From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Apr 22 16:01:54 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!uwm.edu!fnnews.fnal.gov!gw1.att.com!nntphub.cb.att.com!not-for-mail From: rhodes_steve@tandem.com (Steve Rhodes) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: STAR WARS (1977) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 19 Apr 1996 20:07:49 GMT Organization: Tandem Computers, Inc. Lines: 138 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4l8rql$ljm@nntpb.cb.att.com> Reply-To: rhodes_steve@tandem.com (Steve Rhodes) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.att.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05049 Keywords: author=Rhodes Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4304 rec.arts.sf.reviews:930 STAR WARS A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): **** Almost twenty years after I as blown by the sheer majesty of STAR WARS, my seven year old son Jeffrey has turned from The Power Rangers to STAR WARS. This means I got to see it again for the first time through his young eyes. In all of the thousands of movies to which I have gone, STAR WARS is the only one where I was so pumped up when I saw it originally in 1977 that I told my wife we had to see it again immediately. I got her to move up with me to the fifth row at our then local (Paramus, New Jersey) monster screen house so that I could be right there in the thick of the action with the rebel warriors. Since I originally saw it before I became I movie critic, I have never written a review of it. I will correct that omission now, but I will stick more to commentary and just highlight some of my favorite scenes. To be fair to both of the people on earth who do not know the story, let me sketch it out for them first. The rebel alliance is fighting an evil Empire. The Empire is building a Death Star so powerful that it can blow up an entire planet. They must get the Empire's plans for the Death Star before it becomes fully operational. The rebels hope to analyze the plans and find a weakness that will allow them to destroy the Death Star before it destroys the rebel's home planets and bases. Lord Darth Vader (David Prowse acting with voice by James Earl Jones) and Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) are on the side of the Empire whereas Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C3PO (Anthony Daniels), and R2D2 (Kenny Baker) end up fighting for the rebels. Who would have guessed that young Harrison Ford would become the only big box office star out of the lot other than Alec Guinness who already was one? I incorrectly expected Mark Hamill to cash in on his fame, but other than the sequels, he basically vanished. Who were your favorite characters? I was and still am fascinated by the hinted at but never fully developed chemistry between Luke and Princess Leia. I was impressed by the way Fisher played the princess as so tough and yet so regal a figure. She is also beautiful and very sexy. Jeffrey commented out of the blue on how pretty she is. Ford is hilarious, and it is still the funniest part he has ever done. Guinness approached his role as if it had religious significance, and the monks robes he wore added to that dimension. Certainly the directing by George Lucas turned a band of mainly neophyte actors into an ensemble cast much as a new football coach might take a bunch of rookies and convince them that they were destined to win the championship their first season. For evil, James Earl Jones's voice and the eerie sound effects of the pumping oxygen made for a forceful villain in Darth Vader. Most movies lose it in inappropriate villains, but George Lucas's script crafts just the right contrast and blend of good and evil. Moreover, the script, as I will demonstrate shortly, is funny and downright brilliant. The two best parts of the show were the special effects and the script. The effects are no longer quite so impressive, but the script is as strong today as it was then. Let me now answer my original question. The best characters in the show are C3PO and R2D2. If you don't fall instantly in love with both of them, check yourself into the Ebenezer Scrooge Clinic to have your heart checked out. The sets are so imaginative (John Barry, Leslie Dilley, and Norman Reynolds). From small details like the shiny black metal of the Death Star to the larger ones like the design of all of the weapons which are a mixture of the mechanical, the electrical, the old, and the new. Han Solo's ship the Millennium Falcon, for example, has weapons that have more in common with a B52 than what you will probably find in a future spaceship. The best and funniest scene of the show has to be the bar scene. I could not imagine more effective designs than the costumes (John Mollo) and make-up (Stuart Freeborn) in that scene. I still laugh when I think about it. Now back to the most important part, the script. Let me show some of what made this a seminal film in cinematic history while at the same time absolutely delighting its audiences. The mysterious force that pervades the universe is claimed to have ultimate power. As Darth Vader puts it, "The ability to destroy a planet is nothing next to the power of The Force." When Luke first lays eyes on this expense spaceship they have rented, he explodes to Han Solo with, "What a piece of junk!" Han confidently defends her with, "She'll make .5 past light speed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." When Luke begins to panic later, Han puts him down with, "Traveling through hyperspace it not like dusting crops, boy." Han is not impressed by this Force rubbish saying, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons aren't as good as a blaster at your side." Even Princess Leia gets some funny material. Getting angry at the Abominable Snowman sized Chewbacca, she tells the others, "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?" The quasi-religious figure of Obi-Wan has sayings with biblical rings to them. He advises Luke when they are in a seemingly hopeless situation that, "You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting." When Han tries to put Obi-Wan down, Obi-Wan says, "Who is more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows the fool?" The music by John Williams is incredible. It has your adrenaline pumping in almost every scene. Most musical scores are lucky if they have a single decent number. Williams's score is a cornucopia of musical wonder. I hope they will release STAR WARS again to the theaters soon. It seemed almost a sacrilege to watch it on merely a large TV screen with speakers not powerful enough to raise the dead. STAR WARS runs 1:57 with perfect editing by Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, and Marcia Lucas. It is correctly rated PG. There is no sex or nudity, and since this was before even PG movies felt obliged to include some bad words, there are none. There is cowboy level violence where people are shot with laser weapons called blasters and die bloodlessly and immediately. There are a couple of mildly scary scenes. One is of a brief shot of a severed and bloody arm and another is a shot from a distance of the charred remains of Luke's relatives. I think only kids under 5 will be scared by the show. Certainly Jeffrey (age 7) was not frightened, and he adored STAR WARS. I give it my top recommendation and rating of ****. ______________________________________________________________________ **** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable. REVIEW WRITTEN ON: April 15, 1996 Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's. From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:23:04 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:02 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!news-stkh.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!sn.no!uninett.no!news-feed.inet.tele.dk!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-feed1.tiac.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!140.142.64.3!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Star Wars (1977) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 7 Jul 1997 04:33:08 GMT Organization: University of Washington Lines: 74 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <5ppri4$8q6@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer38.u.washington.edu Content-Type: text NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #08134 Keywords: author=polenz X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer38.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7529 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1404 Star Wars Chad'z rating: **** (out of 4 = excellent) 1977, PG, 121 minutes [2 hours, 1 minute] [fantasy] starring: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), produced by Gary Kurtz, written and directed by George Lucas. The basic purpose of all forms of entertainment, especially fiction, is escapism. If ever there was a film that fulfilled that need for escapism, "Star Wars" is it. All stories must establish and make real the atmosphere in which they take place, but this movie doesn't just establish an overall setting, it creates an entire universe! The battle between good and evil is the basic premise, but because it takes place in an completely different reality, it is unlike any story ever told before. As the story opens, we watch a small spaceship be taken over by a much larger one. We learn this small ship is part of a rebellion against an evil, oppressive government. When the evil leader Darth Vader (voiced by Jones) appears, we learn something about secret plans a cute princess named Leia (Fisher) has stolen. The mood is then set and you can tell a grand adventure is going to take place. Just before her ship was captured, Leia hid the plans in the memory banks of R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C3-PO (Anthony Daniels), two "droids" (robots) who escape the rebel ship and crash-land on a desert planet. They are later captured and sold to a farmer and his nephew Luke (Hamill). Luke Skywalker is a young man who, from his presence alone, represents some kind of salvation or freedom. This is proved true during an encounter Luke has with an old man named Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi (Guinness). We learn more about his father - he was an important person in the rebellion, and he, like Ben, were mystical masters of "The Force." The Force is an invisible energy field that binds the universe and those that can expand their mind and can use it to become powerful Jedi Knights. This element is probably the most significant and original aspect to the film, as it resembles Zen philosophy but takes it one step further and adds a supernatural power to it. This makes the film even more interesting because it seems somewhat secretive. Ben encourages Luke to learn the ways of The Force as he could be (and will be) a powerful warrior against Vader's tyranny. The first half moves slowly as it takes the time to establish and define many details. We witness the power of the Galactic Empire when its primary space station, the Death Star, destroys a planet. Meanwhile, Luke and Ben, along with their escorts and new friends Han Solo (Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), find themselves in a real jam. En route to return the droids to the rebels, they are captured by the Death Star's tractor beam. Harrison Ford steals the show as the cocky space smuggler Solo, and we also get great camaraderie between him and Luke. As if the grand adventure had not been potent and fluid enough, it becomes the definition of excitement when Luke, Han, and Chewie attempt to rescue the princess. Much action ensues as the heroes attempt to escape and save the princess, but it doesn't always seem as if they're going to succeed - now that's what makes for good suspense. Perhaps one of the greatest moments in movie history is the entire third act of the film. When the rebels prepare to attack the Death Star it is not just an adventurous battle, but a symbol of the powers of good versus evil. Lucas's script builds the tension dramatically, his direction, along with the outstanding special effects, work together so perfectly it doesn't seem like a movie but a journey to a place where the events are actually happening. In retrospect, "Star Wars" is a pretty simple story of adventure, but it never presents itself in such a manner. Everything about this movie is perfect: the story is detailed but not confusing; the characters are well defined; the actors all deliver outstanding performances; and the final payoff gives one a sensation that is almost undescribable. Please visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:40:23 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Aug 18 15:22:47 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!pumpkin.pangea.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-feed1.tiac.net!uunet!in3.uu.net!140.142.64.3!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: "Max Scheinin" Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Star Wars (1977) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc Date: 15 Jul 1997 16:06:49 GMT Organization: Cruzio Community Networking Service Lines: 70 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <5qg76p$qfa@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer30.u.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #08222 Keywords: author=scheinen X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer30.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7656 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1441 I imagine that upon the initial release of George Lucas's Star-Wars there was much excitement; too this day SW is the greatest adventure film of all time.Imagine what it would be like to enter the theatre with no expectations and to exit having seen a revalation in the entire history of cinema. I can't remember the first time I saw the film but it must have been early in my life. Like 'Singin' In The Rain','The Wizard Of Oz', and Disney's 'Dumbo' ( all of which I saw on video ) it made an impression on my imagination and my life. The excitement never let up. The story was beautifully simple, the characterizations a total delight. So when I heard it was to be re-released in theaters I was wonderfully excited. I was convinced it would be a life changing experience, something I would never under any circumstances forget. The movie was not a dissapointment; I saw it at an advance screening for the press and it was a truly moving experience. The rating system: A+: Perfecetion A: Wonderful A-: Very good B+: Quite good B: Good B-: Not good C+: Mediocre C: Bordering on bad C-: Bad D+: Awful D: Unbelievably bad D-: Not worth watching very bad unaceptable F+: Do not forgive the director - never let him direct another film F: On second thought, let's just lynch him Star Wars I have seen SW so many times that I know the dialogue by heart. The very sight of C3PO scolding R2D2 before entering the pod relluctantly brings a goofy grin to my face. When they arive on Tatooine I feel beautifuly nolstalgic. I love to think to myself that this galaxy does exist. It all works for me and everytime I see the film I am completely engrossed from start to finish ( I have the same reaction to The Godfather, Casablanca and Singin' In The Rain ). Yet seeing it on a big screen was completely different. I first saw it at the afore mentioned critic's showing. Then I saw it on the third day of it's re-release with a friend. It was truly a communal experience, the most exilarating experience I have ever had staring at shimmering images on an other-wise blank screen I knew that it would be wonderful as soon as I saw the trailer for Volcano; halfway through the preview someone yelled "booor-rrrrrring", and there was cheering. That's the kind of experience that money can't buy. Why is the movie so wonderful? It takes a little adventure and stirs it around with some wonderful special-effects and charming performances. But what really makes the film special is it's sense of wonder and innocence. I think it's fair to say that we would'n't have seen Independence Day if it hadn't been preceded by Star Wars and I think Independence Day's makers have seen Star Wars ( did anybody else notice the tribute to Empire Strikes Back when Goldblum and Smith are escaping from the mother ship? ). I think that ID4 wants to be like Star Wars - a film that will always be remebered. Yet it won't, and I'll say why. Star Wars believed that there was something wonderful waiting to be discovered. It believed that if it WAS discovered ( and it probably never will ) there would be a sense of wonder to it all. And that is what ID4 ( and Twister, Waterworld, Jurassic Park and it's sequel ) are all missing; that wonderful mysterious sense of awe. That is why Star Wars will always be remembered. Grade: A+ From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Nov 2 16:30:52 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!newsfeed.atl.bellsouth.net!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed.direct.ca!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: "Dragan Antulov" Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Star Wars (1977) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 28 Oct 1998 05:54:13 GMT Organization: Croatian Post & Telecommunications Lines: 183 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <716bi5$12o4$1@nntp3.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer30.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp3.u.washington.edu 909554053 35588 (None) 140.142.17.39 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #15007 Keywords: author=antulov X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer30.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:14220 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2148 STAR WARS A Film Review Copyright Dragan Antulov 1998 Countries and legal systems that take the Rule of Law principle seriously, had forbidden judges and juries to make judgements in all matters that could involve them personally. Luckily, movie reviewers aren't burdened with such legislation. Otherwise, small pool of very special movies would be forever ignored by this reviewer. In case of STAR WARS, 1977 science fiction epic by George Lucas, the consequences would be even more severe, because that film is very special for tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of fans. In any case, objectivity is something seldom seen in STAR WARS reviews, because undisputed majority of reviewers rate it as one of the best, if not the best film of all times. Those who don't usually have some difficulties in hiding their artistic snobbery. The author of this review must also concede his inability to use cold, objective standards in reviewing this film. Like so many previous reviewers, I must note that I watched STAR WARS for the first time twenty years ago, and that I remained enchanted by the experience ever since. Perhaps it was childlike fascination with, until then unimaginable, wonders that happened long time ago, in a galaxy far away. Or perhaps it was the rush I felt minutes before the opening shots, with my expectations already pumped up by serialised comic books and novelisation I had read before. Anyway, watching of STAR WARS was one of the most important movie going experiences of my life. And it was also unmatched for many years to come, because very few movies managed to have such a strong impact on me like George Lucas' epic. STAR WARS wasn't just important movie for me (or the millions of fans who probably share the same sentiment). It was the defining moment in the history of modern cinema. Until than, American motion picture industry was in a limbo; social turmoil in 1960s practically destroyed the Old Hollywood, and new authors filled the void, mostly by using Hollywood's financial and technical resources to create serious, "personal" or "artsy" movies. As a result, audience, traumatised of dark reality of Vietnam and Watergate, didn't want to see the same dark and serious content on the silver screen. George Lucas with its science fiction epic was among the first to come into rescue. The audience responded with unprecedented enthusiasm, and huge financial success of the movie, later backed by supplement industry of toys, books, comics, role playing games and other merchandise, slowly began to change the face of Hollywood. Serious, adult movies with artistic ambitions faded into oblivion, and were replaced by industrial products of "blockbuster" philosophy. One of the biggest casualties of that trend was the science fiction movie genre. Until 1977, science fiction movies were mostly in B-production domain. In late 1960s, bigger budgets for science fiction didn't look so strange anymore, thanks to the great success of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. But the same success coincided with the surge of pesimism, and Hollywood science fiction was as bleak as the rest of its production - mostly dark, dystopic movies. However, in 1977 STAR WARS showed once and for all that this genre can be inspiration for popular movies, even among the audience that usually doesn't like it. As a result, seriousness in cinematic science fiction began fading away, although some good, dark and cult quality SF and continued to be filmed until early 1980s. After that, science fiction continued to be considered a synonym for family entertainment. Ironically, the man responsible for STAR WARS was in its time considered to be member of "New Hollywood" generation of young movie authors who made "artsy" and "personal" films in early 1970s. George Lucas established himself with the dystopic SF movie THX 1138, and nostalgic drama AMERICAN GRAFFITI. Both movies were considered "personal" in its time, despite latter one becoming very popular. In a sense, STAR WARS is an also very "personal" film, and the thorny way to the final production shows that commercial considerations were against it, not for it. But unlike many "personal" movies of the era, its "personality" was in line with the wishes of the general audience. The plot, set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far away", begins in a time of civil war. The evil Empire is threatened by rebels who want to restore the old Republic. In order to quash any opposition, the Empire had built Death Star, superweapon powerful enough to destroy whole planets. The information about Death Star, acquired by Rebel intelligence, is being transported by Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) when her ship gets intercepted by Imperial cruiser. Princess is arrested by Imperial warlord Darth Vader (played by David Prowse and voice by James Earl Jones), but the information is being sent to nearby desert planet of Tatooine via two humanoid robots - C3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2D2 (Kenny Baker). Those two robots are sold to the family of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), young restless man who wants to leave his farm and become space pilot. His adventure begins when R2D2 escapes, because the information must reach mysterious local hermit Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness). Old man is actually the last surviving Jedi knight, member of the ancient order that defended Republic through the use of mystical Force. After some hesitation, Luke agrees to join Obi Wan in his mission to save the Princess, while the old man would teach him the ways of the Force. Their small band comes to the colourful spaceport of Moss Eisely, where they hire the spaceship owned by rogue pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his furry sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Critics who don't like the movie, especially those who can't forgive Lucas for his contribution to the quashing of "New Hollywood", are prone to point the lack of originality. On the surface, they might be right; Lucas himself admits that he found a lot of inspiration in the lore of Old Hollywood - westerns, WWII aviation movies, old SF cliffhanger serials of the 1930s and 1940s; yet the most obvious element would be Akira Kurosawa's samurai classic THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. On the other hand, those who had spent last two decades studying the movie to death would say that the inspiration for STAR WARS went even further - into collective subconscious of Western civilisation (hinted by some mild Tolkien references). The others would find the author's element within the story - STAR WARS could be seen as an anti- establishment film; young, long-haired, easy going, nature-loving heroes are fighting against old, uptight and oppressive forces who use supertechnology in most demonic purposes. Even out of its historical or social context, STAR WARS is an impressive as a strictly technical piece of the seven art. George Lucas' direction is very good, with the clever editing and a well-paced segments between action and dramatic buildup. Characters are well-drawn and deliver all the necessary ingredients, both for the space opera and Hollywood blockbuster. We have a "coming-of-age" hero, damsel-in-distress (somewhat toned down due to the popular feminist trends of the time), reluctant helper, benevolent mentor, diabolical villain and, finally, comic relief in form of two non-human characters. Some of the actors are very good - Alec Guiness in his most famous role to date, James Earl Jones whose voice is enough to cause unease, Peter Cushing as an incarnation of pure evil in human form. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the main leads - among the main trio of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, only the last one had the character three-dimensional enough to launch his further acting career. The thing that looked like the most important segment of STAR WARS phenomena during its initial release was the new level of special effects technology. Often comparisons with 2001: SPACE ODYSSEY, another ground-breaking SF film, were citing the sheer number of effects as a proof of the Lucas' superiority over Kubrick. However, the special effects by John Dykstra and John Stears are indeed impressive, even after two decades (although 1997 Special Edition did improve them significantly), yet they aren't the most remembered trademark of the movie. That honour should definitely go to the "Oscar"-winning soundtrack by John Williams, whose work on STAR WARS is probably the brightest gem in his brilliant career. Newer generations of viewers might be somewhat deprived of the enchantment that still holds those lucky enough to witness STAR WARS original release. Yet, even if they are immune to the George Lucas' magic they should watch this film nevertheless, perhaps only to become familiar with something that is essential part of contemporary culture. RATING: 9/10 (++++) Review written on October 26th 1998 Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax Fido: 2:381/100 E-Mail: dragan.antulov@st.tel.hr dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 6 13:03:52 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!erix.ericsson.se!uab.ericsson.se!newsfeed1.telenordia.se!news.algonet.se!algonet!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: "Brian Koller" Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc Subject: Retrospective: Star Wars (1977) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies,rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc Date: 1 Jul 1999 06:12:45 GMT Organization: MPSi Net Lines: 70 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <7lf0st$j2k$1@nntp3.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer37.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp3.u.washington.edu 930809565 19540 (None) 140.142.17.40 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #19124 Keywords: author=koller X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer37.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:18327 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2387 rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc:326866 Star Wars (1977) Grade: 90 What can be said about "Star Wars" that hasn't been said already? It finished its lengthy theatrical run in 1977 as the highest grossing movie of all time, then reclaimed that title with another massively successful re-release in 1997. The two films that have replaced "Star Wars" atop the all-time Box Office charts, "E.T. the Extra Terrestial" and "Titanic", also relied heavily on special effects. This was the true impact of "Star Wars" and its many sequels: it raised the bar for audience expectations of blockbusters. No longer was a great story sufficient, as it was for "The Godfather" in 1972. I doubt that anybody reading this hasn't seen the film, but a plot summary is obligatory. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is an excitable, idealistic young man who lives with his 'uncle' as a farmer on the remote planet of Tatooine. He hungers for adventure, and gets his wish when he encounters Obi-Won Kenobi (Alec Guinness). Kenobi endeavors to train him as a Jedi, a master of a universal 'force' that can be used for good or evil. Skywalker and Kenobi hire Han Solo (Harrison Ford), who is a mercenary with a heart of gold, to help deliver 'death star' plans stored in the robot R2-D2. Solo's sidekick is 'walking carpet' Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and R2-D2's sidekick is comic relief C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Along the way our heroes rescue beautiful but independent Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) from the clutches of imposing, panting Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones). "Star Wars" is refreshingly innocent, lacking the cynicism common to 1970s films. With its good versus evil theme, it is easy to criticize the story as simplistic. But the plot is elaborate, and the depth of the main characters has been underrated. Luke, for instance, may be a goody-goody, but his boundless faith in Kenobi and his unjaded enthusiasm for adventure is winning. As far as genre goes, the "Star Wars" series seems derived principally from "Flash Gordon" 1930s serials, albeit with far greater production values. But the thrills of the old serials are lost on adults, who can see through the hokey script and sets, while only the most stubbornly snobbish viewer can disregard the magic of "Star Wars". Except for a gratuitous awards ceremony at films end, this is one blockbuster that really delivers. "Star Wars" received 11 Academy Awards, winning in all the technical categories (sets, score, sound, editing, costumes) but losing in the major categories (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Guiness)). kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Sep 18 22:50:03 2003 From: John Ulmer Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Star Wars (1977) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 19:49:09 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 35524 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1188172 X-RT-TitleID: 1020005 X-RT-SourceID: 1382 X-RT-AuthorID: 6769 X-RT-RatingText: 5/5 Summary: r.a.m.r. #35524 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Lines: 78 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.Update.UU.SE!puffinus.its.uu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!news.lth.se!news.solace.mh.se!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!dax.net!uninett.no!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7354 rec.arts.sf.reviews:635 Visit http://www.wiredonmovies.com for all your movie script, review, and movie quote needs! Star Wars - 5/5 Stars Director: George Lucas Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones and Alec Guinness MPAA Classification: PG (violence, brief language) Year: 1977 REVIEW BY JOHN ULMER "Star Wars" is part of John Ulmer's Favorite Movies List, available to see at http://www.wiredonmovies.com/favorites. -------------------------------------------------- "I've got a bad feeling about this." - Han Solo, Star Wars There's no reason to have a bad feeling about "Star Wars." The film is as shallow as a donut hole and a pure masterpiece. Rarely have I seen a shallow motion picture also be a memorably exciting and visually dazzling one, also. There's something more to "Star Wars" than just good visual effects, though. It is a fun movie, a playful movie, and it inhabits our memory. I've analyzed it many times before. I came to the realization that there is simply nothing there virtually. But was there ever anything filling up classics like "2001" or "Metropolis"? Well, maybe, but that's what seperates "Star Wars" - it's just fun. Fun with holes the size of the Grand Canyon. To fully understand the significance of "Star Wars," you must understand the time. It was 1977, and audiences were still raving about the special effects witnessed in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." When word came out that "Star Wars" director George Lucas was borrowing the ideas of an outer space saga from Kubrick, it appeared to waiting audiences at first ot be another rip-off. But something astonishing happened. Audiences were amazed to see that Lucas had actually improved upon Kubrick's space vision of the future. This was the first film to ever show a space-projected background move with the camera. This was the first film to see hyper-speed space fighters duking it out at lightspeed. "Star Wars" was the first of its kind. It wasn't as serious as "2001," it's not even necessarily a better film, it's just a different film, and no one and nobody expected that. To go into the plot is pointless, as (a) it really makes no particular sense and (b) it is already known by everyone around the world. I will say that the actors involved in this film (Ford, Hamill, Fisher, Guinness, Jones, etc.) all did a great job. How often do you see such a great cast make you care about their characters? Harrison Ford steals the show as Han Solo, and the robot droids R2-D2 and C-3PO have chemistry (I never thought I'd say that about robots). The film seems to be filled to the rim with nonsense spiritual dialogue about the Force - something that is all around us and joins our spirits together - but the dialogue is so cheesy it must be so awful on purpose. The actual story behind the film is a metaphorical study of the Bible. The Force is God and Darth Vader is Satan, and all the subplots going on are very reminiscent of spiritual warfare. "Star Wars" is an updated telling of the Bible, full of hyperspace battles and lightsaber fights. The special effects in "Star Wars" were so revolutionary that George Lucas started his own special effects company named ILM, and the film itself inspired so many rip-offs over the year it is amazing. Everyone - everyone - knows this movie. Just like "Casablanca," "It's a Wonderful Life," and so on and so forth, this is a film everyone remembers, and probably always will. And those in the future who may forget about this motion picture...well... May the Force be with them. ========== X-RAMR-ID: 35524 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1188172 X-RT-TitleID: 1020005 X-RT-SourceID: 1382 X-RT-AuthorID: 6769 X-RT-RatingText: 5/5