Known simply as "Star Wars" when first released to massive fan fare on May 25, 1977, this
epic space opera quickly became the highest grossing film of all time, earning over three-quarters
of a billion, against its modest $11 million dollar budget.
Adjusted for inflation, this fourth installment of the six-part series remains the second
most successful film in American history, behind only "Gone With The Wind".
Opening with the iconic tilted text crawl, which, like much of this ambitious fantasy
adventure was inspired by the "Flash Gordon" Saturday morning serials of the 1940's, visionary
writer and director George Lucas crafted a stupendous 125-minutes of cinema.
Set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away", the picture follows a group of freedom
fighters as they attempt to destroy a powerful space station controlled by the menacing Darth
Vader: a mysterious cyborg with telekinetic powers, whose booming voice is provided by
James Earl Jones.
Told through the perspective of their intrepid droid companions played amusingly by Anthony
Daniels and Kenny Baker, who remain hidden inside their metallic costumes throughout,
the film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, all in break-out roles.
While Hamill is annoying, whiny and naive, Ford is gruff, sarcastic, and charming - both
of them a great foil to Fisher's aggressive yet romantic portrayal of the damsel in distress.
Aside from the wise and stoic Sir Alec Guiness featured as a mentor character in a nominated-supporting
role, much of the acting here is never particularly impressive, perhaps due to unsubtle dialogue.
Many of the films' slower-paced scenes are abruptly bookended by a curious array of transitional
wipes that otherwise feel out of place with the steady and traditional filming style.
The consequences are heightened when Luke Skywalker nervously foreshadows, "I have a
very bad feeling about this" as the group first approaches the daunting Death Star.
Borrowing inspiration from Kurosawa, "The Wizard Of Oz", and World War II dogfighting,
this movie introduced fantastical environment that are extremely lush, detailed, and intriguing,
especially in the franchise's expanded universe of novels, video games, comics, action figures,
TV shows, and theme park rides.
A mind-blowing accomplishment in the visual-effects realm, the inaugural effort from Lucas's now
iconic Industrial Light And Magic effects-company was revolutionary in every sense of the word:
completely redefining cinema, and winning six Oscars in the process.
From the seamless integration of model-work, chroma-key overlays, and imaginative backdrops
and matte-paintings - the world of Star Wars is a breathtaking one that inspired a generation,
myself included.
This PG-rated movie single-handedly cemented my die-hard passion for film.
The Oscar-winning score from famed composer John Williams is as powerful and thematically
captivating as it is memorable; the sweeping sounds of the leitmotif associated with Hamill,
as he longingly stares into the burning twin suns of Tatoonie, is haunting; sending chills
down my spine no matter how many times I watch it.
Likewise, the tense and gripping sequences featuring brave star-pilots firing lasers
at the Empire's planet-killing weapon are similarly backed by triumphant and appropriately
gripping theme music.
The cheapest lookin of the double-trilogy, this extremely fun and exciting film still
holds up remarkably well today, aided by tune-ups in the form of re-releases along the way.
Much has been said about Lucas's constant meddling with his beloved franchise, even
a feature-length documentary chronicles the widespread issues fans have with the changes
made to the newer versions.
I for one understand George's desire to "fix" the movies as he sees fit: many of the cosmetic
updates are fine with me: making Mos Eisely more lively and populated enhances the film,
but altering dialogue and including redundant scenes is unnecessary and over-zealous.
As a kid, this a monumentally incredible motion picture that makes you want to pick up a stick
and pretend you're dueling with lightsabers... and as an adult, it makes you feel like that
same kid all over again.
Slower and less involved than its sequels, it's easy to overlook the flaws here (like
poorly synced ADR or hokey dialogue) and simply be swept away with wonder.
"Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope", a "Game-changing marvel.
Truly magical."
Now lets see what you had to say about this movie in the YouTube comments.
"Star Wars" on the rate-o-matic.
Unsurprisingly, two TENs.
Unanimous praise was given to its great effects, memorable characters, and exciting action.
You thought it was AMAZING.
Although I consider it the weakest of the originals, it's impossible to not to recognize
"A New Hope"'s contributions to cinema, so I have to score it an AMAZING as well.