I watched the original trilogy as a kid, multiple times, and I remember liking it, but it wasn’t really my thing. My brothers were more into it than I was, and I’d often just watch along with them whenever they had it on. When the newer movies began to pique my Star Wars interest, and then later on when The Mandalorian really ignited it, I wasn’t sure how much that new love would carry over into the old movies. Would I see them with fresh eyes, or would I just go, “Oh yeah, I remember you – you were fun”? Well, with A New Hope now under my belt, it’s safe to say I’m very much looking forward to revisiting Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Luke Skywalker’s dull life on Tatooine takes a turn for the adventurous when he discovers a hidden message in one of the droids he and his uncle just bought. The message is from a beautiful princess, a plea for help to a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke meets up with the reclusive old man, who weaves him a tale about Jedis and the Force. Soon, Luke and co. are teaming up with a charming scoundrel and his right-side Wookiee on a trip across the galaxy, where they cross paths with the sinister Darth Vader.
But come on, it’s not like you needed the summary, right? These movies are burned onto the eyelids of the cultural memory. It’s all here: Luke, light sabers, R2, Darth Vader, the Millennium Falcon, and more. Rewatching the film, there were certain moments that I recalled like crystal clarity: “Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?”, Luke training with the lowered visor, the trash compactor scene. And there were so many others that I hadn’t thought about in years but came rushing back in an instant, as if I’d just watched it the day before: C-3PO bickering with R2 in the desert, Han’s laughably-terrible “undercover” work, “That’s no moon.” Even though I’d never considered myself a Star Wars person before, the film obviously stuck with me.
True, it’s a space western/martial arts pastiche, and everything plainly looks like it was made in the ‘70s, with the exception of the digitally-remastered CGI that plainly looks it it was made in the ‘90s (obligatory fist-shake at Disney+.) It isn’t The Greatest Movie of All Time, and Luke’s journey hews blatantly-close to Joseph Campbell. But damnit if it all isn’t compelling. I love how much love and attention went into this production, which is iconic from the costumes to the score. I have a lot of respect for a bunch devoted obsessives who, in the ‘70s, built new worlds and spaceships and alien body suits from scratch, who created this thing and put it onscreen for everyone to see as the opening crawl rolled by in towering letters.
And, as much as I love the design and the boldness of it all, the movie really comes down, as with so many memorable films do, to the characters. Every bit as iconic now as Vader’s helmet or Leia’s buns, each actor embodies their roles as these uncomplicated but honest characters. Mark Hamill as Luke, itching to leave the place he’s from and hell bent on aiding the beautiful woman from R2’s message but not altogether ready for everything Obi-Wan wants to show him. Alex Guiness as Obi-Wan, the quintessential wise mentor, who gently nudges Luke forwards and never reveals all he knows. Harrison Ford as Han, a classic “rogue with a heart of gold” type who drips charisma as he talks loudly about only being in it for the money but seems to keep turning up right when he’s needed most. And Carrie Fisher as Leia, who is always more than a prisoner, more than a damsel, a young woman who’s prepared to give her life for her cause but damn sure plans to live to fight another day if she can. And all the others, R2 and C-3PO and Chewy. My affection for these characters has quickly risen to match my love for some of the newer characters who really captured me, like the Rogue One crew and Mando and Grogu. Again, I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on with the trilogy.
Warnings
Violence, scary moments for kids, and brief drinking/drug references.
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