Great Star Wars Fan Films
Amateur Moviemakers Capture the Vision of George Lucas
If you have seen all Star Wars movies several times and can't wait for the Star Wars live action TV series, there are some great Star Wars fan films worth checking out.
There are some terrific Star Wars movies that you can watch for free. That's right. Free! Watching these Star Wars movies won't cost you a dime to buy or rent. Instead, you can watch them on a high-speed Internet connection from the privacy of your home or from your desk at work (provided the boss isn't looking, of course, and you've got all your work done).
These free Star Wars movies are fan films. Lucasfilm has a permissive mindset toward fan productions, so long as they are truly non-profit.
Don't laugh. These fan films may be amateur productions, but some of them are quite good. In fact, a few are very good. Here are five excellent Star Wars fan films for you to check out right now.
Star Wars: Revelations
One of the most popular and highly praised Star Wars fan films is Panic Struck Productions' Star Wars: Revelations. Filmed in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Star Wars: Revelations relied extensively on volunteers from around the world, who provided expertise, labor, and participation. These volunteers ranged from hobbyists with Star Wars stormtrooper uniforms to CGI artists.
Revelations takes place between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. It follows a somewhat discredited Jedi, determined to prevent any more Jedi from being slaughtered. Her mission: Stop the Emperor's Hand from finding a key Jedi artifact.
Pitching Lucas
The creators of Revelations also made an entertaining film about George Lucas' planned Star Wars TV series. Pitching Lucas won the "George Lucas Selects" and "Audience Choice" awards for the 2006 Atom Films Star Wars Films contest.
Pitching Lucas is hilarious, entertaining, and incredibly well-made.
Star Wars: Essence of the Force
The movie starts out on a tongue-in-cheek note, and stays there. The viewer realizes soon that the whole thing is being played for laughs. This realization is even further validated at the end, with a rather interesting twist.
Still, the lightsabers, the tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and the fight choreography make it worth viewing.
Star Wars: Knightquest
Made in 2001, Knightquest takes place a week before Princess Leia Organa is captured by Darth Vader. In this movie, Vader tracks down a Jedi Master and his two Padawans on a remote planet.
The film has some excellent cinematography, for its budget, and great action sequences. Keep your expectations reasonable, of course, since it's not a mega-blockbuster. Rather, it was shot for under $15,000.
Star Wars: Reign of the Fallen
Though the low-budget fan film is obviously low-budget at parts, this is actually a pretty solid story. In fact, if the upcoming Star Wars TV series has stories like this, it will be very successful.
Reign of the Fallen follows two Jedi Padawans being trained to take over as planetary leader, once the planet's Jedi Master and guardian dies. When the more talented and aggressive Jedi is passed over for his less-capable (at least in terms of swordplay) comrade, the stage is set for his turn to the Dark Side and betrayal of the entire planet.
