Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 11, 2024

It was not too long ago that I reviewed The Offer, a TV series about the making of the classic 1972 film The Godfather. That was a fictionalized retelling of how the movie was made and all of the social, political, and technical challenges the production faced over time. I wondered at the end of the review if something similar focused on Star Wars might not also be a monumental hit. Well, that still does not exist, but Icons Unearthed: Star Wars is easily the next best thing. Here is a six-part documentary concerning the making of all six original Star Wars films (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith). It's a fascinating journey that spans several decades of filmmaking and all of the trials and successes that followed the franchise's growth from dubious project that several major studios passed on to becoming the single biggest behemoth that the film landscape has ever seen and saturating the popular culture like none before or since (some may argue for the Marvel movies taking that mantle, but I disagree for reasons of sheer longevity and multi-generational passion). This is the story of not just how each film was made, but also why they have stood the test of time to remain deeply ingrained in popular culture now going on fifty years since A New Hope made its big screen debut.

The series begins at the beginning, not just with Episode IV but with a brief biography of George Lucas: his TV influences growing up, a severe automobile accident that changed some of his life perspectives, his clashes with his father’s advice to work the family business and be the master of his own future and fate, his college years and first forays into film, making THX 1138, the influence of 2001 and Flash Gordon, an internship with Francis Ford Coppola, making American Graffiti, and then on to “The Journal of the Whills,” er, The Star Wars, or Star Wars. And so begins the journey through the first six films, and part one focuses very heavily on the process of making the film which is, of course, not immediately greenlit. The film looks at the impact that Ralph McQuarrie’s previsualization artwork had in helping to get the film greenlit at Fox and continues to explore casting, stress and conflict on the set, a crunched budget, and many anecdotes from the set, including Lucas’ cashing with much of his British crew and the visual effects team’s slow process of finalizing the film.

To be sure, much of part one revolves around the build-up and the making-of, where part two explores the troubles in post-production while also analyzing, all too briefly, components like score and sound effects and, finally, exploring the picture’s release, instant success, possibilities for a sequel (including a low-budget insurance policy should the movie flop), and more. Further installments explore much the same in terms of structure and content, looking very bluntly at the unique challenges each film faced, audience and studio expectations, new and returning cast, and much more. Each is thorough in scope and depth (though the subsequent explorations following A New Hope could arguably stand to be longer, perhaps not warranting a full second episode but certainly 20-30 additional minutes each could be easily justified, especially considering the merger of the episodes II and III in the final episode of the series).

Anyone who is a Star Wars fan will be glued to their televisions for the length of the series. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but it's well assembled and very insightful, and chances are that even hardcore franchise fans who know everything will discover a few new facts or at least now see some of the people, places, and things in a new light. The documentary is very well made, engaging, and flies by at hyper speed. There is little room to criticize the production; maybe some more time on Williams' score, which (to me, anyway) is the most important factor in the franchise's success, should have been granted, but overall this is a treasure trove of a documentary. It's in-depth, engaging, and a very satisfying journey through the making of six of cinema's biggest films of all time, and it's an honest look at them, not an extended sugar-coated PR piece. Certainly, there are times when the series plays like a basic behind-the-scenes study, but this offers a much fuller picture than almost any sort of traditional making-of would ever dream of presenting.

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek brings Icons Unearthed: Star Wars to Blu-ray with a proficient 1080p transfer. The image is pleasant. It comes framed at 1.78:1 with wider shots accompanying clips from various Star Wars films which are, of course, natively ~2.39:1. Such footage is not in the best of shape, looking very adequate to be sure but these are certainly not tip-top Star Wars Blu-ray transfers. But within the framework in the film works with, they look just fine. Additionally, various archival shots of varying quality are inserted throughout, some of it in very poor shape for both clarity and color, some of it a little more serviceable, but again these are cases of "they are what they are" and they do not impact the overall video review score.

This review is based solely on, and concerned with, the quality of the new interview footage which largely looks fine. This will never pass for Blu-ray reference video quality, but the core image is in fine shape. The digital captures translate nicely to Blu-ray, yielding tight, accurate textures on faces, clothes, and the environments where the participants speak. Pores, wrinkles, and facial hairs are plainly presented, and viewers will not miss any vital detail in these shots and scenes. Color reproduction is right down the middle for contrast and temperature, presenting nicely lively tones to clothes and various backgrounds seen in support of various interviewees. Black levels are fine, whites are competent, and skin tones look pleasantly healthy. There is some mild noise, at times, but compression issues, at least serious or even slightly bothersome compression issues, appear all but absent. This is a fine transfer that supports the documentary material well enough.

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek presents the series on Blu-ray with a very rudimentary, but also fundamentally effective, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation stretches no boundaries but conveys the narrative-heavy content well enough. Speaking is chief element here, and no matter who is speaking, whether in interviews or through the narration that accompanies the totality of the series, there is never a drop in clarity or quality. The spoken word is also nicely centered. A few beats of score prepared for the show plays with nice clarity and adequate depth. A few sound clips from the films see a mild drop in quality but, like their video counterparts, play just fine in context.

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars includes extras on the second Blu-ray disc in the form of extended interviews with several key participants. Some of the material repeats, of course, but these are the full and uncut interviews, complete with the sound of the interviewee asking the questions to which the participants respond. See below for who speaks and for how long. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Marcia Lucas -- Complete Interview (1080p, 3:11:37).
• Anthony Daniels -- Complete Interview (1080p, 2:52:57).
• Billy Dee Williams -- Complete Interview (1080p, 37:04).

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Icons Unearthed: Star Wars is really just a big, sprawling making-of that covers the six Star Wars films made before the Disney acquisition. They run about 45 minutes each and are packed to the gill with content. There's not much room here for criticism. Certainly the filmmakers did everything in their power to wrangle in more participants, but those who are here are more than adequate to shape the story of what is indeed an icon of cinema. The Blu-ray set is special, offering easily a full day's worth of material across the main feature and the bonuses. Fans of the Star Wars universe would be remiss not to rush out to buy this. It's worth every penny. Highly recommended!