Celebration with tears on the eyes It’s always hard to say goodbye to a story that has caused a storm of positive emotions. The final episodes of each of the Star Wars Trilogies, which can be characterized as a holiday with tears in your eyes, were no exception. But in 1977, few expected that the space adventure of George Lucas will be such a large-scale event, capable of changing the world in general and cinema in particular. The extraordinary story of the Great Force, the all-encompassing energy field that unites all aspects of life in a galaxy far, far away, seemed at first something completely indigestible. Lucas decided to release “Star Wars” in an era when the fabulous fantasy, requiring considerable financial costs, was not in honor. Cinema is stuck in a gray reality, refusing to give the public hope for a cloudless future, but George Lucas never adjusted to reality, trying to convey his ideas to as many viewers as possible. Released in May 1977, "Star Wars" gave rise to genuine hysteria. A desert planet with many alien inhabitants, triangular spaceships, deadly lasers and a giant station capable of destroying worlds in the blink of an eye were a genuine shock in the positive sense of the word. Viewers believed in the reality of flights to distant stars and finally were able to imagine what possible guests from other galaxies look like. The grand success of the debut film spawned a natural sequel, and it was followed by the final part of the Original trilogy, Return of the Jedi. The excitement before the release of the final part of the confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is difficult to describe in words. Viewers around the world lined up, wanting to be the first to watch the Sixth episode, along the way sad that “Star Wars” is not yet back in the dark halls of cinemas.
A similar situation was repeated two decades later, when George Lucas returned to the big movies with the Prequel Trilogy. The festival with lightsabers and lightning of the Force, which had been waiting for an eternity, ended too quickly. Before we had time to get used to the young Anakin Skywalker and the charming Padma Amidala, it was time to say goodbye to them forever. Fans of “Star Wars” despite the share of criticism towards Lucas and his ideas regarding prequels, for the most part reacted favorably to the expansion of the beloved Universe, continuing to honor the precepts of older comrades, at the turn of the 70s and 80s of the last century, lining up at the box office of cinemas a few weeks before the premiere, in order to spend this time in company with like-minded people, discussing the details of the future Episode. In the case of Revenge of the Sith, the number of spectators who formed a kind of tent cities on the streets, broke all possible records. No matter what you say about the prequels, they not only preserved, but even multiplied the spirit of adventure that originated in “New Hope”. No other film in history could boast such an impressive influence on the audience, and this can not be attributed to the negative features of “Star Wars”. On the contrary, they rallied around themselves a huge number of people who became a family.
About the George Lucas Saga was filmed many documentaries with the participation of professional filmmakers. Scientists, journalists and art historians have always paid tribute to Star Wars, trying to reveal the nuances of all Episodes and find hidden and explicit ideas in them, laid by Lucas while writing the script. “Dream Empire” and many other wonderful documentary films that bring us closer to a true understanding of the essence of “Star Wars” had considerable information potential. The movement of fans lining up in line for tickets is also not left out. Knowledgeable viewers can count at least a few interesting documentaries on this topic, but no less attention deserves a charming craft Wes Kellyson called “Star Wars Episode Awesome the Fantom Excursion”. Being a true fan of Star Wars, the independent amateur director gathered around him the same enthusiastic guys and shot a comedy film about how a company of friends goes on a big trip to the cinema shortly before the premiere of the Third episode. In fact, this is the first film of its kind to describe such a story. A few years after Star Wars Episode Awesome the Fantom Excursion, a picture with similar introductory data, called Fans, was released, but it is always more interesting to go back in time and find out what was invented by fans for direct acquaintance with the same fans.
So, the plot of the film introduces us to Aaron (Aaron Daniels). The guy from an early age was fond of Star Wars, and when they returned to the screens, he considered it an honor to be one of the first to appreciate the new creations of George Lucas. Over the years, Aaron has not lost his former fervor, counting down the hours to the premiere of the coveted “Revenge of the Sith”, promising to be the last episode of the great Saga. Having talked with his beloved girl and received permission from her for the last Galactic trek, the hero went to collect an old company of friends in the person of Chris (Chris Goldsberry), Wes Solo (director Wes Kellyson himself) and Marky (Mark Nehrenz) and with them made a long way from one house to another, acting out scenes from Star Wars with the same fans of the Saga as he, gradually approaching the cinema, where the story of the Sith and Jedi, written by George Lucas, will end.
It’s fair to say that Star Wars Episode Awesome the Fantom Excursion doesn’t have much to offer. In fact, these are collected sketches from the lives of fans who gather in small groups to discuss the upcoming film and fool around in front of the camera, demonstrating handmade costumes and an excellent sense of humor. The main characters of the film meet a lot of interesting personalities on their way, and all of them are not averse to talking about the galaxy far, far away. It is also worth noting that the main focus of fans of “Star Wars” according to Wes Kellyson do the Original trilogy, because it all began with it. At the same time, the prequels did not lack due attention, demonstrating their unsurpassed strengths - the choreography of lightsaber fights, colorful images and magnificent music of John Williams, who managed to surpass himself and create a soundtrack that can be listened to for hours.
“Star Wars Episode Awesome the Fantom Excursion” is a funny comic sketch, primarily intended for fans of “Star Wars”. Other viewers may not appreciate the efforts of Wes Kellyson and the company, because there is too much thematic humor and references, understandable to those who know what midichlorians are and how Darth Sidious is associated with Chancellor Palpatine. And yet, despite the narrow focus of the film, if desired, it can be appreciated even by an audience that is only superficially familiar with Star Wars. Sometimes it is such projects as “Star Wars Episode Awesome the Fantom Excursion” that can unite viewers of a variety of preferences.
6 out of 10