(worth seeing multiple times)

Yes, I am a Star Wars nut. I’m such a geek that when the original trilogy finally came out on DVD I took a day off work just to have a marathon. I had another one when it came out on Blu-ray. I'm sure I'll have another one when it comes out on hologram, or 4D, or interact-o-vision, or whatever the next big breakthrough is. So sit back as I tell you all about the first Star Wars film, A New Hope.

The galaxy is ruled by an all-powerful empire with ruthless political leader Grand Moff Tarkin and Sith lord Darth Vader in charge of a weapon so powerful it can destroy an entire planet with a single blast. Princess Leia and the rebellion she helps lead are the only obsicles to unchalleged rule of the populace. The Empire must recapture the Death Star plans she stole before the rebellion can use them to formulate an effective strike against it.

The Empire might well succeed if not for Luke Skywalker, a humble farm boy and heir to a powerful control of the mystical Force which, in the days before his birth, had made his father a fearsome Jedi Knight until the Dark Side stopped him. Guided by an old wizard who teaches him the way of the Force, and joined by a cocky smuggler pilot who teaches him the way of the blaster, Luke is the galaxy's best hope of liberation from tyranny.

Star Wars is an integrated part of American culture and has entertained people worldwide. It literally changed the face of the movie industry and continues to set new standards as a franchise. If that doesn’t give you some desire to see at least the first one then I don’t understand how you can call yourself a fan of cinema. I don’t mean that flippantly. I honestly don’t understand the mentality of refusing to give such an influential and popular piece of cinema history a chance for no other reason than because it involves space travel and aliens. I’m not cracking down on anyone that doesn’t like it (after all, I’m certainly not above despising something that everyone else seems to love – I'm looking at you, Forrest Gump), I’m just saying it's required viewing if you want to consider yourself well-versed in cinema.

Part of what amazes me is what George Lucas had to overcome to make this movie. It came so close to being shelved so many times that its existence is just short of a miracle. The budget was comparatively tiny, but Lucas could make cardboard tubes and tape look like an elegant weapon. The man had a dream, and nothing would stop him (except maybe getting so caught up in his own dream that he didn't think he needed to listen to anyone else which resulted in Jar Jar and the single most bothersome death scene in my memory).

That dream was to make a different kind of science fiction movie. It’s actually more of a fantasy adventure in space than a typical sci-fi. It's geared towards a younger audience (without being juvenile) and influenced by the old movie matinee serials. Instead of a polished world and reflective costumes Lucas aimed for a used look. Robots look like they have been around a while rather than fresh off the showroom floor at all times. Jedi wear robes rather than suits made out of tin foil. Of course, it’s not without its sci-fi elements: bad guys wearing menacing helmets, swords made out of light, and guns that fire lasers rather than bullets. I want to live in the Star Wars universe!

Lucas had his team create a soundscape that sounds more natural and less like it's coming out of a synthesizer. Instead of buzzes made by keyboard strokes we hear realistic sounds usually put together from things recorded in the real world.

The result of the unusual approach to the look and sound is a world that feels more natural and more familiar than other off-world sci-fi movies of the time. Even when a man with telekinetic powers is fighting a partially mechanical man in a black helmet with swords made out of light on a space station the size of a small moon there is a realism to it that other movies lack.

Music is a huge portion of any good movie’s ambience. Here again Lucas opted to avoid the usual electronic sounds. The score sounds more classical than futuristic. The music is performed by a full orchestra that gives it a higher quality than one man on a keyboard. Not only are the melodies memorable but the themes are distinct and diverse.

The score is a work of art in and of itself adding a level to the movie that it could never have had on its own. I own numerous movie score CD’s by John Williams, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, and others. Though I am influenced to some degree by my love of the movie, I listen to no score more often than Star Wars.

Though the sound effects and music are so vital to the success of the production it may come as a surprise that Star Wars actually pioneered the use of stereo sound in theaters. In fact, most theaters at the times had to have sound system overhauls to support it. Star Wars birthed ILM, the most sought-after special effects team in the world (rivaled only by Weta these days), and set the standard for high-quality audio.

By the way, anyone that thinks Lucas renamed the movie is wrong. He always intended it to be "Star Wars episode 4, A New Hope," but the studio execs thought it would be confusing to patrons allowing only the "Star Wars" title initially. Only after the successful release of many other episodes has this one come into it's proper title, "A New Hope."

There is so little questionable in this movie that it almost got a G rating. They literally had to add shots like the smoking skeletons at the moisture farm in order to bump the rating up a bit more. The violence is bloodless and tame even when the laser swords and blaster come out.

There are 1 or 2 mildly questionable words and nothing sexual at all, not even innuendo.

Spirituality

The Star Wars story as a whole will introduce some deep themes of forgivness and redemption that begin here but aren't realized until later on. Taken by itself this first chapter focuses more on people who learn to fight for something that's larger than themselves.

Luke always had desires to fight the Empire he just felt held back by his responsibilities at home. It would turn out to be the Empire taking away those responsibilities that frees him to be able to bring down the villains. If they had just left his family alone he might never have been in a position to attack them.

Han, on the other hand, is someone interested only in looking out for himself. He's not used to people caring what happens to him like Luke and Leia do. While far from being a coward, he is interested mainly in preserving only himself until he is shown the value of putting himself aside for the benefit of others. His choices will lead him to places darker and more painful than anything he's ever experienced, but they will also lead him into the arms of friends who make him far more than he ever could have been on his own.

Final Thoughts

IMDB page