George Lucas' mythological popcorn film is a two-hour roller-coaster ride that has passed into movie legend.

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2010)

George Lucas spent four years developing and working on the galactic fantasy Star Wars. This was after he directed the dystopian science-fiction film THX 1138 (1971) and the rites-of-passage American Graffiti (1973). Star Wars was inspired by the Flash Gordon cartoon strip. It cost $8 million to make in Britain with three little-known Americans in the leading roles, supported by British actors. The story is a simple adventure yarn, and Lucas draws on samurai films, Westerns and every kind of myth, ancient and modern. The dogfights are based on a close study of World War II films. Star Wars was an immediate success. It became one of the great phenomena of cinematic history. It spawned two sequels, three prequels and endless imitators, creating a demand for spectacular blockbusters that has not yet ended. Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects unit that served the film, became a multi-billion dollar organization. Lucas himself also became and has remained one of Hollywood's most powerful figures. The film certainly struck a nerve in an America recovering from the humiliations of the Vietnam war. Ronald Reagan, elected president three years after Star Wars was made, spoke of the Soviet Union as 'the Evil Empire' and gave his proposed space-defense system the title Star Wars. The original Star Wars trilogy contributed to the worldwide renewal of the filmgoing habit, but in creating an appetite for child-like blockbusters that depend on special effects rather than on character and subtle narrative, the film unfortunately played a key role in what was to be called 'the dumbing down' of America and popular culture.