Star Wars – Film Review
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”
George Lucas’ Star Wars (later retitled to A New Hope) is one of the most influential pieces of entertainment ever produced. That really goes without saying though.
Ever since its release in 1977, millions of people all around the world have fallen in love with this film’s amazing characters Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) and so many more. They are all so interesting and the way that the original trilogy develops them along the way is genius and is unlike anything we have ever seen before.
Usually, when a movie is several decades old, you start to realize that maybe it doesn’t quite hold up as good as you once thought it did. Luckily, that is not the case with Star Wars. Forty-three years later, this is still one of, if not the most influential film of all time. Everything that we see in this movie is still tangible for today and is still just as fun, exciting, and memorable all these years later.
Mark Hamill (left) as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher (center) as Princess Leia Organa, and Harrison Ford (right) as Han Solo in Star Wars (1977).
On top of that, Lucas did a fantastic job at setting up a three-movie trilogy that at the time, audiences just didn’t expect. They thought this was a one-off movie. But then three years later, the masterful Irvin Kershner-directed The Empire Strikes Back was released in theatres. Then, of course, in 1983 we saw the final installment of the original trilogy with Return of the Jedi.
Spanning throughout all three of these original movies are white-knuckling action sequences, incredible storylines, and incredibly memorable characters. I quite simply cannot see other actors playing these characters other than the original cast members.
But aside from the awesome lightsaber battles, the eye-popping visual effects, and the amazing space battles, what makes Star Wars so special to me are the characters. I have seen every film in the saga numerous times over, yet I still get just as excited to venture off into a galaxy far, far away with these characters like it is my very first time.
Star Wars is not just a movie to me. It’s not just a movie to a lot of people. It’s a part of who we are. It defines us. It’s an important piece of our lives and it will live on in all of us forever.
Overall Grade: A+
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi violence and brief mild language
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Phil Brown, Shelagh Fraser
Directed by: George Lucas
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: May 25, 1977
Running Time: 121 minutes