Review of Star Wars (1977) by James S — 21 Dec 2017

At the time of writing, this movie is almost forty years old. FORTY. I cannot name another film that was released in the same year without consulting Wikipedia, and I bet many others would have similar problems. This is the movie that defined an entire genre.

The story, which seems so painfully cliche now, is terrific. A nobody receives a message that asks him to give up his small world and enter into a much larger one. He is at first overwhelmed, but rises to the occasion, and embraces the new world he finds himself in. Add in a bunch of yet-to-be-explained backstory involving his mentor and his father, and you get a story that is both world-building and solid in its own right.

Bearing in mind that this is 1977, the acting is good for its time. OK, I may not be the biggest fan of Mark Hamill, but he deserves credit for taking on a role that noone had any idea how to play. Harrison Ford is terrific as Han Solo, bringing a roguish smile and all the charm he can muster. I came to appreciate Carrie Fisher's work here; she is spunky, stubborn, and graceful at the same time. Anthony Daniels is truly phenomenal as C-3PO, and can deliver both sides of the banter when working with R2-D2. Alec Guinness is simply superb as Obi-Wan Kenobi, playing wise mentor and dekivering his fair share of the witty repartee. James Earl Jones' voice lends an incredible amount of menace to Darth Vader, which is only enhanced by David Prowse's physical work. Finally, Peter Cushing really sells Tarkin as the brutal, overconfident man he is.

The special effects are stunning, even though they have been meddled with many times. Everything from the ship's engines, to the laser blasts, to the iconic lightsaber is a wonder to behold.

Finally, to tie it all together, John Williams provides a magical score rife with memorable themes, such as the 'force theme' and 'Leia's theme,' along with upbeat music such as 'Cantina Band' and 'The Battle of Yavin.'.

This is about as close as you can get to a perfect film. It had great story. It had cool effects. It had an imposing villain. It had heroes (reluctant and otherwise). It had a fantastic score. It defined an entire genre of films. Thank you, Star Wars, for making me love fandom.