An Undeniable Classic

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2002)

Imagine: You're George Lucas. Your last movie American Graffiti had one of the largest profit margins in history. You go back to Universal, to your mentor, and he passes on the film. Then you go to every studio in town and every genius says "No". Finally, Alan Ladd Jr. gives you your shot and it nearly kills you. You wind up in the hospital basically suffering from chronic anxiety and over work. You kill yourself to finish the film on time. There's a budget crisis that nearly keeps the Cantina scene from being shot. Then on opening night you're having dinner with your wife across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theater and the lines are around the block.
Forget the corny Flash Gordon dialog and the campy acting. That's what made the film work. Now for those of you who didn't exist in the 70's and think the SPFX look terrible, remember this, John Dykstra had to invent a motion control camera or they couldn't have made the picture.
So everybody who turned down the movie is hiding their shame, maybe a few were fired. And George Lucas owns one of the most profitable motion picture franchises in the world.
Please don't annoy me with nit picking the film to death. It set the standard for every tent pole summer movie that followed. Knowing Lucas, if he could have used CGI in '77 he would have - it wasn't available.
Funny, I've seen every film in the series, but I've never had such a good time as seeing SW4 when it was first released. My cousin bought some action figures for $1.95, kept them in their shrink wrap, and recently sold them on eBay for $12,000. Is it a classic? Let me put it this way: it defines its own dimension.
10/10