1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Dr. Jones, Dr. Jones, calling Dr. Jones. Dr. Jones, Dr. Jones, get up now (Wake up now!)

That’s it. That’s the only downfall to watching this movie. I get Aqua’s Dr. Jones stuck in my head every time they call him Dr. Jones.

Everything else is perfect.

I have been trying to get my wife to watch this movie for years. At one point early on in our relationship we made some agreement that if I did something she wanted (probably something super easy for me like ripping a phonebook in half or talking down a hostage situation) then she would watch one of the Indiana Jones movies with me. After 7 long years of her saying “Not tonight, I have a headache.” I got sick and she felt bad enough for me that she finally agreed to watch it with me. 1,000,000,001ish times dry heaving into the toilet and a visit to Emergency seem to have been worth it.

1974/2014: The Star Wars (Dark Horse Adaptation of the Original Script Draft)

Last year Dark Horse Comics published an 8 issue series entitled The Star Wars. Adapted by J. W. Rinzler with gorgeous art by Mike Mayhew, it told the tale that George Lucas originally presented to studios in 1974. This was a very different universe than made it into theatres. And thank goodness. While this was full of similarities and some cool scenes, the plot was somewhat chaotic and was definitely in need of focus. There are many scenes that are recreated in both New Hope and Return of the Jedi, but it is mostly its own story.

1977: Star Wars (The Marvel Comics Series) Mini Post

When Star Wars came out in 1977, it didn’t come out alone. A slew of toys, and collectables came out, as well as a novelization and (more importantly to me) a Marvel Comics adaptation. Consisting of the first 6 issues of what would become a very successful ongoing series, this retold the events of the first film. Episode IV, A New Hope.

The story remains the same, Luke Skywalker teams up with Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia and get the Death Star plans to the Rebellion and destroy it. Each issue covers a portion of the film as follows.

1977: STAR WARS!

In my opinion, if you want to watch great science fiction you look in 3 places. Alien, if you want suspense; 2001: A Space Odyssey, if you are looking for a visually stunning epic that explores a more realistic take on space travel; and Star Wars if you want pure fun and excitement. These are the trinity of Sci Fi. 3 brilliant films that have not been surpassed by anything that has come in the 30-40 years since they came out. Is any one of these better than the other 2? Who’s to say? But yes, Star Wars is better than the other 2.

It’s hard to discuss George Lucas’ masterpiece and not say what hasn’t already been said. 97% of the galaxy love it, 2% don’t and 1% haven’t seen it. I was talking with my good friend at Buddy Critic a few days ago and he asked me this question: “How much different would that movie have to have been not to be what it became?”. It’s something I’ve had on my mind since, and instead of looking at its plot (which everyone is familiar with) I will look at the many components that make it one of the greatest films of all time. WARNING! I make many comparisons to comic characters.

1971: THX 1138 or You’ll Never Forget Your First, But You May Try To Forget George Lucas’s

THX 1138. Brainchild of the director famous for bringing Star Wars and Indiana Jones to the big screen. The letters THX are something not entirely unfamiliar to me. I see them all the time at the movies. They belong to the name of Lucas’ sound production company. But what is not always recognized is that they also belong to the name of the titular character in Lucas’ first film: THX 1138.