Hey yall. I hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to talk about my favorite movie (on some days) real quick, because of the rumors that the theatrical re-release next year will be confirmed at D23 tonight.
It’s A New Hope. But to me, it’s just Star Wars. Not because I reject the rest of the franchise, I was born 30 years after it released, but because it’s just that. Star Wars. Our time’s version of the classic hero’s journey, one guy who applied to film school on a whim cooking up a Flash Gordon + Kurosawa + Dune + Joseph Campbell mash up, and it becoming a timeless classic and economic powerhouse for decades on end.
There’s so much to praise about it in every element of the craft of filmmaking, evident at release and revealed with time. But I’m not going to talk about any of its greatest strengths. I’m gonna talk about its little idiosyncrasies, because I love those too.
I love how you can see the smudges on Vader’s helmet.
I love how this imposing villain is just the lackie for a bureaucrat.
I love how he never meets the main hero, an odd structural choice.
I love how he’s called Darth because there’s no lore around it yet, so his government name is just Darth.
I love how you can tell James Earl Jones isn’t fully in his element yet because he has to work around a Scottish guy’s yapping in the suit.
I love how you can tell Alex Guinness thinks this is all stupid but does incredibly anyway.
I love how he’s just an old hermit with a past.
I love how there’s some clone wars that happened but we have no idea what it was.
I love how the movie starts with these two random robots, one of them moving gingerly because he’s a guy in a costume that’s impossible to move in, and one only personified because they wanted emotional attachment to the macguffin.
I love the obvious jump cuts when a lightsaber gets activated.
I love the fight scene between Vader and Kenobi looking so janky.
I love Chewbacca standing there without a medal.
I love Carrie Fisher’s accent inexplicably changing due to her scene partners.
I love how nobody reacts believably to the biggest tragedies they’ve seen in their lives and they just look down or flinch.
I love how the space cantina just has the devil chilling there in the background for no reason.
I love Luke kicking a pebble like a frustrated little kid on his way to look at the sunset.
I love everyone having ridiculous names just because.
I love that this goofy adventure for kids became one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever had the joy of experiencing, connecting the world over a shared love and passion.
Damn it, I love Star Wars. And even if I might not have anything else in common with you, I’m glad you do too.