Star Wars
It's hard to imagine a world without Star Wars . . . the John Williams score, the opening sequence, the characters, the toys, the spaceships, the other films! When Star Wars arrived in 1977 it changed cinema forever – and everybody wanted to see it, including a little 7-year-old me.
The 1970s were Hollywood's second golden age . . . classic films with unforgettable performances. George Lucas, who had previously made the excellent American Graffiti, started writing his space opera in 1973 . . . taking large chunks from Lord of the rings & Dune along the way to create his cosmic western . . .
Its timeless appeal is easily identified, goodies versus baddies, a rescued princess, a magical fantasy world . . . and so on. The film still looks great even with the dated hairstyles and the hideous updated 1990s GCI effects & extra scenes – which we could all do without. Let’s not mention the bar scene – George, what were you thinking. The original theatrical version is no longer available, but fingers crossed.
Star Wars remains a rewatchable classic family film because of the characters and the performances. It’s hard to remember a time before Star Wars, but in 1977 it wasn’t Episode IV, it was just a one-off film . . .
