Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope (1977) Review

Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope (1977)

A New Hope follows Luke Skywalker, who, after intercepting a rebel transmission, sets out on a mission with an old Jedi and a group of smugglers to save Princess Leia and destroy the Death Star. 

The grandaddy of them all ladies and gentlemen. The one that started everything. What can be said about Star Wars that hasn’t been said a million times over? Rewatching A New Hope after such a long hiatus (keeps the wonder intact) and it’s obvious why this film exploded on the scene and has become as revered as it has. While we live in a visual effects heavy era in movies today, in 1977, George Lucas was busy inventing visual effects, starting with this one. The sheer amount of groundbreaking effects that were invented to bring this picture to life alone is worth the price of admission, from the super detailed miniatures and matte paintings, to the rotoscope work and fixed camera movements to capture the Millennium Falcon and other such ships in all their glory, in some of the earliest forms of green screen (or blue technically). 

Then of course, there’s the story, a timeless space western of epic proportions that never tries to be anything other than a thrilling story of rebellion and friendship. There’s so much care and detail taken to ensure that this world not only feels lived in, but feels at war, where a farm boy, a smuggler, or even a princess can make a difference. And it’s their fiery chemistry that makes this film so endearing, especially when up against the likes of Darth Vader, a menacing villain unlike anything to come before or after. It’s just refreshing seeing a Star Wars before the lore, before expectations of crazy lightsaber battles, and simply viewing it from the experience of a ragtag group of reluctant heroes who just happen to topple an Empire along the way. 

And boy if John Williams doesn’t hit absolute pay dirt with his score here, crafting a number of beautiful and recognizable themes that add so much intensity, scale, and emotional weight that are just as crucial to Star Wars as anything you see on screen.

Episode IV boasts a terrific cast as well, starring Shelagh Fraser, Phil Brown, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. It’s damn near impossible to narrow down just a few great performances, from Daniels and Bakers hilarious droid-filled banter, to Hamill, Ford, and Fisher stealing our hearts, they all succeed wonderfully in bringing this world to life and setting the standard for everything to come. 

A New Hope, directed by George Lucas, was and is still is a groundbreaking sci-fi epic, that, with it’s themes of hope and rebellion, have always allowed Star Wars to be so compelling and human, despite being located in a galaxy far, far away.

9/10