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Revisiting Star Wars: "A New Hope"
This week, in preparation for the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker, I'm rewatching all of the live-action Star Wars films. Some for the first time in years. As I go along I'm collecting some of my thoughts on how each film has changed in my own estimation, and how well I think they hold up overall in the story as it stands.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is yet another example of a film that I remember fairly well, but have completely forgotten the pace of, which provided for a much richer viewing experience and a deeper appreciation for its structure and use of characters. Because the story is relatively simple, even as it's building a setting from scratch, the majority of the plot is driven by the characters. There are long stretches of Luke, Obi-Wan, Han, Leia, Tarkin, and Vader all riffing off each other in various combinations, not to mention C-3PO and R2-D2 have much more screen time in this movie past the opening act than I remembered.
The biggest surprise going in was just how far into the movie Obi-Wan makes it. I always felt like he died halfway through the movie, but Vader takes him out with only about 30 minutes left in the runtime. It comes at the end of the "second act", and their fight, albeit limited, feels well-teased out with Revenge of the Sith retroactively added into my understanding of the story. Greedo Shot First said it best on multiple occasions that Star Wars owes a lot to Alec Guinness playing it relatively close to the vest.
Something that still feels odd watching this movie are the new elements that were added to the film later. I had gone out of my way to experience the film for the first time with the "Theatrical Cut", and seeing the new CGI elements remind me of some of the dodgy visual effects of Attack of the Clones. It's ironic that the effects that remain from the original 1977 version are the ones that hold up the best by far. Jabba is a pretty egregious example, but the Aliens added to the marketplace also give the scenes a layer of uncanny valley they didn't originally have. There's also Boba Fett's cameo, which looks silly not because of an effects issue but because he just turns and looks into the camera for cheap fanservice.
Also, I watched the Disney+ version that has Greedo shouting "McClunky" for some reason during his shootout with Han, and its so bizarre and nonsensical I can't help but love it. It feels peak George Lucas. Speaking of additions, I feel like my instincts were right and Rogue One doesn't add many new layers beyond the scene at the beginning of the movie where Han interrogates Leia is now very, very funny because he literally saw her ship fly away with the Death Star plans. Solo, however, makes Han's character arc in this movie feel a lot more layered than it already was. It was layers it didn't really need, since I think Harrison Ford is more than up to the task and knocks it out of the park, but it sure makes his return to form at the end all the more satisfying.
I'm also gonna give an obligatory "wow the cast was really great in this movie!" summation. I forgot how fun the banter between Han and Leia was this early on, since my point of reference for them is usually The Empire Strikes Back. On the flip side, I forgot how much the movie screeches to a halt in order to explain the plan to attack the Death Star before they actually do it. It feels like a weird use of real estate in a movie that's already relatively short, or desperately needed padding, as it kind of feels like information that could be explained in voiceover while the X-Wings are taking off.
I also watched the movie's deleted scenes for the first time, courtesy of Disney+. The fact that there's extra footage of Aunt Beru pouring more blue milk is endlessly amusing. The other scenes are mostly cut dialog from existing sequences, one in particular referencing a version of Luke's father from before he was Vader. Perhaps the most notable removed sequence is Luke at Tosche Station in what appears to be before his first canonical appearance while the battle in space is taking place. I have mixed feelings about this cut, because it does have Biggs appear earlier in the movie, which would have given his role and eventual death a lot more significance, and gives a lot more dimension to Luke's life on Tatooine. It also introduces Luke to the possibility of joining the Rebellion for the first time. At the same time Luke's other friends mostly come across as filler, and it would feel awkward at the very tightly paced beginning of the movie.
I will say that this rewatch was probably the most stressful Star Wars viewing experience I'd ever had, since it was fresh off the heels of The Rise of Skywalker critic reactions coming out which has given me a lot of stress (to the point I paused and took a stress nap halfway through). Here's hoping that things will be a bit smoother going forward.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is yet another example of a film that I remember fairly well, but have completely forgotten the pace of, which provided for a much richer viewing experience and a deeper appreciation for its structure and use of characters. Because the story is relatively simple, even as it's building a setting from scratch, the majority of the plot is driven by the characters. There are long stretches of Luke, Obi-Wan, Han, Leia, Tarkin, and Vader all riffing off each other in various combinations, not to mention C-3PO and R2-D2 have much more screen time in this movie past the opening act than I remembered.
The biggest surprise going in was just how far into the movie Obi-Wan makes it. I always felt like he died halfway through the movie, but Vader takes him out with only about 30 minutes left in the runtime. It comes at the end of the "second act", and their fight, albeit limited, feels well-teased out with Revenge of the Sith retroactively added into my understanding of the story. Greedo Shot First said it best on multiple occasions that Star Wars owes a lot to Alec Guinness playing it relatively close to the vest.
Something that still feels odd watching this movie are the new elements that were added to the film later. I had gone out of my way to experience the film for the first time with the "Theatrical Cut", and seeing the new CGI elements remind me of some of the dodgy visual effects of Attack of the Clones. It's ironic that the effects that remain from the original 1977 version are the ones that hold up the best by far. Jabba is a pretty egregious example, but the Aliens added to the marketplace also give the scenes a layer of uncanny valley they didn't originally have. There's also Boba Fett's cameo, which looks silly not because of an effects issue but because he just turns and looks into the camera for cheap fanservice.
Also, I watched the Disney+ version that has Greedo shouting "McClunky" for some reason during his shootout with Han, and its so bizarre and nonsensical I can't help but love it. It feels peak George Lucas. Speaking of additions, I feel like my instincts were right and Rogue One doesn't add many new layers beyond the scene at the beginning of the movie where Han interrogates Leia is now very, very funny because he literally saw her ship fly away with the Death Star plans. Solo, however, makes Han's character arc in this movie feel a lot more layered than it already was. It was layers it didn't really need, since I think Harrison Ford is more than up to the task and knocks it out of the park, but it sure makes his return to form at the end all the more satisfying.
I'm also gonna give an obligatory "wow the cast was really great in this movie!" summation. I forgot how fun the banter between Han and Leia was this early on, since my point of reference for them is usually The Empire Strikes Back. On the flip side, I forgot how much the movie screeches to a halt in order to explain the plan to attack the Death Star before they actually do it. It feels like a weird use of real estate in a movie that's already relatively short, or desperately needed padding, as it kind of feels like information that could be explained in voiceover while the X-Wings are taking off.
I also watched the movie's deleted scenes for the first time, courtesy of Disney+. The fact that there's extra footage of Aunt Beru pouring more blue milk is endlessly amusing. The other scenes are mostly cut dialog from existing sequences, one in particular referencing a version of Luke's father from before he was Vader. Perhaps the most notable removed sequence is Luke at Tosche Station in what appears to be before his first canonical appearance while the battle in space is taking place. I have mixed feelings about this cut, because it does have Biggs appear earlier in the movie, which would have given his role and eventual death a lot more significance, and gives a lot more dimension to Luke's life on Tatooine. It also introduces Luke to the possibility of joining the Rebellion for the first time. At the same time Luke's other friends mostly come across as filler, and it would feel awkward at the very tightly paced beginning of the movie.
I will say that this rewatch was probably the most stressful Star Wars viewing experience I'd ever had, since it was fresh off the heels of The Rise of Skywalker critic reactions coming out which has given me a lot of stress (to the point I paused and took a stress nap halfway through). Here's hoping that things will be a bit smoother going forward.