With Starwars the Last Jedi just a few days away, I've decided
to revisit and binge watch all the Starwars movie prior to it and do a quick
review of all of them before Starwars Episode VIII rolls in. I have already
watched all of them back in the 80's and one could say I grew up with Starwars. But knowing what I know about movies right now, I'd like to see it still holds up.
photo from: imdb.com
Starwars is
the story of Luke Skywalker a farmboy with dreams of becoming a pilot, that in
a twist of fate suddenly finds himself joining up with a Jedi Knight, a cocky
smuggler, a hulking wookie and two uncanny androids as they somehow save the
galaxy from a galactic empire world destroying weapon all the while trying to
rescue Princess Leia from an intimidating black clad bad guy named Darth Vader.
Seriously, who doesn't know this story by now.
photo from: imdb.com
Starwars is
probably one of the few well-known space opera out there and was clearly ahead
of its time during its first release back in 1977. A lot of the
movie's visuals and effects are done through motion capture whether you're feeling
dread at seeing the massiveness of the Deathstar or you're at the edge of your
seats watching the climax unfold with good versus evil at the third act of the
film. Watching it again made me remember how visually impressive these scenes really
are.
photo from: imdb.com
The movie also
brought some of the greatest movie arch types in movie history. There has never
been a more famous and more feared and loved villain in movies as Darth
Vader. The helmet, the suit, the voice, right down to the lightsaber, Vader was
on a league of his own. Same goes for Han Solo, Luke and the rest of the characters - they are easily identifiable and iconic that a number of movies have tried to
imitate them as well.
photo from: imdb.com
Then there's
the movie soundtrack. Very few movie soundtrack was as iconic as the ones used
in Starwars. Composer John Williams really outdid himself on this one. In fact
the music has been played countless times and is still as enjoyable and
exciting as it was back then as it is now. Whether it's the opening with the
iconic text scroll or an X-Wing diving into a giant space station or background
music for a shady bar in Mos Eisley, the music adds weight to the scenes and dives
you deep into the world of Starwars. I'm happy
to say I still have most of these musical score on my collection to this day.
photo from: imdb.com
Sure the movie isn't perfect. I feel the story drags at the beginning, the
acting and a few of the scenes could
probably need a reshoot or two like the stormtrooper hitting his head and so
on and so forth. But in a way that's also part of its charm that hardcore fans
often points out. Sadly I feel the new added scenes don't add much aside from the
whole narrative but it's a welcome addition.
photo from: imdb.com
Starwars is
clearly timeless watching it again. The practical special effects, the memorable
characters, the great musical score. You could place it side by side with the
latest CGI-induced sci-fi movies today and this movie will hold its own one way
or another. In fact its stop motion scenes are even better than most CGI movies
we got to date. The music alone is enough to blow nearly all of them out of the
water. The movie started out as a random sci-fi space opera that is plagued
with production issues and turned out to be one of the greatest sci-fi movies
ever made. Most definitely worth a 9 out 10.
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