the key is the context

Rating: Null/10 (15 May 2004)

The first time I saw Star Wars, I wasn't especially impressed. The acting was by and large atrocious. Mark Hamill rushes his lines like an acting 101 beginner and Harrison Ford murmors his way through the film. The minor characters weren't so bad though: Alec Guiness gives a sublime performance, and Threepio is good as well.
However, as the title suggests, the key is the context. It's been said that Lucas was inspired by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. Clearly, the Jedi swordplay was inspired by it, and the concept of "the force" is an offshoot of Japanese Buddhist/Taoist philosophy. The clothing worn is Japanese inspired also; it's a world where the beauty of swordplay can hold it's own against modern guns.
That's just a brief glimpse into the story, but it just goes to show how deep it is. Lucas has also stated that the star fight scenes were based off of WWII fighter footage, and the droids, and their sentience, are based off of Asimov. There's the subtle anti-nuke theme to it; when the Rebellion learns of the Empire's Death Star, they do not set out to build their own version of it (ie cold war) but rather set out to destroy this horrific weapon.
In conclusion, Star Wars is a classic film. I personally like Empire Strikes Back more for it's vastly improved acting, pacing, and plot. However, Star Wars will always be the art-house film that kicked off the series. May the force be with us all
(ps: if you're looking to buy a version of this, avoid the "special editions" put out in 1997. Lucas went a little batty with his newfangled Macintoshes and made some significant and terrible changes to the films. If you can, try to get a copy of the original theatrical film)