Retro Reviews #1 - Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
A Review by Eric Brown
Story: 8/10
Performances: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Music (Soundtrack/Score): 9/10
Visuals (Props/Settings/Wardrobe/CGI): 8/10
Final Score: 8/10
Synopsis
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a young farm boy named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) meets an old man named Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness, rest in peace) on the planet of Tatooine, using the alias of Ben Kenobi. He embarks with Obi-Wan and newly acquainted pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford) on a journey to learn the ways of the Jedi and the Force, and to save Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher, rest in peace) from the hands of Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, rest in peace, and voiced by James Earl Jones, rest in peace as well).
Spoiler-free Review
Star Wars has been a part of my life for quite literally as long as I can remember, and this is where it all started. It’s weird watching a movie I’ve seen ten, fifteen, twenty times, and then going back and watching it to form a review. However, I’m still here to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of this movie. So, let’s get started. A New Hope does a wonderful job of both being a starting place and midpoint for the Saga of Star Wars. As the first movie to be released in theaters for the saga, it is actually the fourth movie chronologically. There are lines of dialogue hinting at events past, and it plants that seed of investment in your mind, making you question “what happened so long ago?” It works well as a standalone film, or if you go through and binge all eleven movies in the saga, spin-offs like Rogue One and Solo included. If you don’t have the knowledge of movies one through three, it still gives you enough background to keep up with the story, but if you’re going through the movies chronologically, you get extra satisfaction in the story. The movie looks great for being a space sci-fi fantasy in 1977. Although it has undergone numerous revisions over the years, the original’s magic still shines through and continues to meet many of today’s standards.
Spoiler Review
This movie, as well as the sequels it would spawn, still holds up extremely well to today’s standards. I’ll be honest, the minimal use we see from the lightsabers in this movie doesn’t make it the qualifier for “best lightsaber effects,” or anything. But for 1975-76 special effects, it puts things into a new light for how cool the concept of the lightsaber is. The ways Lucasfilm and Disney have brought lightsabers, alien species, and out of this world spaceships and flying to life, have all changed throughout the years. I’m a sucker for practical effects, and this movie has so many props and costumes that I adore. From the simple brown cloak of Obi-Wan Kenobi, to using a camera’s flash handle as the hilt for Luke’s lightsaber, it’s a real testament to ingenuity and the creativeness of the props department, and I love it. The story hints at events of the past, like a quick line of dialogue from Princess Leia mentioning the clone wars, or Ben talking about Luke’s father Anakin, who was killed by the evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader. It makes a first-time watcher ask themselves “what happened to Anakin? Where did Vader come from?” before you get the answer in the next film. All the actors play their roles wonderfully, even with some clunky dialogue. Despite the slow pace of the lightsaber combat in this movie, the duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader has weight behind it, both in the battle of Good and Evil, and with the history between Obi-Wan and Vader. Obi-Wan’s sacrifice allowed Luke to escape with the rest of the crew and brought the motivation to bring the Empire’s Death Star down. Overall, this movie still reminds me why I fell in love with the franchise, there’s a battle of Good and Evil, but in the end, Good wins. But not always. What happens when the Empire Strikes Back?...
