How The Australian reviewed Star Wars from 1977 to 2015
The early reviews of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story sound promising, but how will it compare to the other seven films in the franchise?
The first reviews of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story are almost here, prompting a visit into The Australian’s archives to see how we reviewed the previous Star Wars films when they were first released, from 1977 to 2015.
Reviewers Geraldine Pascall and Evan Williams critiqued the first six films, with their comments ranging from “undemanding” and “joyless” to “breathtaking” and “a cinematic tour de force”.
Literary Editor Stephen Romei reviewed last year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, calling it a "powerful homage" to the 1977 original.
Star Wars review 1977
‘The Saturday matinee dream’
By Geraldine Pascall in The Weekend Australian.
“I was impressed with its production values and careful technical skill, delighted with its visual originality and marvellous sense of parody.
“But I couldn’t help feeling that it was just a comic strip superbly brought to life – with all the undemanding, unsubtle and unconvincing banality of a comic strip.”
Read the full Star Wars review.
The Empire Strikes Back review 1980
‘Star Wars sequel has us begging for more’
By Geraldine Pascall in The Weekend Australian.
“The Empire Strikes Back is no bland derivative. It has all the freshness and exuberance of an original. A marvellous space fantasy full of dazzling spectacle, exciting adventure, strange creatures and the mythic clash between good and evil.
“It has wit, style, romance and a spanking good story. There is sophistication and care in every production detail and even the characters are allowed a little development. Most importantly it ends on a cliff-hanger.”
Read the full The Empire Strikes Back review.
Return of the Jedi review 1983
By Evan Williams in The Weekend Australian.
“It’s obviously a sad moment when the wizened little sage with the stickout ears snuffs it early on, and I gather we’re meant to recall it with affection from earlier instalments.
“Alec Guinness, swathed in ethereal radiance as Kenobi, intones some of the few lines decipherable in the general cacophony of grunts and electronic gibberish.”
Read the full Return of the Jedi review.
The Phantom Menace review 1999
‘Space saga is a spent force’
By Evan Williams in The Weekend Australian.
“Somehow, after 22 years, the cuteness has worn off. In place of playful mayhem and carefree fun, it’s a self-conscious and joyless affair, with a fatal emptiness and incoherence – overlong, overloud and dreadfully oversold.”
Read the full The Phantom Menace review.
Attack of the Clones review 2002
‘Lucas’s star saga back on track’
By Evan Williams in The Weekend Australian.
“I liked this Star Wars more than the others – certainly more than the last – and not just because of the much-touted love story. A bit of galactic romance was overdue. Memories of Han Solo and Princess Leia flirting in the original film – henceforth to be known, incidentally, on the orders of George himself, as Episode IV: A New Hope – had faded long, long ago, and something was needed to give a warm emotional charge to the battles and funny costumes. But Attack of the Clones seems to me better for all sorts of reasons.”
Read the full Attack of the Clones review.
Revenge of the Sith review 2005
‘A truly stellar finale’
By Evan Williams in The Weekend Australian.
“While there was no way that Episode III – Revenge of the Sith would live up to all our hopes and expectations, there’s a certain galactic justice in the fact that Lucas has brought the series to an end with the best Star Wars movie of all – a cinematic tour de force, resonant, complex and disturbing.”
Read the full Revenge of the Sith review.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens review 2015
‘Lift-off for a powerful homage’
By Stephen Romei in The Weekend Australian.
“This seventh instalment of the galaxy-hopping franchise George Lucas started almost 40 years ago is not just a good Star Wars film but a good film full stop, one that will appeal to a wide audience while also appeasing the diehard fans, especially of the 1977 original, to which it pays almost excessive homage.”
Read the full Star Wars: The Force Awakens review.
Inside the repressive Iranian regime via one loving, well-off family
Mohammad Rasoulof, who has served jail time for making films that violate Iran’s censorship laws, fled his homeland ahead of the release of this film, which is well worth a watch.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy — charming and crackingly funny
Now widowed and in her fifties, Bridget Jones navigates love, loss, and ‘labial lockdown’. Hugh Grant steals scenes, Emma Thompson delivers comic gold, and wet-shirted romance lives on.