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The film: Yes, there has been an enormous amount of anger over the fact that George Lucas has decided that it will be some time before the "Star Wars" movies are released to the DVD format. At this point, there really doesn't seem to be any way to convince Lucas to at least give us basic editions of the film first before he has time to work on the "special editions" that he wants. It all seems silly to me, taking the time to make these films technologically so advanced like "The Phantom Menace", then to release them on...VHS. Well, enough of that. I saw "The Stars Of Star Wars" online and decided to rent it. After watching a couple of "unauthorized" music documentaries lately, I wasn't expecting much from this unauthorized look at the "Star Wars" phenomenon, but was actually pleasantly suprised. Is it outstanding? No, but I was actually suprised at what the documentary was able to show, and the way that they went about presenting a look at both "The Phantom Menace" and the genre of science-fiction. We get plenty of shots of the giant lines that waited to see "Menace", as well as some interviews with those people who waited in line for ages. And unlike most unauthorized documentaries, this one actually has interviews with the cast of "Menace" such as Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson, as well as George Lucas. There's also some older interviews with the cast members from the original picture. During the coverage included of the premiere of "Phantom Menace", a lot of celebs give their thoughts on the series as well. The narration that accompanies a lot of the footage is very well-written as well. There are also looks at the marketing of "Star Wars", with an interview with a toy store owner who takes the viewer on a tour of some of the merchandise from the first film to the "Phantom Menace". He's a little goofy as a character, but it was interesting to see some of the first toys. There's also some interesting footage of the very earliest "special effects" that were produced, as well as early sci-fi, like "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rodgers". Whatever your feelings about the status of "Star Wars" not being on DVD(personally I think it's silly and there's no reason why these films can't come to DVD now in some form), I was actually rather suprised by how much I enjoyed this documentary. It's not something I'd watch over and over again, but renting it and watching it once, I found it informative and well-done. Grade:B- BACK TO THE SITE: Listing Of DVD Special Sales Back To A Guide To Current Film A List Of Current/Upcoming DVD For Sale |