Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

July 21, 2018

Today we are looking at one of the most famous trilogies in all of pop culture, Star Wars.

The Movie:

Star Wars, which was later given the subtitle A New Hope, is the landmark epic space opera created by George Lucas. Seen as a financial risk during production, it has become one of the most profitable movies ever made. Star Wars launched a franchise that currently includes 10 feature films, several TV shows, multiple video games, theme park attractions, action figures, and much more. More so, the movie and it's characters have become a mainstay of pop culture. Star Wars was critically acclaimed, and its special effects revolutionized the film industry. It received ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning seven.

It might be one of the best known stories on the planet, but let's recap it anyway. Princess Leia is transporting key intelligence for the Rebel Alliance when her ship is boarded by Darth Vader and the Empire. She places the information inside the droid R2-D2 with a message for help addressed to Obi-Wan Kenobi. R2-D2 and his fellow droid C-3PO escape to the planet Tatooine, where they come into the possession of Luke Skywalker. Luke finds Obi-Wan, who introduces him to the way of the Jedi. Luke and Obi-Wan hire smuggler Han Solo, his co-pilot Chewbacca, and their ship the Millennium Falcon, and the group sets out to rescue Princess Leia.

What's there to say about Star Wars that hasn't already been said. It's a great movie, and there's no denying the impact it's had on cinema and culture. Sure, some of the effects look rather dated today, but many of them hold up quite nicely, and even those that don't were revolutionary for the time. Some of the things that stick out the most are CGI elements added for the "Special Edition." At times the dialogue can be rather stale, but the performances by the actors help carry the movie anyway.

Of course, one of the things that makes Star Wars what it is is the music. This is the most iconic score in the long list of iconic John Williams scores, and probably the most iconic movie score ever written. It won the Academy Award and was named by AFI as the best film score of all time. Out of any movie scores, Star Wars is perhaps the best example of the use of the leitmotif, or themes for characters and ideas. This film introduces several of the best known, including Luke's Theme, Leia's Theme, and the Force Theme. The latter is famously used in the binary sunset scene, which may just be one of the best combination of music and visuals ever. And no discussion of Star Wars music would be complete without mentioning the fun and quirky Cantina Band.

Presence in the Parks:

I talked about the main Stars Wars attraction, Star Tours, for the entry on Solo. So let's focus on another use of Star Wars in the parks - Star Wars Weekends. This event was held at MGM Studios, later Hollywood Studios, during four consecutive weekends in May and June. The first on was held in 1997, and subsequently in 2000, 2001, and every year from 2003 to 2015. The event was marked by special shows, parades, fireworks, guests related to the franchise, character meets, and merchandise.