Star Wars by Will Brooker (review)

For some, Star Wars is life. The fantastical and mythic universe George Lucas created is known the world over, and as a film franchise it is second to none in terms of merchandising and profit. That said, the film Lucas set out to make did not originally promise all that would eventually come about. And, as Will Brooker states early on his book, his study is not intended as an overview of the expanded Star Wars universe or an analysis of the cultural impact the franchise has had. Instead, his is a study of Star Wars (Lucas US 1977) 'at the point when that was its only title - when it had not been repositioned as "Episode IV: A New Hope"' (10). From here, Brooker's work takes a very detailed and critical line, examining with great skill and novelty Lucas's filmmaking and stylistic vision. This book, in a way, attempts to reposition Star Wars criticism by pulling away from the more popular studies of its fans and cultural impact and focusing more on the film as a film: how it was put together, what its main themes are, and to what extent it represents Lucas's style of filmmaking. For Brooker, Star Wars is 'fundamentally problematic - and fascinating - by the fact that Lucas is invested in, and sympathetic to, the coldly organised aesthetic of the Empire, as well as the raw improvisation of the Rebels' (11). In looking at this contradiction, Brooker brings refreshing insight to the study of this most famous of sf texts.

Starting with Lucas's early work, his student days at USC and his first foray into sf with Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138: 4EB (US 1967), Brooker identifies three premises that have tended to define Lucas's career: that his early work was experimental; that Star Wars is mere blockbuster entertainment far detached from his student days; and that this transition between styles started with American Graffiti (US 1973) (17). However, as Brooker quickly establishes, this simple narrative neglects the key themes that connect his student films and the Star Wars franchise: the battle between good and evil, chaos and order, dirt and cleanliness. There are clear links between the workers in THX (as depicted in both the student and feature versions), the teenagers of American Graffiti and the Rebels in Star Wars as they try to break free from the oppressive societies in which they live. Yet there is an attraction, too, to the order from which these people are trying to escape, to the Empire, sleek and shiny, with its organised and hierarchical military dressed in smart uniforms. Lucas clearly has sympathies for both sides. What makes Star Wars a more complex film than many perceive it to be, is that Lucas sets up a dichotomy for the audience, making them choose between two very appealing lifestyles (22). However, I would argue that while there are clear attractions represented in the tyrannical order of the Empire and the carefree spirit of the Rebellion, Star Wars offers a middle ground, a third space for the audience to inhabit. It is an open text, one that allows its fannish audience to dwell on the more obscure characters while the main battle wages around them. Well before the franchise reached its zenith with sequels and prequels, there were clear signs within the original film that the audience could take different things from it: the hero's tale, romance, tragedy or comedy. Yes, Star Wars is contradictory, but within those contradictions lie continuity: life is what you make it.

Brooker's last chapter, 'Border Crossing', attempts to bring together the two sides to Star Wars and in doing so he opens up his study to include the prequels. In the three newer films, he identifies Lucas's fascination with ancient civilisations and the dire warning that within a perfect society can be found the potential for corruption, war and oppression. The infamous medal ceremony at the end of Star Wars, criticised as borrowing too much from Triumph des Willens (The Triumph...