11/7/09 Four types of Star Wars Stormtrooper action figures, sold on eBay for $6.39
I had to take a leap of faith today. With the final movie of the Star Wars saga cued up and ready to roll, I had this great set of four Stormtroopers ready to head out the door. They sold on eBay a few days ago, but I haven't received payment, yet. Nonetheless, my six-day Star Wars odyssey wouldn't come to a suitable conclusion unless I could downsize the action figures today. So, I mailed them out to Astoria, NY, confident that the guy who bought them will eventually cough up the cash.
I choose to believe in the basic goodness of human nature (A concept that is about to be reinforced by Darth Vader, himself.)
With that taken care of, we are ready to enjoy the grand finale.
Tonight's film:
Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Order in which it should be watched: Last
Why: It is the final chapter, after all. As an added bonus, although it was filmed a quarter century ago, most of the special effects hold up remarkably well.
Most memorable line: Obi-Wan: "What I told you was true, from a certain point of view."
Coolest moment: The last minute of Luke's battle with Vader. It's the best use of music in the original trilogy. (Honorable mention: The space battle around Death Star II. When the movie was released, nothing like that had ever been filmed before, and I'm pretty sure I peed my pants the first time I saw it.)
Funniest moment: As the Rebels try to fly past the new Death Star, Han tells Chewie to keep his distance without looking like he's keeping his distance. When Chewie barks a question, Han replies, "I don't know. Fly casual." Han gets all the best lines.
Best character: Luke. The farm boy finally gets tough, becomes a Jedi, redeems his father, and wisely decides to stop making out with his sister.
Thing that bothers me: The Rancor monster scene has the worst blue-screen effects of any Star Wars film. When Lucas released the updated Special Editions of the original trilogy, he cleaned up all kinds of mistakes, but he didn't do anything about this. It's like he felt the need to revert to Clash of the Titans technology for this one scene. Very annoying.
Who loses their arm/hand: Darth Vader. For the record, this is the THIRD time Anakin Skywalker gets his hand cut off. When will they figure out that it doesn't work -- he just keeps getting new ones.
Who says, "I've got a bad feeling about this": C-3PO and Han. (Han and Obi-Wan both get to say it twice over the course of the six movies. Like I said, Han gets all the best lines.)
What the film teaches us: In the end, Good triumphs over Evil.
Final thought: We all have things that help define us. For me, one of those is Star Wars. Anyone who knows me well connects me to those movies, and I am proud of that.
Editor's Note: Minutes after posting this, I got an email saying that the guy who bought the Stormtroopers had sent his payment. See, you gotta have faith in the basic goodness of human nature.
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