"Star Wars IV: A New Hope"
1977
PG
Produced by: Rick McCallum, Gary Kurtz
Directed by: George Lucas
Written by: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Lucasfilm

4.78/5 stars
Consensus:One of the most historic and classic films of all time, Star Wars redefined what a sci-fi movie could be. It is rare for a film to have such cultural impact and of all the major films that have had such impact, Star Wars IV: A New Hope is certainly king. It redefined science fiction, created an entire universe that spawned a seemingly endless franchise of books, video games, trivia, action figures, and just about anything else imaginable. Its sole and only short coming is Lucas' sloppy directing. If you haven't seen it you've been living under a rock your entire life and are an uncultured slob.

Plot: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away there is an intergalactic rebellion against an evil Empire. "Luke Skywalker"(Mark Hamill) is a moisture farmer on desert planet "Tatooine" when he meets "Ben Obi-wan Kenobi"(Alec Guinness) and becomes hopelessly involved in the galactic struggle for freedom.

Directing: George Lucas is one of the great story tellers of our time. He has a brilliant imagination that is both in depth and intriguing, heck he created an entire universe so popular and well-known it changed the face of sci-fi forever. That man is a genius, I think he is brilliant. Now that we have that out of the way, we can also establish that all his imagination and brilliance go to story telling and ideas, and he knows it. George Lucas is not a director. The two Star Wars films he did not direct are the best in taste and directing, this film, although not the most terrible in directing, is certainly the weakest out of the classic trilogy. Its far more plot driven and the actors aren't directed very well, just well enough to get by. Roast me, but Lucas is not a good director, just passable. The characters could be far more developed in their relationships with each other, yet at the same time this is one of the most important films in film history and Lucas does do an essentially good job. Its an ongoing internal debate I often have with myself when contemplating the Star Wars saga. Lucas for the win or fail? So we'll give him a neutrally toned rating here since I feel the subject can be argued either way (I argue the subject with myself regularly) but ultimately must conclude that the directing is par at best, sub-par at worst. ***1/2

Acting: Harrison Ford is in his best role, Mark Hamill is whiny and Alec Guinness is always the best. The actors made this movie as appealing and fun as it is, they are all perfect and classic in their roles, most notably Harrison Ford really steals the show as Han Solo. He broke out into the acting world with this role (he was a carpenter and set designer and tried out for the role just for fun, expecting it to not really lead to anything or go anywhere) and defined a classic character that has been parodied and noticed for years. Mark Hamill was so definitive in his role as Luke Skywalker that he found it nearly impossible to get any other role outside of voice acting. It was a career defining moment for the actors, and a well deserved one seeing as they managed to pull off such stellar performances with such poor directing. *****

Editing: When it comes to this film, the older of a version you can get the better. In later editions of the film Lucas has gone back and added awful CGI bits intended for... I don't know.. the 10 year olds of the world, these parts are horrible and unfunny and take away quite a bit from the classic film. Fortunately the version being reviewed here is a 1995 classic VHS version (I feel like someone would make a killing off of people like me and like minded individuals that prefer the classic version if they were to take such a version and convert it to DVD) with all the original cuts. Which are fantastic and priceless. Oh Lucas, learn so now, often your first idea was your best one, and so it is with your beloved series. The original editing and composition of this film create such a classic odyessy through space that it really is one of the best editing jobs, especially considering the relatively low budget of the film overall and the amount of necessary cuts needed to be put in to cover up less than desirable footage. *****

Art Direction: The masterminds behind this film created a universe familiar to us and thousands of people. The costuming and set design would grow to become models for countless video games, board games, tribute films, cartoons, and all other sorts of Star Wars paraphernalia (action figures, LEGO sets, posters, you name it!). Again this was done on a relatively low budget for a film that no one was sure would be very successful, and they pulled it off, perfectly recreating the vivid world envisioned by Lucas and bringing it to life to become a timeless classic. *****

Cinematography: One of the cleanest shot films ever made. Even compared to modern HD/Blu-ray standards and other hi-def films, the original film looks and feels stunningly clear and well shot. This historic film looks as great as it's plot and universe. *****

Screenplay: "Where did you dig up that old fossil?"
"I find your lack of faith...disturbing.."
"The force will be with you, always"
"May the force be with you"
"Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?"
"Stay on target!"
Clearly one of the most quotable and classic screen plays of all time. 'Nuff said. *****

CGI/Special Effects: This film pioneered the way for special effects. Especially considering the time period the special effects in this film are sublime. Every space explosion, laser beam, light-saber is SO COOL LOOKING. And again it trail-blazed the way for countless, and I mean COUNTLESS other films, especially sci-fi films. Please, if you're going to use CGI follow Lucas' example in the Star Wars series. *****