I just registered to escapist after frequenting here for Yahtzee's reviews, (so there is the intro I guess). But this thread caught my eye, and as an avid Star Wars fan, I'd like to reply.
*Deep breath*
While in context to the question, yes, Star Wars is silly to down right hilarity. If you looked at the bare bones of Star Wars, and not at the "cinematic achievement" it was, is, and ever will be, you will find a slew of bizarre things.
Laser Sword swinging, robe wearing munks, wielding the power of "why are we here?", chasing and fighting those that follow the Sith. Sith, are like the biker gangs of Star Wars, they were popular in the 50's, but everyone realized that greasy hair and tattoos were kind of a dieing breed and make you stick out like a sore thumb. They also choke people with the power of "what happens when we die?".
But, again, that is the bare bones of it. You don't have to fully appreciate everything Star Wars is, was, and ever will be as a film, because that's only half the experience. It's silly to see people fighting over "Who shot first?" (before that got taken away). "Why is Boba Fett cool?" All these questions are what make Star Wars fun, because it is silly.
If Star Wars took itself any more serious then it tried to be, it would be like every Star Trek episode I always seem to stumble across. That's not a shot directly, I know Star Trek has their thing and everything, but the point I'm trying to make is that Star Wars doesn't take itself serious, which is why, chaos ensues. Every time I watch Star Trek (again, maybe it's just my luck), they just seem to be like what America is doing to the world now. Police the galaxy.
But Star Wars is the epitome of Galactic Epic. That I am currently aware of, and not stemming into the debate of books and comics and what not, ask yourself who has the most diverse range of species in one movie, and the answer is easily Star Wars. And they're doing stupid things. Look at the Mos Eisley Cantina scene. It's not camera angles or anything too detailed. It's that glimpse of the first T-shaped-head alien, with sparkly yellow eyes, that just pops right up. Like a Family Guy "remember the time...". Then it flashes to like a furry sloth with a straw for a nose, and a dude that looks like Satan. There's also a hammerhead shark in there too. (I know all the species, just "bare bone" it)
The gap between the first and second trilogy is simply that the first, wasn't fully meant to be taken seriously. Han Solo, case in point. While all this bad stuff is going down, he just wants to get by. He doesn't care. But this kid and this old guy show up, and next thing he knows, he's in a world of pain, all the while, being snarky. But, as a whole, it was simplistic, gritty, real, and sarcastic in of itself. It played on emotions, but never lost its charm. Like watching a Jawa try to walk in sand, it was a kid and/or midget.
The new trilogy, took the Star Trek route in story telling, and demanded to be taken seriously, with a love story shoved down your throat, even though we all knew what was going to happen in the end. There was too much talking. And the payoffs were let downs. But, while it demanded to be taken seriously, there is a lot of sillyness to be had. Yoda bouncing off walls, was cool for a minute, then you realized this is the crippled midget in Empire Strike Back that can barely move. Then there is the Droid Army... (Roger Roger). Jar Jar. Gungans in general. Having to take a submarine through a planet core. The flower fields of Naboo. And of course "Nooooooooooooooooooo". It was a let down entirely, because it was all political, all love, and everything, was overcooked. Like watching a Jawa try to walk in sand, and stepping in a pile of poop... all in CG.
But 1, 2, and 3 all at least maintained some Star Wars to it. While it wasn't the same experience, a lot of kids now have their own Star Wars trilogy to grow up with, and in that sense its cool. So that's not the issue.
My biggest disappointment though was when Anakin became Darth Vader, simply being knighted by Sidious in the room with a broken window, that Mace Windu just five seconds ago flew out of, with his arm chopped off.
I got a little off track, but take this for the rant that it is. But, I'm just trying to say, that the lore of Star Wars, outweighs any merits people try to give the films as cinematic achievements. And it was all a pipe dream on camera. Looking at documentaries and seeing backstage pictures of Star Wars... those guys didn't have a clue that the movie they were making was gonna be as big as it was. Everyone that was a part of it admitted it. If you don't think its silly to any degree, then life must be pretty dull, because it's silly to think that a movie STILL gets debated about to this day. Star Wars is a punchline. People love it, because anything can happen inside of that world. Anything your mind can think of, can be made better in the Star Wars universe.
So, yes, Star Wars is silly. Comedic. But like a squeaky fart during a serious movie. You're watching something amazing, but every once in a while, you'll find yourself noticing how clumsy it looks. But it's okay.
P.S.
Even if you don't want to believe Star Wars is silly in any degree, then theres at least some people out there with a sense of humor you lack, like the Washington National Cathedral, which touts a Darth Vader bust/gargoyle.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1372/1471279846_e285d06ace.jpg
