Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997)

From: [email-masked] (James Berardinelli)
Date: 27 Jan 1997 20:37:50 GMT

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (SPECIAL EDITION)
                       A film review by James Berardinelli
                        Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli

RATING (0 TO 10): 9.0
Alternative Scale: **** out of ****

United States, 1997 (original 1977)
Release date: 5/25/77 (wide)
Special Edition Release date: 1/31/97 (wide)
Running Length (special edition): 2:09
MPAA Classification: PG (Mild violence)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, 
      Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, 
      Kenny Baker, voice of James Earl Jones
Director: George Lucas
Producer: Gary Kurtz
Screenplay: George Lucas
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Music: John Williams
U.S. Distributor: 20th Century Fox

     When one examines the roster of the tens of thousands of motion 
pictures produced since the late 1800s, not many stand out as 
trailblazers.  One of the few inarguable members of that select cadre is 
George Lucas' soaring 1977 space opera, STAR WARS (or, as it has since 
become known, STAR WARS:  A NEW HOPE).  Not only is this film a rousing 
adventure, but, upon its initial release, it revived science fiction as 
a viable movie medium, and, most importantly, began a special effects 
revolution that is still going on.  Industrial Lights and Magic, the 
premiere special effects house of the '80s and '90s, was born as a 
result of STAR WARS, and its manifest contributions to the industry have 
included everything from making the Starship Enterprise fly to breathing 
life into the dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK.  It's impossible to estimate 
the full ramifications of STAR WARS, but that single movie has surely 
influenced much about the making and marketing of motion pictures over 
the last two decades.

     When STAR WARS was first released on the Wednesday before Memorial 
Day in 1977, it arrived in theaters with good reviews and excellent 
advance word.  It didn't take long for it to become a phenomenon 
(although, admittedly, 1997's publicity for the SPECIAL EDITION dwarves 
that of the original 1977 release).  It was a true family film -- 
perfect for kids and parents, a throwback to the space serials of the 
past and a look ahead to what the future might hold.  Adults appreciated 
Lucas' masterful, magical movie-making.  Children loved all the strange 
creatures.  Suddenly, STAR WARS was everywhere; there were bed sheets, 
lunch boxes, trading cards, action figures, comic books, picture books, 
posters, records, and just about anything else you could imagine. 

     The STAR WARS fad, such as it was, lasted into the early '80s, and 
the original film received two additional theatrical runs.  Then it was 
on to the small screen.  But watching the movie on videotape, which has 
been the exclusive viewing experience of just about anyone under the age 
of twenty, isn't the same as seeing it in a packed theater.  Now, 
however, with the advent of the original movie's twentieth anniversary 
and the promise of new films in another two years, STAR WARS is as hot 
as it has ever been.  Those predicting anything less than a financial 
windfall for the SPECIAL EDITION don't have the world's pulse.  

     Every year, a handful of movies are re-released to commemorate an 
anniversary.  All of these feature new, clean prints.  Some have re-
mixed soundtracks.  A few, such as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, VERTIGO, and THE 
UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, have been painstakingly restored.  But Lucas 
wanted more than this for STAR WARS.  He didn't just want to re-create 
the original theatrical experience, he wanted to improve upon it.  So, 
in addition to cleaning up the print and re-mixing the soundtrack into a 
digital format, he has used state-of-the-art special effects to change 
the film's look.  This includes adding more than four minutes of never-
before-seen footage.  And, while the new scenes don't appreciably 
improve the movie, they're fun to see, especially for anyone who has 
memorized every detail from the original.  More importantly, although 
the newer, flashier effects subtly alter the STAR WARS experience, they 
do not degrade it.

     By now, the heroes -- Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo 
(Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec 
Guinness), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels), and R2-D2 
(Kenny Baker) -- are household names.  Equally well-known are the 
villains -- Governor Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and, of course, the Dark 
Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader (David Prowse; voice courtesy of the 
inimitable James Earl Jones).  These characters, familiar types with 
enough unique personality traits to brand them as individuals, have 
become so universally recognized that the mere mention of their names 
almost anywhere in the world will spur a reaction.  

     Another thing that's instantly recognizable about STAR WARS is its 
music.  When George Lucas first approached John Williams for an epic 
score, little did he imagine that the result would sell millions of 
copies and spawn a disco-era radio hit.  Few motion picture themes are 
as well-known and often-played as that of STAR WARS.  Even the music 
from E.T., the current highest-grossing film, doesn't leap as readily to 
mind.  Williams' evocative, grandiose score provides the perfect 
compliment to the STAR WARS visual experience.

     At its heart, STAR WARS is about Luke's quest to join the battle 
against evil.  He doesn't want to be just another bystander while the 
struggle for freedom goes on all around him -- he wants to be a 
participant.  And, when two droids carrying a secret message from a 
beautiful rebel princess fall into his hands, his chance arrives.  
Amidst of the dunes of Luke's home planet of Tatooine, the young man 
meets the aging Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who teaches of the 
mysterious Force, a mystical energy field that binds together all things 
in the universe.  Obi-Wan convinces Luke to join the droids and him on a 
mission to rescue the princess.  Accompanied by a cynical smuggler, Han 
Solo, and his first mate, the hairy Chewbacca, the odd little group 
blasts off into space, agents of the corrupt Galactic Empire in pursuit.  
Their destination:  the dreaded Imperial Death Star, a confrontation 
with the evil Darth Vader, and motion picture immortality.  

     STAR WARS borrows from numerous sources, but the most obvious 
inspirations are the serialized adventures of Flash Gordon and Buck 
Rogers, Arthurian legends, Greek mythology, and Akira Kurosawa's THE 
HIDDEN FORTRESS.  There are also multiple nods to Westerns and the 
dogfights of World War II movies.  But, like all great craftsmen, Lucas 
has managed to fashion this material in a manner that not only honors 
the original sources, but makes it uniquely his own.  Hacks rip off 
other movies; artists synthesize and pay homage to their inspirations.  
Compare INDEPENDENCE DAY to STAR WARS and the difference will become 
apparent.

     During its original period of theatrical release, STAR WARS' 
special effects were described as everything from "eye popping" to "mind 
blowing".  And, indeed, for their time, they were.  (Keep in mind that 
KING KONG's rather cheesy visuals had won the Academy Award just two 
months before STAR WARS was released.)  In fact, they're not bad even by 
today's standards.  But "not bad" wasn't good enough for Lucas, and his 
vision of what they should have been fills the screen in the SPECIAL 
EDITION.  This is most notable during three key sequences:  Luke and 
Ben's entry into the city of Mos Eisley, Han's heretofore unseen hanger 
bay meeting with Jabba the Hut, and the final attack on the Death Star.  
However, in scenes both with and without effects improvements, STAR WARS 
is just as compelling and invigorating a movie experience today as it 
was when it first came out, and the new stuff blends in seamlessly with 
the old.

     Since 1977, there have been many science fiction movies, but none 
has managed to equal STAR WARS' blend of adventure, likable characters, 
and epic storytelling.  Like some indefatigable King of the Hill, it 
stands alone and triumphant, regardless of the many imitators that 
assail its position.  As is true of CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA, and GONE 
WITH THE WIND, STAR WARS will endure long after its creators are gone.  
And watching this new edition today is like coming home after a long 
journey and finding everything just as you remember it -- if not better.

- James Berardinelli
e-mail: [email-masked]
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin