Everybody's favourite space fairytale

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2002)

With Episode 2 currently in the theaters, and many people complaining about how shallow that movie is, and how unbelievable the story and how much better the original trilogy was etc, I think it's time to make a comment.

First of all, Star Wars movies have NEVER,EVER,EVER had a good story. They're basically about the age-old tale of good vs. evil, set in various locations in a galaxy far far away. The plot is usually full of holes, the whole thing often depends on extreme coincidences and every Imperial superweapon has a verious obvious flaw that any apprentice engineer could have found in five minutes. This movie, Episode 4, is probably the most basic of them all. The main point is, Star Wars was never SUPPOSED to be about the story. It's basically a lot of (brilliant) nonsense put together, and it works just fine because the makers know that it's nonsense and make the best of it. That being said, the level of creativity in making up all those aliens, vehicles, space ships etc. is unmatched.
When we look at Episode 4 specifically, we see a corny story full of lucky escapes and loose ends about a farmboy saving a princess, and the Universe too, while he is at it. The acting is nothing special, the dialogue can be god-awful at times (OK, not a bad as Episode 1), and the first hour of the movie is quite slow. But it's still a lot of fun ! Star Wars is entertainment and escapism in it's purest form. It was 25 years ago and it still is.
*** out of **** stars