Star Wars (1977) Review

 Star Wars (1977) 9/10

Hello and welcome to another movie review. Today, I’m beginning my journey into Star Wars (again) with the movie that started it all. Star Wars was originally released on May 25, 1977, with the movie being written and directed by George Lucas. The film would go on to be a blockbuster hit and kickstart one of the most successful franchises of all time. Star Wars has since been added to the National Film Registry and even considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. I grew up with the Prequel Trilogy and all of the games for the PS2/Xbox. I love this universe, it’s many stories and characters, and just about everything else about it. I grew up with the controversial Special Edition versions of the original movies and although I enjoyed those, I have a soft spot for the films that were released during my childhood. I had never seen the ORIGINAL versions of the movies, so I am righting that wrong now. Star Wars (or subsequently called Episode IV: A New Hope) is a great movie that I can always get down to watch whenever I’m bored. It’s campiness and overall solid quality make it a timeless classic. For this review, I’m going to be going over the original release that came out in 1977, but I’m also going to touch upon the Special Edition version. Also, seeing as this is the beginning of everything, I’m not going to be adding or judging the film from everything else that came before (such as Prequels, Sequel Trilogy, or other things). This is strictly about the very first movie. Let’s begin.

In a galaxy far, far away… Star Wars! Taking place in a fictional galaxy full of humans, aliens, strange animals, and a mystical Force that binds everything, this is the story of Luke Skywalker. Luke is a farm boy that lives on the desert planet Tatooine. He yearns to leave this drab lifestyle but can’t because of responsibilities. As Luke is doing his thing, there’s trouble going on right outside of Tatooine. The Galactic Empire is an evil force that is dominating the galaxy. Ruled by an evil Emperor and enforced by his right hand man Darth Vader, the Empire is chasing down a cruiser on suspicion of carrying the technical readouts of the Empire’s new battle station, The Death Star. While they are being boarded, Princess Leia, one of the leaders of the Rebellion, gives the Death Star plans to an astromech droid named R2-D2 and tells him to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, a supporter of the Rebellion and a friend of her father. R2 and his counterpart C-3PO crash land on Tatooine. As fate, or The Force, would have it, R2 will cross paths with Luke, and in turn with Kenobi. This is the story of a simple farm boy who is destined for more. A boy who will change the face of the galaxy forever, all because R2 ran away from home one night.

What can I say about one of the most famous movies of all time? This is a great story full of great characters. My favorite characters are Luke, the smuggler Han Solo, R2, and Darth Vader. C-3PO is decent and I like Leia, but I wouldn’t call them favorites, at least not right now. This is just an overall great story that’s presented in such a unique way. Most stories like this focus on the main character (Luke) and then have everyone else fill in around him. Nah this movie builds up the universe and four characters before we even meet Luke. And I’m not even trying to bring in stuff we’ll learn later with Empire, Jedi, and the Prequel trilogy, but I love how this movie leaves a lot of room for other things to explore (like the Clone Wars and galactic politics). Also, I don’t think this movie EVER mentions the Sith. Simply Jedi, The Force, and the Dark Side of the Force. It’s so cool seeing where all of this started from. I also love how this movie could be a standalone film. If this were a one-time thing, great! But the fact that we got two sequels, a prequel trilogy, and so much more added stuff is even better. 

And we can’t forget the film’s excellent production. The movie looks great. I remember seeing something that the editor is what made this movie so good. The movie looks great because of all of the love and effort put into sets, costumes, world building, and actors, but the editing is what brings this movie together. There’s a distinct charm here that you can’t really find anywhere else, and part of that charm is the music. John Williams is an amazing composer who created one of the most iconic soundtracks ever. That feeling of edge-of-your-seat dread during the Death Star Trench Run is so good, and we can’t forget the incredible Binary Sunset theme.

Also shout out to the actors. Mark Hamill (Luke), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), David Prowse (Darth Vader), James Earl Jones (voice of Vader), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Alec Guinness (Ben Kenobi), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Peter Cushing (Tarkin).

I also wanna go over the Special Edition real quick. Compared to the original version, the Special Edition didn’t really change much. It’s still the same story, but with a slightly different taste. There’s added CG animals in Mos Eisley and they changed up a few pieces of dialogue (this is very noticeable with Darth Vader’s lines). The biggest change of the movie is the whole “Greedo firing first but misses” thing, as well as seeing Jabba in Mos Eisley right before Ben and Luke arrive at the Millennium Falcon. Personally, I don’t really care whether Han shot first or not, but I do think it was weird seeing Jabba meeting Han face to face as it kinda ruined the surprise in Jedi. Although these changes aren’t detrimental to the overall quality of the story, many people say these changes “ruined” the film. Personally, both versions are fine. I give the Special Edition an 8.5/10.

There’s not much else to say that hasn’t already been said. The very first Star Wars movie is an instant classic that everyone needs to see. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, the first movie is a great film and you don’t need to dive head into the entire series in order to enjoy it. Whether you watch the original or the Special Edition, you are in for a treat. I will be going over Empire in the near future, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

This is Zorgak, signing off.