Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy

The production was maybe a bit amateurish, but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed this. I don't usually watch "making of" docs because it pops the fantasy bubble of the movie. But I'm glad I made an exception here.

Was there any question that a middle aged man who grew up loving "Star Wars" movies would watch a documentary about the making of the original trilogy? No question and no doubt.

"Empire of Dreams" is as fascinating as the "Star Wars" movies, and in some ways more so. Like a duck on the water, the visible product was pure grace, yet below the surface there was fervent motion. Even though we got to see a beautiful work of art, "Empire of Dreams" shows us the struggle and stress Lucas went through to realize his dream.

"Empire of Dreams" documents the making of all three films and the man behind them. We hear of Hollywood politics, Lucas's huge gamble on his project, and the small empire he was able to build as a result of that gamble. I never knew Lucas made "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" with his own money to maintain independence from the production studios (something I'm sure many studios lament). It's a lot of great interviews and how-things-work that even a casual fan will find interesting.

I have also seen a 90 minute version of this documentary, which was shown on the brilliant Biography channel. Although I had doubts about buying the soon to be released trilogy on DVD, the documentary has certainly whetted my appetite, and made me eager to see the complete version which will be included on the fourth disc of the set. Even for someone as knowledge about the Star Wars movies and George Lucas as I am, it was still very entertaining, and contained quite a few never before seen out-takes from all the films. The programme features the problems that Lucas had with 20th Century Fox execs (apart from Alan Ladd jnr, who greenlit Star Wars) when the movie ran over budget and missed it's Christmas 1976 opening date, the '...hippies...' at ILM who hadn't completed any decent effects shots Lucas could use, and the destruction of sets in Tunisia which halted filming temporarily. There are also interviews with most of the original cast members - even Harrison Ford who certainly doesn't enjoy doing them, which is no big secret.

These edited highlights I've described, have left me hankering for more.

I had the chance to sit down and watch the 2004 documentary "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy" now for the first time in 2020. In fact, I wasn't even aware of its existence before now. Shame on me, especially with my love for the "Star Wars" franchise.

Well, initially I must admit that I didn't really have much of any high hopes for this documentary, as the previous many "Star Wars" based documentaries I've seen have been halfhearted ones that didn't really offer much of new insight or information. But hey, it is a "Star Wars" documentary, so of course I had to sit down and watch it.

Turned out that "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy" is actually the best and most insightful of documentaries that I have seen about the "Star Wars" franchise. And I was definitely amazed with the amount of information and behind the scenes information they managed to cram into the limited playtime.

"Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy" is a MUST watch for fans of the franchise, especially people around my age, whom were children during the first three movie, the original trilogy.

My rating of "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy" is a sure eight out of ten stars. This is one documentary that you have to sit down and watch, provided you get the chance. Well worth the time and effort.

I watch this movie as both entertainment and education. If there was ever a film that so thoroughly covers the making of a classic, bears all and leaves you wanting it to be longer than its 2 1/2 hour length, it is this.

First, it offers a breakdown of Lucas' roots, inspirations and student films. It glides over his personal life, barely mentioning how he met and married his wife, and tastefully omits the divorce Lucas endured as a result of his investment of time into Skywalker Ranch, instead of his marriage. The editor allows us to hear Lucas begin to talk about it, and then fades it off. It was painful the first time, and he probably should't have to relive it with his fans.

The same Bonus Disc contains a shorter documentary that features today's best movie directors discussing how SW influenced them. There is not a finer documentary made about the process of film-making.

The documentary almost takes a detour into propaganda when THX and Pixar come up, but then we realize that Lucas was the guy all of these entities was born from, or developed from. Today's movie editing software is born from Lucas' struggle to make 1970's equipment and people work for him.

A must-viewing for anyone serious about the craft or the profession.