Space Opera that signalled the beginning of an Era

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2019)

So many things have been said about this movie over the years, that's difficult to even know where to begin. The brainchild of a certain George Lucas and a clear homage to the Space Adventure serials of the 40s, this movie captured the essence of what it is that we want to see every time we go to the movies. It's a dazzling visual spectacle, sprinkled with a little bit of mythology, and populated with an array of well written and engaging characters. Everything from production design, visual and practical effects, to an immensely popular score by John Williams, that along with his forays with Spielberg (Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T..) is recognized the world over. It was also the introduction of one of the most popular villains in cinematic history, Darth Vader. His threatening and imposing physical presence coupled with the voice of James Earl Jones, made him the ultimate Star Wars villain that, even to this day, hasn't been matched in the Star Wars lore. That aside, it's an incredibly simplistic story but very well told ( although a big part of the merit goes out to Marcia Lucas, who apparently saved the movie on the editing table). This movie created a fan base and cult following, nowadays only matched by that of the MCU fan base, and helped define the term Blockbuster. So many scenes of this movie have been etched into the minds of the fans; those iconic shots of the Skywalker homestead on the desolate planet Tatooine, the introduction of Han Solo in an Intergalactic bar, which is clearly a homage to the Western genre, the first time we get to see Darth Vader, the looming presence of the Death Star, the iconic last battle... I could go on and on about the cultural and cinematic importance of this movie. Needless to say, if you can get a hold of a copy of the unaltered version of this movie, before the infamous changes made by Lucas for the 1997 re-release , that's surely the best way to enjoy it. As it was originally intended. Great movie and something that should be in everybody's watch list.