Every once in a while, a very, very rare movie comes along in cinema. One that changes not only its genre, but also changes how any kind of movie is made. Rarely does a film of that caliber come along, and when it does that film goes down in history, and if it is not mentioned as a timeless piece of cinema, something is -quite frankly- wrong with those who think otherwise. I can only think of one film that changed theatrical entertainment so powerfully, and it is the subject of my review today. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...Star Wars: Episode IV.
Plot: It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy and entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy...
Cast: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
Alec Guiness as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
David Prowse as Darth Vader (Voice provided by James Earl Jones)
Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Wilhum Tarkin
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
Kenny Baker as R2-D2
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
The Review: Well, why not start with the opening crawl? Who doesn't automatically think of this the moment Star Wars is mentioned?
And come to think of it, this film is pretty gutsy. Think about it, this movie drops you into the middle of a civil war and doesn't tell you who anyone is or what -well, I was gonna say what on earth but that doesn't work here- is going on. This film took a whole lot of risks, and everyone knew it.
But everything was gonna be alright the moment Darth Vader stepped into the picture. Seriously, the greatest movie villain of all time.
There's plenty a franchise that has an established universe. Halo, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings...none of them can compare to the built-in universe that came with ONE Star Wars movie. One film and there's hundreds of things to explore.
Another risk Star Wars took was the universe itself was...well, dirty. Everywhere you go you see beat-up starships, weathered droids and vehicles. It has the look of an aged and ill-used galaxy.
What other risk did this film take? The protagonist of the picture doesn't appear for nearly twenty minutes into the thing. What's even more astounding is how the film kept us entertained the whole time anyways.
I'd like to bring something up that may confuse some people: The Star Wars series, at least the Original trilogy, evokes the feel and style of the WWII era. A good example would be Luke's eagerness for news on the Rebellion and his desire to join the conflict. Think of a world where the Nazis won WWII and you might have something similar to this.
"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope." Who can forget the game-changer, the catalyst that sparked Luke's journey? One of the most iconic and unique scenes in cinema.
Something that was only recently pointed out to me, though I do believe it's true, the Star Wars saga has an air of mystery about it. There are tantalizing and tempting hints about the galaxy's history and secrets of its denizens, but little is explored. We are left with mind-numbing curiosity.
John Williams is good. We all know he's good. But Star Wars? Whole other level. Williams' best score hands down came with the Star Wars saga.
The sound and special effects, despite being nearly forty years old, still look and sound great. Iconic sounds and sights are familiar from my childhood.
Anyone remember Vader's first Force choke? Our first glimpse of how the Force can be wielded is as evil as it is exciting. We're repulsed by how it's being used but want to know more...
But onto a more technical note, as the acting must be examined. It's good, no doubts about that. The cast did a fantastic job.
And how do we know they're good? Their characters were enjoyable to watch. We bonded to them, we developed a connection to them. That proves it.
And I just gotta say: Star Wars tech is just awesome. I will always wish I had an X-Wing or a real Lightsaber. Why? Cause I'm a guy and that stuff was plain cool.
Star Wars is so ingrained into our social consciousness that one scene almost everyone knows is the Mos Eisley Cantina. We all know the music, we all know what happens there. It's iconic, pure and simple.
Oh, and I do need to say this right now: Han shot first. That is all.
Speaking of Han, his character is probably the best as it's hinted to be the most sordid and scummy. He sparks our interest cause we want to know more of what happened to this dashing rogue.
And what of the Death Star? I mean, blowing up a whole dang planet was kind of a first.
"That's no moon...that's a space station." The realization that they're in trouble is a pretty cool moment, as we get to see just how massive the Death Star truly is.
Oh, just a quick little thing here. Anyone ever notice the Stormtrooper smacking his head on the door frame? Yeah, keep an eye out for that, cause no one ever seemed to catch it when they put the film together.
Han serves as an interesting character, something I've mentioned previously. But one of his most hilarious aspects is that his personality clashes so strongly with that of everyone else. Where the others are selfless and moral, he's self-centered and greedy. Seeing personalities bounce off each other is always fun for a viewer, and this is no exception.
So the movie is named Star Wars, and you'd go in expecting some, I dunno, space scenes. The movie delivers. Excellently, as they still look gorgeous today.
And one scene in particular delivers most impressively. So impressively, I would say, that it is the crowning achievement of the entire Star Wars saga: the Death Star Trench Run. Nothing like it has ever been attempted, and no one will every dare try to. It stands on its own forever.
The Bottom Line: I can't imagine a world without Star Wars. It's as odd and foreign to me as envisioning a world without Jesus or the Beatles or books. It just doesn't make sense to us anymore, because Star Wars has made such an impact in our social consciousness that we cannot imagine that is was never there. When a New Hope came on the scene, it truly changed filmmaking and motion pictures forever, and was a major turning point in cinema. Star Wars was not the first Summer blockbuster, but it certainly paved the way for others to attempt the same journey through the heat of the year.
Now, take a moment to think about this: This film could have been a disaster. No, really. This film wasn't just weird, it was weird. Fifteen minutes in we've seen space battles, talking robots called 'droids', a guy wearing a respirator and dressed in all black, some midget aliens wearing robes, and that's just the start of it! Seriously, this film is out there! It could have repulsed people with its strangeness and never been heard from again. But instead, we loved every moment of it, and the world of cinema was changed.
Star Wars proves a point about motion pictures that I firmly hold to: Science Fiction is the most accessible, most imaginative, and most innovative genre in all of filmmaking. What you can do with sci-fi is different from what you can do with any other kind of film. Sci-fi breaks barriers. Or in this case, it decimates them.
Well, that's enough for tonight. See you Friday, my friends, with another fantastic movie!
Yes Han definitely shot first
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