Escapist Entertainment for the Ages

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2002)

One of the most revolutionary movies ever made. It's not often Hollywood has to invent new technology and techniques to film a movie. I can still remember seeing it as a kid on my parents' tiny little black and white TV when it aired on CBC. Even then it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. And it stands the test of time. The opening sequence from the 20th Century Fox fanfare to the Corellian Corvette being pursued relentlessly by Vader's dreaded Star Destroyer is now one of the most memorable in the history of film, and it still gives me chills every time I see it (upwards of fifty by now I'm sure--I think the only movie I've seen more is Batman).
Though Lucas did borrow a lot from The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, and Akira Kurosawa's movies, he blended them together in a really unique way, along with the tried and true elements that made westerns and Saturday afternoon serials so popular. At its core, Star Wars is just a fun adventure movie. It wasn't made to win Oscars, but to simply entertain. And it does that like not many other films can. Out of the original trilogy, this was by far the most improved upon with the release of its Special Edition. Though the extra scene with Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt was completely unnecessary, and of course Greedo shooting first ranks up there with Jar Jar Binks as one of the worst ideas Lucas ever conceived, the movie as a whole seems so much more alive and enjoyable to watch. Too bad the same can't be said for the other two movies' Special Editions. What happened? It's like they stopped trying once they got to Jedi; it's barely improved at all. The Rancor scene still looks horrible. Guess they spent too much money on that slappy-ass musical number. Anyway, I give the original Star Wars 9/10.