A new fan-made project called Echoes of Darkness: A Star Wars Fan Film has just been uploaded to YouTube, and it will definitely impress anyone who watches it.
Written and directed by Gary Scullion, who also helmed fan films such as The Witcher 3: The Sorceress of Vengerberg and Mission: Implausible, Echoes of Darkness can now be viewed on the channel of his production company, Sneaky Zebra. The fan film focuses on a ragtag group of smugglers who travel to the Forest Moon of Endor in order to retrieve Darth Vader's burned armor, so that they can sell it to the First Order.
As longtime fans will be aware, Anakin’s body disappeared as he became one with the Force shortly after his death. Therefore, Luke’s burning of the empty armor at the end of Return of the Jedi was more of a symbolic gesture which represented his late father finally shedding his Sith persona. And Kylo Ren was clearly desperate to obtain the charred remains of his grandfather’s cybernetic life-support armor, with Echoes of Darkness offering an explanation of how the Knight of Ren might have come into possession of the valuable commodity.
Despite its incredibly low production costs, the short film certainly has the look and feel of a major Hollywood production. From the smugglers’ ship leaving the atmosphere as it departed the moon to the spectacular sight of it entering Hyperspace, it goes without saying that Echoes of Darkness was filled with plenty of spectacular visual effects. There were also a number of impressive action sequences, including shootouts and a duel between Kylo Ren and Xeros, a Nikto warrior viewing a Vibro-axe (played with fierce intensity by Jon Campling), so fans who are looking for action-focused elements will certainly not be disappointed.
While the top-notch sound design also elevates the Hollywood-level production values, as did the grand score. And the props and costumes also all looked completely authentic, so you will be forgiven if you mistake Echoes of Darkness for an official Disney production as opposed to a fan film. At the same time, since Scullion is clearly a lifelong Star Wars fan, everything on display seemed authentic and genuine, with Echoes of Darkness genuinely seeming like something which really did occur in the galaxy far, far away. Fans will have a great time spotting all the small details on display, with everything from text written in Aurebesh, a long-abandoned AT-ST, and familiar species, such as Rodians and Mon Calamari, all being featured.
On another note, the makers of Echoes of Darkness also remembered that Ewoks are actually bloodthirsty warriors as opposed to the cute and cuddly teddy bears, which books like The Baby Ewoks’ Picnic Surprise portrayed them as. So, anyone who thinks of Ewoks as lovable furballs will never look at them in the same way after witnessing their more monstrous portrayal here. Unlike the harrowing scene in Return of the Jedi in which we cried when Nanta the Ewok perished in the Battle of Endor, nobody will be shedding a tear when the Ewoks in Echoes of Darkness are blasted into pieces.
And despite only running for thirty-two minutes in length, the characters were each given their own unique personalities, which really shone through as a result of the actors’ performances. Mark Joseph was impressive as Fiotan Dassyne, the leader of the group, who clearly cares about profit, while also trying to outwardly hide his concern for his team’s safety. Although he often tries to outwardly appear brash and cocky, Dassyne’s affection for his team becomes apparent in moments of crisis, and Joseph perfectly balances the conflicting sides of his character’s outward and exterior personalities. And the actor’s performance made Dassyne seem like a strong and competent hero underneath his frivolous exterior.
Actress Charlie Bond also appeared as Rijl, a Twi'lek warrior who forms part of the group of smugglers. Rijl has clearly seen her fair share of battles, and the way in which she openly ponders if any of the fighting was really worth it, with Bond’s stoic performance helping to reflect Rijl’s tired and battle-weary personality. Since the Twi’lek are known for speaking in French accents, Bond also implemented a slight French inflection throughout her performance, which gave Rijl an extra flair of authenticity.
James Hamer-Morton was highly amusing as Davik, a frustrated member of the group who is often assigned menial grunt work, with Davik’s constant irritation toward the incompetence of others inserting a strong sense of comic relief into the picture. And despite being busy with his directing duties, Scullion delivered a humorous vocal performance as SZ-RA-7 (physically played by Gordon Tarpley), a droid who constantly annoys the other members of the group with his endless complaining.
The band of smugglers also consisted of Leitoo (Katrina Allen) and Jas'el (Laura Tolton), two resilient women who were played with tenacity by their respective actresses. While Mari Takahashi and Meghan Camarena respectively appeared as Cmdr. Jeela Taiko and Lt. Vel, a pair of officials who were constantly at one another’s’ throats, with the chemistry between the actresses making the bickering seem amusing as opposed to irritating.
However, this is a fan film which offers a more bleak and cynical impression of the Star Wars galaxy, so you probably should not become too attached to the characters before the end credits start to roll. Star Wars is ultimately a franchise about conflict, with Scullion reminding viewers that no matter how entertained they might be by all the battles on display, the fighting always comes at the cost of sentient life. This was reflected by the way in which the morally ambiguous smugglers ultimately ended up sacrificing everything they held dear in the pursuit of their goal, since their deal with the First Order quickly turned sour. Clearly, a peaceful life will always be more fulfilling than a life filled with conflict, and Echoes of Darkness strongly drives this point home.
Echoes of Darkness is clearly aimed at older Star Wars fans, and while it still has plenty of action and impressive set-pieces, its overall bleak and somber tone will no doubt make it more thought-provoking than something which simply focuses on explosions and fanciful space battles. Instead of delivering an uplifting story about the power of hope, Echoes of Darkness boldly presents a bleaker tale about the futility of conflict. The more depressing nature of the film certainly helped it to stand apart from the countless other Star Wars fan productions on offer. You may not be smiling by the end of Echoes of Darkness, but you will definitely be pondering if there really was any meaning to all the fighting, as this is a film that examines the bigger picture instead of presenting its subject matter at face value.
Despite being more solemn than most other Star Wars fan films, this might just be one of the best fan-made offerings taking place within the Star Wars galaxy to date. Fans of the Star Wars franchise will certainly be enthralled by the mature and morally complex story, which Echoes of Darkness boldly presents to its viewers.
Score: 9 out of 10