If you missed the original Star Wars trilogy when it recently screened at the Belcourt, or would like to catch some of the ever-divisive prequels and recent sequels on the big screen once more, the Force is with you.
The Belcourt is bringing back the beloved space operas for another run, this time complete with the full nine-film Skywalker Saga that started in 1977 with A New Hope and ended in 2019 with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (a film everyone but me apparently hated).
George Lucas’ prequel films will begin the run, with The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones playing Sept. 2 and Sept. 6, and Revenge of the Sith playing Sept. 3 and Sept. 6. These movies are a lot better than you remember, though some of Lucas' dialogue can be a bit like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere. But if you can get past that, you get Ewan McGregor, “Duel of the Fates,” pod racing and Yoda fighting Palpatine. Not a bad tradeoff if you ask meesa.
The original trilogy will play for an encore run Sept. 3 and Sept. 5, and the three main Disney sequels will play Sept. 4 and Sept. 7. The Last Jedi has emerged as one of the most respected blockbusters in the past decade, while The Rise of Skywalker is mainly going to be remembered for Babu Frick and the fact that key plot details were revealed via Fortnite. It’s a very fun movie if you can get past … the script.
Also playing at the Belcourt on Labor Day weekend: replays of The Man With No Name trilogy and the Three Colors films and a Labor Day Olivia Newton-John tribute featuring a Grease and Xanadu double bill. For new releases, the Sundance standout Girl Picture will also run through Sept. 4, with the tense John Boyega drama Breaking opening the weekend before.
All tickets are on sale at the Belcourt’s website. Only scruffy-looking nerf herders would miss out.
