Old fashioned fun

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2008)

I remember when this movie first appeared. It was marketed as a throwback to the old Errol Flynn movies, and Luke Skywalker, at this juncture, was considered the main character. Instead of swinging on a mast rope on a pirate ship like Flynn would, Hamill would swing on a cable inside a vast space ship complex, carrying the princess with him.
This is space adventure. Despite the hype, the other movies hadn't been formulated yet, even if the germs were in the back of the head honcho's mind. This was groundbreaking, not because of effects, but because of many other chances it took. In a decade when most heroes had to have black hair, and heroines blonde hair, and everyone else was considered unworthy of life, this film dared to go against the grain, and give us two blonde haired men for heroes. It's a wonder it wasn't censored on the drawing board.
The two major stars in the picture, when it was released, were Oscar winner Alec Guiness and horror film star Peter Cushing. Guiness was a huge star. Cushing was known for playing Baron Frankenstein and the vampire killer, Von Helsing, in numerous films. He also played an assortment of British scholar characters. Here, he is a despicable bad guy.
The Skywalker character was at center stage. He was the kid who must go off on adventure, and finds a mentor in Obi One Kenobe, played by Guiness. There is non stop action and adventure in a very industrialized Universe in which space travel is easier than a walk to the park. It isn't a Scientific think piece, but rather a "sit back and enjoy the story" affair.