Galaxy Far, Far Away

UPC: 658769027136

Studio: Vanguard Cinema

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:null

Summary: No other series of films has achieved greater commercial success, or captured the attention of as many viewers, as Star Wars, its two sequels, and the continuing series of prequels. Filmmaker Tariq Jalil had long been fascinated by the passionate following the films inspired, and when the publicity machine began rolling for the release of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace in 1999, he assembled a camera crew to document the fans who waited in line (some for as long as a month and a half) in order to be among the first to see the long-awaited film on its first day of release. Along the way, Jalil also interviewed a number of other passionate Star Wars devotees, and the documentary A Galaxy Far, Far Away examines the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars fandom, from celebrities who stop by to see the film on opening weekend (including Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Pesci, Meat Loaf, and Roger Corman) to Star Wars-inspired rapper Jam Master Jedi and a number of rabid toy collectors who nearly riot while trying to get their hands on Episode I action figures. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Culture & Society

Features: Deleted scenes
Director, producer, editor commentary

Galaxy Far, Far Away

Format: DVD

Release Date: 03/05/2002

Runtime: 80 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Fans Around the World [3:30]
2. Day One 42 Days to Go [1:40]
3. The Star Wars Obsession [5:42]
4. The Heroe's Journey [4:52]
5. Understanding the Force [3:50]
6. Celebrating in Denver [6:55]
7. Countdown to Phantom Menace [1:21]
8. It's All About the Toys [3:55]
9. Camping Out [13:29]
10. Primere Night [8:21]
11. Looking for Answers [3:25]
12. More Than Just Subjects [6:46]

Derek Armstrong

Clearly inspired and emboldened by the success of Trekkies, Tariq Jalil follows science-fiction fan fetishism down an equally fertile avenue in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. The effort provides as many laughs and as much head shaking as Roger Nygard's documentary. What it lacks in production value it makes up for in focus, with the countdown to Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace serving as a great spine for this freak-show parade. Belying his clearly low budget, Jalil dispatches teams to the far corners of America to interview fans camped out in tents and on sidewalks. He could have gone more into the nitty gritty of the logistics: do they have to be constantly present to be a legitimate line member? What's their favorite on-line pastime? But sacrificing interviews with latter-day Jedis and a hip-hop Boba Fett would hardly have been worth it. Scenes where Jalil delves into some of the fans' sad family histories, which inspired them to cling to Star Wars, don't work quite so well, but he buttresses these with academic opinions on how Star Wars speaks to its fans. There are even some guerilla-style celebrity interviews, the most hilarious and egotistical of which involves Meat Loaf comparing the Star Wars phenomenon to his album Bat Out of Hell. Jalil clearly owes a debt to Trekkies, but his film has one bit of good sense that Trekkies does not. Cutting his film to a mere 62 minutes, Jalil recognizes that a little of this goes a long way. Stretching it out to feature length (let alone making a sequel, as Nygard did) might be as excessive as a six-week queue for movie tickets. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: James Duval  Actor 
Adam Carolla  Actor 
Andy Garcia  Actor 
Jimmy Kimmel  Actor 
Tariq Jalil  Director 
Tariq Jalil  Executive Producer 
Tariq Jalil  Screenwriter 
Terry Tocantins  Producer 
Terry Tocantins  Screenwriter 
Biagio Messina  Producer 
John Dickson  Composer (Music Score) 
Joke Finciden  Producer 
Christopher Vogler  Actor 
Roger Corman  Actor 
Meat Loaf  Actor 
Joe Pesci  Actor 
Tariq Jalil  Actor 

Country: USA