Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
dir. George Lucas (2005)
A well-paced, thrumming conclusion, albeit Padmé is cruelly reduced from strong female protagonist to mawkish fridging victim. Anakin’s movie-long capitulation to the Dark Side, meanwhile, proves nigh as perfunctory as Darth Vader’s eventual redemption. Ian McDiarmid’s insidious/gloriously unhinged Palpatine steals the show.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
dir. George Lucas (1999)
This has the makings of a good film. Neeson is excellent. Portman and McGregor bring class (even if underused). But Palpatine’s machinations contribute nothing immediate, Lucas draws a grating correlation between accent and intelligence, and Darth Maul dies an unforgivably insipid death.
Star Wars
dir. George Lucas (1977)
Objectively not as good as nostalgia would suggest, but still a trailblazing masterpiece. Star Wars is oddly paced, surprisingly dark, yet also straightforward (a forgotten virtue) and packed with character humour. A dramatic and action-packed audio/visual extravaganza, perfectly cast and eminently quotable.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
dir. George Lucas (2002)
A terribly paced film, the plot a shambling hodgepodge of obscure political machinations, forced-peril action scenes too cluttered to offer any real tension, and through Padmé and Anakin perhaps the least convincing romance in the history of cinema. Visually slick, but soulless.
Star Wars and History
ed. Nancy R. Reagin & Janice Liedl (Wiley, 2012)
This collection of academic articles, ostensibly undertaken in close collaboration with George Lucas, purports to show the manner and extent to which Star Wars draws on real history. In truth it clutches at loose parallels, showing little or no evidence of causation.
Howard the Duck
dir. Willard Huyck (Lucasfilm, 1986)
Though not the outright flop of lore, this hand-me-down from George Lucas’ Star Wars clique prevaricates disastrously between child-orientated performances and inexplicably adult humour. It remains a must-see film, however, if only for Jeffrey Jones as a demonically possessed Ed Rooney cross-pollination.