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dh1989
03-26-2003, 08:46 PM
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Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, in my opinion, is one of the greatest films ever made. George Lucas' space adventure is everything a sci-fi tale should be.

Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker, a boy about to become a man, who lives on the desert planet of Tatooine with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, who tell him his father is dead. He wants to attend an academy, but is being kept at home for another harvest by his stern uncle, who knows Luke has a lot of his father in him and that scares him. On a day like any other day, Luke and Uncle Owen buy two droids, a protocol droid and an astromech droid, from Jawas (cute little creatures who, or did my ears decieve me, say "Houdini!"). These droids are not like the rest of the Tatooine junk. They come from a Rebel ship, which carried the beautiful Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). The ship was recently captured by the evil Imperial forces, led by Darth Vader and The Emperor (a character who does not appear until later episodes). Vader killed many members of the crew, and captured Leia. He wants her to tell him where the Rebel base is. If she does, which he'll torture until she does, Vader can use his new Death Star to destroy the planet where it is. When Leia's ship was captured she put a message in a small astromech droid named R2-D2, who took a small pod, along with his skittish droid friend C3PO, to Tatooine, where the message's intended recipient, Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi resides. The droid pair are captured by the Jawa's, and that leads them into Luke's hands. This is where one of the screen's biggest adventures ever begins....

Hamill is excellent as Luke. He has a look of wonder in his eyes as he stares at Tatooine's two suns. You can tell he is a man who is destined for adventure, not moisture farming. Hamill is also quite charming. He needed to be believable as a charming hero who will face any danger. He is. The audience is happy.

The legendary actor Harrison Ford plays Han Solo, a cocky smuggler who has a rough shell, but a good heart. Ford truly steals the show. He oozes charm and cockiness. Ford's performance makes you know that Solo has many stories to tell and can hold his own in the many adventures he'll face.

Carrie Fisher is also excellent as Princess Leia. She plays a strong character, and I believed she was strong. She plays a brave character, and I believed she was brave. She plays a major part in the story, and I was pleased with her performance.

James Earl Jones voices the evil Darth Vader (the suit is worn by David Prowse). With voice alone, Jones sells us that Vader is dangerous, violent, and cruel.

One of the big pleasures of this film are the supporting characters. From the adorable Chewbacca to the pickering droids to Obi-Wan (who is brilliantly portrayed by Alec Guinness), all of these characters add a bit of magic to the world created here.

George Lucas, who wrote and directed this film, obviously understands the genre. He knows we need strong heroes, seriously sadistic villians, and worlds filled with wonders. He gives all of these by the boatloads. :)

John Williams is my personal musical hero. He gives so much to the films he works on. A huge part of this movie's soul is the score. It is soaring, sweet, thrilling, and the theme is memorable.

Overall, this is one of the greatest films ever made. A magical adventure. Proof of what a movie can be. Anyone who loves, likes, or even hates movies should own this ticket to a galaxy far, far away.

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The Sandman
03-26-2003, 10:48 PM
Definetely the classic of the classics!! Great review!! :)

bowieee
03-27-2003, 02:53 PM
Good Film. A classic that will never get old in my eyes.

bob
03-27-2003, 05:10 PM
An alright flick. My favorite SW film at a strong 7/10.

I really think Lucas hit is stride with the IJ series, and then immediately lost it.

I think the SW films are very overrated.

El Bracamonti
03-27-2003, 07:21 PM
i also think that star wars is overrated, but a good movie no doubt. 7/10

urbanlegend23
03-27-2003, 11:49 PM
It was a good flick, but I don't think it was "one of the best films ever made" like most movie fans. Still a good watch, but AOTC and Empire are a lot better.

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Jon Lyrik
03-29-2003, 12:11 PM
From my Hollywoodbitchslap.com review...

In a Galaxy...not far, far away at all...back when Lucas could direct.

This movie, like The Empire Strikes Back, is cooler than you or me. Return of the Jedi was also cooler than you and me. The prequels...ugh...don't get me started.
The original trilogy of Star Wars is just cooler than you or me, let's put it that way. While A New Hope wasn't as ultra-cool as Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi was just a tad inferior to the previous two, it is still cooler than you or me.

Eh...enough of this "cooler than you or me" shite. You know it kicks ass. Yes, the writing is cheesy, but that was intentional, and it isn't as wooden or boring as the prequels. Yes, George Lucas these days is a money-starved hack who has completely lost the magic touch of his film and thinks he can run 70% of a would-be live-action flick with cold, rubbery special effects, but that doesn't mean his pre-90s flicks suck. Look at Coppola: he's a has-been, but that doesn't mean The Godfather, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now automatically suck because his career declined.

The acting in the movie is generally good, although Hamill is a tad wooden, and a few of the actors are mediocre. But Ford, Fisher, Guiness (especially) all turn in great performances.

The directing, well everyone knows one thing: Lucas was only great at directing in the 60s-70s, likely because Lucas only directed in those periods excluding the prequels. Here his directing is fine, and the film has heart and energy. Too bad he no longer displays this in his movies anymore.

The writing, as mentioned, is intentionally cheesy. A lot like the prequels, but the problem with the prequels is that the writing is forced and boring and not even slightly cheesy, just plain awful. Here it is cheesy, and far from original, but that's the point. Luckily, it is not plain bad, it is not boring, and it is not forced.

Characters: Obi-Wan, Princess Leia, Han Solo...do I need to say more?

The sets and costumes: all excellent. None of them look silly at all, they really look like believable alternative worlds, and the wardrobe is perfect for the material.

Sound: this got a Special Acheivement Award at the Oscars. Yes, the Oscars are a joke, but the movie definitely deserved it. The sound effects from the laser blasts, robots, creatures, etc. are all great, and the mixing is excellent.

Score: One of the Top 5 of all time. The score freaking rules, and John Williams will be remembered because of it.

FX: CGI can never look better than standard FX of this caliber.

Action: Pure, unadulterated fun.

Writing this review is a bit pointless. It rules and you know it. 10.5/10.