Yep, it's shaping up to be pretty interesting. Original core cast returning. Andy Serkis, Domnhall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac and Max Von Sydow signed on as new characters. And JJ Abrams as director - a choice that has certainly appeased a lot of the most irate Star Wars purists. If anyone can be trusted to successfully revive the franchise, it's Abrams. Indeed, while the initial billion dollar buyout between George Lucas and Disney was announced, a lot of hearts sank. When Disney announced they planned to release a new Star Wars film every year forever, collective childhoods screamed out in anguish. Yet, as things have developed, defensiveness has turned to curiosity - perhaps this won't be such a bad deal after all. The Star Wars world has finally been taken from Lucas' destructive hands - the man who created one of the most beloved stories in history has, in recent years, managed to inadvertently ruin its charm at every given opportunity. Misjudged character introductions, bad casting, ill-advised thematic choices and piss poor dialogue in Lucas' later efforts (both the prequels and the remastering of the originals) led to Star Wars fans everywhere holding him in contempt with the same passion with which they cherished his original creation. With Lucas out of the picture, there's opportunity for some truly great filmmakers to take the Star Wars universe into exciting new directions. It could be the start of something great. Perhaps...
One thing that can never be spoiled, however, is the true greatness of those first adventures. While many hail The Empire Strikes Back as the greatest of the saga, my heart lies with A New Hope - or simply Star Wars, as it was titled on its initial release, back when noone knew just what an impact it was about to have. For me, the flow of the narrative, the introduction of the characters, and the authentic atmosphere of the worlds we are introduced to, stand as a masterclass in effective storytelling.
Beginning with the ransacking of a rebel ship - the focus being on the two bickering droids with only a fleeting glimpse of Princess Leia and a brief, unforgettable entrance by Darth Vader - we are then transported to a dusty western setting, littered with otherworldly skeletons and shadows, which just sets the whole thing up perfectly. An attack on the droids by the glowing-eyed, bandit-like Jawas ultimately leads to the introduction of Luke Skywalker, the humble farm boy who dreams of adventure, and that iconic shot of him standing before Tatooine's twin setting suns to the swell of John Williams magnificent score. As we continue, we are introduced to the wise old hermit Obi Wan Kenobi - soon to be revealed as a badass Jedi Knight and possibly the most pivotal hero of the overall storyline - as well as some genuine perils. As a youngster, I was freaked out by the creatures in the Mos Eisley cantina, who seemed so casual in the face of murder, and by the sight of the burning corpses of Luke's guardians. Such stark images and unsettling scenes are certainly elements that were missed in the sleek, shiny worlds presented in Lucas' prequel films, which seemed to favour comic relief over darkness, and dull committee chambers over sleazy space ports and sun-seared deserts.
In said sleazy bar, as the bug-eyed brass band squeals, we are casually introduced to the pop culture icons of Han Solo and Chewbacca. The smooth-talking, sarcastic smuggler Han represents the perfect anti-hero that any audience, regardless of age or genre, can adore and root for. And Harrison Ford just nails it. Again, that dark edge makes an appearance as Han fries his bounty-hunting opponent Greedo with a well-aimed blaster laser. Greedo, for the record, didn't get chance to squeeze the trigger. Finally, we are introduced to the last major character of the film - the clunky spaceship christened the Millennium Falcon. The kickass name, and it's characteristics of constantly needing repair work, yet always delivering an efficient performance when needed again represents an element that was missing from Lucas' later work, where the spacecrafts were simply sleek, CGI'd dead objects.
Obi Wan explaining the ways of the Force to Luke is kept at just the right level of cryptic, the blossoming romance between Han and Leia is hinted at and not overplayed, the battle between Vader and Kenobi (in which Kenobi surrenders himself to the Force) is suitably powerful, and the final space race between Luke and Vader leaves the audience in fist-pumping triumph. This is truly how to unravel a great adventure story. I will never lose my love for these characters, nor my enjoyment of the world they inhabit and the adventures they have.
In a terrible alternative universe, in which the sequels The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi were not green lit, at the very least, Star Wars would stand as a great stand-alone film. And indeed it does. Watched on its own, or as part of the full trilogy, A New Hope is a true classic of the sci-fi genre and of universal filmmaking at its very best.
Does it deserve it's place in the top 20 of IMDb's list? Heck yes. Long live Star Wars! May the force be with us all.
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