Chris At The Pictures

Reviewing a film like this is always a difficult thing. Just how do you review such an enormous cultural phenomenon? It’s like asking a musician to review Beethoven’s 9^th or a video gamer to review System Shock 2. Something that big is incredibly difficult to critically analyse, especially when it has had such an impact on entertainment today, can only easily be critiqued in the simplest form: as a film, a piece of cinematic entertainment, making sure – despite a very large amount of personal investment in the film and its successors – to judge it by the same standards by which I would review any other release.

And taken on those standards, it stands up remarkably well, because in terms of sheer cinematic spectacle, it is near-perfect. Whatever people say (and have said very loudly) about writer-director George Lucas, one cannot deny that he is an incredible world builder, and his collaboration with concept artist Ralph McQuarrie results in a tangible, ‘used universe’ aesthetic that created a believable world, perfectly complimented by Gilbert Taylors simple, unobtrusively classical cinematography. The model space-ships created for the special effects sequences and the hugely detailed sets also carry a remarkable degree of realism, and even in the technology a clear distinction is drawn between the heroes and villains: contrast the cobbled together look of the Rebel Alliance tech and the cold, clean-cut industrial aesthetic of the Imperial warships.

Before one even delves into their performances, the line-up of characters is, by itself, one of the most unforgettable ensembles in film. Whether you like Mark Hamill as an actor (and many argue whether his performance is well-balanced or simply the baleful whine of ‘tortured youth’), his appearance as Luke Skywalker conforms to the archetype of the young hero so perfectly that his name is now synonymous with the great heroes of ancient Greek or Roman legend. We relate to him not because he is perfect, but because he (like many of us) strives for great things but is held back by family duties and the mundane tasks of everyday existence. 

The role of the hero’s companion is filled by Harrison Ford, who is gleefully smug and self-centred as the smuggler Han Solo, a character that – despite his best efforts to display the contrary – we all know is a hero at heart. His loud-mouthed reluctance to join the fight until a reward is mentioned probably taps deeper into some of our psyches than we’d like to admit. Offset by his gentle giant of a companion – the Wookiee Chewbacca – Han is thrown into something he didn’t ask for but is eventually won over by Luke like the rest of us. His final decision to throw in his lot with the Rebel Alliance during the pulse-pounding climax is a wonderful moment and a highlight of the film.

Carrie Fisher is also an absolute joy, proving that being a Princess need not be the damsel in distress, and after her initial rescue she takes the lead from the two men with an air of no-nonsense, quick-thinking resourcefulness still rarely displayed by female characters in mainstream movies. The chemistry between the three leads is wonderful to watch, each one of them using the other two to build their character, and all three complimented by a string of colourful side characters including but not limited to: Alec Guinness as the wise and venerable Ben Kenobi, who spends the film with a permanent twinkle in his eye and a temperate smile on his lips, the two droids R2-D2 and C-3PO whose bickering and undeniable affection for each other transcends their mere mechanical origins, and of course the evil Darth Vader, who – certainly in terms of appearance – almost overshadows all others, supplied with an imposing physicality by Dave Prowse and an incredibly imposing voice by James Earl Jones.

Even deprived of the imagery that cannot fail to become iconic, the film is a marvel: John Williams provides quite possibly the most famous musical score in cinematic history, a shamelessly brash and courageous symphony that – surrounded in the 70’s by harsh realism and today by never-ending electronic scores – soars through the stratosphere with an ensemble of memorable themes. To those who have a love for film music, even the motifs and segments that hold the score together are memorable in their own right. Ben Burtt – who now holds one of the highest positions in Hollywood post production – begins his journey into sound design with an array of incredible sound effects that have passed into epochal movie legend, and, perhaps most extraordinarily of all, were drawn from the most mundane or bizarre objects and creatures.

All these separate elements used alone would be remarkable, but combined they have created one of the most incredible cinematic experiences of all time. With a timeless story of a young hero setting out to prove himself – against the legacy of his father, the backdrop of a galaxy at war, and insurmountable odds – thrown into this eclectic mix of audio-visual mastery, a legend is born. Whilst some believe – myself included – that the sequel (The Empire Strikes Back) is a better movie, taken on its own merits, and held up against not only the films that surrounded it back in 1977 but also the contemporary Hollywood fare of today, it is simply extraordinary. A common phrase batted around today with regards to much mainstream action schlock is ‘turn off your brain and enjoy’. For Star Wars, my advice would be ‘fire up your heart and love’.