There are over 1,022,000 words in the English language and that still isn't enough to describe the absolute brilliance of Star Wars.
Unlike most people who have seen and loved Star Wars, I actually watched this film a little late - i.e. I wouldn't say it was a childhood film of mine, as it was for most people, rather, I watched it a few days ago at my current age. This was partially because I a) didn't think I'd like that kind of thing and b) because I found it to be so hyped and so talked about, it couldn't possibly be *that* good. Well, let me just say that I have never been happier to be so wrong in my life.
By the way, I should probably note that what I'm saying in this review largely applies to all three films, because I love them all pretty much equally, but I'm going to write it under the original because, well, it's the original, and also (despite a very close competition), my favourite of the three.
Every single facet of this film captivated me from start to finish. Not for a dingle moment did I feel its 2 hour runtime, I was always too busy staring at the set pieces... or trying not to laugh... or trying not to cry... or biting my nails in anticipation. Speaking of the set pieces, the fact that this was made all the way back in '77 is actually beyond me. The effects have held up mind-blowingly well almost fifty years later, and I honestly prefer this a thousandfold to the green screen trash we get nowadays. I can just see how much care and time was put into those beautiful practical effect spaceships and everything. I can definitely see some influences of 2001: A Space Odyssey in the effect work, and I mean that in every good way possible.
Now, the plot. The story. Just. Wow. I mean - Star Wars has been referenced in popular media so much that I was pretty familiar with the series, as pretty much anyone is, even before I watched it. So I thought I had it all down. But the reality was that I was hit with such a massive... FLOOD of visual and narrative beauty that I didn't think that my tiny insignificant human mind could handle it all. And seeing all those aforementioned references finally click together and make sense...and the characters were all awesome in their own ways and the worldbuilding was incredible. It's just so original and beautiful, and the ending left me smiling from ear to ear. I didn't think that somehow you could have moments that were both hilarious and heartfelt, with drama and impeccable action scenes and beautiful FX in one movie, all while still being rated U.
Writing this in 2022, I know that Star Wars has grown into a multi-million-dollar franchise, with spin-offs, prequels, sequels, side movies, books, and a hell of a fan base. I actually haven't seen anything apart from the original trilogy (at the time of writing), and one of the main reasons I want to keep it that way is that before Disney got its greedy little hands on it, these three films were basically THE science fiction films - the new, industry-changing, Big Thing that everyone was talking about. I'm a big fan of old 80's-90's science fiction (The Matrix, Blade Runner, 2001, the old Dune, etc), which is why I gravitated towards watching it in the first place. And I really do want to keep it as a perfect trilogy by not voyaging into the wider world of Star Wars. Who knows, maybe I will watch the other stuff one day, but my heart will always belong to the originals.
Getting to see a film just so iconic at an age where I can genuinely appreciate its greatness was actually really nice. When the opening crawl started with its iconic yellow letters, the double sunset on Tatooine, the lightsaber fights, the Millennium Falcon, "That's no moon", the X-wings, C-3PO and R2-D2, Han and Leia, Luke using the Force, I could go on and on. You know it's going to be amazing when, within the first 10 minutes, you think to yourself, "Damn, what a film". And then continue to think that throughout the entire runtime.
Honestly, I could talk about this film for hours, but in short, giving this anything less than 10 stars is a crime.
-Sasha.
Unlike most people who have seen and loved Star Wars, I actually watched this film a little late - i.e. I wouldn't say it was a childhood film of mine, as it was for most people, rather, I watched it a few days ago at my current age. This was partially because I a) didn't think I'd like that kind of thing and b) because I found it to be so hyped and so talked about, it couldn't possibly be *that* good. Well, let me just say that I have never been happier to be so wrong in my life.
By the way, I should probably note that what I'm saying in this review largely applies to all three films, because I love them all pretty much equally, but I'm going to write it under the original because, well, it's the original, and also (despite a very close competition), my favourite of the three.
Every single facet of this film captivated me from start to finish. Not for a dingle moment did I feel its 2 hour runtime, I was always too busy staring at the set pieces... or trying not to laugh... or trying not to cry... or biting my nails in anticipation. Speaking of the set pieces, the fact that this was made all the way back in '77 is actually beyond me. The effects have held up mind-blowingly well almost fifty years later, and I honestly prefer this a thousandfold to the green screen trash we get nowadays. I can just see how much care and time was put into those beautiful practical effect spaceships and everything. I can definitely see some influences of 2001: A Space Odyssey in the effect work, and I mean that in every good way possible.
Now, the plot. The story. Just. Wow. I mean - Star Wars has been referenced in popular media so much that I was pretty familiar with the series, as pretty much anyone is, even before I watched it. So I thought I had it all down. But the reality was that I was hit with such a massive... FLOOD of visual and narrative beauty that I didn't think that my tiny insignificant human mind could handle it all. And seeing all those aforementioned references finally click together and make sense...and the characters were all awesome in their own ways and the worldbuilding was incredible. It's just so original and beautiful, and the ending left me smiling from ear to ear. I didn't think that somehow you could have moments that were both hilarious and heartfelt, with drama and impeccable action scenes and beautiful FX in one movie, all while still being rated U.
Writing this in 2022, I know that Star Wars has grown into a multi-million-dollar franchise, with spin-offs, prequels, sequels, side movies, books, and a hell of a fan base. I actually haven't seen anything apart from the original trilogy (at the time of writing), and one of the main reasons I want to keep it that way is that before Disney got its greedy little hands on it, these three films were basically THE science fiction films - the new, industry-changing, Big Thing that everyone was talking about. I'm a big fan of old 80's-90's science fiction (The Matrix, Blade Runner, 2001, the old Dune, etc), which is why I gravitated towards watching it in the first place. And I really do want to keep it as a perfect trilogy by not voyaging into the wider world of Star Wars. Who knows, maybe I will watch the other stuff one day, but my heart will always belong to the originals.
Getting to see a film just so iconic at an age where I can genuinely appreciate its greatness was actually really nice. When the opening crawl started with its iconic yellow letters, the double sunset on Tatooine, the lightsaber fights, the Millennium Falcon, "That's no moon", the X-wings, C-3PO and R2-D2, Han and Leia, Luke using the Force, I could go on and on. You know it's going to be amazing when, within the first 10 minutes, you think to yourself, "Damn, what a film". And then continue to think that throughout the entire runtime.
Honestly, I could talk about this film for hours, but in short, giving this anything less than 10 stars is a crime.
-Sasha.