Director: George Lucas
Writer: George Lucas (Screenplay)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Barker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse
Plot: Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two droids to save the universe from the Empire’s world-destroying battle-station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Beginning of the Saga
Story: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope starts with iconic strolling text informing us the basic opening scene with Princess Leia (Fisher) trying to escape from the evil Empire lead by Darth Vadar. Cue the space battle where C3P0 and R2-D2 on board Princess Leia ship get boarded by Vadar and his storm-troopers, Vadar is searching for the plans for the Death Star that have been stolen. C3PO and R2-D2 have been given a secret mission by Princess Leia to get the plans to the rebel forces.
Next we meet Luke Skywalker (Hamill) living with his Uncle Owen who just happen to buy the two droids. Luke finds the message sent by Princess Leia, for Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness) who just happens to have a connection with Luke’s father. When Luke finds Obi-Wan he learns about his father and his Jedi Knight history where Luke receives his father’s old Lightsaber.
After Luke’s family are killed he joins Obi-Wan on the mission to deliver the droids, where they meet Han Solo (Ford) captain of of the Millennium Falcon and his loyal partner Chewbacca. We continue to see Luke, Han, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca and the droids as they end up inside the Death Star trying to save Princess Leia to complete the mission to destroy the Death Star once and for all in the final showdown.
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope is the first of what has become the most loved and talked about film franchise of all time. The first entry does a brilliant job of introducing all of the original characters that we all know and love without going to far into the details we see in later films. All we see is a very entertaining and some what dark storyline as we get thrown into the middle of a war rather than having to deal with the beginning or end of it all. Over time this has gone onto be used by many films with the quotes still being used today but this is really how you make the beginning of a franchise. (10/10)
Actor Review
Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker is a young man isolated on the edge of space, but when he learns about his father’s past he goes on the adventure of a lifetime to fight against the evil empire and understand his destiny to become a Jedi warrior. Mark gives a good performance but when you really look at certain scenes he does ook slightly out his depth now. (7/10)
Harrison Ford: Han Solo is the rebellious captain of the Millennium Falcon who agrees to help Luke and Obi-Wan, he doesn’t have a side because he is always out to look after himself. Harrison gives us a great performance showing all his flair and charisma. (8/10)
Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia Organa is leading the fight against the empire but when she becomes captured she sends a message to former Jedi Knight, she has the influence to bring people into the battle, but spends most of the film in the hands of the empire. Carrie does gives us a good performance with most of her character being held hostage by the empire.(7/10)
David Prowse/ James Earl Jones: Darth Vader is the evil leader of the empire’s forces who is ruthless in his quest to take out the any of the rebel forces against the empire.David acting and James voicing both give this icon of film a great introduction that will always be hard to beat. (9/10)
Anthony Daniels/Kenny Baker: C-3PO & R2 D2 are the two droids that pass over the message but also come in very helpful in battle and with their understanding of multiply languages help understand the different situations they humans find themselves in. The pair make for a great almost comic relief to the serious side to the story.(8/10)
Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca is the wookiee who stands alongside Han Solo, loyal to the very end becoming a true icon of this franchise. Peter gives Chewbacca his screen presences but in this one doesn’t get the screen time we would like from him. (7/10)
Alec Guinness: Obi-Wan Kenobi is the former Jedi Knight who has been in hiding after the previous war, he helps Luke get into the battle against the empire before make the ultimate sacrifice against an old enemy. Alec brings the experience to this film and it shows with his almost perfectly performed scenes. (9/10)
Support Cast: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope has a supporting cast of all of the empire people trying to end the rebel alliance while we also have our generic soldiers in the fight against the empire.
Director Review: George Lucas – George gives us the classic start of the mega saga that is still just about to get yet another trilogy later this year. (9/10)
Action: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope has plenty of fire-fighting action as well as good amount of space dog fights. (9/10)
Adventure: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope takes our humble hero on an adventure he could never image at the start of the film. (10/10)
Fantasy: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope puts us into the fantasy world in a galaxy far far away. (9/10)
Sci-Fi: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope will always be considered a sci-fi classic that will still be talked about for years to come. (10/10)
Settings: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope creates the settings for the battles to look authentic as well as the desert cities where Luke starts out on. (9/10)
Special Effects: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope used stunning effects for the time of release and even though some have dated the most part they all look fresh. (9/10)
Suggestion: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope is one film that I would expect everyone to have watched at least once.(Must Watch)
Best Part: Darth Vadar’s entrance still sends shivers down your spine.
Worst Part: Hard to find one.
Action Scene Of The Film: Final Battle
Funniest Scene: R2-D2 playing a game with Chewbacca.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: Part of the Franchise.
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 6 Oscars including Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Music, it was also nominated for another 4 including Best Picture.
Box Office: $775 Million
Budget: $11 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 1 Minute
Tagline: Coming to your galaxy this summer.
Trivia: In early drafts of the script, R2-D2 could speak standard English, and had a rather foul vocabulary. Although all of R2’s English speech was removed, many of C-3PO’s reactions to it were left in.
Overall: A true classic that will always be a film to turn to for the best sci-fi adventures.
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