LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales
Is it crass commercialism for Disney to do LEGO “Star Wars” specials? Of course. But has another brand lent itself to being as successfully silly as the galaxy far, far away in the format? No, and that’s why I will always welcome such nonsense. When I got back into collector’s LEGOs several years ago, “Star Wars” was my genre of choice, and I regret nothing- I love the franchise, and it always had the coolest toys; getting to build my own AT-AT or Millennium Falcon was a treat. Now, I’ve moved away from them for POPs, but the imagination it brought to me is something I’m grateful for at this part of my life.
“Terrifying Tales” is the first thing we’ve seen devoted to doing something “scary” within the “Star Wars” universe for the duration. Of course, the LEGO aspect means it’s not THAT scary, but it does get my mind going about what a horror-focused story in that universe would look like. It’s true that there have been plenty of scary moments, but nothing that just went full on into the genre, and while “Terrifying Tales” plays almost like a “What if?” anthology of moments in the canonical universe (it’s akin to “The Simpsons’s” “Treehouse of Horror” episodes), it offers something I think genre fans might enjoy, as well as “Star Wars” fans.
The wrap around story involves Poe Dameron landing on Mustafar, where Vader’s castle is being transformed into a tourist trap by Vader’s assistant. When Dameron interrupts work, we get three tales of “terror” in the “Star Wars” universe. In the first one, we see how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren. In the second one, Darth Maul is reconstructed after his defeat at Obi-Wan’s hands, and he and General Grievous are at odds over an ancient Sith lightsaber. In the third one, we see what might have happened if, when he goes to Toshi Station, Luke is offered a Wookie’s Paw which will grant his wishes.
If you’re a fan of all of the various TV shows and movies, some of the ideas- especially in the Maul and Grievous story- will be familiar, and I like how we get a comedic riff on how Ben was lured to the Dark Side that is more about toying with film cliches of youthful rebellion than fate and destiny. The Luke story is probably the most entertaining, because it images iconic events from the original trilogy from a different point-of-view. During the wrap around segments, we get a horror movie premise as well which is goofy but a lot of fun to watch unfold, and makes me think that, in the right hands, a live-action “Star Wars” horror film could work. Until that happens, though, I’ll take this animated nonsense.
