Re-Review: Star Wars

This is, of course, in reference to the 1st film in the franchise. Commonly referred to as "A New Hope", this film released in 1978 and took the world by storm. My earliest memories are playing the VHS of all 3 originals and the prequels, often back to back, in my aunt's den. Playing the games, watching the movies, and sometimes reading the books; these are a core part of my cinematic experience. So, I'll be rewatching most of them and re-reviewing them for the next couple weeks while doing my normal reviews. I'll warn you ahead of time, I'm a fair bit biased, so my intention will be to review these as if I'm watching them for the first time. So, let's begin:

Star Wars: A New Hope exists as a unique paradigm for all present sci-fi films. It broke the mold of sci-fi being slow or silly and instead opted for epic drama akin to a Kurosawa film, one of its many inspirations. The film went for a more serious but still fun take on the space adventures initially brought on by Star Trek and steered in a more serious direction by Kubrick. Space was all the rage, especially in the late 60's and early 70's. However, what hadn't been done was a full-blown sci-fi adventure set in a brand new world with no Earth, no "humans", just strange sci-fi planets with no recognizable names or places. This was what Star Wars brought to the big screen and it does it masterfully. I'll start with negatives as there are very few. Dialogue, one of George Lucas's most infamous issues, can be a little choppy at times depending on the scene. A few actors aren't as great as they will be, in particular Mark Hamill has a hard time keeping up with Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness. But, if those were my only two issues, then this film already has a ton of praise. The effects, the cinematography, the acting, the direction, and, above all else, the music. Everything here delivers a grand, epic journey worth sitting through two hours of worldbuilding. What could be painful and slow ends up being quick, easy to understand, and engulfing in its simplicity. Having an opening as quick and exciting as this one makes it easy to connect to the Rebels and hate the Empire while introducing us to the main villain: Vader. The greatest bad in the history of bads, this guy is terrifying, complex, and above all else, interesting. Then, we move quickly to our main character in the desert, Luke Skywalker. This story unfolds in an evenly paced way, never sticking in one place too long before moving to where it needs to be. One of the biggest issues in lesser Star Wars films is pacing, either waiting too long or being too quick. This film processes information brilliantly and allows you to pick up what's going on. The intro is interesting because it was almost ruined by one thing: additional scenes. Originally, a full ten minute scene of Luke meeting with friends was added and it would've killed the pacing. But, Lucas had people tell him that and it was cut, cleaning the pace of the film. The terrific acting in the film is also a highlight. Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, C-3PO. These are iconic characters not just because of their lines but also the talent behind them. These people delivered an emotional story and brought some bad-ass figures to the big screen for boys and girls to get behind. But, what about the cinematography and music? These are the highlights of the film. I will never forget the image of a boy staring into the twin suns while the music crescendoes in the back. It's poignant, beautiful, and is everything right with the franchise in one perfect shot. A movie this big, this powerful, and this grand started a franchise worth digging into at any opportunity. The effects still hold up, everything just works wonderfully. I can't say much else on the film, but know that this film fully inspired me to want to go to places like this in a galaxy far, far away.

Rating: 9.5/10

NEXT WEEK: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK