BASINGSTOKE! Free Star Wars exhibition now open at The Willis Museum, jump in your Landspeeder and bring the whole family...

All I want for xmas is... unwrapping the latest exhibit for May The Toys Be With You!

The Last Jedi (2017) – Review by Matt Fox (May The Toys Be With You) I had tickets safely booked in several weeks before release. I’d be watching The Last Jedi at the local Curzon with my family, including two young daughters who’d both very much enjoyed The Force Awakens. However, as a keen Star Wars poster collector with a completist streak, when I heard news that Odeon were giving out an exclusive poster on opening weekend to those who saw the film in 3D I hastily scrabbled together a second viewing, this time with friends. So I’m writing this review having watched The Last Jedi twice on consecutive nights! I’ve only ever done that once with a movie before (Back To The Future, and that was indeed way back as a 13 year old in 1985). Despite The Last Jedi being longer than any Star Wars movie to date, the older me thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The length, and the episodic structure of the movie, gave it the feeling of watching a box set TV show. Those evenings when you watch two episodes and really ought to go to bed, but then you look at your partner and go… shall we do just one more? The opening crawl has never had less to do, as the action follows on so closely from The Force Awakens. Rey is holding out the lightsabre plaintively to Luke (his response drew howls of laughter from the audience on both nights – this movie has belly laughs throughout and is comfortably the funniest of all the Star Wars films), and up in space above the evacuated Rebel Base (we get just a tiny glimpse of Greenham Common) the Rebels are doing a runner after exposing themselves by their assault on Starkiller Base. Here we see more of the lighter tone as Poe first trolls General Hux to buy time for the rebels and then runs rings around an old warhorse type First Order General who is piloting an enormous Dreadnought Class Star Destroyer. I’d have liked to have seen more of this General as he seems competent and professional in the military manner that we’ve come to expect from the Empire – Hux really does not, and is generally played as the butt of the joke in every scene he’s in, which does reflect back on the First Order and makes them seem a bit toothless and unthreatening. The bomber run on the Dreadnought is a bravura opening set piece, the James Bond tactic of giving the audience some major action right from the off. Really well delivered sequence, which achieves the tricky balance of evoking the mayhem of battle whilst retaining clear geography and audience understanding of what’s going on. On first viewing I did wonder why the camera lingered so much on the Asian bomber pilot with her unusual necklace, but that small query was answered soon after as she is shown to be the sister of Rose – a new character who would act as a foil for Finn and provide the film with a moral centre. She is a character that might be viewed as ‘sappy’ by some, but to balance her – and balance is certainly a strong theme throughout – she shares many scenes with another new character, DJ played by Benicio Del Toro, who represents the absence of morality altogether. However Finn, Rose, and DJ’s story is a side dish to the main event (in fact it could be excised altogether with little impact on the rest of the tale, however for me that would be a great shame as there is much to enjoy in the Canto Bight sojourn and I’d much rather have more Star Wars rather than less). The meat of the story is Rey’s journey, and the pull she endures between Kylo and Luke. Daisy Ridley remains a magnetic presence to watch, and is an actress that effortlessly takes the audience on a journey with her, just as Mark Hamill did in Star Wars. The two of them have some wonderful interactions, and the rocky crags of Jedi Island (I know it has a proper name but it’s always going to be Jedi Island to me) provide a great backdrop to their spiky and unpredictable relationship. The monastic environment also allows for the mystical mythos of Star Wars to percolate and brew in a way that it hasn’t done since Dagobah. Nature is the Force and the Force is everywhere. It elegantly retcons the mistake of Midichlorians, and the Force is no longer a medical condition that can be measure by a blood test… a product of your genes. Once again those childhood dreams of anyone being able to become a Jedi through dedication, meditation and hard work are back on the table. Throughout her stay on Jedi Island, Rey also builds a relationship with Kylo. Like a creepy internet romance they speak remotely through the force. When Rey eventually goes to him, and the two of them stand before Snoke, as an audience you really don’t know how this encounter is going to play out – beautifully handled by Rian Johnson. And then… the sequence that the film has been building towards. Played out in Snoke’s blood red chamber – never forget that cinema is a visual medium – the fight sequence between Rey, Kylo and the Royal Guards is one for the ages. A real stunning treat for the eyes, and the highlight of the film for me. Whilst on highlights it would be remiss if I didn’t mention lowlights. For me, BB8 in the Scout Walker didn’t work, either conceptually or in execution. And story wise I would have preferred for Admiral Ackbar to occupy the role that was given to new character Admiral Holdo. I would put The Last Jedi on par with both The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and all three of these new films would sit slightly below the Original Trilogy. It’s my favourite film of 2017, and I am thrilled to have new Star Wars content to enjoy and rewatch. As Kylo says, ‘let the past die’, and we are now all set for the new cast of Star Wars to do battle in the final act of the trilogy.

LAST CHANCE TO BUY AT REDUCED £195 - Early Bird Offer expires on Jan 1st and price returns to £245. Tom Beauvais signed, limited edition quad poster, painted in 1977 for the UK release of Star Wars! Click link to learn more: http://spacefund.co.uk/star-wars-1977-tom-beauvais-print/

The Stormtroopers guarding the vintage toy treasure at the opening of #maythetoysbewithyou at Gosport Gallery. FREE to visit, Sept 30th - Jan 6th.

The Empire Strikes Back Revisited (2017) – Review by Matt Fox (May The Toys Be With You) In short: A VERY special edition. The Empire Strikes Back gets a meticulous makeover courtesy of fan editor Adywan. Review: I have been following the progress of The Empire Strikes Back Revisited for what seems like much of my adult life. Fx guru Adywan (Adrian Sayce) began work on the movie soon after releasing its predecessor, Star Wars Revisited, to fan acclaim way back in 2008. Here we are nearly ten years later and the finished sequel has just been released. It has clearly been a labour, but a labour of love, and after viewing the movie I can say that all those years of tinkering, polishing, correcting and perfecting really have resulted in something very special. And it was something ‘special’ that set the Revisited project in motion. The Special Edition re-releases of the original trilogy back in 1997. Fan grievances over the Special Editions are well noted (with crowbarred-in incongruous CG and some clunky retconning - most infamously Han’s dispassionate dispatch of Greedo) but The Empire Strikes Back arguably came off the best of the three in terms of avoiding any really contentious changes. There are a few Special Edition ‘changes revoked’ in Revisited (when Luke comes to the aid of R2 on Dagobah his original 1980 dialogue “You’re lucky you don’t taste very good” is restored, as is Boba Fett’s original Clint Eastwood-esque voice) but for the most part ESB Revisited isn’t about restoring - it is about enhancing. And wow – what a difference these enhancements make. Even if you have seen ESB a dozen times or more I guarantee that watching Revisited will feel like seeing it for the first time. The sensation of experiencing the movie afresh is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Adywan’s version - although on the flipside I’m not sure that I could go back to watching the original after being so thoroughly entranced by Revisited. Before I get too hyperbolic or mislead you as to what this version is – it is still The Empire Strikes Back that we know and love, but it so beautifully presented and polished as to shine. The blue tint that was bluntly applied across the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back is now gone, and the richness of the colours are at times a revelation. The deep gold of C3PO, the obsidian sheen of Vader’s helm, and the warm skin tones of Han and Leia as their romance blossoms all contribute to enhance the already superb cinematography. Continuity and production errors have also been corrected. The thing about ‘movie mistakes’ is that they’re usually hard to spot but once you have seen them they’re equally hard to un-see. From Adywan’s change log there are a multitude of corrected mistakes, ranging from wobbling sets to cameramen being visible in reflection. However, the really big one is the carbonite block, and the frozen Han is now wearing the same shirt that he appears in when descending into the freeze chamber. Seamlessly done. Throughout the movie there are small enhanced details. On first viewing I’m sure I have only picked up a fraction of these. For example; the Wampa’s severed arm now has burning strands of fur from the lightsabre strike, the Snowspeeders cockpit displays are alive with new instrumentation, the hangar bays below the Star Destroyers are illuminated, and there is even a new creature glimpsed on Dagobah (the knobby white spider, first visualised by Ralph McQuarrie in his original ESB concept art). However, the grandstanding sequence in terms of enhancements is the Battle of Hoth. The ferocity, the scale, and the sense of geography are all improved. As a child I recall the giant lumbering AT-AT’s seemed less mechanical and almost bestial to my eyes, and that sensation is now made even more acute by a contingent of AT-ST Walkers. These cluck alongside the elephantine AT-ATs almost like Velociraptors, their cannons and gaze darting here and there, protecting their larger charges. The rebels now truly do feel hopelessly outgunned, and it makes their small victories in the battle seem more significant. In fact, there is a new sight gag when one AT-AT falls that Lucas himself would have been proud of – I won’t spoil it, but it’s the kind of moment that would draw cheers and whoops from a theatre audience. Bravo Adywan! Apart from letting rip on the Hoth battle, Adywan has implemented the rest of the enhancements with a good degree of subtlety, elegance and restraint. The techniques he has used are varied, and certainly not all reliant on CGI. In fact, like The Force Awakens and Rogue One, Revisited is well served by going back in time and embracing physical model building and costuming. New miniatures for Dagobah and the Rebel Hangar on Echo Base are massively impressive and add to the solidity and tangible feel of the Star Wars universe. I honestly think you could watch The Empire Strikes Back Revisited and Rogue One back to back, and see them as companion pieces rather than films separated by over 3 decades. And so, how do you watch The Empire Strikes Back Revisited? Is this some murky, illegal dark web endeavour? Not at all, but to comply with 'fair usage' and show respect to the rights holder the requirement for downloading a fan edit is that you must already own the source – in this case The Empire Strikes Back on blu ray disc. If you’re like me you’ve probably bought The Empire Strikes Back multiple times over the years on different formats, but do make sure you don’t buy Revisited – this is a free-to-view fan edit, and anyone trying to sell copies on Ebay or elsewhere is on very shaky ground. The download is a 7.5GB Mkv file, presented in crisp and clear 720p, and it’s available through torrent sites or through Megadownloader links on the Star Wars Revisted facebook page. I know that some people watch films on their tablets or smart phones, but I would say that it’s well worth finding the biggest and best screen to properly enjoy this spectacular movie on. Now Adywan, please don’t make us wait another 9 years for The Return Of The Jedi… #starwarsrevisited

#maythetoysbewithyou at Torquay Museum, till Sept 3rd.

Set of '12 backs' mint on card, displayed within cases made by GW Acrylic Thanks to Jamie and Iain!

Grand opening Saturday June 17th, and exhibition running all Summer!

May 20th - today is the perfect day to show this. The rather swanky souvenir programme from the London royal premiere on this day 37 years ago. Not just the greatest Star Wars movie, but quite simply one of the greatest movies ever made.