It is what it is, and who am I to disagree?

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2017)

Okay, so as a kid this was one of my favourite films. But as you grow up things change and on second viewing, I found this film to be surprisingly slow in places and actually comes close to outstaying its welcome towards the end. These aren't big flaws, mind you, but ones which niggle at me and make me feel as if I'm betraying a universal dream in some way. The truth is that I far prefer the second and third entries in this series, as they don't have to go through the troubles of introducing all the characters, and instead can simply continue the action at a fast speed.
There are many good things about this film to make it worthwhile, though. This is one of those movies with a comic book feel to it which can appeal to adults and children alike. There's a sufficiently 'epic' nature to the film, in that a whole other universe has been created and we are merely viewing a part of what happens in it. There's plenty of action, ranging from the traditional light-saber fights to some exciting space skirmishes. The huge budget allows for many, many different special effects. Some of these look a little ropey today but they're all infinitely superior to the overblown, laughable CGI antics in THE PHANTOM MENACE, where all touch with reality was lost.
The characters are likable and clear-cut; you've got heroic heroes and evil villains. Mark Hamill is fine as Luke Skywalker, although it's sad that he never achieved success in any other movies NOT in the STAR WARS series. Harrison Ford provides a clean, charismatic action man in Han Solo. Carrie Fisher is pretty and funny as Princess Leia, and Alec Guinness lends heavyweight support to the whole affair with his Obi-Wan Kenobi. The only downside to the cast are the inclusion of the robots C3P0 and R2-D2 and Chewie, who are, seen today in an adult light, pretty irritating, it has to be said. But for kids, they're funny.
The villains always tend to be the best guys in these films and this is no exception. Darth Vader is THE king of cool, and I always wanted to be him when I was younger. It's strange to think how strongman Dave Prowse when from being the monster in Hammer's lame HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN to becoming one of the biggest screen villains of all time. One also mustn't forget the contribution of Peter Cushing in what was his most popular movie; he lends gravity to the movie and is excellent as the icy commander of the Death Star, mainly through his voice alone.
Although this is a long film, the action is split up across a number of different planets in order to make it more interesting. There are laser battles, lots of shooting, brief gore (an arm-lopping), and all manner of weird and wonderful rubbery alien creatures to make it enjoyable. I especially loved the scene in the garbage disposal unit which uses the old "closing walls" routine on our heroes to great effect. This is a deservedly famous movie which kick-started a whole new mythos, brought a legion of movie nerd fans together and harked back to the great days of the sci-fi serials of the late '30s and '40s. Not the best of the series, but pretty darned good going.