FAN FILM - THE GREY (Review)

  Students of Full Sail University made a cool contribution to the fanfilm library with The Grey. During the dark times where the Empire reigns, the Jedi Order is all but extinct. One Grey Jedi has survived and keeps pretty much to himself. His acting is excellent; you can tell pretty much all his emotions from his body-language. Sidenote: I could totally dig him as a young Wolverine.

  Opening shot features a desert-planet, with a Lambda shuttle approaching. CGI is done well. Then we see a couple people in a tavern of sorts. They managed their budget by only using make-up for aliens, which is fine. A girl approaches the bartender. She gets approached by a purple alien, who is obviously bothering her. When he doesn't take the hint that she's not interested, the hooded figure in the back uses a Force push to throw him back.

  When he's about to stand up, an Imperial Officer walks in and he quickly scurries out of the tavern. She gets straight to the point when she sits down across from the Grey Jedi, which I like. When he expresses he's not interested in an alliance, Stormtroopers come in to arrest him. The girl he saved just a moment ago is killed immediately, and he makes quick work of them in return. Then an Inquisitor walks in. His appearance feels close to the animated Inquisitors in the Clone Wars, so they did that well. The overlay of lightsaber effects miss the mark in one or two shots, but it's not too bothersome.

  The choreography in the fight is cool, especially given the limited room they have. I like the Officer's acting as well; first observing arrogantly and then shocked as the Grey Jedi kills his opponent. He then shows his true colors when he Force-chokes the Officer, telling her that he doesn't want anything to do with the Empire. And just when he releases his grip, Darth Vader enters.

Article by: Joel "Mith" Storms