Star Wars movie ranking after The Last Jedi
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Lucasfilm; poster for Star Wars Special Edition (1977, 1997)
2. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
The cinematic and cultural phenomenon which started it all, what else can one say about Star Wars that hasn’t already been said? From the opening text scrawl to the closing credits, every single frame and camera shot in this movie is unforgettable. Mention the names Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, RD-2D, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader, and you instantly see him in your mind’s eye. It’s writer and director George Lucas’ finest work, and deservedly so.
I imagine when Lucas started creating and developing Star Wars, all he wanted to do was retell Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (1958) by way of westerns, 1950’s Flash Gordon serials, and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces. What’s remarkable is how minimalist and unpolished it looks, even with the “Special Edition” edits. Somehow, this works in the movie’s favor and not against it. This “galaxy [from] far, far away” feel gritty, lived in, and thus more real even with the spaceships, robots, aliens, lasers, and magic.
Much of this has to do with the characters. Despite being obvious archetypes, every actor treats their part seriously and with conviction. This is especially the case with Alec Guinness as Kenobi and Peter Cushing as Tarkin, who, at the time, were veterans of their craft. Yet Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford are just as good, making even the most cheesy dialogue sound completely natural.
Of course, Star Wars wouldn’t be what it is without its action set pieces like the escape from the Death Star or the X-Wing fighter flying through the trenches. Yet Lucas also allows for quieter, introspective moments, too, such as the wonderful shot of Luke watching the twin sunset on Tatooine. Credit also has to go to composer John Williams, too, for his Oscar-winning musical score.
Lucas has gone back and tweaked the film over the years, adding in new effects to keep it up to date. It almost seems unnecessary. Star Wars is timeless, a story of good against evil that countless generations will watch and re-watch long after we are gone. Besides, everyone knows that Han is the one who shot first.