Word: jedi
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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John Williams' soundtracks were my first passion in music as a child. My first cd's were of JAWS and Return of the Jedi; Mr. Williams now has an entire section devoted to his works on my shelf. And while composers like Alan Silvestri and James Horner have vied for the soundtrack crown, John Williams is still the Alist composer in Hollywood...
However, the soundtrack of The Phantom Menace is somewhat disappointing in its lack of energy. Quirky, dainty and mysterious themes abound, but there is little of the excitement of a "Battle of Yavin" from the original film or the track titled "Return of the Jedi" from that film's soundtrack. There is something that sounds suspiciously similar to "The Emperor's Theme" from Return of the Jedi, but I can't be entirely sure. Of course, the familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi/The Force theme is present from time to time; but they are mere gestures that haunt the soundtrack, which actually...
...Battle of Yavin." The soundtrack of The Empire Strikes Back is a beautiful work, with powerful, poignant themes and the extremely memorable end title, as Luke and Leia watch Lando and Chewbacca fly into space to find Han and the music swells in the background. The Return of the Jedi is almost entirely action-oriented, with the brilliant exception of the dark choral work that accompanies the scenes of the Emperor...
...Lucas obviously did not set out to make a smarter Star Wars. His characters troop along to a Jedi-like tripartite climax, one battle in space, another on the ground and a third between lightsabers. This is not a movie that shows 20 years of maturation; it is not innovative, it is not artistically brave; there are no rowdy droids rambling on to a techno beat, no wary characterization that plays to the audience that has grown up since Return of the Jedi...
...Just as in Jedi Lucas plays with his characters without developing them--Luke's last meeting with Yoda was quick, getting to the meat of the story and leaving, thus making the meat rather dry--the plot of Episode I runs along, too busy with explanation of the originals to tell a good story this time around. Or perhaps the first movies were lucky--perhaps Lucas is a naive savant who has lost his "savant...