Star Wars: A New Hope

First off, I want to admit that I have not been a giant Star Wars fan in the past, but after watching this film again with a more attentive position I have more respect for it.  However, the version that I viewed was the newest edition of the classic, which had added scenes and various additions to original scenes.  This took away from the original in my perspective, I don't think those additions added to the plot at all, also they were CG that was not done very well so it made them stand out from everything else.  If they would have added portions that were in the same aesthetic of the original then maybe they would not have seemed so distracting.  Additions put aside, the film was pretty amusing to me.  It is very much so a western film in a space theme as the essay provided had stated, good vs. evil, light vs. dark.  The characters attitudes, mannerisms, and aesthetics can be seen as being influenced by the time period the film was made as well.  As speaking of the time period playing a part on how the movie was written and produced, there is a lot of room for the viewer to read in between the lines to create plots that are not blatantly there.  Specific lines said or gestures made leave room for the imagination to make other connections or references of characters or actions.  Reading between the lines is something I do with almost every film I view, especially older films, because it gives me a chance to make the characters more personable.  All of these things do not take away from the plot but they do add amusement, speaking only for myself, and they provide some insight to how acting and movies have changed over the years.

 The story of the film shows the beginning of Luke Skywalker's journey of self discovery as well as the discovery of the force within himself and others and what can be done with the force, good and evil.  Princess Leia is thrown in there because it seems there are only two women in the whole universe, Luke's aunt and Princess Leia.  She also holds a strong role because her character has a strong personality, shows independence and courage, so therefore she is more important to the story rather than just being a pretty face.  She binds together almost all of the main characters, Luke and Han both fancy her, as does the dark side because she has valuable information.  The characters of C3PO and R2 are among the most amusing and important, constantly the human characters are being saved in one way or another by the two droids, for example in the trash compactor scene.  R2 and C3PO also exhibit traits of a human character because they seem to have specific personalities.  The climax of the film is when Luke and Han explode the death star, but Darth Vader escapes to make room for the long line of movies made afterwards, and comes back to the rest of the gang safely to be honored and such.  Good has prevailed over evil for now anyway, as most western themed films seem to end. 

The most important thing in the film is the concept of the force, something that exists in all living things.  This part puts the viewer in Luke's position, it expresses the idea that if manifested in the right way the force can lead to great things.  The force is free and produced naturally so its available to almost anyone, later i have been informed that the force is genetic.  I think that the film was and still is so popular because of the concept of the force, as well as hilarious battle scenes, endless layers of cultures and races of aliens, dynamics of family in a new perspective, and the battle each character faces with good and evil.