I wonder what there is to say about Star Wars that hasn't already been said!

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2013)

I wonder what there is to say about Star Wars that hasn't already been said by some fanboy or other. I won't endeavour to say anything profound, just give my own personal opinions. It's a really great film. As soon as the opening text is over, you're straight into the action. Things look strange, because everything in this film tries to be new, but somewhat familiar, because it borrows a few ideas from previous films. I wonder what the sets would look like without a bit of '2001' influence. For a film made 30 years ago, it looks stunning. The two suns image is particularly striking, and there are a lot of other remarkable sets, like the inside of the Millennium Falcon or Cantina. Sure, the explosions look a bit over the top and fake, but hey, it's 1977!
The acting is very good, held up by a strong lead performance by Mark Hamill, among others. It doesn't really drag too much at all, and makes you ask lots of questions, usually providing the answers fairly quickly. Harrison Ford is a bit annoying and overly grumpy in this episode and occasionally got on my nerves when arguing with Leia. But it's all saved because James Earl Jones has the perfect voice for Darth Vader, and nobody questions that. I quite like the fact that, despite Vader being the one that everyone remembers, he's not in charge. The captain of the Death Star and Emperor Palpatine are actually the leaders, so you assume that they must be even worse than Vader, who seems to be the most evil person ever.
The ending annoyed me slightly. Not because it's far too convenient that there is a very obvious weak spot to the Death Star which the rebel forces can easily take advantage of, but because the final scene goes on for a bit too long. The chase, despite cool graphics, doesn't really change throughout its run, and isn't particularly thrilling. Thankfully, scenes like the 'walls closing in' part are quite fun and keep you on your toes. Even though you can predict some scenes by the Family Guy rule 'We'll be okay, there are too many main characters here', they're still very exciting. One of the film's greatest strengths is that you are constantly rooting for the main characters, and they are easily relatable.