‘Star Wars’ Marathon @ SIFF Cinema Downtown

An evil empire rules over the land with an iron fist, jailing and eliminating all who refuse to go along with their myopic, sinister governance through heavy use of armed stormtroopers, anti-democratic propaganda and a dismissal of basic, functional law.

Fantasy is such an escape, isn’t it?

But this month, the SIFF Cinema Downtown will provide answers for how to speak truth to power, organize at the grassroots level and stage successful rebellions against the forces of evil with their “Star Wars” Ultimate Cinematic Marathon. All the live-action movies will be shown three times over two weeks, with week one going through the saga in chronological order and week two focusing on the release order.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” we are now several generations into the fandom, all of whom came in at different points and with different alliances. There is, of course, the original trilogy (updated into special editions in the late 1990s), whose popularity changed American cinema forever.

Then came the campy, deeply idiosyncratic, independently financed prequels, whose combination of sprawling political theatre and middle schooler-geared humor grows more barkingly mad (and oddly refreshing?) with each passing year.

And finally, the Disney years, a corporate-controlled (and very fun!) MCU-esque monstrosity that nonetheless bore fruit. (Like what you wanna like, but I think “The Last Jedi”is one of the great 21st century blockbusters).

At the Downtown, you will be transported to a galaxy far, far away. And even if that just means a one-off screening as opposed to a full marathon, that’s worth it for your mental health.