STAR WARS
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Plot
[I'll write this part later]
Impressions
Space opera at its frantic best! George Lucas may have shot himself in the foot if he
thought he could make this film and then diversify into other genres... like
soul-searching drama. But the overall impact of Star Wars is a
search-for-breathless rush that must have (and did!) beat the other movies coming out in
the late 70s. We all are rather jaded by the Independence Day, Con
Air, The Rock and Armageddon-type
films (actually any Jerry Bruckheimer film for that matter) which seem to try to provoke
the audience into screaming and jumping in the air at the same time... in the movie
theater. However, Star Wars is a film done with a heart, and it's plenty obvious from the
start, with laser guns blazing and ships exploding, the heroes for the film are introduced
as robots! Only a brave person would introduce such risky protagonists (one can't
even speak) to carry the weight of the film through the first half hour. |
| On the downside, it is quite obvious that the show was flawed technically
(which was covered up in the special edition) and the plot turning points are a little
hard to swallow (that Alec Guiness successfully navigates his way around a battle station
the size of a small moon while avoiding everybody; the convenient death of Luke's aunt and
uncle and his subsequent sudden decision to leave his home where he has lived all his life
-- and to leave with a stranger he had barely met for a few hours). But the force works in
mysterious ways, and little holes like that are quickly forgotten when laser bolts and
lightsabers are wielded to their greatest effect: pure movie entertainment. |
[pic of a SW scene] |
Unforgettable
The whole 10 minutes of the final battle scene (especially after extensive reshooting
for the Special Edition) right until the medal award ceremony.
Trivia
... when Mark Hamill exits the X-Wing after blowing up the Death Star, he shouts
"Carrie!" (as in Carrie Fisher, the actress playing Princess Leia)
... George Lucas got the idea for the word Jedi while watching a Japanese television
show and hearing the word "Jidai"
... the Special Edition re-release featured more than 15 minutes of extra/replaced
footage. The re-release earned Lucasfilm another US$300 million. Not bad for a 20 year-old
movie.
Sites
All in the links page [go there]
Overall rating: Excellent movie! Definitely an all-time top 10!
(5/5)
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