The stormtroopers do not know the weekend Now it is difficult to believe that once fiction was considered a second-rate genre, attracting under its banners only eccentric marginals who want to stand out against the background of venerable dramatic directors crazy extravaganza. These days, the unforgettable classics of the genre are considered only single projects like “Star Trek” and “Space Odyssey 2001”, released in the 60s. All the other films of that period are mainly interested in researchers of cinematic art and are of little interest to the mass audience. The once entertaining adventures of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers became critically outdated a few years after their premiere, and other fantastic adventures did not enjoy special honor among the public, as they were filmed for mere pennies and were disappointing crafts that did not even have the slightest hint of realism. After studying the best and worst of past entertainment cinema, director George Lucas has created his own unique world, located in a galaxy far, far away and little like anything that was known before. Rejecting primitive technologies that move spaceships on strings along hastily assembled miniature sets, Lucas made a real technological revolution, changing cinema for the better. After the release of "Star Wars" it became clear that the era of a new movie: large-scale, spectacular and believable. There was no longer any doubt that intelligent life can live in distant distances, and flights to interstellar space are not the pipe dreams of enthusiastic science fiction writers. Framed with incredible special effects, an attractive adventure plot with a multi-layered, all-encompassing mythology, Lucas finally conquered the audience, forcing every viewer to awaken a piece of the Great Force. At the same time, in the original “Star Wars” was used only a small fraction of all the ideas of the Director and he eagerly began to expand his brainchild in the subsequent full-length sequels, comics, books and computer games.
Audiences around the world have watched and revisited the Trilogy, which began in 1977 and ended in 1983. The Rebel Alliance's breathtaking standoff with the Galactic Empire has divided viewers into two camps. The first was devoted to the ideals of democracy represented by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The second was not averse to joining the Empire, speaking side by side with the sinister Sith Lord Darth Vader. And it is worth admitting that in the heart of many fans of the fantastic Saga, including loyal followers of the Light Side, would dream of getting all the power of the Empire in their hands, because it is so attractive and unquestioning that it beats the heart of any viewer at all. The end of the sixth episode of Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, put an end to the long Civil War, showing that sooner or later the Dark Forces had to lose, but the followers of the Empire did not push this circumstance away, but even on the contrary gave enthusiasm, because the story told by Lucas could not end with the explosion of the second Death Star. Too many questions left in the original trilogy, as well as opportunities to continue the Saga in a variety of ways.
The release of The Hidden Threat in 1999 showed us the birth of the great plan of the future Emperor Palpatine for the overthrow of the Old Republic and the emergence of a despotic regime led by the Sith. Finally, viewers learned what was happening in the Star Wars Galaxy long before the Battle of Yavin and how Anakin Skywalker, a bright boy, entered the service of the Jedi. The tape showed us the inner secrets of the Jedi Order, introduced the best knights in active action, but without gradually approaching darkness still did not do. She inexorably follows the development of the plot, hinting that the lingering calm is just an illusion preparing to collapse at any moment. The shadows of the Empire showed their nightmarish appearance in all their glory with the premiere of Attack of the Clones, which showed us how Palpatine got at his disposal an army of future stormtroopers. The epilogue of the life of the Old Republic was the notorious Order 66 given by the Emperor in Revenge of the Sith, which brings the history of the Galaxy to the dark years of hopeless darkness.
The extraordinary decision of George Lucas to end Star Wars with a prequel trilogy led to the fact that, according to the chronology of the release of the films, the Sith won a crushing victory over the Jedi. And this circumstance could not pass by the admirers of the Empire, who received a reason for another holiday. “Revenge of the Sith” ended with footage of the construction of the “Death Star” and the flight of the last henchmen of the Republic, forced to go into deep underground. The Empire is once again bathing in glory, which means that Star Wars has once again approached the time period of the Civil War, in which you can hear the favorite roar of DI fighter engines and the unforgettable breath of Darth Vader. Shortly before the premiere of the last film of the Prequel Trilogy, many enthusiasts volunteered to stage their own independent films related to the themes of Star Wars and the Palpatine Empire in particular. Most of them were presented to the public before the premiere of “Revenge of the Sith”, not excluding “Star Wars: Episode IV.V: The Unknown Discovery”, a funny adventure craft of Russell Johnson, who has trembling feelings for everything related to stormtroopers. A short amateur tape brought us back to the times of the events of the very first part of Star Wars, kind of connecting the two Trilogies into a single whole.
As for the plot of the film, it introduces us to two inseparable comrades-stormers in the person of TK 221 (Mat Reni) and TK 212 (Joshua Bentley). While Grand Moff Tarkin tries in vain to find out where exactly the stolen plans of the Death Star are located from Princess Leia, directing a huge space station to the home planet of the rebel leader, the stormtroopers conduct their own investigations and track down enemy scouts involved in stealing the ill-fated plans. Breaking away from his native detachment, the heroes unceremoniously conduct their investigations, hinting to opponents that the will of the Empire is unquestionable. With each passing minute, they are closer to the goal, but to break the rebels is not so easy. But no one said you can’t enjoy your actions. So there is no doubt that the TK 221 and TK 212 will leave a long memory and fame of stormtroopers, never departing from their plans.
Shooting the tape in ironic tones, Russell Johnson managed to properly laugh at the foundations of the beloved Empire, but did not reduce history to outright madness. Star Wars: Episode IV.V: The Unknown Discovery boasts a thoughtful plot, funny dialogue and appropriate humor, referring to the viewer not only to Star Wars, but also other entertaining projects like Napoleon Dynamite. Some scenes are full of direct references to “Pulp Fiction” and many other criminal fighters, presented through the prism of comedy. It is also worth noting quite tolerable computer graphics with the help of which the creators of the short film recreated the most ambitious scenes including the Death Star slowly floating in space.
In the end, I want to say that Star Wars: Episode IV.V: The Unknown Discovery is a cute, slightly naive entertainment that all fans of the Dark Side should definitely watch.
7 out of 10