The second best Star Wars.

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2005)

Let me just start off by saying that I will always love the first Star Wars film. However, to watch it as an adult is a much different experience than watching it when I was 10. It's still a very entertaining film, however there are a few reasons why this first installment of the trilogy doesn't hold up for me. First, Lucas's direction bothers me just as it has in the new films. Some of the scene transitions are just sloppy. If this had been a first film, all would be forgiven, but he had already done THX1138 and American Graffiti, the latter being one of my favorites of the 70s. Second is something I never noticed until the last couple of viewings. The actors in the film seem either bored or are just not sure about the lines they were speaking. With the exception of the voices (James Earl Jones and Anthony Daniels) all of the acting is very flat. I know this is nitpicking because the special effects are incredible, it's just that I can't, out of all 5 films so far, think of one truly exceptional performance besides Harrison Ford in Empire. This review is not meant to pan this film which I view as a classic. I just wanted to share some criticisms.
I rate Star Wars Episode IV an 8 with points added for historical and sentimental value.