Star Wars (1977)

Release Date: 25 May, 1977


What's It About: The galaxy is ruled with an iron fist by the Galactic Empire, and a small band of resistance fighters called the Rebel Alliance seek to restore freedom and democracy to the galaxy. A young man is thrust into the fight when serendipitous circumstances see him join the battle.


The Good: Incredible special effects... absolutely amazing fight choreography and ship action. The set design is astounding, as is the creativity put into crafting everything together. The Star Wars world has an extremely rich mythology and history, and so the story seems to fit into the universe that it is in, rather than the universe being shaped around the story. All of the characters are highly iconic and each one has their own unique personality, and so the group is made up of these misfit individuals all trying to get along.


The Bad: The acting is bad, and this has become something of a meme for the Star Wars franchise. The characters look and act like they're on a set, and they say strange, illogical things. The film is full of errors that weren't edited out and made it onto the finished product. The story is rather thin, but this is buoyed by the rich world it is set in. It is really a story made for children, so it was meant to be easy to follow and the characters had to be quite black and white in their motives and execution. There's plenty of plot armor to protect the heroes and they always win without so much as a scratch.


Best Performance: Harrison Ford as Han Solo, a swashbuckling renegade smuggler and pilot. Ford created an iconic cinematic character in Solo, who he would spiritually channel when developing his next iconic character Indiana Jones. Solo has a mysterious, unknown past that is only alluded to in hints and little pieces of information. His character is cynical and weary, something that matches the general blase of the galaxy the world of Star Wars is set in, and acts as a foil for Luke's unbridled youth and optimism. The pair have a strong black and white onscreen chemistry that made them such a great duo.


Should I Watch It: Star Wars was a cultural phenomenon and started the largest cinematic franchise in history. It is an incredible accomplishment with a hugely troubled production, so much so to the point that Lucas had no belief in his own film when it hit the silver screens in theaters all over the country.


Post-Credits Scene: No


Similar Films: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Hidden Fortress (1958),


Trailer: