The most important movie of all time

Rating: 10/10 (12 April 2020)

Who would have thought that an experimental director would have had to resurrect classic hero story telling? Well, that's where they were in the 70s. And Lucas did it with such perfection. He did his research and he cared. And most importantly he was trusted to make the movie that he wanted.
A New Hope is the greatest successes story in Hollywood not only because it changed movies and made a lot of money and continues to touch people to this day. But because nobody believed in Lucas. Alan Ladd Jr at Fox and Mark Hamill were about it. Not only that but this production had everything go wrong with it. It was literally against all odds from everyone including the studio. Then it was a smash hit of unheard of proportions.
Once a teacher of mine asked if movies were more than movies. And he said, "look at Star Wars, yes they are." And he wasn't even a fan. This is more than a movie because it speaks to people in a way that can't be described. They've tried but no one can. It's something that you feel because Lucas updated the hero myth. He took what worked in stories from all around the world since the dawn of time and made it his own.
And he's really good at making movies. I think really the biggest contribution to movies overall isn't the special effects and the return to good versus evil storytelling. It's that Lucas really cares about how quickly the movie flows. He doesn't keep things that hang and everything is always moving. Movies became much faster after this. Because Lucas really focused on the pace and feel.
Out of all 6 movies this one can stand
alone, as it was intended, well not intended but it was equipped to be one movie. As a fan this was always the worse of the original 3 because the next two were better. But when I got older and saw the movie proceeding this I understood it. After the French Connection and Dirty Harry and The Godfather and so many others, which are all good but I finally saw why Lucas wanted to make this. And the movie clicked for me and I loved it much more. Fun, simple, fast and good vs evil.
This movie really does everything right. Every time I watch it I'm excited and laugh at every joke. It's an uplifting movie that many have tried to duplicate and are either too much of this or that.
We talk about the influences for this but that's not what makes it so good, it's Lucas. While themes and motifs are taken from other sources there really isn't anything that is directly from something else. He took those ideas and made them his own. He knew how far to go, where to stop. Because Lucas has always shown restraint.
I wonder what people will think when they watch them in Episode order? Where's the Emperor? Where's Yoda? Who are all these new people? Why is Vader hardly in it?
Anakin is now pathetic. He always was but we never realized it. Grand Moff Tarkin is his boss. Vader takes orders from him. He is just doing what the Emperor tells him to do. It's funny that he became such a pop culture icon of evil. That was never the intention. I love James Earl Jones voice in this one because it's much more angry and sinister that the other two.
I love when Wedge blows up the Tie then flies through the flames. I'm glad Lucas changed this for the special edition because I was always confused as a kid there.
The music... My God the music! John Williams is always great and all 6 are great but this one in particular is the best. Especially during the last fight. Just think of it with other music and it's totally different.
3p0 and R2 bickering is so funny. And Alec Guinness really helps bring weight to the history in the movie. Something about his warm presence really adds a lot to the movie. He makes it so seem real.
But I have to say my favorite scene and I don't know why. Maybe because you can boil Star Wars down to this one moment. Is when Luke and Leah swing across the chasm. The music, the guy holding the girl, the adventure, the romance... Something about it gets me every time.
As a kid Star Wars was dead. I was born in 85 and that was the lowest year of Star Wars popularity. So this wasn't shoved in my face. My dad showed me the movies because they were PG. There were no adds, none of my friends were into it. But I loved it and was obsessed. No influence from any where. That shows you the effect it has on a kid. It did in 77 all the way till now and it will forever.
Lucas made something that speaks to not only kids but the kid in all of us. I can't tell you how many times I site star wars to distinguish between right and wrong. And my lessons haven't stopped, they continue with age. Lucas is the Midi-chlorian that shows us the force/this side of ourselves. I really wonder where the world would be without Star Wars