4 DVD boxset. pub: 20th Century Fox 27233HMVDVD. Price: £45.00 (UK) but prices vary so shop around for the best deal. Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and loads of other fine actors.

check out website: www.starwars.com


Firstly, if you've got any sense of cinematic SF history, you will no doubt have some version of the 'Star Wars' films in your collection. The three versions here are the ones that producer/director George Lucas is most happy with, declaring in the voice-over commentaries that it was largely lack of budget that he was compensating for with some of the finer details of the first film, 'A New Hope', with the revisions backing this up with little was done to 'Return Of The Jedi' as it had most of the things he wanted in it. If nothing else, it's a demonstration of he who runs the budget strings controls what you see on the screen. Back in the mid-70s, 'Star Wars' was considered as a film not likely to make money and all thanks to executive head, Alan Ladd, Jr, for getting the pot rolling. While we're on the commentaries, one thing I did have wry amusement over was George Lucas saying that it took two years to sort out writing the screen draft, something that a seasoned SF writer would probably have sorted out in a fraction of the time comparatively and without having to rely on Joseph Campbell's character theories.

For those not in the know, these three 'Star Wars' films constitute the middle of a story where a rebellion against an evil empire is underway in a galaxy far, far away. In 'A New Hope', the Empire have a Deathstar - a planet destroying weapon and won't hesitate in using it to bring the rebellion down. The rebels have the plans for this weapon when Princess Leia Organa's ship is attacked and she sends two droids, R2-D2 and C-P30, down to a nearby planet to locate Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to ensure the plans are taken to the right people. Things don't go quite to plan when the droids are sold on but fall into the hands of Luke Skywalker's uncle before completing their task and locating Kenobi. They later leave the planet with smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca only to find the planet they were to visit destroyed, discover the weapon and rescue Leia and destroy the Deathstar. Into this mix is also Darth Vader, the Emperor's henchman, determined but failing to stop all this happening.

Things change in 'The Empire Strikes Back', with the rebels on the run and Luke Skywalker discovering how to use the Force, psionic abilities in simpler terms, under the tutorage of old Jedi Master, Yoda. With the other lead characters captured by Darth Vader and Solo entombed in carbon, Skywalker's rescue attempt is really minimal considering that he was the original target.

The third film, 'Return Of The Jedi', covers Solo's rescue and a final effort to rid the galaxy of a second Deathstar and Skywalker's attempt to bring Darth Vader over to his side. Into this mix, is an attack on a forest planet infested with primitive hairy Ewoks to turn off the force field generator protecting the Deathstar as it is being built. The Emperor is on hand to see everything goes to his wishes as well.

All good-rollicking fun. Together with these 3 DVDs is a fourth covering the making of these films and loads of little specialist subjects that should keep most 'Star Wars' fans happy for days on end. If I have to be critical of anything here, then it has to do with the scrappy art used to decorate the mini-booklets. There has been a great deal of Star Wars art in the past quarter of a century and you'd have thought more would have been done with that here than this.

Of course, there could have been more in terms of actors participation. Carrie Fisher's additions to the voice-overs don't really add as much to Lucus or Butt, the sound effects specialist who demonstrates how his work brought the effects to life, as I would have liked. I was also kinda taken back by her remarks that she didn't like doing the more violent aspects of the film. I'm sure had Alec Guiness been alive today, he would have taken Fisher to one side and reminded her that this is all part of acting a part not related to one's self or ideals.

Hopefully, this will remain the definitive versions of all three films now but would still recommend you not selling on your video versions lest they go up in value. The only major criticism I can really make is why was such crummy art used to decorate the interior DVD box covers. I've seen a lot of Star Wars art over the years and this is hardly something that should stand next to the works of the Hildebrandt brothers or Ralph McQuarry let alone some of the other fine art around. Then again, you're buying this box set to witch the films, so you can avoid such things.

GF Willmetts