Why the Force is still with him

For those who never tossed out their toy light saber or put a stuffed Yoda in a yard sale, May 19 is a red-letter day.

Thursday's release of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" marks the onscreen arrival of pop culture's most familiar villain, Darth Vader, at the same time as it formally drops the curtain on the "Star Wars" feature-film franchise that began in 1977. The final installment of the six-part saga, which began with episodes IV to VI and then continued with two prequels, links two generations of Skywalkers, Jedis, and a host of other familiar figures such as the Wookies.

The sheer size and longevity of director George Lucas's vision alone rank "Star Wars" as unique in movie history. To date, the franchise has grossed nearly $3.5 billion worldwide at the box office. But the impact of Lucas's story about a distant galaxy of princesses, knights, and evil lords cannot be measured solely in monetary terms. Even the (numerous) critics of the series acknowledge that "Star Wars" has redefined entertainment with an impact as keenly felt today as when it debuted back in the era when John Travolta was king of the disco floor.

"'Star Wars' legacy is almost too extensive to grasp," says Richard Dorment, editor at Giant Magazine, which covers popular culture. "It ushered in a new age of special effects and digital sorcery that brought moviegoers to theaters in droves."

During the '70s, films took on a grittier, harder-edged realism that often featured complex antiheroes. With Lucas's vision, Mr. Dorment says, "audiences saw an out-of-this-world creation that was unlike anything anyone had ever seen."

Lucas reintroduced broadly drawn myths into the public consciousness with a focus on good versus evil and unambiguous heroes. It's a mark of the film's prominence that even politicians tried to tap into "the Force."

"When President Reagan branded the Soviet Union an 'evil empire,' I don't believe his word choice was coincidental," says Dorment. "For most Americans, 'empire' had no context outside of 'Star Wars' and it helped cast the cold war in terms that young people could understand."

To some, the films are guilty of recycling a watered-down version of the same subjects one finds in, say, The Iliad. But this "dumbing down" of literature's great themes has been a double edged, well, light saber for the world of sci-fi, says Bob Madison, president of Dinoship, a science-fiction publishing house. "It's been good in that science-fiction films were finally made respectable, to a degree," he says. "But bad, because it turned science-fiction films into popcorn movies for adolescents."

Ever since "Star Wars" pioneered the blockbuster - big box-office movies dominated by special effects - Hollywood has built its business on "event" pictures. That's led the industry down a perilous path to the dark side of modern consumerism, says Mr. Madison. "It's in this respect that 'Star Wars' has probably had the most influence over American moviemaking," he says. "Films are now package deals, involving restaurant tie-ins, toys figurines, and knickknacks. It's almost as if the film is an afterthought."

Page: 1 | 2 | 3