(Review originally written at 30 April 2005)
Next to "2001: A Space Odyssey" this is the most influential science-fiction movie of all time.
Yet the movie is way more than just simple science-fiction. It's adventurous, epic, fantasy sparkling. The characters and settings are amazing and are truly something that should speak to your imagination. When you just think about it makes you realize how brilliant and ingenious the story and the movie actually is. Sure, it's obvious that George Lucas was obviously inspired by "The Lord of the Rings" and "Kakushi toride no san akunin" but Lucas knows to put in such great and original moments and characters that the movie still deserves much credit for its originality. Basically Lucas came up with an entire non-exciting universe complete with planets, races, technology and politics.
"Star Wars" is one of those rare movies in which everything works; The story, the characters, the pace, everything makes sense and work well together and are what make "Star Wars" a rare movie that in a way changed the way we look at movies.
The movie is well casted. Casting Harrison Ford as Han Solo is probably the best choice of the entire movie. He's perfect as arrogant space pirate and extremely believable in his role. Casting old school actors Alec Guiness and Peter Cushing was also a great move. Alec Guiness is perfect as the old mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi and Peter Cushing is brilliant as Grand Moff Tarkin, next to the emperor the only person who dares to speak up to the biggest villain of the galaxy Darth Vader. In a way he is an even bigger bad guy than Vader in this movie. But still there is no denying that Darth Vader is really the ultimate bad guy. Never has there been a movie with a better bad guy. Vader's character introduction alone is what him a classic character already. And then there is his suit, it makes him mysterious and ultimately evil looking. How can there ever be a bigger bad guy than him?
What make the movie work more than anything is the brilliant music by John Williams. He knows to come up with some amazing and some of the most recognizable theme's in movie history. His musical score is what makes most of the scene's work and is truly a tool that helps to tell the story. Like in all Star Wars music, his music is present throughout the entire movie, one of the reasons why Star Wars is also sometime's regarded as a space opera.
The special effects are truly amazing, even these days. The final space battle with the death star is really one of the greatest special effects achievements and really edge of your seat stuff.
The people that worked behind the camera are the one's who deserve the most credit for the cinematic classic that "Star Wars" has become. People that worked on the special effects like the ILM guys and persons such as John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston and John Knoll, paint artist Ralph McQuarrie, production designer John Barry, make-up artist Rick Baker, composer John Williams and of course director and writer and person ultimately responsible for the huge success of it all; George Lucas.
I seriously really could go on and on for ever about the brilliance of this movie but I'm afraid that I'll probably bore a lot of people with that. The brilliance of everything about this movie is simply something you've to experience for yourself and luckily a lot of people already have. "Star Wars" is really one of those you movies you simply have to see at least once in your life.
10/10
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