Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama by Lucasfilm Ltd., National Public Radio Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama
Book Review: A Brilliant Tour De Force of the Force on Radio
Summary: 5 Stars
At first, the idea seems bizarre, even ridiculous. Star Wars, a movie best known for its vistas of alien worlds and epic battles, as a 13 part radio drama? No way would it work, right? Well, unless you have the cold heart of a Sith, Star Wars did indeed translate well from the silver screen to radio, thank you very much. Yes, Star Wars' visual effects are a big part of the magic of the saga, but the heart and soul of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away are the characters and the storyline. And while the movie is satisfying on its own, the radio dramatization written by the late Brian Daley takes us beyond the movie....beyond the screenplay...and even beyond the novelization.
By expanding the movie's story beyond its two hour running time, the Radio Drama allows us to catch glimpses of Luke Skywalker's life BEFORE the movie. It tells us how Princess Leia acquired the Death Star plans....and what, exactly, happened to her during her interrogation aboard the Empire's battle station...(it is an interesting scene, but not for the squeamish, by the way). In short, by expanding the story to nearly seven hours, characters we loved on screen acquire depth only equaled by novelizations.
The Radio Drama makes extensive use of material written (and in some cases filmed) for A New Hope's silver screen version but cut for editorial or technical reasons. Also, Ben Burtt's sound effects, John Williams' score, and the acting of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Anthony Daniels (See Threepio) give the whole project its "true" Star Wars cachet.
Book Review: If only there was more....
Summary: 5 Stars
This expands and explains so much of the underlying story. I only wish there was more! This was the only CD in the player of my truck for 4 weeks! I listened to it a bit at a time at least 5 times before even turning on the radio again! Well made and executed drama.Book Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
This Radio Dramatization is excellant. It keeps the original spirit of Star Wars (A New Hope) while telling the story in a different way. The scenes and diologue that were not in the movie give a different perspective to the story that does nothing short of enrich it.Book Review: Expanded and Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an incredible way to pass 6.5 hours of driving. Some eps are better than others, but all are consistently high quality. The voices are very good, with both original cast members and newcomers. My only quibble is Perry King's characterization of Han Solo. He made the character even more unlikeable than he was in the movie. (True depth on Solo comes in ESB, not Star Wars) Some of the conventions of radio drama sound hokey to those raised on video, but for someone raised on radio plays, this was just terrific. And yes, Episode 8, Death Star's Transit is even more disturbing than I remembered.Book Review: The real story!
Summary: 5 Stars
The fun of the SW Radio drama is not so much the rehash of Star Wars ANH itself, but all the background which is revealed! The Radio Drama goes beyond the films and answers questions like: Where did Leia get the Death Star plans? How did she join the Rebellion? Why was Tarkin really put in charge of the Death Star? An absolute must-hear for anyone who loves Star Wars!