The film is also perfectly cast. It is almost impossible to imagine anyone else in these roles today. The imposing Darth Vader (James Earl Jones providing the voice) is a flawless, wicked being, one the audience instantly hates after boarding the rebel ship. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is perfect as a leader, holding her ground in the face of a certain death. Viewers are split on Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the galaxy-traveling smuggler with a short-tempered Wookie by his side. Luke (Mark Hamill) is obviously the every-kid here, appealing to both the adults and children, something that didn't work so well in "Episode I" with young Anakin.
Included on the DVD is yet another edition of the classic, one that is tweaked yet again, but just slightly. Han and Greedo now shoot at the same time, a compromise of sorts to hopefully silence those who have argued for far too long. Jabba the Hut has been touched up with the latest in CG technology, a remarkable improvement over what was once a cringe-worthy sequence when it was initially inserted. Elsewhere, any scene with a lightsaber has been either enhanced or fixed for the better and a few other effects sequences have been touched up as well (such as the speeder entering into Mos Eisley).
Critiquing this film is utterly useless. This almost flawless piece of cinema has been analyzed, studied, ripped apart, and discussed likely more times than any other in Hollywood history. Even if by some chance this film is not a personal favorite, there is absolutely no denying its place in the annals of film history. (***** out of *****)
"Star Wars" affects everyone differently the first time they see it. Watching it on the confines of a standard TV set in pan & scan is not the way to do it. That's why we now have DVD. Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen (and sadly, a separate pan & scan version is available), "Episode IV" looks just incredible. The color is by far the most stunning part of this latest restoration, made even better by the contrast from the deep black levels. Compression issues are minor and acceptable and grain is never a problem. Only some of the finer detail wreaks havoc on the resolution, something that is only caused by this generation of DVD. It's no fault of the people responsible for this immaculate presentation. (*****)
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