A great success..

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2006)

Star Wars was the film that changed cinema forever. It had everything, brilliant special effects, a scary villain, fully built set pieces that you had never seen before, a brilliant music score from John Williams and likable characters in Han Solo and Obi-wan Kenobi well played by Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness. It was a film that had blazing action from start to finish, it was a film that the writer and director George Lucas had intended for children, his target audience was twelve and under, but it became a true mega blockbuster and people of all ages came again and again, dragging their friends with them.
My favorite scenes include the opening sequence: the massive imperial Star Destroyer roaring over the screen attacking the fleeing rebel cruiser, that scene is mind-blowing on a cinema screen, i love the introduction of Darth Vader emerging from the smoke of the laser battle between the Stormtroopers and the Rebels, i also like the way Vader is established as an evil killer right away when he crushes the neck of some poor hapless rebel prisoner holding him up with one hand and throwing him to the side like a rag doll, this gives Vader's character a sense of malevolence from the kickoff.
Luke sees Obi-wan's plight, Obi-wan smiles at Vader, he raises his saber and closes his eyes, Vader strikes as look screams 'NO!' and John Williams score swells with tragic loss as Luke blasts away at the Stormtroopers. Its the one scene that sticks in my mind about A New Hope, that isn't special effects.
The final aerial assault between TIE fighters and X-wing fighters over the Death Star is perhaps the most exciting finale of any movie. It was captivating and simply amazing when first performed. Even someone not a fan of Star Wars could not have liked that scene.