1977 managed to become a year of a worldwide phenomenon in the form of Star Wars.
A ground-breaking sci-fi extravaganza that gave the genre a swashbuckling style that had such a universal appeal. Star Wars has become more of a religion than just one of the, if not the biggest landmark in the film industry.
From the opening shot that gives you such awe, you can see how special this is going to be. It really sets the tone on how big director George Lucas and his team are going with this project.
For the rest of the film, we get blistering gun fights, introductions to iconic characters that are both heroic and sinister. We also get accustomed to unusual characters that the makers decided to be the most important part of the opening third of this film. The romping pace never gives you time to breathe in this brand new world. You just have to let in all in, go with it and you are engaged with some of the best characters you will ever meet.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker gives us a great hero that doesn't know he is becoming one. His whiny beginning may seem annoying. But it is essential as we get the development of a young hero who has a destiny to fulfill.
Alec Guinness was superb as Obi-Wan Kenobi. From the infamous introduction to his character and the rest of the film, his comforting personality always made you feel at ease and became a powerful supporting role. Harrison Ford was given the role that made him become a star after doing this role and it is clear to see how his maverick character gave Ford great material to work with. His execution is right on the money as we see a cowardly mercenary who eventually shows that he has heart and finds a group of friends that can travel with him. His scene with a character called Greedo shortly after his introduction not only epitomizes himself but is my favorite scene of the entire movie.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia gives us a female character with a lot of sass that gives great variety to our band of heroes. Her interactions with Leia and Solo becomes great fun to watch as they seem to initially hate each other and show hints of a romance.
With the combination of David Prowse's physical performance and James Earl Jones' terrifying voice, the character of Darth Vadar becomes the most sinister villain of all-time. Other noteworthy performances go to Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker for amusing performances as the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and also Peter Cushing who does what he does best
The technical side of the film is the most impressive part. The visual effects, production design, sound design, making of the creatures and droids and unforgettable soundtrack by John Williams is simply perfect and well deserving of its six Oscars.
It is hard to give it anymore praise. I remember the first time I saw Star Wars when I got it on video for my 7th birthday. I bought the toys and played the film so many times whilst recreating the scenes with the toys. Sci-Fi might not appeal to everyone. But the traditional good versus evil plot gives that wonderful universal appeal whilst also showing similarities to a typical Western.
When re-watching it I decided to watch the original cut as a few changes by George Lucas in the current edition I disapprove of. Such as Greedo shooting first instead of Hans Solo in their altercation, the scene containing Jabba The Hutt as that puts a dampener of his intro in Return of The Jedi and the silly extended intro to Mos Eisley. However, some of it I liked including adding the deleted scene of Luke Skywalker talking to Biggs before the X-Wings take off and the some of additional action scenes in the final battle as the originals look a bit dated now.
One thing that does slightly bug me, is the final scene. After re-watching it so many times, it does not seem to make sense with the people involved in the scene. Luke and Hans Solo get medals and the other surviving pilots like Wedge Antilles don't. Thankfully I was happy to mildy shrug this off as it is still a great ending scene.
One thing many people always look at these days, is where the prequels managed to merge it into the original trilogy seamlessly. Some of it doesn't quite fit together and most of it does. Examples are C-3PO not knowing who Obi-Wan Kenobi and the planet Tatooine is and Kenobi not knowing who R2-D2 is. You could get away with it by saying C-3PO must have had his memory erased between episodes three and four. But I don't think Kenobi not remembering R2-D2 can be resolved.
Despite that, Star Wars is a masterpiece and brought light back into cinemas as the 70's films were going for dark tones and grittiness. It has constant breathless moments. We get to see first class design work as we are greeted with fascinating looking creatures, amazing architecture in each environment we are sent to and the most ground-breaking visuals imaginable and some classic action set-pieces that we just cannot get enough of.
I am amazed that this remained a U rating despite it containing a couple of un-nerving scenes. But I am also glad that the rating is a universal one as you can get started at any age. It will forever be a timeless classic and that moment when you get older, have kids of your own and introduce them to this, it will really make you appreciate the legacy it has left for many other generations to experience.
Rating: 10/10
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