Childlike vs. childish...

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2002)

Apparently some of the reviewers here have mixed up the two concepts, and "Star Wars" definitely falls into the former category.
Someone (I forget who) once said "The man (woman/person) who has lost the ability to feel a sense of awe or wonder is dead inside." Someone else (a well known figure) is reputed to have said, "Lest you become like a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."
In 1977, the kingdom of heaven was at hand for the lucky ones who got to see this in the theater. After waiting hours in a line that stretched 4 or 5 blocks (still the longest theater line I've ever seen), the lights dimmed, and after the words scrolled across the screen (which made sense to few... episode IV?), Darth Vader walked onscreen. There still hasn't been anything to equal that cinematic moment (I was 13), and probably never will be.
Yes, the formula has been copied numerous times... "Star Wars" (and a few other films both before and after) ushered in a new cinematic era. Yes, it's somewhat campy and there are cheesy moments... aren't these the films we love the most? "The Sound Of Music" was immensely popular with the moviegoing public, panned by the critics -- and a paragon of cheesiness viewed with the jaundiced eye of the early 00's. But "Star Wars" also has many moments of childlike wonder, from the days when Lucas still had "beginner's mind," those days when even Spielberg was willing to take chances... and movies were still movies, not computer-generated fake looking 2-hour commercials for Hollywood (and other products).
If you haven't seen "Star Wars" (or you have, and didn't like it), try to watch it with an empty, fresh mind. Do you remember the concept... do you remember what it was like to be a child? If not, you are the walking dead.
10/10