Every time someone watches "Star Wars" it becomes a part of them. These films affect people in a way almost no other movie could. They have created their own culture, one bound by rules someone outside of the nearly cult-like institution could never hope to comprehend. It's not just something the United States is caught in either. These films have taken over people's lives worldwide. It's pretty impressive considering this is a story that might have stayed inside one man's head forever.
It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy.
"A New Hope" is different than the other films in this trilogy. It's a cheaper production, the studio relentlessly cracking down on Lucas to get it finished. The big budgets allocated to the next two films were unimaginable at this point and the marketing onslaught had yet to emerge. It is also the only film in the entire series so far that can stand on its own, not relying on what has come before or after. This is George Lucas' dream.
And a dream is what appears on screen from the brilliant opening text crawl to the final celebration ceremony. Setting a standard for special effects that would be a benchmark in Hollywood until CG would take over, "Star Wars" is a masterpiece of science fiction, drama, and action. The first jaw-dropping sequence in the film, the Star Destroyer chasing down the small rebel cruiser, is a monumental piece of model work. Scenes of Tie Fighters swerving throughout the screen, evading what seems like hundreds of lasers and opposing ships at the same time, is still a remarkable achievement.
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