HOW THE SITH STOLE CHRISTMAS
creators' Web site
Web site for downloading @ TheForce.Net

Read an interview with creator Ted Bracewell

review written 2/22/2003

This part of the review was written while only Part I was available. When more comes, I'll write more.

Park Wars co-creator Ted Bracewell does us one better with his long-awaited Christmas tale. He says he "wanted every shot to be beautiful and their own individual works of art." He got what he wanted. There just aren't any other fan films that look like this. There aren't. It's a beauty.

And not just a visual stunner either. Elves discussing The Hobbit is funny. Darth Maul sticking his tongue out is funny. The Citizen Kane joke is funny. Granted, the humor might be a little bit "helped" by the cute style of the flick. But, no—Boba Fett's cameo—that's pure comedy. (I could see that being a running joke.)

We get to see the Death Star over Endor in a totally different context. We get to see Vader do things we've never see him do before. We get the awesome spectacle of Christmas lights glowing in Hoth fog while the AT-ATs clump along with 1980-style black matte lines. (I'm back on the damn visuals again! But I can't help it! Even the HappyFunFilms logo has great style!)

There are things I could have done without. Many times something comes from behind the camera into the field of view, or tries to sail right past camera, and the effect never looks good. (Example: Christmas ornaments at 2:41.) The Ewoks look a little creepy, the gigantic Bracewell Limited logo (since made less annoying) is distracting, and I could do without seeing Ted Bracewell's name eight million times in the credits. The lack of other people's names would imply that he was the only one who did things.

But Ted has every reason to be proud of his flick. It's good stuff. How good? So good that I'm holding off on a grade till Part 3 is out. Sorry—this film isn't complete, and I want to judge all the jokes at once.

Bracewell knows he's done an excellent job with Part I anyway. He doesn't need me to tell him that.