It took almost two decades for this love letter to Star Wars to be published

It is difficult to overestimate the impact of the publication of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope when it was first released in the summer of 1977 and quickly became the highest-grossing film of all time. While previously there were science fiction works in the form of the planet of monkeys Franchise and the classic Universal monster movies, George Lucas‘ epic space opera combined the influence of Joseph Campbell, The Flash Gordon Adventure series, gunslinger westerns and the film adaptation of Akira Kurosawa a cross-genre blockbuster that inspired a new generation of young filmmakers. Director Patrick Read Johnson examined the effects of the original war of stars had on aspiring filmmakers in his emotional coming-of-age film 25.5.77.

Given the speed with which iconography war of stars entered the lexicon of popular culture, the franchise received many parodies, tributes and homages. Every popular series of family Guy To That 70’s Show had a Star Wars themes consequence, but 25.5.77 was not just there to make jokes about “the droids you are looking for”. Rather, it was a serious investigation into the roots of war of stars fan base that showed why the franchise continues to resonate with audiences decades after the first film was released. 25.5.77 had a hectic road to publication that was almost as exciting as a chapter from a galaxy far, far away.

25.5.77

Alienated filmmaking hopeful Pat Johnson’s epic story of growing up in rural Illinois, falling in love, and becoming the first fan of the film that changed everything.

Release date

25 May 2017

director

Patrick Read Johnson

Pour

John Francis Daley, Austin Pendleton, Colleen Camp, Neil Flynn, Steve Coulter, Emmi Chen

Duration

113

What is “25.5.77” about?

25.5.77 The focus is on a lifelong film fan whose development as an artist coincides with the release of the original war of stars. Beat (John Francis Daley) grew up with love The White shark And 2001: A Space Odysseyand dreams of developing his own sequels and becoming a mainstream Hollywood director. After years of reading about his favorite filmmakers, Pat decides to bet on himself by visiting the famous filmmaker’s studio. Douglas Trumball. As Pat tries to find himself while struggling with severe mental health issues, his path begins to cross that of several key figures from this period of Hollywood history, including Special Effects Supervisor John Dykstra and Lucas’ good friend Steven Spielberg.

25.5.77 examines the unusual production process of the original war of starswhich was famously so disastrous that it put Lucas in hospital. There is a thematic resonance between the development of the film and Pat’s development as an artist, as they are both “outsiders” who must fight against an established system that does not wish them success. This is most evident in one of the film’s standout sequences, where Pat looks at a work print of the original war of stars which had only rudimentary special effects instead of laser beams, ships, and planets. Although it seems like everyone around him doubts that the film will be anything but a complete failure, Pat sees the level of investment Lucasfilm is making as a reason why anyone in their position in the industry could succeed.

The release of war of stars overlaps with Pat’s private lifebecause he can only reunite with his lover Robin (Katie Jeep) after attending a screening together. Like the original war of stars, 25.5.77 does not summarize all the plot points in the last frame; it shows that Pat still has a long way to go before he can become a director like Lucas. Nevertheless, he emerges from several screenings of war of stars with his optimism at an all-time high. After seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Alec Guinness) Words of wisdom to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Pat decides to finally believe in himself.

‘5-25-77’ had a lengthy production process

Johnson was already an established filmmaker at this time. 25.5.77 was put into production for the first time after directing the “so bad it’s good” classicsInvaders in space And Baby’s day outside. However, 25.5.77 was a self-financed project that began acquiring resources in 2001; Johnson was busy with other projects and shot the film intermittently between 2004 and 2006. It was a very low-budget project in which Lucasfilm was not officially involved and which did not feature any major stars. While Daley later became a hit star in Bonesand later became a successful filmmaker himself. 25.5.77 went into production after Freaks and Geeks was canceled after the first season.

Although the film was shown as part of the New Wave program at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013, 25.5.77 was only able to complete the visual effects shots in 2016, as Johnson wanted to ensure that the film’s portrayal of the Industrial Lights and Magic department was as accurate as possible. The film premiered at the Genesee Theater in Waukegan, Illinois in the summer of 2017, but only had a limited run in select theaters before disappearing from the scene. Fortunately, MVD Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to the project in May 2022 and quickly made it available for digital purchase and on physical media.

“5-25-77” shows the positive side of the “Star Wars” fan community

It is no secret that war of stars Fandom has become quite toxic as the cast and crew of The Acolyte were unfairly criticized despite the show’s ratings.25.5.77 shows the power that war of stars must bring people together, because Pat’s journey to self-acceptance is appreciated by his friends and family. Even if they don’t fully understand why he’s obsessed with a weird sci-fi movie that hasn’t come out yet, Pat’s family learns to respect that everything he loves is worth celebrating.

25.5.77The challenging path to publication reflects the production of the original war of starswhich shows that perseverance and dedication pay off in the long run. There may be so many war of stars now shows that the franchise is in danger of being overexposed, but 25.5.77 celebrates the thrill of being transported to a galaxy far, far away for the first time.

25.5.77 can be rented from Amazon in the USA

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