Even before I got serious about analyzing and reviewing movies, I loved Star Wars on a number of levels. As a kid, your imagination runs wild and Star Wars was just the kind of fantastic adventure you might dream up running around the backyard: heroes, villains, damsels in distress, a longing for something outside of the ordinary routine- it’s all in there. Heck, it’s even got swords and dogfights. What more could a little boy ask for?
This brings up a very important point. Star Wars has always performed well for kids. Empire gets dark but Jedi returns to a more kid-friendly tone for the most part. George Lucas may have tried to replicate that wow effect for the younger set too much with the prequels because the story of Star Wars still holds up for adults in terms of quality. You cannot say that about the prequels.
I must admit that the story in the original Star Wars is much simpler than anything else that came later. Despite its straight-up action-quest saga trajectory, all of these elements are carefully crafted from archetypes from history, mythology, and literature that resonate with most people as long as they are written well.
The story structure itself is built upon story elements that we have all seen or read many times before. Lucas prevents his film from feeling generic and derivative thanks to the characters he populates his universe with. Luke is still your bland, wide-eyed kid who becomes a hero but everyone else is remarkable. Han Solo’s bad boy persona meets a worthy match in Princess Leia. More than just a damsel to save, she is strong and determined to have her say. As an added bonus, she’s a pretty good shot too. Darth Vader is menacing thanks to the dark costume and James Earl Jones’s booming voice. The droids provide comic relief and Chewbacca turns out to be more than just a reminder that you’re watching a sci-fi film.
While they may not look like a whole lot now, the visual effects in Star Wars pushed the movie industry forward. This film also changed what kind of movies audiences crave, for better or for worse. Hollywood has always crafted big spectacle films but they were always limited by effects capabilities of the day. George Lucas tossed the doors wide open on what could now be done visually. Personally, I still love the use of real, albeit miniature, ships with intricate structural detail. It makes all the close-ups look like the real deal.
In 1977, Star Wars was a breezy, exotic tale stitched together with visual flair and a lot of fun. To this day, it continues to be all of that (though visual effects have far surpassed what Lucas had ever dreamed of in the 70s) and there is something special and powerful about that. The Empire Strikes Back and, to a lesser extent, Return of the Jedi gave more depth to the Star Wars universe and the story unfolding before our eyes, so assertions that the original film is not the best of the three may in fact be valid.
However, I don’t think Star Wars is a film remembered more for what it meant or did for the art of filmmaking than for its content (as is the case for films like Citizen Kane). Nor is content more important than the technical aspect (as in High Noon). Both the story and its cultural and industry impact are at least equal in my mind, which justifies Star Wars retaining my highest ranking. Empire may be a better story but Star Wars came first and it was an all-around doozy.
ORIGINAL RATING: 4.75 out of 5
NEW RATING: 4.75 out of 5
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