This is the movie that started it all. In fact, it was made by George Lucas assuming that he would not have the opportunity to make any more movies. Because of this he took the Death Star from movie six and added it to this movie. He also made a decision to kill Obi-Wan in this movie instead of the original plan which was for Obi-Wan to train Luke Skywalker himself. Decisions that changed the plan, but there was a plan all along. He had a vision to make an entire story about Anakin, his fall, and his resurrection through his children. Well he felt that the easiest movie to make was his chapter IV, and if that is all he got to do of his dream then he would be content with that.
One thing he did keep through all 6 movies was the droids. The story of Star Wars is told through the eyes of C-3PO and R2-D2. He got this idea from some old Japanese movie that I forgot the name to. And in reality these two droids would have hit the recycle bin long before this movie, but amazing they haven't been. And for the audience they are a thing of familiarity and of laughter.
The plot There are multiple plots going on but the main one is simple. Lets start training Luke Skywalker in hope that he will rebuild the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan has been waiting for him to grow up so that he could train Luke himself. Through a series of events caused by the Empire, Luke joins Obi-Wan. There is also the plot of the empire struggling for control of all of the systems that were originally under the control of "The Senate". The empire is not all powerful, but it certainly has a lot of power in its ships and troops. It controls through fear.
The acting The acting in Star Wars was never that revered. I regard it as average with a few poorly executed dialogs. The acting is never why you see a Star Wars movie. It is so bad that Harrison Ford will never reprise his role as Han Solo if movie 7 ever made it's way to pad and paper.
The story and writing George Lucas will never be confused with a great writer, as I have said so many times. So the writing isn't great. With that said, the writing does its job in telling the story. I feel the writing limited the actors a bit though. The saving grace is that the story is not told through the dialog, rather it is through the action and the editing. It is the editing and special effects that made this movie great. While the writing is bad, the story is a terrific story. It follows many mythological elements perfectly and a story worth studying. This is just a small piece of that overall story.
The character development The development is ok. Nothing great. You get to see the development of Luke as well as his frustrations he feels in trying to become a man in the eyes of others. This movie isn't about him becoming a man, it's about him going through the trials of a hero. The movie is very mythological in its story telling. So instead of a horse you get the millennium falcon. Instead of a sword you get a light saber and blasters. But luke (and his father) go through many of the same things as our mythological hero's in greek and roman mythology.
The pacing The pacing is interesting in this movie. You start off with an exciting scene and a gun battle. But after that it really slows down. This is for character development and story telling. So it has a purpose but is a weakness in the movie. After they reach Mois Eisley everything picks up. The story gains more and more speed as the movie progresses in such a way that your attention is fixed on the movie and you can't look away. After reaching the Death Star it just becomes a nonstop roller coaster ride with an exciting climatic finish. So pacing of the last three quarters is terrific.
The special effects This depends on which version you are watching but they all look a little dated. No big deal for the most part because they used a lot of models. Models at the time era was the way to go and it has helped keep the movie from looking as dated as its contemporaries of its time. But for the time this movie set the standard for other movies to follow.
Replay value Great. Other than the slow start at the beginning (a good time to make coffee) I always enjoy watching the last 3 quarters.
What else made this movie great? Each action scene is unique. Nothing is duplicated or repeated. Each piece is unique, uniquely choreographed, and had its own special/traditional effects. You can walk into a room with this on and immediately identify what scene you are in.
The musical score done by John Williams is awesome. It really put the final touch on this movie that it badly needed. What George Lucas lacked in the dialog department. John Williams filled in with great emotion. You didn't just watch this movie, you felt this movie. It is this score that made it an emotional ride. I would even consider the argument that half of this movie is the music.
The other department that filled in the gaps was the sound effects guys. They had to make up a completely new batch of sounds that the movie audience had never heard before. You see when you come into a theater you do not want anything familiar from the outside world entering your theatrical experience and ruining it. So all of the "Star Wars sounds" were uniquely crafted for this movie.
Should children watch it? I have no problem with my children watching. Nothing graphic, some violence like death from choking and laser blasts. Nothing major.
Genre: Science Fiction
The key players Director: George Lucas Writers: George Lucas & Ben Burtt Music: John Williams
My End Line. This is a classic Sci-Fi that I feel will stand the test of time. While the dialog and acting wasn't great, the rest of the movie was. It also set a new standard for special effects that everybody else looked to. It is a worth while movie to own that has great replay value.
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