#26 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

In Summary

The fourth Star Wars film in the sage, which is, of course, where it all began.

A New Hope quickly establishes the universe in which Star Wars exists. It is a place of laser guns,  talking robots and space battles, but simultaneously a place where ordinary people - such as Luke Skywalker - are able to live a humble life unconcerned by the Empire, The Force or clones.

Luke Skywalker is our vehicle through which to further explore this galaxy. While he is of the Star Wars universe, having been largely isolated from the fast-paced, planet-hopping adventures that would come to define the film series, A New Hope is both Luke's and the audience's first foray into such folly.

Thanks to extensive preparatory work, Star Wars feels a fleshed-out fictional universe. Political systems, technology and religion feel like they have existed a long time before A New Hope is set. It is as if it this film is but one story that could have been told within this universe.

After stumbling upon a message from a droid, Luke is thrown right into the heart of the central conflict of the galaxy, between the all-powerful Empire and the ragtag Rebel Alliance. A complete rookie, he must forge alliances and quickly learn new skills in order to survive.

Luke assembles a team including a wise old sage, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the handsome freewheeler, Han Solo, Luke sets out on a mission to free a princess from the belly of the beast. While set in a distant galaxy with futuristic technology, A New Hope tells a traditional tale that anyone could understand.

This combination of sci-fi and the traditional allows the audience to ground themselves within this alien setting. This is further aided through John Williams' iconic score, which is classical and grandiose rather than technological and strange - in contrast to the music in Star Trek.

A New Hope is a classic example of the confluence of writing, acting, special effects, music and editing coming together to create something instantly and timelessly iconic.

A Memorable Quote

The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.

Things You May Not Know

• The first cut of the film was extensively re-edited in order to inject pace into particularly the opening section - an excellent explanation of this is available here.
• George Lucas was certain A New Hope would be a flop that he went on holiday with his friend, Steven Spielberg, when the movie was released, they would come up with the idea for Raiders of the Lost Ark on this holiday.
• The scene showing Darth Vader's TIE Fighter surviving the Death Star explosion was added in at George Lucas' insistence. The production team objected as they felt this set up a sequel - which was considered a trashy cash-grab move at the time.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
Without A New Hope, there would be no Star Wars. It is quite incredible to consider how many films, TV shows, books, comics and toys that this one film is the progenitor of. The brilliance of A New Hope is its ability to establish such a vast fictional universe while still managing to tell a simple story.

This is a film that begged to be expanded upon, how could you just leave this universe after one film? It is a stone-cold classic that everyone should watch once.