THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Everyone has that first movie they say 'WHOA' throughout. For many children in my generation, it was 1977's Star Wars, subtitled as Episode IV: A New Hope, as I was blown away and awe inspired of what George Lucas had created.
PLOT
The film follows an intergalactic war between the villainous Galactic Empire and heroic Rebel Alliance. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan obtains the schematics of the newly built space craft for the Empire known as the ‘Death Star’. Before being captured by the Sith apprentice Darth Vader, she hides the plans with the astromech droid R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) who flees to the desert planet Tatooine alongside protocol droid C-3PO. They quickly get captured by Jawa traders, who sell them to a farmer family that includes: Owen Lars (Phil Brown), his wife Beru (Shelagh Fraser) and nephew Luke Skywalker. When the latter cleans R2-D2, he discovers Leia’s holographic message in which requests help from the Jedi warrior known as Obi Wan ‘Ben‘ Kenobi, someone he happens to know on Tatooine. He does meet him the next day to show him the full message. After this, Kenobi shares how his father Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi as well before being killed by Vader, who was another pupil. He also gives him his father’s laser sword called a ‘lightsaber’, while explaining that all Jedi have a mystical ability known as ‘The Force’. And around the time Vader killed Anakin, all Jedi were executed by the Empire. Because of Leia’s message, he believes that he should join him in the fight and learn to be a Jedi as well. Luke only chooses to join when his family get killed by Imperial Stormtroopers that we’re looking for the droids. At the Mos Eisley Cantina, they receive transport from smuggler Han Solo and Wookiee co pilot Chewbacca who fly The Millenium Falcon. Solo agrees to be their transport in order to pay off debt from gangster Jabba the Hutt. They do pass by Alderaan, only to see it turned into a new asteroid field as a result of the Death Star’s destruction. When they see the new station, they get pulled into a tractor beam. In needs to escape, Kenobi goes to turn off the tractor beam while the others rescue the Princess when discovering the Empire’s intent to execute her. After the Jedi turns off the beam, he sacrifices himself in a duel against Vader, which gives the others a chance to escape but breaks Luke’s heart in the process. They all go to a hidden rebel base in Yavin 4 and go over with the Alliance that the Death Star’s exhaust port will cause a chain reaction in its main reactor if struck with a torpedo. Luke and Han join a Rebel fleet to bring the fight to the Empire. As Han knocks Vader off course and the remaining fleet take on TIE fighters, Luke is encouraged by the ghost of Kenobi to use the Force to destroy the ship. It pays off because his newfound power takes the torpedo right to the main reactor and destroys the entire station at once. The film ends with Luke and Han receiving medals for their heroism.
THOUGHTS
Every time watching this movie, it really is hard to hate this movie as it almost feels perfect because we may not know everything of this imaginative lore but we appreciate the science fiction beauty that surrounds it. This is the kind of movie I love to its core but even after not getting tired of multiple views, I can’t deny there are some moments where I gotta admit is slightly not on point. The first would be the hologram scene. Luke sees the hologram of Leia and doesn’t recognize her. I have a hard time believing that considering he knows of the war going on. Another would be the death of Luke’s aunt and uncle. Their deaths are tragic enough to drive Luke to continue the adventure, but the stormtroopers could’ve waited for him to return. If they did, they would’ve gotten the droids. I also can’t help but call out the Empire’s technology. They have sensors to sense Life forms on escape pods but stormtroopers don’t have that to detect life forms on another ship in the Death Star. I don’t know how that’s even possible. Then the actual scanning team shows up, making me wonder why didn’t the stormtroopers stay on board until they got there. if they did that, this would end much differently. I’m not trying to root for villains here, but they’re not smart with theses decisions. Other than that, this movie’s awesome. Going back to the goods, you can’t go wrong with a great cast to go along with a story like this. Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker will live on to be my favorite character of not just this franchise but in film overall because his journey of starting from nothing yet unaware that he was destined for bigger things is just incredible. The greatest aspect about him here is how prideful he is, willing to do anything to make a difference. The scene in which he stares at the twin suns is stunning because it expresses how he wants more in life. I think that if he can make a difference in his predicament, anyone can. It is in his perspective where we understand the moral of the story that a little hope can go a long way. He was hopeful to make a difference, to which he does and then some when the franchise inevitably progressed. You can complain as much as you want that Alec Guinness didn't understand the script of this film but he still nails it as the wise Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi. His sacrifice was smart because he knew not only was he outmatched but if Luke attempted to save him, he wouldn’t get back to the Millennium Falcon and would’ve died in Vader’s hands. You think about it, it could be one of the smartest moments in film history. What you do learn from his loss is that success only stems from overcoming failure. Through trial and error, your setbacks will be stepping stones towards victory. Knowing that this character would always have a presence throughout the rest of the trilogy proves the point. What has made Carrie Fisher great as Leia is not just her beauty, but the fact that she's not afraid to speak her mind and is willing to risk her life like any other rebel. Seeing a woman do it in such an environment is awe inspiring. Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels may be just men in suits but somehow they are able to bring humanity with Chewbacca and C-3PO. Daniels does so with C-3PO because his clumsiness feels relatable. And Mayhew brings this with Chewie because he's not terrifying when we first see him, he's a calm Wookiee at first encounter. What we love about Harrison Ford as Han Solo is that he brings such charm with all the attitude. The only time I complain about the special edition is during the Mos Eisley section of the scene. Since I was lucky enough to see an original copy of the film on VHS, I recall that Han shot first, not Greedo. Seeing the special edition of Greedo shooting as well ruins the original badass moment of Han. At first glance, the visuals on Jabba the Hut is good. But as it progresses, it doesn't look so good. The stormtroopers are basically the most iconic henchmen in film history as they have a distinct look. You would likely recognize them without seeing the movie. Although Darth Vader would later be revealed as an apprentice to the Emperor, you will feel nothing but fear in his first appearance and the voice of James Earl Jones keeps it that way during first viewing, which is what makes him one of the best villains in film history, if not THE BEST. The laser sword known as the lightsaber will go down as the most iconic fictional weapon in film history, as it is something no one could have ever thought of at the time and it's so convincing to this day. The visuals may not be the best but it holds up during the Death Star Attack at the end, giving me chills every time, which earns the Best Visuals Oscar. It may be weird that this film lost Best Picture to Woody Allen's Annie Hall, but it does not take away this movie's greatness. John Williams arguably gave the greatest film score of all time because by the opening, it is the one thing that hooks everyone for the exciting adventure we’re going to experience. I am glad that he stuck around for other films of the franchise. I don't always go crazy about production design, but even that still holds up years later. In conclusion, whether or not you have seen George Lucas' previous films, nothing should stop you checking out the science fiction film that has been a phenomenon ever since. When you start watching the series with this first entry, I will have a hard time thinking that you would be disappointed.
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