Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeLegends can have humble origins. Star Wars (later renamed Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a sci-fi space adventure film about a galactic civil war "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". After a young farmer on the desert planet of Tatooine named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) learns of a distress signal sent by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)--a key figure in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire. He seeks out the aid of an erstwhile Jedi knight named Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi (Alec Guinness) on her behalf, marking the beginning of an adventure that will change the face of their universe.
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While Star Wars and its assorted sequels, prequels, and expanded universe has grown into a multi-billion dollar franchise, the film was--like its scrappy protagonist--an unlikely success story. It became a trendsetter for sci-fi action films in 1977, which had heretofore been relegated to B-movies, or were rarely taken seriously except by fans of the genre. Written and directed by George Lucas, Star Wars differs from its predecessors, presented as a part of a greater story, where the conflict between the rebels and the Empire is in full swing--even the opening titles declare that this is the fourth "episode" in the unfolding space opera. Luke isn't even introduced until almost a half an hour into the movie, opening instead with Leia and her group of rebel guerrillas who have just secured the schematics for the Empire's notorious, moon-sized super weapon--dubbed the "Death Star". She safeguards these plans with her droid companions, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), who are jettisoned to the surface of Tatooine before Leia is captured by the infamous Darth Vader (David Prowse/voiced by James Earl Jones). Darth Vader is a one-time Jedi turned traitor, whom Obi-Wan tells Luke was responsible for the death of his father. He is the quintessential "black knight" in Star Wars, showing up at crucial moments to confront the heroes, representing the "dark side" of the mystical energy flow of the universe Obi-Wan calls "the Force". Darth Vader's enigmatic presence in Star Wars is so compelling, that his advent became the focus of a prequel trilogy made decades later, drawing comparisons between his origins and Luke's. Luke is an innocent young man, whose ambitions are to leave his backwater planet and the life of humble farming behind for greater things. He feels dejected because his Uncle Owen (Phil Brown) and Aunt Beru (Shelagh Fraser) seem to keep him from pursuing his dreams for arbitrary reasons. After they are killed by the Empire, Luke pursues his true calling--to oppose the Empire and aid Obi-Wan in destroying the Death Star. To that end, they recruit a pair of smugglers to transport them to Alderaan: the sly Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his large, woolly Wookie companion, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).
Star Wars has become heavily integrated into pop culture, even more than forty years later. Lines of dialogue--from "that's no moon" to "use the Force, Luke"--are identifiable to anyone with even a passing awareness of the movie. The story has become so recognizable that it has been referenced and spoofed in other works, like Mel Brooks's Spaceballs. Watching Star Wars today becomes an experience filled with dramatic irony, housing some of cinema's most iconic movie twists--everyone knows who Darth Vader really is and his relationship with Luke and Leia at this point. Subtle details suggest that the Star Wars experience was always meant to be a series. Consider when Owen and Beru offer Luke oblique information about his father at the dinner table, or the similarities between Darth Vader's upbringing and Luke's on Tatooine--not to mention their mutual aptitude for piloting space fighters and controlling the Force. The question lingers as to whether these events were explored later only to justify background details or throwaway comments, like when Luke briefly references the "Clone Wars" in which his father and Obi-Wan fought together. Foremost of these is why Obi-Wan obfuscates the truth about Luke's father on multiple occasions--invisible to audiences who watched Star Wars in 1977, but immediately obvious as early as its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Because of the complex and even mutable continuity of Star Wars, fans have speculated about minor events like these at length for years, which speaks to the enduring popularity of the series.
Star Wars was so overwhelmingly profitable, that Lucas was given virtually free reign to expand on his space epic. With the rare combination of financial success and high-level of ownership over his creative property, he returned to Star Wars years later and make select edits to the film. These included reincorporating deleted scenes--like one where Han is confronted by a slug-like crime lord called Jabba the Hut on the streets of Mos Eisley--and using contemporary computer-generated special effects instead of the original film's predominant use of miniatures and matte shots. Some of these changes have dramatic effects on the portrayal of some characters--arguably the most contentious of these being when Han Solo shoots one of Jabba's assassins named Greedo. The original cut implied that Han was a dangerous character because he shoots Greedo first, while the edit tries to split the difference by having them shoot at the same time, fundamentally negating this interpretation of the roguish outlaw. These edits had the effect of enraging some fans of the series--ironic considering that the edits came from the man who created the mythos in the first place. This begs the question about what kind of ownership an artist has over his creation after it has been absorbed into the collective zeitgeist.
Recommended for: Fans of an action-packed sci-fi adventure through the stars, featuring strange and unusual aliens and droids, laser shootouts and "lightsaber" duels, and a humble hero who gets caught up in it all. Star Wars has become so entrenched in the cinematic consciousness that it is impossible to imagine a world without it--its influence on movies has been so profound as to be almost invisible, like the Force itself.
Star Wars has become heavily integrated into pop culture, even more than forty years later. Lines of dialogue--from "that's no moon" to "use the Force, Luke"--are identifiable to anyone with even a passing awareness of the movie. The story has become so recognizable that it has been referenced and spoofed in other works, like Mel Brooks's Spaceballs. Watching Star Wars today becomes an experience filled with dramatic irony, housing some of cinema's most iconic movie twists--everyone knows who Darth Vader really is and his relationship with Luke and Leia at this point. Subtle details suggest that the Star Wars experience was always meant to be a series. Consider when Owen and Beru offer Luke oblique information about his father at the dinner table, or the similarities between Darth Vader's upbringing and Luke's on Tatooine--not to mention their mutual aptitude for piloting space fighters and controlling the Force. The question lingers as to whether these events were explored later only to justify background details or throwaway comments, like when Luke briefly references the "Clone Wars" in which his father and Obi-Wan fought together. Foremost of these is why Obi-Wan obfuscates the truth about Luke's father on multiple occasions--invisible to audiences who watched Star Wars in 1977, but immediately obvious as early as its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Because of the complex and even mutable continuity of Star Wars, fans have speculated about minor events like these at length for years, which speaks to the enduring popularity of the series.
Star Wars was so overwhelmingly profitable, that Lucas was given virtually free reign to expand on his space epic. With the rare combination of financial success and high-level of ownership over his creative property, he returned to Star Wars years later and make select edits to the film. These included reincorporating deleted scenes--like one where Han is confronted by a slug-like crime lord called Jabba the Hut on the streets of Mos Eisley--and using contemporary computer-generated special effects instead of the original film's predominant use of miniatures and matte shots. Some of these changes have dramatic effects on the portrayal of some characters--arguably the most contentious of these being when Han Solo shoots one of Jabba's assassins named Greedo. The original cut implied that Han was a dangerous character because he shoots Greedo first, while the edit tries to split the difference by having them shoot at the same time, fundamentally negating this interpretation of the roguish outlaw. These edits had the effect of enraging some fans of the series--ironic considering that the edits came from the man who created the mythos in the first place. This begs the question about what kind of ownership an artist has over his creation after it has been absorbed into the collective zeitgeist.
Recommended for: Fans of an action-packed sci-fi adventure through the stars, featuring strange and unusual aliens and droids, laser shootouts and "lightsaber" duels, and a humble hero who gets caught up in it all. Star Wars has become so entrenched in the cinematic consciousness that it is impossible to imagine a world without it--its influence on movies has been so profound as to be almost invisible, like the Force itself.