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Michael Jackson meets Star Wars: A look back at "Captain EO"
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Now that the memorial service for Michael Jackson has concluded and the finality of his passing has begun to sink in, it seems only natural that his fans all over the world will begin to celebrate his legacy by reveling in the many wonderful artistic gifts he left behind.
Obviously, his musical contributions will be the first to be considered, but one of the milestones he achieved was his one and only collaboration with George Lucas, the 3-D short “Captain EO.” 
Co-written by Lucas from a story he conceived and directed by Lucas’ mentor Francis Ford Coppola, “Captain EO” tells the story of the titular spaceship captain (Jackson) and his crew of misfit creatures and robots who crash land on the planet of the evil queen Supreme Leader (Angelica Huston.) The queen attempts to subdue EO and his crew but the charismatic captain wins over the forces of evil through his gift of song and dance.
If you’re laughing at this, don’t feel bad. This wasn’t meant to be “The Godfather.”
“Captain EO” premiered at DisneyWorld’s EPCOT Center September 12, 1986. At the time, the $30 million short was considered to be the most expensive film ever made, just by cost per length of film ($1.76 million per minute.) Considering how little 3-D was being utilized at the time, the short was certainly groundbreaking for its era. A look at the amount of feature-length films showing in the 3-D format today is proof enough that the film was, in fact, ahead of its time.
Looking at “Captain EO” in its entirety on YouTube, it is rather laughable. It was certainly nobody’s finest hour. The effects pale in comparison to any given “Star Wars” film, the dialogue (written by Lucas, Coppola, and Rusty Lemorande) is painfully wooden, and neither of the two songs Jackson sings in the film (“We Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me”) can be considered his best. However, Angelica Huston plays her role as the Darth Vader of the piece with sheer abandon and she is a joy to watch, even underneath all of her makeup.
What is undeniable about “EO” is that Michael Jackson had star quality to burn. Even if he wasn’t much of actor - and who did he ever play but himself, in videos such as “Thriller” and even in vehicles like “The Wiz?” - he lights up the screen. Watching “Captain EO” one can’t help but think it’s shame Jackson never made a feature-length musical for the big screen.
As corny as “Captain EO’s” message of love conquering hate through song and dance may be, the sheer conviction that Jackson conveys through his message is what impresses the most. You really believe that he believes such a thing is possible. Say what you will about his antics in his later years, but the Jackson that most everyone knew and loved - still loves - was that rarest of human species, a true believer.
To paraphrase a song Jackson sings in the movie, he was here to change the world.
And he did.
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