- Based on characters created by George Lucas
Star Wars is a fictional universe that has sparked the imaginations of fans ever since its inception. Probably because it looks like a lived-in world with a deep history that we can only ever scratch the surface of with films and television. YouTube has allowed people to dive deep into that world in various ways.
Once again I present three films inspired by a galaxy far, far away.
I hope you enjoy!
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The Lost Relic-A Star Wars fan film
- Written, Produced, and Directed by Pierre Labarre
- November 30, 2023
Deep in the Lucas film archives a mysterious film is found.
The story here is about the accidental discovery of a previously unreleased (and unnamed) film that serves to bridge the gap between Jedi and The Force Awakens by explaining how Kylo Ren came into possession of Darth Vader’s melted helmet. That actually sounds pretty bland. Mercifully it is not. The execution is a mixture of traditional Star Wars elements what one would find in Rogue One or Andor.
A never speaking conservator (Jean Cordier) who bookends the central story is a rather creative element. Part fussy individual. Part curious fan. He finds this movie in an unmarked cannister under a shelf. The title refers to not one but two items. The first is the mysterious film. The second is Vader’s helmet.
Lost Relic embodies more traditional Star Wars with the rebel characters as good friends with the narrative having the darker spin found in Andor. For example the Imperial commander who rescues the relic from the funeral pyre is a downright evil SOB that you don’t normally see in Star Wars. And honestly he comes off as kind of crazy. With skill they judicious build up the villain in a very short time.
What we get could easily serve as an addendum to Jedi or as something being inserted into TFA to explain Vader’s helmet. It looks that good or close enough in quality. This was done by people with some resources as well as a respect for the material. Lost Relic has fantastic direction, amazing special effects, and a great story. It feels very Star Wars in its execution and looks as good as anything Lucasfilm has produced recently. And I feel it even tells a better story than some of the more recent Lucasfilm work. It has serious stakes for all involved.
Ultimately you really can’t go wrong by watching The Lost Relic-A Star Wars fan film. It’s just a great bit of Star Wars in how it intertwines fact and fiction in a creative way. This somebody Disney should hire.
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Hardware Wars
- Written and Directed by Ernie Fosselius
- October 16, 1978
“You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll kiss three bucks goodbye!”
A brief film in the form of a teaser trailer for a parody of the original Star Wars film.
God bless the Internet! Hardware Wars is something I haven’t seen since elementary school but because of my love of Star Wars it has remained firmly rooted in my memory. This was a short film strip brought out rather regularly and I remember (at least for me and maybe a few others) it generated great excitement when it was shown.
Basically everything you find in a trailer is presented here along with enough story beats that you get very nearly a complete narrative. The comedy in part comes from assorted props and vehicles being what you might find in a mom-and-pop hardware store of the late 70s. The sets are among the cheapest possible with much that would make even the cheapest science-fiction movie blush.
Yet it’s a surprisingly good parody for what it is as well as for the time. I’m not saying it’s genius, but it makes fun of what people saw as shortcomings or silliness of Star Wars. Some of it I can certainly see as a longtime fan. C-3PO is replaced by 4-Q-2-that gets inappropriate for kids when you say it fast-(think Tin Woodsman) or Chewie is replaced with a brown Cookie Monster called ‘Chewchilla’. The only real misstep is the Princess Leia mockery being called ‘Princess Anne-Droid’. Very general for science fiction. It’s amazing they tell a complete story in 12 minutes, and it is very similar to A New Hope. You get a whole narrative.
God bless YouTube! Hardware Wars is a classic bit of film available on YouTube in a few different forms to watch. Take it in and watch something so bad it’s good.
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Sanctuary Moon-A Star Wars Fan Film
- Directed by Gav Chuckie Steel
- November 17, 2023
After the second Death Star is destroyed and now a trio of Imperial survivors battle to escape the forest moon of Endor.
As noted the story is set right after the destruction of the second Death Star and takes a significantly darker look at everybody’s favorite Yellowstone Park located in a galaxy far, far away. It mixes in elements of Predator for good measure to create something that is different yet logically fits in with Star Wars. After all the cuddly Ewoks were about to eat Luke and pals before C-3PO floated through the air.
Our characters are picked off one by one by a never seen enemy strongly implied to be Ewoks based simply on the noises we hear. A standard yet effective plot element that also saves some money. It also makes this creepier than most Star Wars.
I do draw two issues with this. One is the accents of the Stormtroopers. Traditionally they sounded more American but here they sound like Temuera Morrison as a clone than they do Stormtroopers of the Original Trilogy era. It certainly would have benefited the presentation to fake American accents. The Imperial officer was fine however. I think just about all the Imperial officers had some kind of British sounding accent. Anywho…
The other issue I have is that this is supposed to take place on the forest moon of Endor but often the trees you see in the background or far too sparse. I understand not everybody can make it to California to film among the redwoods but photograph things from a little higher up maybe so you see more of the ground or be more selective in your locations. There are a few moments of dense foliage but not nearly enough. Neither though completely wrecks the story but they do weaken it.
Sanctuary Moon-A Star Wars Fan Film is different yet one of those things that still manages to fit in with the parent universe. My quibbles aside it’s entertaining. If you look past the two issues I noted you will enjoy.
Watch here because this one can’t be played on other sites.
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This was a particularly fruitful journey through Star Wars on YouTube. More hits than misses. Each had a clear appreciation for the material and provided some good entertainment.
Warren Watched A Movie 