Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

It’s never too late to revisit a classic, particularly a fan favorite like "Star Wars”. Love it for the way it reinvigorates familiar story elements, for its world brimming with imagination, the spectacular special effects or for likable characters, but don’t dismiss this film as kid’s fair. While it may hold it’s child-like sense of wonder near and dear to its heart, tried-and-true story elements make it appealing to anyone.

A young farmhand named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) finds himself in the middle of a battle for the freedom of the universe. The Galactic Empire is ready to unveil its ultimate weapon: the Death Star. With it, they will finally annihilate the Rebel Alliance that opposes them and the Empire's dominion will be absolute. When Luke happens upon two droids with a message of critical importance for the Rebel's victory, he must seek out the wise old Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), find a ship to help them rescue a princess (Carrie Fisher) and face off against the dreaded Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones)

This is an immortal film. Not only is it so firmly planted in pop culture that the references, love letters and parodies will never stop coming but once you see it, you can never forget it. James Earl Jones voicing the shadowy Darth Vader, a masked creature who can kill with a look; Carrie Fisher as the defiant Princess Leia; Mark Hamill as the youth who dreams of a bigger purpose to become a hero; Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as two no-good nicks who happen to be our heroes' best hope to save the Universe; they’re all icons. Once you see the droids C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) or even characters whose look isn’t as flashy, like Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, the commander of the Death Star, you will never forget them.

This 1977 picture is a dazzling display of strange aliens, impossibly towering spaceships and a fantastical blend of magic and technology that never feels alien at all. When it comes to the story, George Lucas has given a fresh new look to traditional fantasy adventures and it's thoroughly satisfying. “Star Wars” is the legend of King Arthur, it’s the prince who has to face off against a dragon to save the princess, it’s a timeless tale of a ragtag group of underdogs against impossible odds. It’s the belief that ultimately, good must triumph over evil painted with brushes of laser pistols on the canvas of space. I like the look of the Empire's stormtroopers, both Nazi-like and skeletal and the two big baddies who are mirror opposites from each other. Darth Vader might have the supernatural abilities and the glowing sword but he’s really just an enforcer for Grand Moff Tarkin.

I’ve seen the film many times. You probably have as well. Despite this, the movie always feels fresh. The “predictable” parts are not so much the easy way out of a story, but what the child inside every adult wants to see on-screen. It makes swords feel right at home as a powerful weapon despite the abundance of force fields, light-speed travel, and droids by explicitly calling out blasters as clumsy, mass-produced weapons that are best used in a barrage instead of precision strikes, not unlike the muskets of the 15th century.

My only criticism of the picture is its age. Not that the special effects are dated (for the time they look fantastic) or the way it’s written (although I’ll grant that there is a shortage of female characters) I mean that it’s one of those films that's so popular it’s incredibly difficult to view it and be surprised, an issue that plagues the subsequent films as well. It’s like “Planet of the Apes” or “Soylent Green” in that if you bring up the title in a conversation, you'll quickly have major elements spoiled for you right away. I suppose it’s poetic that the only people who will truly get the greatest experience out of “Star Wars” are the children who are too young to remember the pop culture references they’ve seen or the adults who are able to fully immerse themselves in a story. Still, I wish someone would develop a “Men in Black” deneuralizer to help me erase my memories of the film before popping in my DVD into my machine just so I could capture that experience again.

"Star Wars" is made of moments so ingrained in pop culture that it's become impossible to not have the entire plot spoiled for you. Even then, it’s a joy to watch. From the characters, to the sets and weapons, to the fantastic score by John Williams (one of the best out there) and a slew of great quotes you'll be delighted to repeat (there's no better way to describe a seedy-looking area than a "wretched hive of scum and villainy") you would be hard-pressed to find at least one thing you won't enjoy."Star Wars" - later retitled as "Episode IV - A New Hope" is a must-see. (Original theatrical version on DVD, November 6, 2015)