NEWS
REVIEW: ‘Star Wars Visions’ Season 2 Episode 5 — “Journey to the Dark Head”
2023-05-04
Star Wars Visions Volume 2 has brought
together stories from 10 countries to tell stories from across the Star Wars
galaxy. In Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5, “Journey to the Dark Head,”
audiences see the most action-heavy short of the season. They are also shown
that light and darkness, despair and hope, all come together regardless of
which one we feel is dominating at any given time. The short is directed by
Park Hyeong-geun and written by Chung Se-rang.
Animated by South
Korean Studio Mir, “Journey to the Dark Head” showcases the studio’s skill in
fight animation, use of light, and, ultimately, telling stories. As the longest
short of the bunch, Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5 is also one of the strongest
in the anthology series. Able to balance action with thoughtful lessons
about life and living, Studio Mir has struck gold. The short follows Ara (Jang
Ye-na), a member of a people tasked with recording the stories of fleeting
prophetic visions shown in the stones of their home in a hidden temple far in
the Outer Rim. When Ara learns about the rising power of the Sith, she wants to
warn the Jedi to protect them from the darkness. But as record keepers, her
role is to simply record what happens, not change it
.
.
.
The use of traditional
Korean instruments in the climactic battle creates a fascinating and fast-paced
sequence that comes to life like nothing that’s been done before. While the
choice to make the dialogue all be Korean is one element of highlighting Studio
Mir’s Korean background, it’s the music that really highlights the absolute
importance of allowing each country to fill their short in this anthology with
their culture. You can hear hourglass drums, cymbals, rattle bells, and the taepyeongso
in the most dramatic moments, which then how the music morphs into more the
strings we have come to connect with a lightsaber battle brings something
beautiful to the “Journey to the Dark Head.” Jang Young-gyu and Lee
Byung-hoon’s music in this short completes the immersive story.
Studio Mir isn’t a studio without
notoriety, having worked with Netflix on titles like Voltron, Kipo and the
Wonderbeasts, and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. The studio is also behind the iconic
The Legend of Korra series. That said, to see the series produce a short in
Korean and featuring Korean instruments feels like an accomplishment that
centers their culture in animation.
The reason it feels so important? Because
outside of Lookism, most of their catalog animates English-speaking properties.
Beyond that, much of the outsourced animation for many Netflix animated
projects and anime goes to the talented folks at Korean animation studios.
Still, Korean studios rarely get the recognition they deserve. But here, in
Star Wars Visions Volume 2, they get the chance to thrive at the center of the
story and to do it in their language with Episode 5.
“Journey to the Dark Head” is the
longest of the shorts in the Star Wars Visions 2 anthology, but as episode 5
and the halfway point, I wanted to stay in it. I could take a whole series, a
whole film, I want to see more of what Studio Mir can do in the franchise.
Studio Mir has crafted an 18-minute story that builds emotion and action in
equal measure, capturing the beauty and heart in an intense action sequence.
https://butwhytho.net/2023/05/star-wars-visions-volume-2-episode-5-review/
Kate Sánchez May 4,
2023