Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The 10 most obscure and irritating Star Wars bloopers

  • 00:00 to 00:01 - See #8
  • 5:15 to 5:34 - See #10
  • 6:19 - See #7
If it's summertime in Winnipeg, it must be raining, and that means: time to watch Star Wars again.

I've seen Star Wars - the first film, Episode IV, "A New Hope" - about 10 million times, so the last time I actually enjoyed it as a film was when I was 11.

When I watch the movie now, it's mostly to bathe in a warm glow of nostalgia and a find even more obscure bloopers and continuity errors than the last time I watched.

And let's face it: after the first five million viewings, one starts to notice nuances that might slip past the more casual viewer. 

(By now, everyone knows that when Luke returns to the Rebel base at the end of the film, he sees Princess Leia and, fully committed to his craft, yells, "Carrie!")

These are the ones that drive me nuts:

1. The escape clause

Early in the film, R2-D2 and C-3P0 jettison from the damaged Rebel ship in an escape pod. "There goes another one," says the Imperial guard, watching from afar. Later, a guard tells Darth Vader, "An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting."

What happened to all of the other escape pods to which the first dude was referring?

2. A leg up

Before the droids board the pod, R2-D2 extends his retractable leg and wheels toward C-3P0.

In the initial shot, R2-D2's right leg is on a collision course with a metal beam. When the camera switches angles, he's magically found his way around it.

3. Bad table manners

When Luke dines with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, he drags his long sleeve through the meal.

After, he takes a sip from his Tupperware cup and puts it on the table. Cut to another angle, and the cup is suddenly back at his lips, and he again lowers it.

4. Nice bumping into you, big nose

The Imperial spy at Mos Eisley, cunning as he may be, accidentally bumps his long nose with his hand as he directs the Stormtroopers toward the Millennium Falcon.

5. Nice bumping into you II

Princess Leia is brought before Grand Moff Tarkin for a Death Star demo.

When she enters the room, she leans forward to insult Tarkin, and Vader moves in behind her. When she straightens, she bumps into him, and he momentarily recoils like a little wuss.

6. This is CNN

James Earl Jones, of course, is the voice of Darth Vader, dubbing his dialogue long after the films were shot.

Attentive viewers will notice subtle, but recurring, mismatches between Vader's voice and actions, but this is the best one:

After Luke's lightsaber exercise on the Millennium Falcon, the action cuts to a discussion between Vader and Tarkin.

Vader says, "I told you she would never consciously betray the Rebellion," stops speaking, then suddenly raises his arm again and gestures without saying a word.

7. Crime of the century

Having escaped the Death Star, the Millennium Falcon is attacked by Imperial Tie Fighters.

Han: "We're coming up on their century ships!"

Surely he means "sentry" ships, unless it's a "hilarious" nod to 20th Century Fox, which released the film.

8. The remnants of a dumb gag

How did those pesky Rebels walk around the Death Star without anyone bothering them?

In the original cut, director George Lucas "explained" it with a dumb gag: whenever our merry band came into contact with anyone on the Death Star, they'd "act casual" by whistling, looking away, and scratching their necks.

Throughout the film, you see little moments of what's left of what woulda been a very lame shtick. 

9. Watch, you're back!

During the film's climactic assault on the Death Star, a Rebel pilot warns Luke to "watch your back."

Cut to Luke in his fighter. Suddenly, Luke's own voice comes over the intercom, though it's not clear what he's telling himself.

10. Can I have some batteries for this thing?

After Darth Vader kills Obi-Wan Kenobi, he turns and walks purposefully to address Mr. Skywalker, who is shooting in his direction. In the long shot, as the blast door closes, Vader's lightsaber loses all of its power, looking suspiciously like one of those lightsaber toys that kids buy at Toys "R" Us.

Don't get me started on Empire.

2 comments:

  1. I want them to re-release the original Star Wars with absolutely no alterations. The version that played in theatres in 1977!

    But I'm pretty sure Lucas isn't going to. :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's the most bloopery of them all. But it does have heart.

    ReplyDelete

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