Review of The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) by Brian D — 30 Mar 2008

I had no idea this even existed and I only come across it because Flixster decided to put it on my movie recommendations.

It was like, "Well, I can see that you like Star Wars so here it is what you have been missing all along: Star Wars Holiday Special!".

My initial reaction was: Oh cool, a Star Wars Spin-off. And look: it even has the original cast! How could I have missed this?

Well... now I know why.

Here goes the plot:

It's Life Day - a Wookie Holiday - and Chewbacca is supposed to spend it with his family: his son Lumpy, his wife Mala and his father Itchy. Yes, Chewy is a family man. But the thing is: he and Han Solo run into some trouble with the Imperial Army, and now, he might be late or never get home in time at all.

Yeah... that's basically it.

We have the pleasure of watching how a day in a Wookie household goes . Truly fascinating. I almost gone mad after watching for four minutes, four entire minutes, Wookies grumbling in their incomprehensible language without subtitles and trotting around in their living room. I think my heart stopped for a couple seconds.

The only good thing that came of all this, and that's the reason this got an entire star and not half, was the Boba Fett animation. The guy appeared and talked more in that five minutes cartoon than he did in all six movies.

Summing all this up: We have wookies worrying to death, Wookies cooking, Wookies growling, Wookies hugging Han Solo, Wookies wearinh red robes, Wookies watching weird entertainment holograms, Han solo saying Wookies are like family to him (I felt sorry for Harrison Ford, I really did) scary fairies or something like that dancing, Mark Hamill with a weird face and Princess Leia singing. Yes, Princess Leia sings.

I kind of spaced out a couple of times, couldn't keep my eyes on the screen for more than a few minutes or would enter in a coma. So, if this review is completely nonsense it's normal, the movie is like that too.

As a side note: Don't hate dear Ol' Lucas. When he saw this he tried to buy all the copies and thus erasing this spin-off from the face of the earth. Sadly, he failed.

Just be warned, if after all this you are still convinced to see it, don't watch it alone or without an endless supply of alcohol. Like with all bad things in life you'll need to know someone is suffering as much as you are and drown in your sorrows after.

Han Solo to Chewie's family:

"You're like... family... to me".