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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... we met this young man who hadn't really seen the world beyond his home planet of Tatooine. Star Wars follows the adventures of this young man, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), as destiny finds its way into this faraway planet to set him on the heroic path that was expected of him. After tragedy hits, Luke joins a mysterious hermit, a rouge pilot and his Wookie sidekick to rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
Released in 1977, the film was a groundbreaking spectacle of fantasy, visuals, and special effects. The attention to detail in the design of ships, locations, creatures, and everything else is astonishing. But beyond all the production design and visuals, Luke is always at the center of the story, as he tries to find his way into this new and vast world. Hamill might not be the best actor, but he does carry a certain boyish charm, and his chemistry with Fisher and Harrison Ford is undeniable.
Obviously, this wasn't my first watch, but as I was preparing for an upcoming podcast episode, I decided to give it a go, along with my kids. And even though they drifted off a bit in the second act, they really dug the last act as our heroes try to take down the Death Star. As someone who grew up watching this since I was a kid (the film was released literally the same year I was born), it was certainly a moving experience to try to pass that down to them.
In one of the most iconic shots of the film, Luke stands outside his desert home, looking at the sunset ("suns-set"?), dreaming of a world he doesn't know yet. A world that, much like his gateway to it, he will soon realize is full of "scum and villainy", but also of dreamlike aspirations, endless opportunities, and of course, good friends. Regardless of what we think about the franchise, we can't deny that Star Wars opened our eyes to this new "galaxy" of film possibilities.
Grade:
STAR WARS
(1977, Lucas)
Freebie
(1977, Lucas)
Freebie
"If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... we met this young man who hadn't really seen the world beyond his home planet of Tatooine. Star Wars follows the adventures of this young man, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), as destiny finds its way into this faraway planet to set him on the heroic path that was expected of him. After tragedy hits, Luke joins a mysterious hermit, a rouge pilot and his Wookie sidekick to rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
Released in 1977, the film was a groundbreaking spectacle of fantasy, visuals, and special effects. The attention to detail in the design of ships, locations, creatures, and everything else is astonishing. But beyond all the production design and visuals, Luke is always at the center of the story, as he tries to find his way into this new and vast world. Hamill might not be the best actor, but he does carry a certain boyish charm, and his chemistry with Fisher and Harrison Ford is undeniable.
Obviously, this wasn't my first watch, but as I was preparing for an upcoming podcast episode, I decided to give it a go, along with my kids. And even though they drifted off a bit in the second act, they really dug the last act as our heroes try to take down the Death Star. As someone who grew up watching this since I was a kid (the film was released literally the same year I was born), it was certainly a moving experience to try to pass that down to them.
In one of the most iconic shots of the film, Luke stands outside his desert home, looking at the sunset ("suns-set"?), dreaming of a world he doesn't know yet. A world that, much like his gateway to it, he will soon realize is full of "scum and villainy", but also of dreamlike aspirations, endless opportunities, and of course, good friends. Regardless of what we think about the franchise, we can't deny that Star Wars opened our eyes to this new "galaxy" of film possibilities.
Grade: