Arguably the most important film in Sci-Fi history...

Rating: 6/10 (22 June 2005)

STAR WARS is, without a doubt, one of the most *influincial* films of its time (and perhaps even _ever_). When it was released, people began standing in line for hours in order to watch this movie for the fifteenth time -- something that had never happened before. STAR WARS changed the way we think about movies; it changed the way we market movies; it changed the way we think about sci-fi and fantasy in film; it killed the second STAR TREK series in pre-production at the time; it was important.
Let me say that again: STAR WARS was important. That fact cannot be stressed enough. STAR WARS launched George Lucas into history, and created an industry legacy: ILM, THX, and so on. Suddenly, the idea that special effects needed to be of superior quality, and that the technology of movie making was something that needed to move forward became evident.
STAR WARS was a "great" film in the sense that it was so important. But as a film, taken away from its context historically, it is not such a "great" film. The acting in many cases is sub-par; the dialog is painful to listen to at times; and Luke Skywalker has got to be the whiniest kid that ever lived (asside from, perhaps, his father, as it turns out).
Still, STAR WARS stands alone as a fun, entertaining ride through the stars with an adventure that some fans, these days, can practically quote line-for-line.
George Lucas has made some slight modifications to the film over the years -- the most note-worthy being the Han Solo-Greedo match-up. Although I am not really happy with that particular change, these are George's films and he can do what he wants with them. This makes George Lucas and his films unique in the industry: George really does not care if his films are popular, or if anyone likes them at all. Geroge makes movies for George to enjoy. We are all just along for the ride.