STAR WARS (Episode IV): A New Hope - Review

Woah, this is going to be tough. What's left to be said about the original Star Wars? It's one of the best films of all time and arguably the best science-fiction flick ever made. It's action-packed, filled with engaging characters and fascinating concepts, and is one of the highest grossing blockbusters worldwide. Simply put: it's classic.

So...what can I say about it? Nothing terribly new. I won't go into detail about the plot (which is perfectly simplistic), or describe its many characters (some of the best ever put to film). But I will tell you about my experience with A New Hope. This is my personal journey to a galaxy far, far away. I sincerely hope you read and enjoy....

I first saw Star Wars (Episode IV): A New Hope in 1997. I was seven years old, and my parents took me to see the twentieth anniversary "Special Edition" in theaters. I don't have any specific memory of this (not the squeak of theater seats or the flavor of popcorn, not even the hum of a lightsaber in all its surround-sound glory), but I do remember leaving the theater, walking out into the lobby as the end credits scrolled. There was a feeling in my chest, something electric and slippery. It was the way I felt going to the county fair, like being at the top of the Ferris wheel. Although I couldn't express this feeling at the time, I can now.

Guinness as Kenobi - one of cinema's best performances.

It was excitement. Total, absolute, unwavering, Christmas-morning excitement. A movie had never made me feel that way before. As we walked to the parking lot, my brain buzzed. Wasn't it awesome when Obi-Wan cut that alien's arm off? Wouldn't you want to have a droid like R2? Wasn't it great the way Han came back at the end? Aren't lightsabers amazing? I hopped from one foot to the other, words hurrying from my mouth in a frantic slur. For my family, I'm sure the car ride home was nauseating. "Uh-huh," they might have said. "Yup, it really was something."

And to me, it really was something. Seeing A New Hope opened my eyes to what movies could be. It was a portal to another universe, one I'd never dreamed of, or even thought of dreaming. Like most kids who see it at that perfect age, Star Wars became my obsession. I owned the toys, played the video games, filled notebooks with drawings of my favorite scenes, ran around the playground as an X-Wing pilot who dared to follow Luke into battle against the Empire. My closest friends quickly became other kids who shared my obsession. We'd talk for hours about moments, characters, scenes. As a seven-year-old, it was life. My parents soon took me to see the other two chapters of the original trilogy, and although I immediately identified Return of the Jedi as my favorite (I was seven, after all), A New Hope is what started it all, the catalyst of my childhood fervor. It's the reason I'm here, as a twenty-six year-old, writing about it.

Love this character, this moment, and this film.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. As I grew older and my tastes changed, my love of a galaxy far, far away remained. And while I quickly realized the prequels sucked, I learned other things too. I realized Return of the Jedi with its hokey ewoks wasn't my favorite. And The Empire Strikes Back with all its brooding atmospherics wasn't my cup of tea either. Don't get me wrong, I went through phases where each installment of the trilogy was my gold standard, but I kept going back and back to A New Hope. I remember being a high school sophomore, sitting in the cafeteria and talking about the recently-released Revenge of the Sith. Inevitably, we ended up debating which episode was best, and I was the only one who chose Hope. "It doesn't have all the campy fun of Jedi," someone said. "It's not serious like Empire," said another. And I couldn't argue with them. I just shrugged and said, "Yeah - I know. But Hope has everything."

And thankfully, it does. This is a movie I've seen dozens of times, and every time it works. As a seven-year-old, I loved the action and visuals. As a preteen, I identified with the characters (I wanted to be Han Solo, but saw more of myself in Luke). As a teen, when I really started getting into cinema, I loved analyzing the interlocking pieces - John Williams' iconic score, Ben Burtt's incredible sound effects, Alec Guinness's nuanced portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi. As a college student, I adored its longevity: how Han still made me laugh, or Vader still made me cringe.

Best villain ever?

And now? I still admire it for all those things, but there's still so much more. I love seeing its similarities to other films: The opening scroll is reminiscent of serials from the 1930's (like Flash Gordon); moments and characters are pulled straight from samurai classics (notably Kurosawa's The Hidden Kingdom and Yojimbo); you see John Wayne's sorrow from The Searchers written on Luke's face upon finding his home destroyed and family murdered; and there are countless nods to other sci-fi epics (1927's Metropolis and 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey). I love its adherence to classical storytelling, following the hero's quest almost as well as Homer's Odyssey. I love that I can show it to a classroom full of seventh graders to study plot, theme, and characterization. I love that I can watch it for the millionth time and it still feels fresh. Regardless of all the "special edition" changes or bizarre alterations, it is nonetheless essential viewing. When all is said and done, it is pure imagination.

But most of all? I love A New Hope because it truly is what its name suggests. It is hope: for film, for fun, and for the future. Final Grade: A+