Groundbreaking special, visual and sound effects and very influential, a New Hope is without a doubt one of the most popular sci-fi action films of all time. It was imagined by, created by, written by and directed by then little-known director George Lucas.
The story is set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, where the evil Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor and his right hand men, Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and Darth Vader (acted by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones), who control the galaxy with the iron fist. Standing up against empire is the Rebellion Alliance, a small band of heroes who fight and stand for justice. The story starts with Vader capturing one of the Rebellion’s prominent leaders, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). Before her imminent capture, Leia sends out a distress signal, that finds its way via two robots, or droids, called C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), to a farm boy named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who is raised by his tough Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, on a moisture farm in the desert planet of Tatooine. After Imperial Stormtroopers arrive and shoot up the family farm, killing his aunt and uncle, Skywalker joins forces with the aging, mysterious but powerful exiled Jedi Knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), and set out to rescue the Princess, and destroy the Empire’s space station, the Death Star.
Along the way, the young and cocky gambler-smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his Wookie sidekick, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and their super-fast spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, joins the droids, Luke and Obi-Wan. The unlikely band of heroes enters the Death Star and set to work in rescuing the Princess. However, Kenobi holds a secret to himself, as he was once master to Vader. Vader seeks out Kenobi for revenge, culminating in a lightsaber duel in the Death Star to finish their old scores. The movie culminates in an epic space battle fought over the Death Star.
Today, a New Hope never grows outdated, even though it's special effects are today a little out classed, and it remains one of the most entertaining, memorable and engaging pieces of cinema I have ever seen. But the real strength of it lies not in the cool effects or the entertainment—it’s in the masterful narrative structure of the film.
This is without a doubt Lucas’s best work as a director. He would go on to direct all of the films in the prequel saga, which quite frankly was necessary but not near as good as the original trilogy.
I will also note, that the main theme song for Star Wars is composed by John Williams, and is one of my favorite pieces of cinema music.
A New Hope has gone on to become on the most influential and groundbreaking films of all time, and has gone on to influence several other notable directors today: take James Cameron, Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan for example.
This that rare kind of movie that you can watch over and over again and never grow tired of. I have gone on to view a New Hope, and all of its sequels, many times. I never grow tired of them. That’s why a New Hope has become a rare gem in filmmaking of cinematic film history. This is a movie that will never be forgotten.
****1/2/5
No comments:
Post a Comment