Star Wars: A New Hope Review

This film is older than me but I love to analyse classics and apply their lessons to my own storytelling.

This death star of modern mythmaking launched a multibillion dollar franchise that shows no signs of slowing. Despite being made over forty years ago the special effects stand up to modern standards, and such care with the verisimilitude has ensured that the film doesn't age badly.

From the knock you down introduction where the stormtroopers come barelling in to dispose of the rebels, the propulsive film grabs you by the throat and takes you on a journey and doesn't let you go. The plot is excellent, featuring the technical readouts of the empires new superweapon as the macguffin of the plot. The death star is supposed to be invulnerable but there is a flaw so infinitesimally small that the Imperials have overlooked it, leading to their undoing.

The final act with the trench run on the death star is sublime, bringing together the theme of trusting in the force and the David vs Goliath theme of the rebels, conflated with dire peril from the relentless Darth Vader. The peril escalates until Luke is almost certainly doomed, but he is rescued at the last second by the captain who earlier abandoned him, Han solo.

It truly is a masterpiece of storytelling power and propulsion, with beautifully shot and cut dogfight aerial maneuvers. And that doesn't even take into account its phenomenal soundtrack by the maestro John Williams, which synergizes with the action and elevates it to a level of pure awesomeness. The archetypes are potent, from the naive farmboy to the cynical scoundrel, and the sinister black knight, the wise wizard and the beautiful and spunky princess. The dialogue sparkles with youthful energy or resounding dramatic flair.

The spaceships are brilliantly designed by Mcquarrie, from the flying saucer like Millenium Falcon to the uber cool looking Xwings, and the alien looking tie fighters and humungous star destroyers. The costumes were also cool, from the fascist white stormtroopers to the rebel pilot uniforms. The Death Star was a symbol of pure multidimensional genius - combining a doomsday weapon with an arena for adventure and drama. The empire itself was evocative of the nazi's and their totalitarianism, with the underdog rebels struggling to overthrow the behemoth.

Even the simple touch of Luke's yearning for adventure and finding out that he has a larger destiny resonates with audiences and touches a deep common longing. The concept of a jedi knight as a spiritual superman was sheer genius, and elevated the heroes to the statures of demigods. The spiritual themes come from a place of great conviction for Lucas and aren't tacked on like with some stories. Seldom has such a multidimensional and evocative story been told, truly extraordinary.

10/10