The first really good star wars movie

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2019)

I remember being 6 years old when my parents took me to see this. I'd never heard of Star Wars.
I walked out thinking this the greatest thing I'd ever seen. I got the VHS and watched it over and over.
Basically everything you want from a space opera: actiony, funny, visually compelling, poignant, epic, full of fascinating technologies like the light sabre and how those droids fold up.
The characters are better fleshed out than in the original trilogy, the pacing is faster, the plot is richer and the political background is far better thought through.
I love Jar Jar. He needs to be there even though I would remove a lot of his material.
The story of a young genius from humble origins leaving home to train to be a space-knight-wizard has a universal appeal. The design of the movie, both for its science fiction aspect and it's diverse cultural evocations, is enchanting.
A movie to watch again and again.