'A New Hope' Is the Best 'Star Wars' Movie, And Here’s Why
There is a lot of pressure placed on the first installment in a series, whether it be a movie, a book, or a television show. When the story is about something outside our reality, like a science fiction or fantasy, then the first chapter is responsible for painting the picture of the world to the audience. Worldbuilding is a tricky art. Long-winded descriptions would fail to hold the interest of the audience. If too little information was given, then we would spend the entire time trying to figure out what was going on. The world should be different enough to spark our imagination, yet familiar enough to make it believable. Star Wars: A New Hope accomplished just that, making it the best Star Wars movie in the saga.
For a lot of people who are now in their thirties or forties, their first foray into the Star Wars universe was from Star Wars (as it was known back when it was first released in 1977). I came across the VHS copy of a pre-Special Edition version in the local library when I was about twelve. It was just another tape on the shelf among other movies in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. When the movie started, I was probably away grabbing snacks in the kitchen and did not really pay attention to “A long time ago, in the galaxy far, far away...” on the screen. Then the fanfare began, announcing the epic to come. For some reason, this twelve-year-old sat there and read the entire opening crawl. From that moment until we returned to the final fanfare of the throne room scene, I was hooked. Back then, I did not think much about the movie or the subsequent sequels. The heroic actions and the futuristic elements fascinated adolescent me. Now that I have experienced life a tad bit more, let’s take a retrospective look at Star Wars, or Star Wars: A New Hope, as it is known today.
Worldbuilding
Now that I have read many books, and watched many movies since then, I realize how subtly George Lucas introduced us to his world. He did not regurgitate all the hard facts onto us. He put us in the middle of action, essentially immersing us in this universe he had created. This was a diverse world with humans living alongside alien species, and droids. The galaxy was controlled by the military regime of the Empire. They had built a superweapon the size of a moon, which was capable of destroying an entire planet. An old warrior from times past, the Jedi, would come out of hiding, and help the underdog Rebel Alliance with their mystical power called “The Force.”
A New Hope made it very clear who was the hero, and who was the villain. The tall menacing figure in all-black armor leading the soldiers in all-white armor must be “the bad guy.” The damsel in distress dressed in all white in contrast to the dark Imperial uniforms must be “the good guy.”
We were introduced to this mysterious “Force” through the eyes of the young hero, who was fascinated by it all. It allowed you to affect people’s mind, and perceive things before it happened. Then came the smart-aleck comments from the smuggler who had supposedly seen the world, which showed how the rest of this world viewed the mysterious power. There were demonstrations of the Force when the old warrior waved his hand to influence the mind of the evil soldiers, and when our hero “used the Force” to fire the single shot that destroyed the superweapon.
Character Development
The plot was straightforward. A farmboy was given a superpower to save the world. However, the characters of Star Wars pushed the story to a different level.
The princess they were supposed to rescue was not your typical damsel in distress. She sassed her rescuer, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” She even took matters into her own hand and blasted a hole in the grate in the hallway and escaped (unfortunately ending up in the garbage compactor). Despite seeing her planet and her loved ones destroyed right in front of her, she was able to push aside her grief momentarily to focus on the important task of saving the galaxy from the Empire.
Our farmboy hero found a mentor who was to train him in the way of this superpower. Then, his mentor sacrificed himself to allow them to escape. Before he had time to process the recent loss of his family and now his last connection to his home planet, he was thrust into the fight against the Empire. In the middle of all the chaos and uncertainty, he decided to put his life and the lives of his new friends and allies in the hand of this power he barely understood.
The rogue character fit the stereotype. He was cocky, street smart, and bold. He was motivated by hard cold cash. However, inside the harsh exterior, we saw a glimpse of a kind, loyal man who jumped into the midst of a firefight to lend a helping hand to his friend.
A New Hope ended on a high note. The “good guys” defeated the “bad guys.” If George Lucas had ended his story right here, we would agree that it had been a fun adventure. However, with A New Hope, he left the groundwork to further explore this world he has created. If A New Hope had not successfully drawn us into this fantastic world with its fascinating characters, the Star Wars universe would not have expanded into the saga we have today.