May the humor be with you
Laughs are underappreciated constant amid eye-popping spectacle, action of ‘Star Wars’
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: A farm boy, a hermit and two droids walk into a cantina …
As Lucasfilm prepares to release its ninth live-action “Star Wars” feature film — “The Last Jedi” comes out on Dec. 15 — the series has been propelled into pop culture immortality by its rousing action, visual effects artistry, simple, serialized storytelling and narrative depth.
(Yes, we will argue the series that brought us Ewoks and placed Carrie Fisher in a gold-plated, slave-girl bikini has narrative depth.)
But the most underrated element of the “Star Wars” franchise is its sense of humor.
You can argue that the series could survive without the space battles, creature design, Darth Vader, the Death Star or any single performance. But it simply wouldn’t work without the light moments, comic relief and romantic quips (“I love you …” “… I know.”)
The hardest of hard-core science fiction fans would have still canonized the film, even if there was nothing funny on screen. You know you are a member of this group if you have already sent me an email pointing out that the droids mentioned in the opening sentence didn’t
actually walk into the cantina. But the comic moments are what allowed the geekiest of space operas to be accepted by the masses. The straighter characters are put in absurd situations that lend themselves to comedy — the Jawa droid auction, the cantina, the trash compactor.
Meanwhile, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher as Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa have a Bogart/Hepburn “African Queen” thing going, with a 7-foot-tall hairy wolfhound acting as a barking and yowling Greek chorus in the background.
“Star Wars: The
Last Jedi” opens nationwide on Friday, Dec. 15.
Han: “Look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.” Leia: “It’s a wonder you’re still alive.” It’s not a mistake that most of the best “Star Wars” movies have a strong sense of humor, and the worst ones feature comedy that falls flat.
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas is not a particularly funny man. I’ve spent a half hour or more with him twice, and although he was extremely pleasant, both experiences were light on laughs and heavy on long and thoughtful professorial lectures — even if the subjects he was speaking about (Star Wars merchandise, for example) were begging for humor.
But Lucas recognized and appreciated comedy, surrounding himself with funny actors and collaborators, from “American Graffiti” forward.
“The Empire Strikes Back” director Irvin Kershner made his name directing comedies including “A Fine Mess” and “The Flim-Flam Man.” Lawrence Kasdan, a dramatic filmmaker with a light comic touch, co-scripted “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and decades later “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Even the technical wizards working on the films — visual effects artists including Phil Tippett and Joe Johnston, and sound designers Ben Burtt and Randy Thom — have pretty strong dark or dry senses of humor. Note the stop-motion monster performances Tippett created on the Millennium Falcon monster chess board used by Chewbacca and R2-D2 — made funnier by C-3PO’s advice, “let the Wookiee win,” to avoid further violence from the poor loser.
Each of the two sequels seemed to push the comic notes a little more. The “Return of the Jedi” scene with the Rancor creature under Jabba the Hutt’s throne room was exciting and visually state of the art. But the filmmakers never let us forget this is fun; note the short scene with the two burly Rancor keepers consoling each other in tears after Luke Skywalker kills the ugly super-predatory killing machine they’ve grown to love.
The second trilogy that came out from 1999 to 2005 tried for comedy, but the timing was off, or veered too far into slapstick. (The scene in “Attack of the Clones” where C-3PO’s head is fused on a battle droid is particularly wince-inducing.)
But as the franchise was relaunched two years ago, new filmmakers including “The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams seem to be aiming for that same “The Empire Strikes Back” feel.
The most recent film in the “Star Wars” universe, “Rogue One,” reportedly went under major changes, with many more serious scenes from the trailers not appearing in the film. “Rogue One” emerged from those reshoots the bleakest film in the franchise to date, but with arguably the funniest character in the universe, droid K-2SO, who was reprogrammed to tell it like it is, dripping with sarcasm.
“I’ll be there for you … ” K-2SO says to heroine Jyn Erso, pausing for comic effect as her hard exterior melts a little. “… Cassian said I had to.”
Darkness balanced by light. It’s the way of The Force, and the best movies in the “Star Wars” universe.