A Fairy Tale Set In Space

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2013)

May the fourth be with you everybody! Today, on Star Wars day, I figure it only fitting to review the film that started the whole starry craze, Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress! Nah, just kidding, it's Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope of course. It has been said countless times that Star Wars was based upon the Kurosawa samurai films as well as the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s and 40s, but in my eyes, it's an all around fairy tale in space. Think about it, you've got the dashing, optimistic hero in Luke Skywalker, the wise, old mentor and hermit in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the damsel in distress mistress in Princess Leia, and the terrifying wizard with black attire in Darth Vader. It's like a Brothers Grimm tale or a tale written by L. Frank Baum, who you all know as the mind behind The Wizard of Oz. But what makes Star Wars great is something I can't sum up in one single review, but I'll certainly give it a try for your sake. This is 1977's Star Wars, the film that changed cinema forever.
I can relate to this film on so many levels. I see a lot of myself in the characters of Luke Skywalker, C-3P0 and even the cocky Han Solo, a rebellious lad with a devil may care point of view. I can also look up to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has become a lot like his master Qui-Gon Jinn by this episode. He has gone from a brash, outspoken padawan who viewed many creatures as useless to a wise old man who saw the potential in all creatures. I love Obi-Wan's wisdom and it's wisdom I live by every minute of everyday of my life. My favorite line of his is "Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?" He has such a rich perspective of everything and his knowledge of the Force can give you the push you need to go about even the deadliest of tasks. It's his guidance that finally allows Luke to demolish the Death Star at the film's finale and it's probably something that will carry onto mentor Luke in the upcoming Star Wars Episode 7. Obi-Wan is the kind mentor we all wish we could get knowledge from so we could become wiser souls.
Darth Vader is a menacing entity and is up there with the Wicked Witch of the West as one of film's greatest foes. The emotionless mask and deep dark voice of James Earl Jones really makes him ever more terrifying than he already is, but if you saw what he once was in Episodes 1,2 and 3, you tend to fear him less and less. It's hard to believe that underneath that breathing helmet is the charred face of Hayden Christensen, a once proud hero with a charming charisma. Little did we know that it would take him two more films until he finally reached his redemption and even than, it was before his untimely demise. Darth Vader is a motion picture icon, not only because of his wickedness and evilness, but because of his tragic past and his fight to gain back what he lost all those years ago. That's what makes an incredible villain, a villain that never wanted to be bad, but was thrust into badness because of one fatal decision.
The other characters are also worthy of mention. Mark Hamill prevails as the adventurous, yet good hearted Luke Skywalker who would become the galaxy's most acclaimed hero towards the film's conclusion. Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia is a lot like Dorothy Gale or Alice in Lewis Carroll's classic Wonderland stories. Sure, she gets captured, but she's perfectly capable of defending herself and even defending her companions. She's a fearless woman who is not even afraid of kissing her long lost brother straight on the lips. Harrison Ford's Han Solo is probably the film's most memorable human character and with his headstrong and hipster attitude, he was what a lot of children wanted to be like when they first saw Star Wars back in 77. He's the ideal punk, but he's also the gallant hero and tough guy who's not scared to shoot down some green aliens (Who cares who shot first!) or stormtroopers.
Personally, I became more fascinated with the non human characters like Chewbacca (Why didn't he get a medal!), R2-D2 and C-3P0, for like the humans, they were always trying to get the spotlight and give their share to the story. I feel like C-3PO is the most underrated character in all of Star Wars, for he is often seen as a symbol of homosexuality and annoyance. But Star Wars has a timeless story first and for most and this story gets better and better every time you experience it. Every time you experience it, you spot things you never spotted beforehand and that adds to the film's overall charm and magic. Even though it was made in the 70s, it still has the touch of a story that will last forever and never wear out. With all it's grand special effects (no matter what version of the film it is) and alien lifeforms, Star Wars is a storybook with a grand scale and a powerful, prudent moral that all creatures have a force flowing through them, allowing them to reach out and achieve the impossible.
I'm not quite sure but I think that's why we love it so much. That's the reason I love it at least.