THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702010089
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 101 lines
IT'S A LITTLE like going on a date with an old girlfriend. You had a good time with her 20 years ago, but will she still be fun? Will the two of you still get along?
Yes. A million times yes. As that John Williams' ``Star Wars'' theme booms through the theater with the power of a symphony orchestra from Valhalla, you can't help but get a little misty-eyed-nostalgic about the power of movies to make time stand still. We may have changed, but the movie is still the same, in spite of all the ``special edition'' talk which really has to do with the wrapping rather than the package inside.
When the lettering that introduces this tale of a galactic civil war rolls across the screen, there is a cheer across the land - and a possible phenomenon in the making. Initially, it was thought that the reissue of the Star Wars Trilogy was probably a publicity gimmick to get the faithful mingled with new converts in preparation for George Lucas' 1999 release of a new ``Star Wars'' film.
Lucas has already been to London to cast the new film (Part I in a proposed series of nine, of which ``Star Wars,'' ``The Empire Strikes Back'' and ``The Return of the Jedi'' are Parts IV, V, and VI). The long-awaited new film will focus upon the young Darth Vader, before he went over to the Dark Side. Move over Scarlett O'Hara - the plum movie role of the century is sneaking in just at the end of the 1900s.
But there's no quieting the ``Star Wars'' fans and they, apparently, are going to make what may have been a routine reissue into a true phenomenon. The studio is talking about a $100 million gross for the return of the three films. ``The Empire Strikes Back'' opens Feb. 21 and ``Return of the Jedi'' on March 7.
Most of all, the phenomenon, if it develops the way expected, is reassurance that there is a reason for movie theaters to exist. ``Star Wars,'' unlike other reissues, has been available on TV all along. The box office bonanza would prove, once and for all, that audiences appreciate the wide screen, the masterful sound system and, above all, the communal experience of seeing a film with other people. Check your theaters closely before buying a ticket for the ``Star Wars - Special Edition.'' Be sure the theater has digital sound and, preferably, the THX system. (A special preview at the Commodore Theater in Portsmouth revealed that this theater has a sound system that would be the envy of any theater in the country.)
As for the ``special edition'' aspect, it's merely an extra. If the film's momentum really works, you won't have time to notice the little ``extras'' that Lucas and buddies have spent $10 million in adding.
Just so you won't have to be distracted, here are a few that ARE noticeable:
The entry into Mos Eisley, the spaceport that Obi-Wan Kenobi calls a ``wretched hive of scum and villainy,'' has been greatly enhanced. The streets are populated with new creatures, droids and people. (The original film was done on a single street, and panty hose was stretched over the lenses to filter the blazing Tunisian sun).
Luke Skywalker's landspeeder now looks more as if it is actually floating. (The original film used Vaseline over the lenses to hide the landspeeder's wheels).
Jabba the Hutt, a major character in the latter two films, now moves on his own power. (In the original film, there was an actor inside, and he didn't move).
The Dewbacks, the beasts of burden in the Tatooine desert, now move. The final space battle is more sweeping. The grand finale, a royal celebration with Princess Leia honoring the pilots, now has many more (computer-generated) people.
But film stands on its own, and would have been fine just rereleased in its original version. (In fact, there are those of us who would prefer film classics not to be altered. Will they next add more people to the political rallies in ``Citizen Kane''?)
The real lure of ``Star Wars'' is still the story-telling. There's great rapport between feisty Princess Leia and Han Solo. ``I don't know who you are or where you came from, but, from now on, you'll follow my orders,'' she tells him. He replies derisively by calling her ``your highness.''
Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hammill look disarmingly young, but then so did we all. It's a little different watching the films now, when we know the familial surprises that come in later films, but knowing plot twists only allows us to look at it from a new perspective.
Perhaps ``Star Wars'' started the unfortunate trend of ``special effects'' warfare at the box office, but, nonetheless, it has a story, and distinctive characters, to drive it.
All this hoopla makes you feel a little as if an old college roommate had suddenly been named King of the World. No matter. ``Star Wars'' is still of its time, but deservedly expands to a new time.
By all means, see it, whether again or for the first time. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by LUCASFILM LTD
In ``Star Wars - The Special Edition,'' above, a storm trooper and a
beast of burden called a Dewlap have been added on the left-hand
side of the scene. In the original movie, left, they do not appear
in the shot.
MOVIE REVIEW
``Star Wars - The Special Edition''
Cast: Mark Hammill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
Director: George Lucas
Music: George Lucas
MPAA rating: PG (nothing objectionable)
Mal's rating: four stars
Locations: Theaters across Hampton Roads