A heroic dynamic rush of pure adrenaline.

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2003)

CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS
What can be said about Star Wars that hasn't already been said elsewhere?

For a start, on its arrival in 1977, it was light years ahead of its time. It is a film from which cinema history can literally be divided into two epochs, kind of like BC and AD. Pre-Star Wars cinema was a very different medium. Post Star Wars, studios became ever more reliant on big blockbusters to remain afloat. This has led to some truly brain dead films and, as Peter Bogdanovitch described the `juvenilisation' of cinema. The success of Star Wars was a two-edged sword. Its fair to say without it there would have been no Alien, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Matrix and Lord of the Rings films. On the other hand there would also have been no Judge Dredd, Lost in Space, Planet of the Apes remake and other assorted drivel that turns up every summer clogging up the multiplexes.
Star Wars (or if you're going to be a purist, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope although the subtitle was only added in the 1981 reissue) thankfully, belongs firmly in the former category. If its legacy means we have to suffer second rate imitators from time to time, I believe it's a small price to pay for such a magnificent film. Star Wars is an unmitigated thrill ride - a heroic, dynamic rush of pure adrenaline that has been known to make grown adults degenerate into thrill-happy eight year olds.
As I have argued many times, Star Wars is not science fiction in the purest sense of the word. It is much better described by writer/director George Lucas as `space fantasy'. It borrows elements from fairy tales ranging from The Wizard of Oz to The Lord of the Rings. It also is very derivative of classic westerns (such as The Searchers) as well as Samurai films like Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. What George Lucas did was take these elements and stick them in outer space in a way no one had done since the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s. He then threw in the most groundbreaking special effects revolution of all time and this is what he ended up with.
The story is comparatively simple. Young farm boy Luke Skywalker lives with his boring Uncle and Aunt on the desert planet Tatooine longing to follow in his dead father's heroic footsteps. He gets the opportunity when two droids show up carrying a message from a Princess who has been imprisoned by the evil Darth Vader. Luke teams up with space pirate Han Solo, his `walking carpet' sidekick Chewbacca, and his mentor Ben Kenobi (who is a former Jedi knight guided by the mysterious `Force') to rescue her.
The much-maligned acting of Mark Hamill as Luke is actually often so bad its good, particularly in the Death Star scenes. He makes a very appealing naÃ¯ve hero. Harrison Ford's career was launched on the back of his performance as dashing rogue Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher's witty performance as Princess Leia portrays her as anything but a damsel in distress. Elsewhere the droids C3PO and R2 D2 provide superb comic relief. The banter between all the heroes is extremely funny, a factor largely (but not entirely) lacking from the current, more sombre prequels. Gravitas is added with the scenes between Ben Kenobi (the superb Alec Guinness) and the mysterious and evil Darth Vader (wonderfully voiced by James Earl Jones). Vader is, in my opinion, the single best screen villain in cinema history. His frightening and dark presence (helped by his menacing breathing and mask) gave children everywhere nightmares. Vader's character is not developed a huge amount in this film, but in the subsequent installments he proves the most interesting character in the entire Star Wars saga. The other villain worthy of special mention is Peter Cushings' brilliantly nasty Grand Moff Tarkin, the arrogant governor of the Death Star.
The special effects, as I've already mentioned, were light years ahead of their time in 1977. In my opinion nothing equalled Star Wars effects wise until 1993's Jurassic Park. Even now, the effects still look fantastic. From the unforgettable opening shot to the final exhilarating space battle, the film is a triumph. The Death Star battle remains the best space dogfight ever put on film. Even though we've all seen it hundreds of times, as the pilots are picked off one by one until only Luke remains we get closer and closer to the edge of our seats. As, the odds are piled up against our hero, Han Solo's last minute intervention and Luke's triumph is, in my opinion, the second most exhilarating scene in cinema history (after the flying bike scene in ET).
The production design, costumes and look of the film are terrific (with Imperial greys, whites and blacks contrasting nicely to our more colourful heroes). The outfits spawned millions of nerds wanting to buy full Stormtrooper regalia for ludicrous prices. Also, the editing and ground breaking sound effects are all nothing short of landmark cinema (eg, the breathless space battles and the lightsabres respectively). Also, John Williams' thundering music score is magnificent. The staggeringly epic main theme, the Luke Skywalker theme, the Leia theme and many others have all become touchstones for other composers to imitate.
The special edition released in 1997 made some changes to effects shots (which were OK changes on the whole) and added a new, unnecessary scene with Jabba the Hutt. Nevertheless, it doesn't really matter which version you see, the effect is the same.
The spiritual overtones in Star Wars are fascinating. From the Christ allegory of Kenobi to Luke's choosing to have faith in `the Force' rather than trust his computer, this film is chock full of interesting interpretations about God, the Universe, and the triumph of faith, love and courage over faceless technology. Star Wars is a reassuring film. That more than anything I believe accounts for its success. People may be cynical, but underneath they desperately want to believe in absolute good and absolute evil.
That's why it's as timeless today as it was in 1977.