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The 20th Century Fox fanfare, the thundering theme music, the scrolling text, the massive underbelly of the Imperial Star Destroyer as it races across the stars, the futuristic transitional wipes between scenes, the first appearance of Darth Vader – nearly every scene is enormously iconic, creative, and unforgettable. Star Wars is a tremendous, visionary film that never ceases to entertain, with nonstop adventure, thrilling action (including shootouts, space battles and duels), legendary special effects, and monumental characters. Even the dialogue is affective and amusing, despite the occasional silly exchange. Although director George Lucas is oftentimes discredited because of his borrowing of the basic plot from Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, concepts from 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz, and even a few details from Dune, the level of suspense, the space setting, character and creature designs and development of the “Force” are all hopelessly engrossing and unique. Additionally, few films before or after Star Wars have managed to include such a celebrated, recognizable score, thanks to the masterful composer John Williams.
It’s a time of civil war; a band of rebel warriors fight against the might of the tyrannical galactic Empire. Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is forced to jettison stolen plans to the planet-destroying warship, the Death Star, in an escape pod in the care of her two trusty droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. The Laurel and Hardy-type mechanical duo are stranded on the desert planet Tatooine until they are bought by young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his uncle Owen. R2 carries a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), a reclusive old wizard who has mastered the use of “the force,” an energy field created by all living things. It’s an idea that hardly needs explaining, as pop culture has given it universal recognition. |
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Luke eventually locates Obi-Wan and is persuaded to accompany him to the dangerous city of Mos Eisley, where they hope to procure a starship and a pilot, to journey to the planet of Alderaan where they can deliver the Death Star plans. It’s in this bustling, wretched hive of scum and villainy that they meet Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his alien copilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). The crew manages to escape the Imperial soldiers hot on their tails, but is unable to reach their ultimate destination – instead, they dock in the Death Star, where they must confront Darth Vader and attempt a daring rescue of the imprisoned Princess Leia.
There is nothing recycled or uninspired about the visuals in Star Wars. The spaceships are highly detailed and singular, along with the billowing costumes, colorful sets and settings, and elaborate makeup effects. Nearly every alien that inhabits the complex worlds of Star Wars received interesting prosthetics, clothing, languages, sound effects and names - the franchise is particularly memorable for its complex, tongue-twisting monikers. Leia has famous bun-shaped hair, lightsabers clash about in an epic samurai-like swordfight, TIE Fighters zoom around shooting bright laser-blasts, white-armored stormtroopers march through angular corridors, and a climactic attack run through the trenches of the Death Star are but a few of the incomparably famous images and moments.
It’s the archetypal science-fiction fantasy, continuing to influence moviemaking decades after its release. Not a minute is wasted and every scene demands a repeat viewing. It’s not surprising that, although considered by many critics during its initial release to be little more than a rehashed Flash Gordon-esque comic-book extravaganza, Star Wars garnered 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, became the highest grossing movie of the time, and has since become one of the most highly acclaimed, influential, and successful blockbusters ever made.
- Mike Massie
Click HERE to read the review of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Click HERE to read the review of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Special Features:
STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY is presented in widescreen with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Special features include:
- Disc One- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Two - Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Three - Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Four - Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Five - Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Six - Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Seven - New! Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III
- Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more
- Disc Eight - New! Star Wars Archives: Episode IV-VI
- Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more
- Disc Nine - The Star Wars Documentaries
- NEW! Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes) - Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures... these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.
- NEW! A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes) - George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.
- NEW! Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Color, Apx. 91 Minutes) - The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more - and don't miss "Weird Al" Yankovic's one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!
- The Making of Star Wars (1977, Color, Apx. 49 Minutes) - Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
- The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) - Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas' vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
- Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) - Go behind the scenes -- and into the costumes -- as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.
- Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Color, Apx. 26 Minutes) - See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
- Star Wars Tech (2007, Color, Apx. 46 Minutes) - Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.
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This movie is okay.