Act Two In The Art Of Entertainment  The Search For Skywalker.

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2003)

This movie achieved an extremely rare accomplishment in cinematic history  the sequel surpassed the original in all departments. Other examples of this are The Godfather' and The Terminator'. Star Wars' and Godfather' were the next chapter in a trilogy and thus were the continuing story rather than the beefing up of an original high concept movie conceived with the sole objective of cashing in on the appeal of the original. The Terminator' was not planned as a trilogy, but rose above the production company cash in norm by delivering a developed story and limiting action sequences to fall into the context of the story. These movies indicate to us that good stories are fundamental to the long  term audience acceptance. Lucas certainly had this in mind.
The composition of the next chapter requires character development. Of importance here is ensuring the characters have changed as a consequence of their previous experiences. This not only creates audience interest for the audience, but also offers opportunities for challenging adventures for our heroes.
The best example of this is Skywalker. The realisation of his power has given him a sense of purpose and he relishes the opportunity to learn. He retains his youthful enthusiasm and spirit of adventure. Although feeling a high sense of duty, he still has concern for his friends and rushes to their aid. His development as a Jedi Knight has alerted the Empire to the threat that he poses. Vader has relentlessly pursued him and taking advantage of his commitment to his friends, finally manages to lure him into a showdown. This of course led to the memorable scene where Vader reveals his true identity.
This set the stage for an engaging conflict in the next chapter. The story can now flow seamlessly thus maintaining the captivated audience. Conflict is what gives impetus to the story and it must be plausible so as to maintain the credibility of the story. It is the prime character driver and as our characters develop, so the conflict becomes greater further motivating them towards resolution. There is no greater emotive conflict than that of father and son on opposing sides of the battlefield. It would be natural for audiences to identify with this. This served to create a solid platform for mass audience appeal.
The relationship between Ford and Fisher had grown. Their differences in character had endeared them to each other. The conflict between the two was riddled with weak lines that at times were silly but which probably helped to inspire giggles from the younger members off the audience. It was designed to indicate innocent love. Given the huge success of this movie, the lines would not have gone to waste. Ford was well cast for the role. He is a watered down Clint Eastwood doing it his own way, but as a team player with a strong sense of moral commitment to his friends, much unlike Eastwood who is a loner lacking commitment and with lewd sexual fantasies. Although his character needed to go, the natural family values of Ford seeped into his character. He was not the gunman, but the man fighting for the survival of his family.
The acting was the single biggest improvement. Much of this can be credited to the new director. Lucas is a writer by nature and the reticence inherent in a writer may not translate well to that of the director who needs to be outwardly expressive. The most visible improvement for me was that there was a greater menace about Vader. I believe that this was due his less animated style. He was more methodical in method somewhat like a cold assassin. He did not expend unnecessary energy as he ruthlessly hunted down Skywalker. This improvement to the character augmented the dark feel of the movie.
Also worthy of special mention was Hamill. Gone were the false facial mannerisms and now we have a performance showing the inner turmoil and conflict. Hamill, with a little help from the director, was growing in stature. The lack of restraint was not evident here as it was in the first one. This was a necessary progression since the character was faced with greater personal conflict and without the restraint we would have had a hammed up offering.
An obligatory requirement for sequels is that our heroes encounter different characters on their adventures. This can be a most difficult task, especially when the first chapter was a great success. The idea is to introduce new characters to the audience which would spark new interest as well as being within the context of the story. The new characters of note were the Bounty Hunter and Yoda.
The Bounty Hunter blended into the story since he compared well with Vader. This was by no means indicative of a lack of creativity, but was in fact the perfect addition. A character was created that inspired interest, but retained the continuity of the story since he was instantly recognisable as someone who could be in allegiance with the Dark Side. The retention of the story continuity and the addition of originality required inspired creativity.
He was human only in shape. We could not see any part of his body thus limiting his identification as an emotional being that could be reasoned with. He was the manifestation of a cold  blooded killer. Although lacking the over  bearing presence of Vader, he was an ominous foe. Characters such as these do not have much screen time. The more we know about our foes, the less of a threat they are. Notwithstanding this fact, he is one of the more memorable characters.
In the battle between good and evil, Yoda was the wizard preparing the knight for the duel. He had the characteristics necessary of someone on the side of the good. His animated mannerisms and comical features endeared him to the younger audience and his grim warnings about the power of the Dark Side enthused entertainment for the rest. Guinness had a small part to play in this chapter and Yoda was his replacement, thus evidencing the continuity and originality previously mentioned.
The assault launched on the imagination by the original had now been intensified with advanced weaponry. Improvements to the armoury were more emotive content within the acting; new characters which added value to the battlefield and of course the then spectacular special effects. Of particular note is the twist in the plot where the true identity of Skywalker's father is revealed to him. This jolt was not enough to awaken us from our trance  like state of hyper  imagination. The Star Wars' machine rolled on ever conquering, enslaving audiences worldwide who readily accepted their subservience. The stage was graced with a story rich in design and complemented with vivid images. The wait for the next chapter would be a long one.