“It is a period of civil war.”
Star Wars: A New Hope is my favorite movie of all time.
Don’t get me wrong- it’s not the best film I’ve ever seen. In terms of writing, cinematography, acting, and themes, I’ve seen countless films that surpass it. Even the movie’s own sequels probably exceed it in these regards.
And yet, I still find myself coming back to A New Hope. For me, it’s the quintessential hero’s journey action movie. It’s fast paced, it’s witty, it’s exciting, and it’s heartfelt. It’s everything a Star Wars film should be.
In a way, it’s also comfortingly simple. It takes me back to an era where there was no grand, mythological expectations surrounding a Star Wars movie. It doesn’t have to be concerned with fitting into any larger narrative, or setting up a bigger story. All it’s concerned with is entertaining the audience, and nothing else.
(That’s not to say I don’t like the deeper explorations of the Star Wars universe. Movies like Revenge of the Sith and The Last Jedi have very interesting things to say about the nature of the universe and the Force, it’s just that sometimes I appreciate the quaintness of a film like A New Hope, that doesn’t have to worry about justifying itself in the Star Wars pantheon.)
What struck me upon rewatch, however, was how well it felt as a culmination of everything that had come before. It’s a remarkable example of a film’s prequels being able to add context and weight to even simple, meaningless lines of dialogue.
I think that many of the people reading this could probably recite the plot of A New Hope from memory- I know I could- so I’m going to spend less time describing the plot and more time talking about what it all means.
We open right as Rogue One ended- with Vader and the Empire in hot pursuit of the Tantive IV. Right away, I want to compliment this opening shot. From moment 1, even a new viewer will know exactly what is going on. Tiny good ship is being chased by the big ship, which is intimidating and evil.
Soon the Empire boards, and we’re introduced to our main characters- C-3PO and R2-D2. I want to comment on how bold of a narrative choice this is. For the first 20 minutes, these 2 faceless robots are our main characters- one of which can’t even speak English. It’s such a strange choice, and I wouldn’t ever have expected it to work, but somehow it does.
I also want to talk about Vader. Even as a kid, I always thought that Vader in this scene seemed slightly out of character. He seemed a lot… angrier than he usually does, even in later scenes in this movie. With the extra context of Rogue One, however, this scene makes a lot more sense.
He had just witnessed the first ever true military loss of the Empire, resulting in the Rebels taking the plans for the new Death Star, leading to the Empire being severely vulnerable for the first time in its history. And then the Rebel commander has the balls to try and pretend they are just a “diplomatic ship on a mission to Alderaan”? Of course Vader is going to be pissed.
I know this probably wasn’t the intent, but the extra context really does make the movie feel richer and more complete.
Anyways, the droids get sent down to the planet before both being captured by Jawas. I really like the conscious decision not to show any humans until we get to the Lars homestead. It makes Tatooine feel far more mysterious and spooky than if we had seen Luke before the droids meet him.
Once we get to the Lars Homestead, Luke cleans the droids, and sees the message from Leia, who he describes as beautiful (yikes). He learns that the message is for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but before he can go looking for him, he gets called to dinner.
The dinner scene does more establishing of Luke’s desire to explore the galaxy, but it also has another one of those moments that hits harder with the prequels. When Luke asks Owen about Obi-Wan, you can see Owen almost freeze up, and them give his wife a look.
Instinctively, we know that he’s thinking of everything that happened during the Clone Wars, and how he doesn’t want Luke to go through any of that again. You can see it on his face as he tries to think of an excuse as to why Luke shouldn’t go to see Obi-Wan. Even more powerful is Owen and Beru’s next exchange- “He has too much of his father in him.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
I know none of this was planned at all in 1977, but it all fits so well, thanks to the talented storytellers that would come years or even decades later.
Next we get the greatest scene in cinematic history.
Binary Sunset is such a good scene, man. We get something so simultaneously beautiful, otherworldly, and endearingly relatable. We feel exactly how Luke feels- lonely, unfulfilled, and longing for a greater purpose in life. It’s such an effective scene, it’s ridiculous.
Soon, we find out that R2 has escaped, in search of Obi-Wan. In the morning, Luke and 3PO go after him, but are ambushed by Tusken Raiders. They’re saved at the last minute by Ben Kenobi, who reveals himself as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He takes Luke to his house to recover, and then gives him the whole Force monologue.
This is another one of those bits that’s better with the hindsight of the prequels. The way Alec Guinnes describes Anakin- particularly describing how he dies- fits perfectly with what we know about Obi-Wan from the prequels. He loved Anakin, but is incredibly ashamed with himself for what happened to it. That’s why he doesn’t tell Luke- out of shame.
Once R2 plays the message, Obi-Wan tries to convince Luke to follow his destiny and become a Jedi, but Luke is reluctant- that is, until he learns that the Empire has killed his family in search of the droids. This is a genuinely brutal scene- we rarely ever see someone’s charred, burning skeletons in Star Wars. You get the sense that the Empire really wanted to make them pay, and it gives Luke all the more reason to want to get back at them.
Soon, the group heads off to Mos Eisley to find a ship to get them off-world. After some close calls with some Stormtroopers, they head to the cantina to find a pilot. They eventually meet Han Solo, who introduces them to Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon. They decide to travel with them to Alderaan.
After Luke and Obi-Wan leave, Han is confronted by Greedo. And I think now is as good a time as ever to talk about the special editions.
In theory, I like the idea of a special edition. Being able to go back and edit a film with updated effects should only serve to make the experience better and more immersive. Unfortunately, the way that George went about it was the worst way he could have done it.
The added effects aren’t good, and actually take me out of the experience of watching the movie because they look so out of place. The added shots don’t fit the cinematic language of the movie (the crane shot over Mos Eisley is particularly egregious) and the added humor doesn’t fit the comedic tone of the film (more physical comedy, compared to the wittier humor of the rest of the film).
And that’s not even talking about the added/modified scenes. Everyone complains about the Greedo scenes, but I want to focus on the scene with Jabba in the hangar. Not only does the CG Jabba look awful, but it ruins the surprise of seeing what Jabba was in Return of the Jedi. It adds absolutely nothing to this film, and actively makes a later film worse.
The worst part, however, is how George has made it purposefully impossible to watch a legitimate copy of the original cuts of the movies. The original cuts- of A New Hope specifically- are vitally important pieces of cinematic history that deserve to be preserved for future generations, and it deals a serious blow to film history that George won’t let us see those original cuts.
(Although, I have to admit, it is absolutely hilarious that George’s 4K cut of A New Hope was made with one more, pointless change to the Greedo scene, and then hidden away in a vault for 7 years for someone to discover. I can feel the spite coming off of that man, and honestly, I find it hilarious that George can mess with us from basically beyond the grave.)
Anyways, we cut to the Death Star, where after a very nonchalant dissolution of the Senate, Tarkin has decided to use the power of the Death Star to destroy Alderaan in an attempt to intimidate Leia into revealing the location of the hidden Rebel base. I honestly feel like this scene doesn’t have as much weight as it should. The Empire just destroyed an entire planet full of people, but it doesn’t really come up again.
Anyways, after some training on the Falcon, the gang arrives at what was left of Alderaan, before being captured by the Empire. What follows is the purest kind of Star Wars space hijinks, where the crew has to impersonate Stormtroopers, rescue a princess, and escape through a garbage chute. There isn’t really a whole lot to comment on thematically, but it is a lot of fun, and probably my favorite part of the movie.
It isn’t without it’s emotional beats, however. Once the Falcon arrives, Vader immediately knows that Obi-Wan is here, and that he needs to face him alone. This scene has a lot of weight behind it, but (and I know this is a terrible complaint) the fight choreography kinda ruins it for me.
I know, I know. This was the first lightsaber fight ever, and I’m well aware of the physical limitations of having Alec Guinnes be involved. Still, there’s a part of me that wishes it was a little more intense. I still appreciate it for what it is, but it kind of does feel out of place among the fights that came before and after.
Anyways, the gang (sans Obi-Wan) escapes, and after a very exciting battle with the TIE Fighters, they make their way to Yavin IV to formulate an attack plan on the Death Star. Little do they know, the Death Star is hot on our heroes’ trail, and heading to destroy the Rebellion once and for all.
As the Rebels prepare for their assault on the Death Star, Han leaves after a fiery conversation with Luke. Luke is upset that Han doesn’t believe in the cause. This clearly hurts Han, who has grown fond of Luke, and he gives Luke a genuinely sincere “May the Force be with you” before he leaves.
Soon, we get to the Death Star attack, which is still one of the most exciting sequences in the saga. As the Death Star gets closer and closer to the Rebel Base, every second counts. Another underrated aspect of the battle is how every death is impactful. Some films can be guilty of having fleet battles where each ship kind of feels disposable, and just part of the chaos. In this battle, we see how few ships the Rebellion has, so each death feels one step closer to the final loss. This is helped by the fact that we see the individual pilots as they die, giving them a more human feeling. This type of “impactful loss” type of storytelling is something that we really won’t see again until The Last Jedi.
Finally, we get to the final moments. All X-Wings are shot down but one- Luke Skywalker. As he approaches the target, he hears a voice in his head- Obi-Wan Kenobi, telling him to trust in the Force. He switches off the targeting computer that failed everyone else.
But Darth Vader is hot on his trail. He has Luke in his sights and is about to fire, when out of nowhere, Han Solo arrives to save the day! He disables Vader and gives Luke a clear shot at the Death Star. And not a moment too soon, since the Death Star is about to fire! All ships evacuate the area. We see the gunners pulling the switches, the music swells, and-
This movie is so good.
After the assault, the rebels have the most uplifting victory celebration in any Star Wars movie. The heroes get medals. Luke has gone on his adventure, Han has found something to believe in, and- if only for a brief moment- the galaxy is safe. Written and Directed by George Lucas.
This movie is so, so much fun.
It’s not particularly complex, or thematically rich, but it is just a pure joy to watch. I have almost no complaints about it. I’m kind of struggling to find more things to say about it, because it all just kind of boils down to how much pure fun it is.
But I think we also have to give it credit for being able to set up a universe that people will be returning to for decades, and doing it all so effortlessly. The pure sincerity, passion, and artistry on display in A New Hope is astounding. It truly inspires me every time I watch it.
I think every Star Wars fan has a story about watching A New Hope as a child and being completely blown away. I know it happened to me. I watched this movie when I was 7, and it kicked off a lifelong passion for Star Wars and science fiction that has lasted even to this day.
But what really touches me about these reactions is that they’re timeless. People were blown away in the 70s in the theatre when they watched it for the first time, people were blown away when they watched it for the first time on VHS in the 90s, and people like me were blown away in the early 2000s watching it on DVD. I’ve watched my little cousins be blown away and inspired by these movies as they watch it on Blu-Ray.
I have no doubt in my mind that this cycle will continue for decades. My children and grandchildren are going to be exactly as enthralled with the stories of Luke, Han, and Leia as I was- and that genuinely touches me. It speaks to the unifying nature of storytelling, and how it can bridge generational divides and bring people together with the universal themes of longing for adventure, and good triumphing over evil.
This film is a modern classic. It has timeless characters, a timeless story, and the adventures that it spawned will go on to entertain countless generations of children. That’s why, even though it might not be the best movie I’ve ever seen, it will always be my favorite.
Thank you all so much for reading! This piece is far less critical than my usual fare, so it was nice to have this change of pace.
I nearly missed the deadline again for this one, but I just managed to pull myself away from The Mandalorian and Jedi: Fallen Order in time to finish writing this.
(Sidenote: Mandalorian and Fallen Order are both fantastic so far. Say what you will about the speed at which Disney is putting out Star Wars products, but there’s truly never been a better time to be a fan. This is becoming the golden age of Star Wars.)
Anyways, I’ll be back next week with a look at The Empire Strikes Back- the most bold and daring Star Wars movie yet. (Expect another largely glowing write up.)
Thanks again for reading, and may the Force be with you- always.
-Owen
Owen Writes about Everything 