dr_matthew_lloyd's review
3.0
I recently read [b:The Art of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back|289312|The Art of Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back|Deborah Call|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387705426s/289312.jpg|280688], and this subsequent book in the series deserves a similar review to my review of that volume. The art is, again, spectacular - perhaps even more so as the new locations and aliens of Return of the Jedi are in many ways more spectacular than the harsh imperial settings of The Empire Strikes Back. But then again, is anything more wonderful than Cloud City? As with the previous volume, some of the art is not well presented, whether too small or crossing the page divide, and it could have been much, much longer and held my interest.
The main flaw of the volume, however, lies in the decision to combine the "Art of" book with the script of the film. Now, I love Return of the Jedi and can't deny that I felt a rush of excitement as I read the script of the Battle of Endor, but there was so much of interest in The Art of The Empire Strikes Back that I wished I could have learned in this book. How was Jabba the Hutt animated? Were the A-Wings and B-Wings designed before they knew which letters of the alphabet they would be named after? In addition to this lack of information, there's also limited labelling of the sketches, so that I can't tell, for example, if some of the sketches are the Emperor or the Imperial Guard.
As with Empire, I borrowed this book from the library. I think I would like to own the entire collection of The Art of Star Wars, Episodes I-VII and onwards, regardless of the flaws in book design or individual films. If there's one thing right about every Star Wars film, it's the visual design, and that is well reflected in their art.
The main flaw of the volume, however, lies in the decision to combine the "Art of" book with the script of the film. Now, I love Return of the Jedi and can't deny that I felt a rush of excitement as I read the script of the Battle of Endor, but there was so much of interest in The Art of The Empire Strikes Back that I wished I could have learned in this book. How was Jabba the Hutt animated? Were the A-Wings and B-Wings designed before they knew which letters of the alphabet they would be named after? In addition to this lack of information, there's also limited labelling of the sketches, so that I can't tell, for example, if some of the sketches are the Emperor or the Imperial Guard.
As with Empire, I borrowed this book from the library. I think I would like to own the entire collection of The Art of Star Wars, Episodes I-VII and onwards, regardless of the flaws in book design or individual films. If there's one thing right about every Star Wars film, it's the visual design, and that is well reflected in their art.
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