Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) – Movie Review
Director: George Lucas
Screenwriter: George Lucas
Producers: Gary Kurtz, Rick McCallum
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Production Company: Lucasfilm
Top Billed Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones
LOGLINE: A simple farm boy comes into possession of two important droids and joins a small party together to take them to their rightful owner a galactic princess who's been kidnapped and held prisoner upon the Deathstar, a spaceship the size of a moon.
VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: I can't remember but it was probably on free-to-air television as a kid before I promptly fell in love with it and had my parents by the VHS.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Before Lord of the Rings came along, this was my all time favourite. To some Star Wars fans this is sacrilege. But why must we fight Kevin Smith? Can't there be two THE Trilogies?
STORY: George Lucas admitted/cited that he was strongly influenced by Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which is a study of mythology (religious 'tales' etc) and the monomyth (the theory that all stories share the same certain stages). This story hits all of those marks and reinvents them for a modern audience, in effect making Star Wars the religion of a generation, which it was for me. Literally, I (along with many others), once put 'Jedi' down as my religion on the Australian Census.
Since this little secret came out The Hero with a Thousand Faces has become a bible for screenwriters.
Since this little secret came out The Hero with a Thousand Faces has become a bible for screenwriters.
PRODUCTION: A true breakthrough it what was possible from the medium of film making, George Lucas paved the way for many films and it still stands the test of time over 30 years later!
PERFORMANCE: Great performances all round from who were essentially a bunch of unknowns. It's a pity we haven't seen more of Mark Hamill since in non Sci-Fi/SW related stuff. Same goes for Carrie Fisher actually.
OVERALL: One of the greatest films ever made, it has not only influenced film but wider culture and life.
MEETSLINE: Sci-Fi meets Western and Opera.
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"
"May the Force be with you"
"Boring conversation anyway"
"Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification.
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his identification.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along. Stormtrooper: Move along... move along. "
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"
"May the Force be with you"
"Boring conversation anyway"
"Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification.
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his identification.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along. Stormtrooper: Move along... move along. "
RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Blue Milkshake.
LINKS:
Check out my deconstruction of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope here:
RATING:
5 out of 5 reels of film.
Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer
(C) Review Flix 2011
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