Star Wars: A New Hope Movie Review

2008-07-10 04:55:48

"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" Movie Review. 10/10.
By Alex DeMattia. ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.

"Star Wars" is one of those rare events that hardly ever happens; a cultural phenomenon that swept across the film, earning the title 'most popular film ever made'. But even aside from all that, this is just a perfect film where everything works. You don't get magic captured like that too often. Even if you're not in to sci-fi you'll probably like it. The genre is more of a dressing for an age-old morality tale of good guys versus bad guys, but jazzed up with some spectacular images and sound that at the time no one had ever seen. Even now, after becoming de-sensitised to excessive amounts of CGI and special effects work, there's something about the way "Star Wars" did it that still packs a hell of a punch.

The opening shot of the film just grabs you instantly; set to John Williams oscar winning score, we are given an introductory title sequence setting the scene of a fight between a rebel force and the evil Empire ruling the galaxy. And then we get the first big shot which will still knock you back in your seat; a pan down from the stars revealing one big ship being chased by another planet-sized space ship. Remastered now in 5.1 surround sound, they feel like they're flying straight over your head and there's no wonder that when audiences first saw that scene they started cheering. And it just follows after that, scene after scene that will keep your eyes glued to the screen for the two hour running time, including a final twenty minutes that must go down as one of the most exciting battle sequences every put to film.

For all its high-tech special effects wizardry, which is spectacular on its own and worth the price of admission, "Star Wars" has at its core an incredibly strong story told through some very likeable and strong characters. George Lucas spent six months getting the right combination of casting it paid off in spades. Mark Hamill is perfect as the young, innocent farm boy wanting to do his part against the evil Empire, Harrison Ford is spot on as the smart-ass space pilot, and Carrie Fisher is the perfect foil between the two as the bright, smart and beautiful Princess Leia who won't be pushed over. But even the supporting cast are great, some of whom make characters all on their own despite never seeing their faces. Darth Vader, the film's villain is one of the most famous in history, and yet his performance was driven by two men, David Prowse (in the infamous black suit) and James Earl Jones who provided the voice. Then there's the droids, C3PO and R2D2, two bickering robots with a heart of gold. It's a testament to Lucas that he was able to give those characters such a strong presence on screen when they probably shouldn't have worked at all.

"Star Wars" brought together two different mediums and fused them together to make the "space opera". The first is an old-fashioned coming of age tale and the second is a sci-fi extravaganza. Lucas was able to bring both together, keep all the best parts, and create something fresh and original even though the core components have been called by some as elements we've all seen before. But as Mark Hamill put it in one interview, "sure we've seen this before... but not like this!"

"Star Wars" is spectacular entertainment. A must see.

For the original review, click HERE.