--by Claire Basney
Whether you are a Star Wars die-hard who viewed the new improved version the minute it hit the silver screen, or an ignoramus who says Star Trek when you mean Star Wars, you have probably heard of The Force.
Star Wars seems to be a simple good against evil plot. The evil character sweeps around in a skull-mask and six-foot cape endlessly repeating "If you only knew the POWER of the Dark Side;" or if they are monstrously misshapen and surrounded by dancing girls and bounty hunters.
Good characters are cute and dress either in all black or all white and are followed by talkative droids, warlike teddy bears, and elfin green Jedi masters. The distinction seems not to be much more complex.
In English professor Roy Anker’s opinion, this is the picture of Star Wars presented by many journalists and critics. In his review of Star Wars, Anker wrote that the trilogy is dismissed as "mindless kid’s stuff," a fairy-tale, worthy of no more attention.
Whether worthy of attention or not, more and more people are buying into this age-old "fairy-tale." Hollywood and George Lucas are expanding their profits by releasing and rereleasing the movies and by sticking in all the previously cut scenes to give the public the incentive to come yet again.
Already three more flicks are in the works. These will expand the legend, showing the pre-Star Wars shows with Luke scuffing around in the sand on his home planet.
And so, we ask ourselves, what about this simple story of good and evil is appealing?
Scott Pullman, a die-hard who saw the new release on the day it came out, said, "Star Wars is more a movie for enjoyment than philosophy." He explained the types of movies he generally is attracted to: "I enjoy both movies that don’t require thinking because they’re relaxing, and I enjoy movies that increase your thinking skills."
He places Star Wars firmly in the former category. However, Pullman mitigates his comment, saying that while "watching [all three movies] in succession you can’t help but think philosophically."
Professor Roy Anker seems to agree whole-heartedly with Pullman’s mitigation. He labeled the distinctions between good and evil as simple, yet profound.
Anker likens the saga to a parable: "Jesus’s statements are very simply put."
Going one step further, Anker calls Star Wars "a Christian fable, made so by the language of the film, the film’s understanding of the Force, and the narrative structure that culminates in redemption and recreation."
Darth Vader’s escape from the Dark Side and his willingness to die for his son is the symbol of Christian salvation, "the perfect image of Christian restoration."
In regard to the popularity of the victory of the good, Anker commented, "Most people...look for some hope because they are aware of the fact that the world is a dark place. People don’t go to movies to be depressed."
Cathy Koning said the movie’s treatment of good and evil is "simple, yet deep," appealing to a wide audience. To Koning, Star Wars is "simple but makes a deeper point than just what the simple plot portrayed."
"Anything that deals with people’s choices between good and evil [is deep], but [it] all comes back to the big battle--getting rid of the bad guy," she said.
May the (simple, deep) Force be with you...always.