On May 25th in 1977, the art of cinema changed forever. The original Star Wars film affected the whole world, and nobody who has seen the film can deny its impact or its cultural significance. After nearly forty years, in my opinion it is still the greatest movie ever made.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is the fourth film in the Star Wars saga, and is the story of a young farmer who joins forces with an old Jedi Knight to save the galaxy from the evil Galactic Empire. As so many great films do, this film takes the time to set up the characters. We find out who Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) are, what they do and what their intentions are. The forces of good and evil are so clearly defined in the film. The Empire seeks out to destroy those who do not submit to their rule, and the Rebellion fights them in an attempt to prevent them from doing so. You also get a sense early in the film of how powerful Darth Vader is, and because of this you are either scared of him or thrilled by him throughout the film. You can also dig into the psychology of Vader a bit with this film. I have heard people question why Vader does not go down to Tatooine himself to attempt to retrieve the escape pod in the beginning of the film. I would say that he does not want to go anywhere near the planet where he lost his mother. This is a location that causes him extreme emotional pain, and he wants to avoid that as much as possible. I also like that you get the sense that Luke and Obi-Wan are familiar with each other even before their meeting in this film. This adds more weight to their relationship. Moving on, I love the way the creatures communicate in the film. While we may not understand what R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) or Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) are saying, their companions C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and Han Solo, respectively, respond in a way that we can assume what the other was saying. When I watched this movie for the first time many years ago, I realized even then that I was a science fiction junkie. Even as a teenager, the words "navicomputer" and "lightspeed" did not seem foreign to me. I understood what they meant. The language in this movie is one of the principal reasons Star Wars feels other-worldly. A good portion of the film takes place on the desert planet Tatooine. One would think that watching characters trudge through a desert in a movie with the word "Wars" in the title would be boring, however because of the interactions with all of the different characters and the dialogue between them, you truly get invested with the characters and care about what happens to them. All of the action sequences are some of the most exciting ever filmed, especially the final act when the Rebellion is attacking the Death Star. The explosion of Alderaan is still one of the most awe-inspiring moments I have ever seen in a film. I have always pictured in my head that the duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi was not so much a fight so much as it was meant to be a distraction so Vader would not find out that the rebels were escaping. One of the concepts that this film introduced was the idea of a "used future". Instead of everything being shiny and glossy, the world that Star Wars inhabits looks like people have lived there for a long time. This is a concept that has influenced countless films, and is one of the major reasons Star Wars resonates with its fans.
There are only a few minor flaws I have with the film. Early in the film, Aunt Beru (Shelagh Fraser) tells Luke to tell Uncle Owen (Phil Brown) to make sure the translator droid speaks Bocce, but Luke never does this. Now, I can forgive this because Owen actually asks C-3P0 this himself without being reminded. The glaring problem I have with this movie is near the end. After the rebels destroy the TIE Fighters near the climax of the film, they head to the rebel base to prepare for the coming battle. The only problem is that we are never told that this is where they are headed. We must assume that Princess Leia knows where it is, but because we never see a scene where she tells them to head there, we do not know what that place is until the crew actually get there. Also, how the hell did Luke become a pilot in the Rebellion so quickly?? Did he go through some kind of training that we did not see?? It just seems to me that the film rushes a bit to get to the climactic final act.
Other than these issues, this film is flawless in every single way. Unlike the previous three films, it is not the visual effects that you remember most about Star Wars. While they are spectacular, it is the characters that you truly fall in love with and are what bring you back to watch the film over and over again endlessly.
Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker. The key characteristic about Luke is that he wants a better life for himself. He wants to get away from moisture farming and join the Rebellion to fight the Empire. Yes, he is reluctant at first, as every hero is, but when the opportunity ultimately presents itself he is determined to achieve his goal. It is because of all of this that you cheer for Luke throughout the film. He wants to escape his surroundings and better himself, and that is what it means to be human. This is what makes the character so identifiable, and Hamill gives a truly authentic performance.
Carrie Fisher plays Princess Leia Organa. When it comes to strong female characters, Leia was the one who started it all. While Leia in this film is certainly a "damsel in distress", she is also quite intelligent and knows how to hold her own in battle. Watching her lead the Rebellion in the fight against the Empire is incredibly inspiring. The key thing is that Leia does not kick ass because she was written that way. Instead, Leia kicks ass because Carrie Fisher played her that way. I am still deeply saddened by her death. Every world has their princess, and Carrie Fisher was ours. The world loved her, and she will be forever missed.
Harrison Ford plays Han Solo. Solo is the smart-ass of the group, motivated by greed and caring only about himself. Ford taps into something special playing the part because even though Solo is helping the others on their journey, he is not a likeable character at all until the final minutes of the movie. When he shows up to save Luke his true colors are shown. It takes a great actor to play a character like this, and Fords' understanding of the character makes for an indelible performance.
Alec Guinness plays Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is my personal favorite performance in the film. Guinness plays the role with such gravitas that he immediately grabs your attention the first time you see him. The way he delivers his lines gives such an emotional weight to the character. The scene where he is telling Luke about his father is wonderful because you can see in Guinness' eyes that he is remembering everything that happened. Also, because Obi-Wan is helping Luke train to become a Jedi, you care about what happens to him as well. His death scene is nothing short of emotional. I have heard many people criticize the fact that Obi-Wan lies to Luke about who his father really is and that his father wanted him to have his lightsaber. My response to that is that he lies to Luke to motivate him. He wants Luke to become a Jedi, and bring peace to the galaxy. Lying to Luke shows how desperate the Jedi Order is. Guinness' performance gives the film such a degree of credibility, and truly makes you believe in the story. This is an excellent performance by a great screen actor, and it is indeed worthy of the Best Supporting Actor nomination that he received.
George Lucas is the director of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. As I mentioned before, this film takes the time to set up the world and the characters inhabiting it, which is a credit to Lucas' writing as well. What I have always found extraordinary about this film is that Lucas made the most important character a non-human. R2-D2 is the one who is carrying the technical readouts of the Death Star, and without him the rebels do not win. It is because of this that you arguably care about R2 the most throughout the movie. This film also borrows from legendary mythological tales when it comes to the characters. You have the dashing young hero, the damsel in distress, the anti-hero, and the old wizard. From a storytelling perspective, I love the fact that Luke's journey is mirrored by the Empire coming closer to their goal, and that this ultimately leads to the two intercepting when the Millenium Falcon gets captured. The final act of the film is edited brilliantly, and the stakes increase greatly every second. This film marks the beginning of a wonderful morality tale about a man who seeks to escape his environment and achieve a personal goal, and you cannot help but cheer the whole way through. Luke Skywalkers' journey in this particular film echoes George Lucas' journey as a filmmaker, and that is probably why this movie has a personal feeling to it. What Lucas captured with this film is truly magical, and will never be duplicated.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is one of cinemas' most influential films. It has a great story, wonderful characters, and spectacular visual effects. If you have not seen this film by now, I highly recommend that you do so, especially for the 40th anniversary!
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