Thursday, March 14, 2013

Mystory VII: Quest schema


 
To add to my previous mystory, I will discuss the schema of Star Wars and how they overall contribute to the feel and story of the film. The OUTER PROBLEM is obviously the mission to rescue Princess Leia and destroy the Death Star. However, the INNER PROBLEMS have to mostly with Luke realizing how important he is to the rebels' mission and gaining the courage and strength to carry out his destiny. This involves leaving his ORDINARY world of his uncle's farm and finding a THRESHOLD guardian and mentor in Obi-wan, who also introduces Luke to the MAGIC TOOL of the Force. The Force is quite possibly one of the most important plot points in the film, as it creates a SPECIAL WORLD for Luke by the introduction to such a powerful and conceptual way of thought and seeing the universe. This also make Obi-wan a DONOR for introducing these concepts to Luke.

The ORDEALS faced in the movie are those brought about by the circumstances present. There is the main conflict of the rescue mission and through it Luke is allowed to grow and eventually become a hero of the rebellion. Another great example is the lightsaber battle between Obi-wan and Darth Vader. Obi-wan makes it clear he shares a past with Vader and looks to confront him while Luke and Han Solo focus on freeing Leia. The duel between the two comes to an end as Obi-wan sacrifices himself to Vader so that the rest of the heroes can escape the Death Star.

Star Wars has been seen by some as an inspirational story about standing up in the face of evil and becoming someone bigger than you thought possible. I can relate to Luke in the sense of entering a larger world. As a child, I lived a very simple childhood and was not very outgoing. As I entered college, I realized there is a larger world out there and to be successful, I have to face it head on and with courage in addition to the knowledge I am gaining through my studies. Star Wars is as inspiring a film as it is entertaining.

Mystory VI: Entertainment Discourse

 
For this mystory assignment, I have chosen a movie that I watched many times in my childhood and has played a major role in my cultural tastes. This movie is the 1977 science fiction classic Star Wars.

The story of Star Wars focuses on Luke Skywalker, a young man who has lived all his life on the desert planet Tatooine, and has dreams of seeing the galaxy and experiencing something greater. Luke's fate takes a drastic turn when his uncle acquires two droid robots and one of the droids, R2-D2, reveals a distress signal from a rebellion leader known as Princess Leia calling for help from someone named Obi-wan Kenobi. As the events of the movie play out, Luke eventually meets Obi-wan and after discovering Luke's home has been destroyed, they both set out with R2-D2 and C-3PO, the other droid, to save the princess. Along the way, they meet the bounty hunter Han Solo, a bounty hunter who supplies them with their ship and joins the mission in hopes of being paid by the princess. During their mission to infiltrate the Empire's base, the Death Star, they face the imperial soldiers, almost getting crushed in a trash compactor, and even confronting he evil emperor's own right hand man, Darth Vader.

The main reason why I love the original Star Wars the way I do and why I consider it a great film is because of its story. While the visuals were considered a technical marvel, it is the story and characters that make the movie shine. Several critics have stated that Star Wars is a prime example of plot building, alternating between action scenes that excellently invest the viewer, while making time for its characters to grow and develop, especially Han Solo. Solo in his introduction is originally a bounty hunter who is not concerned about others and just wants to be paid. During the final battle of the movie where the rebels attempt to destroy the Death Star, Han Solo is initially absent from the battle, stating that the princess is saved so his job is done. Despite this, he shows that he has truly come to care about his companions when he distracts Darth Vader and temporarily disables Vader's ship as Luke destroys the Death Star.

Star Wars is considered the movie that popularized the sci-fi genre and inspired film making itself after the initial release. To me, the movie still remains as one of my favorites and a true example of excellent character building, action, and story woven together into a film that has continued to stand the test of time.