Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Director: George Lucas

Writer: George Lucas

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earle Jones (voice)

Synopsis:

Farmboy Luke Skywalker (Hamill) sets off with his two droids C-3PO (Daniels) and R2-D2 (Baker) and the reclusive hermit Ben Kenobi (Guinness) to deliver secret plans of the Death Star, the ultimate weapon in the hands of the evil Galactic Empire, into the hands of the Rebel Alliance. Along the way, they meet the smuggler Han Solo (Ford) and his first mate Chewbacca (Mayhew), who assist them in not only delivering the plans but also in rescuing Princess Leia Organa (Fisher), who is being held captive aboard the giant space station. After their escape, the heroes are pursued by the villainous Darth Vader (Prowse/Jones) and Grand Moff Tarkin (Cushing), who uncover the rebels' hideout, forcing the Alliance to execute a high-risk space battle to destroy the space station before their planet is destroyed. Cinematic history ensues.

First Impressions:

As I've written before, there are some movies that leave an indelible mark on a person and capture their imagination like nothing before or after has. For me, this is the movie. I missed it in theatres because I was just a baby when it was released, and I didn't get to see it until it came out on home video when I was about 4 years old. Like so many my age, this movie and the characters inhabiting it became my whole world for most of my childhood. The world George Lucas created has been a huge part of my life, not just as a child but as a teenager and an adult as well. It is one of a handful of films (along with its two sequels) that can evoke pure joy just by viewing it. You can always tell when I'm watching it because I'll usually have a big, dumb grin on my face. It's been a few years since I last sat down to watch it, but I'm not worried it won't hold up for me. I've seen this movie, so many times I can almost quote it verbatim. Anyway, enough preamble, let's make that hyperspace jump into a galaxy far, far away...

*** NOTE: For the purposes of this review, I watched the Special Edition version as it is the only version available to me. While it's not my preferred version, I'm not as harsh about it as others may be. ***

Story/Direction: 

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times...before the Empire."

Where to begin? I know it's fairly trendy nowadays to malign George Lucas for some of his less popular decisions in regard to this franchise. Still, I think that's mostly internet bandwagon jumpers that really don't understand what they're talking about. Yes, the prequel trilogy isn't great, yes the Special Editions have some questionable content, but those who make such complaints tend to conveniently forget that without Lucas, there'd be no beloved franchise for him to "ruin." The fact of the matter is, the story for this film (and its two sequels) simply works. Why does it work? Well, it's because Lucas was a student of mythology and based the characters on age-old archetypes that have resonated throughout history. There's the callow youth, the wise old mentor, the lovable rogue and the beautiful princess. Lucas took these archetypes and placed them in an utter fantastic universe, unlike anything that had been seen before. 

Like the westerns and matinee serials that Lucas grew up watching, this film is, in essence, a morality play. Does the youth forgo his responsibilities at home to take up the great quest? Can the aged mentor right the failures of his past? Does the rogue look past his own selfishness for the greater good? These are all questions covered in the film and answered in a way that satisfies the audience. One of the reasons why most of the Star Wars movies that came after the original trilogy were so divisive was that they either didn't try to tell this type of story or just flat out failed in the attempt. However, that's just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Acting:

This movie has a pretty huge cast and it would be easy to focus on the three main heroes, but I'm not going to do that here because there are other notable performances that must be discussed. First of all, the performance of the great Alec Guinness as Ben Kenobi. He gave the movie a certain amount of gravitas and it was well-earned as he played the wise mentor role perfectly. I've heard that Sir Alec did not think much of the film and it's a testament to his ability and professionalism that he was able to give the performance he did. 

The other "established" actor cast in this film was Peter Cushing as Moff Tarkin. He played the evil Imperial officer as cold, efficient and utterly ruthless. He was showing the audience, who had no experience with this universe, exactly what the Empire was and how it viewed the galaxy under its rule. Great performance.

Finally, I have to highlight the efforts of the late, great Carrie Fisher. While a lot of people cite Alien's Ellen Ripley as the hallmark for strong female heroes, most forget that Carrie did it first. She was a princess but she wasn't a damsel and while the second act of the movie focuses on her rescue, she was by no means "in distress." From the moment she was let out of that prison cell, she took charge of the situation and went toe-to-toe with the boys and often came out on top. It's a performance that set the standard for all female heroes to come afterwards and today still stands as a role model for little girls (and boys) everywhere. 

Visuals:

One of the reasons this film stands as such a cultural touchstone is that it changed the way movies were made. Prior to its release, most studios had shuttered their SFX departments and Hollywood was leaning towards smaller, more personal movies. All of that changed when this film came out and it ushered in an era of movie-making that is still going strong today.

Now, obviously, the SFX included in the theatrical edition was groundbreaking and most of them still look good today. The effects in the Special edition, however, are a bit of a mixed bag. There are some inclusions like the shots used to expand the background, which work well for the most part and serve to make the world appear more lived in. Others, such as the Stormtroopers riding on CGI Dewbacks, just look a little out of place. I understand why Lucas made the changes but there were some that just didn't quite land. 

That being said one of the best things Lucas did with the special editions was to clean up some of the original effects, like the blurry smudge under Luke's landspeeder. This made the effects, which already looked great, look even better.

Score/Music:

Seriously, this is one of the most iconic, if not THE most iconic, movie scores in history. Even people who say they've never seen the films are familiar with the movie's opening fanfare. John Williams simply hit it out of the park with the music for this film. Whenever I hear the music, my heart leaps and it makes me smile. I wish I could discuss it in more detail to give Williams' effort their due but I just don't know enough about music to really do it justice. Thank you John Williams for essentially writing the soundtrack to my childhood. 

Action:

There's a lot of action in this movie and it's done mostly well. The blaster fight out of Mos Eisley is particularly good, as was the run to escape the Death Star. The final space battle above the Death Star, which was based on film clips of old WW2 ariel fights, was also a highlight. One thing I was a bit surprised by was the final lightsaber battle between Ben and Darth Vader. I remember it being pretty lame compared to what came after, but honestly, it wasn't as bad as I remember.

Final Verdict:

Was there ever any doubt? Of course, I still love this movie and this review had done nothing to change that. It will remain an important part of my childhood and my adult life. If you're one of the four people in the world that hasn't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Remember, "the force will be with you, always."