Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
If you ever find yourself crashing your star cruiser on the forest moon of Endor, and you and your spouse are being chased by a Gorax...wait, none of those things exist. (I mean, spouses exist, but...you know what I mean.) Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure is a sci-fi, made-for-TV movie set in the Star Wars universe, intended for children, and a shameless cash-in on the success of Return of the Jedi, and especially those cuddly warrior teddy bears known as "Ewoks". So if that's your thing, enjoy! Nobody's stopping you.
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As with any popular franchise, the cultural phenomenon that was Star Wars led to a glut of tie-ins, toys, marketing, and just about every kind of market saturation strategy you can think of. Caravan of Courage (for short) is no different, and just seems even more bizarre without any foreknowledge of Star Wars (if such a thing is even possible anymore). Clearly made on the cheap, shot in what look like national parks, and with actors who probably were given just one take per scene, this isn't a masterpiece by anyone's definition. Nevertheless, it was a movie that (for nostalgia's sake) I found myself coming back to rewatch. As a kid, it found frequent play in our VCR, probably because it's largely inoffensive and features the cute Ewoks. (My brother loved those.) Watching it today, it's a surprising experience. With an upgrade to its resolution, it has the unfortunate side effect of making some of the special effects appear less refined (like the fishing line holding up that terrifying spider). On the other hand, there are some interesting tricks performed, like a matte shot when the Ewok shaman, Logray (Bobby Bell), spins his crystal top (dreidel?) that shows where the parents of our child heroes--Mace (Eric Walker) and Cindel (Aubree Miller)--are being kept by the Gorax. There is also a little sprite made of flame (presumably)--I guess her name is "Izrina"--that is colorful, clearly meant to delight the movie's intended audience. And, for no discernable reason, Mace and Cindel appear to be dressed in outfits meant to recall those worn by the likes of Luke and Leia from the Star Wars movies. (And who gave that kid a blaster?!)
If it looks like Caravan of Courage is cribbing from "The Lord of the Rings", you're not the only one who thinks this. After the human kids are saved by the Ewoks (Mace is especially ungrateful for much of the film), and Logray reveals what happened to their mom and dad--named Catarine (Fionnula Flanagan) and Jeremitt (Guy Boyd), because I guess they need names--they embark on a "caravan" (hence the name) through the wilderness to rescue the other humans, braving cursed ponds and recruiting allies with teeth (that is, they trade a tooth for their service), or something, like the macho, lumberjack Ewok, Chukha-Trok (Kevin Thompson). Each of the explorers gets some weird trinket, but in true Charlie Brown fashion, Mace gets a rock, which he ignorantly throws away. Of course it will be important (somehow), so the cute, kid Ewok, Wicket (Warwick Davis), reclaims it, showing Mace that even the most unassuming things have value. Or at least that should be the message, except that when it comes time to use it, that ol' laser blaster proves to be the most important tool of all, kind of rendering the message moot. Caravan of Courage possesses some interesting stop motion animation and matte shots, but even these techniques--and arbitrary narration by Burl Ives--can't really save a story that feels hollow and inexpertly written. Does that mean that you shouldn't watch Caravan of Courage? No, but temper your expectations around the fact that it was probably made just to keep the Star Wars brand in the faces of kids, forever inuring the mythos of Star Wars deep into their impressionable, young minds. (Gee, when I phrase it that way, it sounds a lot more diabolical than a cheesy kids movie really should be.)
Recommended for: Fans of cornball made-for-TV flicks designed to distract the kiddies who can't get enough Star Wars. Revisiting Caravan of Courage from a pure nostalgia perspective made me painfully aware as to just how silly the whole thing is, but it did take me back to that time in my youth, sitting around the TV with our toys scattered everywhere and eating our cereal while our brains melted at the constant influx of commercials disguised as entertainment. Ahh...good times.
If it looks like Caravan of Courage is cribbing from "The Lord of the Rings", you're not the only one who thinks this. After the human kids are saved by the Ewoks (Mace is especially ungrateful for much of the film), and Logray reveals what happened to their mom and dad--named Catarine (Fionnula Flanagan) and Jeremitt (Guy Boyd), because I guess they need names--they embark on a "caravan" (hence the name) through the wilderness to rescue the other humans, braving cursed ponds and recruiting allies with teeth (that is, they trade a tooth for their service), or something, like the macho, lumberjack Ewok, Chukha-Trok (Kevin Thompson). Each of the explorers gets some weird trinket, but in true Charlie Brown fashion, Mace gets a rock, which he ignorantly throws away. Of course it will be important (somehow), so the cute, kid Ewok, Wicket (Warwick Davis), reclaims it, showing Mace that even the most unassuming things have value. Or at least that should be the message, except that when it comes time to use it, that ol' laser blaster proves to be the most important tool of all, kind of rendering the message moot. Caravan of Courage possesses some interesting stop motion animation and matte shots, but even these techniques--and arbitrary narration by Burl Ives--can't really save a story that feels hollow and inexpertly written. Does that mean that you shouldn't watch Caravan of Courage? No, but temper your expectations around the fact that it was probably made just to keep the Star Wars brand in the faces of kids, forever inuring the mythos of Star Wars deep into their impressionable, young minds. (Gee, when I phrase it that way, it sounds a lot more diabolical than a cheesy kids movie really should be.)
Recommended for: Fans of cornball made-for-TV flicks designed to distract the kiddies who can't get enough Star Wars. Revisiting Caravan of Courage from a pure nostalgia perspective made me painfully aware as to just how silly the whole thing is, but it did take me back to that time in my youth, sitting around the TV with our toys scattered everywhere and eating our cereal while our brains melted at the constant influx of commercials disguised as entertainment. Ahh...good times.