A classic when it first came out and now, still a 'classic' almost 30 years later on DVD.

Rating: Null/10 (7 October 2004)

My five children were all under the age of 10 when Star Wars came to the theater. While there had been other Sci-Fi movies with a theme of conflict in outer space, 'Star Wars' filled our imaginations like no other movie before it. The fantastic, strange worlds were presented almost like we were there too. Aliens sitting around a tavern, enjoying drinks and speaking in all sorts of languages. Nothing before had approached the sheer size of the space ships depicted here, huge cities traveling all over the galaxy. And how about the jump to hyper speed, then disappearing from the screen as the speed exceeds light speed! And the light sabres of the Jedi Knights. The Jedi Knights, a striking parallel to the Japanese Samurai.
The Star Wars movies also were responsible for jump-starting the career of Harrison Ford, and today he is probably better known for his next trilogy, as Indiana Jones. The DVDs finally came out last month, and they are near perfect, as we should expect from Lucas Films and THX. The bit rate is high, and the picture is nothing short of superb. As is the Dolby EX surround track.
My wife and I watched all three of the movies on DVD this week -- Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi -- compliments of our local public library. It was an appropriate reminder how good these movies are, and still ahead of their time. Nothing else has been made to compare to them.