Star Wars Original Trilogy | Weekly Recap 7

Hello there, and welcome to Weekly Recap, episode 7! Yes yes, shame on me for reusing the same meme as last week for the intro, but as you probably could have guessed, we have some more Star Wars to get through today. Though temper your expectations, because I’ll be dishing out a lot of contrarianism in this episode.

Right, might as well get the ‘lesser’ films out of the way first. This first entry is actually one of my mandatory films that I have to watch for my film course. Now, I can’t remember the last time I liked a film that my university told me to study, so obviously this one has continued the trend. Shirkers is a documentary about the theft of Sandi Tan’s first film, which at face value certainly intrigues. I like it when films use the medium to explore itself, but Tan ruins any attraction I may have had to the premise by making it all about her from the get go. Her self-centredness made for a very aggravating experience, and anyway it was profoundly boring since it took most of its runtime to even touch on the actual theft. A complete waste of potential, and even bigger waste of time. 

Shirkers: https://boxd.it/1Ce6DV ⭐⭐

Oh dear, as if things couldn’t get any worse, here comes a film that is currently at a 4.3 on Letterboxd. Why am I scared of such a highly rated film? Because I hated it of course! La Haine is an absolute nightmare, and not in the stylistic manner that many have praised it for crafting. I’ve already said that I don’t like meandering films; I’ve also said that I like it when a film has a plot to give the film some forward momentum – in fact, in most cases, I require it. But this just had nothing. It really doesn’t matter that so many praise it for its harrowing build-up of tension, because when there’s no structure to the film, then any emotion it tries to elicit from within me is solely going to be spite. I’m not even going to mention the pointless use of black and white, which once again is used purely for cheap artistic points… oh, I guess I did mention it after all. But yes, I find the visuals detestable, since I hate it when a film voluntarily sacrifices the beauty of colour when the genre doesn’t call for it, as it’s the most artistically bankrupt cover-up of a lack of talent. 

La Haine: https://boxd.it/1CBmtj ⭐

Ok ok, I think that’s enough venting for one episode. Allow me to relax us with a small feel good movie. And what better way to do so than by bombarding you with even more chess. Searching for Bobby Fischer isn’t about searching for the actual world champion, but rather gives an intimate look at Josh Waitzkin’s innate love for the game. Although the drama could be rather contrived at times, a lot of good messages and engaging characters rise out from within this competent screenplay. And of course, I will always love seeing chess on screen (even if the constant continuity errors were painfully funny), presented with great editing to make the rivalry exciting. 

Searching For Bobby Fischer: https://boxd.it/1CUv4F ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now to wrap up this episode, concluding my rewatch of Star Wars is the original trilogy. Yes, you heard me right, concluding – as in, I highly doubt I’ll bother going through the sequels again any time soon. Still, you’ll be pleased to know that A New Hope is as timeless as ever. Definitely my second favourite Star Wars film, and coincidentally also my most rewatched one. The plot is amusingly basic, yet it is this simplicity that makes the adventure so much fun, as it allows the characters to shine through in all their endearing dynamism. Thrilling, spectacular and whimsically hopeful, this movie is pure joy from start to finish. 

It’s a shame, then, that I don’t feel the same way about Empire Strikes Back. The fantastic characters and fascinating mythos are certainly still there, but the lack of plot causes me to feel detached from the events that transpire. A New Hope may have had a simple plot, but it still had one to give the characters something to go towards and thus give the film a steady pace; Empire Strikes Back presents no goal other than a vague motivation to not get captured, which causes the whole ordeal to feel drawn out and pointless. Rarely do meandering films grip me, and this certainly isn’t one of the lucky few. Even so, I do love a lot it has to offer, most notably from its brilliant technical accomplishments. The scale achieved with these two films has always imbued me with awe, and while the prequels remain closest to my heart, I still adore how episodes 4 & 5 pioneered special effects to usher in a new era of filmmaking. 

However, the same cannot be said of Return of the Jedi. Visually, this film has regressed an embarrassing amount. That is probably the closest thing I have to a compliment for this film. Now, that isn’t to say anything in this film is particularly atrocious either, as the film is just frustratingly mediocre. If I have gripes with Empire Strikes Back not having a plot, then Return of the Jedi truly offends me with the fact that it doesn’t even have a narrative structure. This film is just one long, boring 3rd act, with the most excitement (if it could be called that) coming from its prologue. I may have felt like the prior film was heading in a direction that I didn’t particularly connect with well, but at least it was attempting to walk forward; this one seems to immediately break out into a backwards sprint, so it’s hardly a surprise when it trips over its feet and falls sprawled over the floor. This was a really disappointing conclusion, so I have no clue why Disney was obsessed with milking this formula when it was evidently never the plot that made this trilogy the classics that they are widely recognised as being. 

Star Wars - Original Trilogy
A New Hope: https://boxd.it/1Cwyt1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Empire Strikes Back: https://boxd.it/1CE13b ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Return of the Jedi: https://boxd.it/1CM4m7 ⭐⭐