The opening installment of the greatest trilogy in cinematic history...

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2005)

Truly a landmark film. When it came out, there had never been anything like it before, and it truly caused quite a stir. I would contend that it is not as good as its sequel, Empire Strikes Back; but it is still a great movie. There is humor, action, and some heartfelt moments. It is also our introduction to some great characters that people will never forget - Chewbacca, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi...and of course everyone's favorite villain, Darth Vader. Alec Guinness really is outstanding in this movie. His role as Luke's first mentor is understated and believable...his somewhat tired attitude in retrospect seems very understandable after watching the prequels - after all he's been through, it is very believable when he tells Luke, "I'm getting to old for this sort of thing." The visual effects are not only groundbreaking, but they still hold up very well even in this CGI-effects laden era. I would contend that ILM's use of modeling and lighting in the old films actually lends a more believable look to the action scenes than the prequels' use of video-game style battles and sensory overload. There is great chemistry between the actor's - and while Luke is a bit annoying, the back and forth of Han and Chewbacca, and C-3PO and R2-D2, as well as Leia's chemistry with Han and Luke, make this movie extremely entertaining on an emotional level - it also makes you care about the characters. Let us compare the lightsaber duel of this movie with that from Phantom Menace. Although the acrobatics and sheer fury of the duel just are not there in A New Hope, we actually feel something when Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down. Conversely, when Qui-Gon Jinn is slain, there is not the same (if any) feeling after it is done. Well, I'm rambling now. But this movie has it all. Space battles, lightsaber duels (a la Samurai flicks), chase sequences, thinly veiled references to the Western genre in the Canteen on Tatooine. A Truly great adventure that, as it ended, was really just beginning.