes Back-No doubt the best off the lot, but Return and New Hope have nostalgia attached to it. Even if I watched them just over a decade ago and together. Seriously, as a child, Empire wasn't attractive.

4. Revenge of the Sith-A prequel I wouldn't mind going to the theater for again, not to mention shelling 3D price money. Bar the acting at times, this one enchanted me.

5. Phantom Menace-Come on, Darth Maul and Liam Neeson being bad-ass before he was bad-ass.

6. Attack of The Clones-Never understood it and it was too boring.

Ranking Movie in Terms of Best:

1. Empire Strikes Back-Definitely the best of the six. Empire included really dramatic value and added depth to this lovable crew of Jedi, Princess, Robots, Fuzziness and bad-ass alike. It gave us Yoda, also the biggest reveal in the history of cinema. 

2. Star Wars/New Hope-The original that began everything

3. Revenge of the Sith-A spectacle of how far Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic had come since the first film.

4. Return of the Jedi-It has lost value over time, cutting/changing scenes has made this a tainted part of Lucas's legacy. Surprisingly some fans hate Ewoks!

5. Attack of The Clones/Phantom Menace-Both were boring with their own issues. How guys hate Jar-Jar so much yet don't mind C3PO is beyond me.

So anyways; Happy Star Wars Day! 

and...

 

 

Aneesh Raikundalia