I love the way the music acknowledges Luke trusting in the force by switching from really tense to heroically determined when he turns off the targeting computer.
In the liner notes for the first soundtrack album, the main theme is referred to by John Williams as Luke’s Theme. He also called the Force Theme Ben’s Theme.
Imagine being 5 yrs old and seeing this on the debut day in 1977 in a crowded theater in Dallas Texas like i was. It was louder than hell and you could barely hear the movie sounds for screaming kids lol
I was six when I watched "A new hope" for the first time in 1988 on VHS. I screamed in joy when the Deathstar blew up. To this day, one of the most iconic explosions in a movie.
Star Wars changed cinema forever. Watching this in the theater was a historical experience in time. It was unlike anything humanity had ever seen on a screen. The Millennium Falcon swooping in at the last second will forever be an iconic moment.
Every single person in the world who sees this movie for the first time turns immediately into a 9-year old child especially when Han shows up out of nowhere for the assist! You don't need to know how old I was when I first saw it. But that was me too!!! 😂
The one thing I was always surprised me as a kid is the guys firing the Death Star never had an action figure, just the commanders with the Samurai style helmets. A lot of characters in the Cantina had dolls. I think the most obscure was the hammer head one that is shown briefly.
Movies in the ‘70s were mostly downers. When Star Wars came out, people were leaving theaters after seeing it feeling so GOOD. It was like a high seeing this in a theater back then. Of course, there was no home video in those days so we all went to see it as many times as we could because we didn’t know if we’d ever get a chance to see it again. It was such a magical time to be a kid and I’m glad I experienced it.
They were downers until 1977 or so. There were still a few more "downer" films in the pipeline that came out afterword, but largely films like Star Wars, Smokey and the Bandit and the James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me signaled the return of feelgood and FUN movies. And Star Wars was simply the most obvious - and Star Wars DEFINITELY turned SCIENCE FICTION films around. You want to talk about "downer" trends. Most "Sci-Fi" films in the early to mid 70s were Post Apocalyptic or showed dystopian futures (Logan's Run and the Planet of the Apes series of films simply the most obvious well known examples). The general positive trend in movies was on the way in 1977. But Star Wars STOPPED the negative Sci-Fi films DEAD. Turned it around completely, and paved the way for much more positive fare. Star Trek: The Motion Picture might not have happened at all without Star Wars. Oh - and we got the first true superhero film in 1978 with Superman. Talk about positivity!
There's a great fan edit of this scene floating around that adds a twist to the Death Star's destruction; it shows the superlaser powering up and actually in the process of firing when the station blows up. It's too bad George Lucas didn't include something like that in the special editions.
I just realized another bit of genius in this scene - possibly due to editing by Marcia Lucas - two things happen in quick succession that really make you feel like the bottom has just dropped out and everything is about to fail - Artoo Detoo getting hit by fire from Darth Vader and putting out a "death scream", and the notification that the Death Star now has a clear line of fire on the moon where the Rebel base is. One right after the other. Luke now has NO support. Nobody to distract Vader, no other fighters that can get a clear shot, ,not even the help of his trusty veteran astromech droid (his engineer) to make adjustments to his fighter. He can't keep Darth Vader off of him AND use what little control of the force he has half-learned to make the shot. He's got NOTHING between him and failure. There's no time for another go around. This is - quite frankly - an IMPOSSIBLE task. And we all feel it as the audience. And then Han and the Falcon come screaming out of the Sun to take out Vader's wingmen and knock Vader tumbling out away from the trench. And it's beautiful because it all depended on a change of heart in Han we knew was possible - but had completely forgotten about by this point. With no further distractions - NOW Luke can make that shot! What was impossible now becomes inevitable. THIS is what made Star Wars great - the emotional heart of the story. Redemption and hope.
Quite possibly the best movie climax of all time. John Williams rules. PS it’s hard to believe these movie watchers haven’t seen Star Wars before. I guess it has been 45 years. Christ I’m old
@@baron7755 Natalie's was one of the first movie reaction videos I've seen. Her enthusiasm was infectious. It was at this point I realized that some people have a knack for doing reaction videos-to make me experience movies in a new way.
@@theflyingfisherman7829Now, anyway. When she first got started, she was genuine and funny and enthusiastic. Now she chases the algorithm and hates on everything.
The chosen hero of the Force rides hard trusting his faith to end the giant weapon of Death, the Evil Champion is coming hard about to strike him the final blow, when out of the bright light a divine intervention in the form of a true friend fouls up the Champions attack and allows the Hero to win. This is right out of classic heroism, faith, good and evil...Lucas thought of everything except Kennedy's BS.
I've always imagined how many X & Y-Wings would've survived if Han Solo had decided to participate in the whole battle rather than show up at the last minute?
Probably not much difference. Falcon us fast, not maneuverable. During the Death Star escape Han and Luke were firing as the TIEs made attack runs. And Hand Chewie were both in the cockpit, using only the forward gun Chewie deployed as they fought off the Stormies at Tatooine. Pointless gun in a dogfight against actual fighters. If they had had dedicated gunners so they could use the turrets, they might gave been able to draw off some fighters, but lets face it, the Dsath Star would jjust have deployed another squadron. A better strategy would be to put more than just 3 fighters into the trench. One torpedo launcher, folliwed by a spotter ti verify a hig, a second torpedo launcher as backup, then 5 or 6 blockers, a wide gap, then another 3 or 4 . TIEs have to choose to take that gap and have fighters behind them, or have to shoot their way through the entire squadron. Maybe even have a coupke mire torpedo equipped fighters in the trailing group as backups to the backups. Never seen onscreen were Blue and Green squadrons, who were trying to draw fighters off Red and Gold. That's where that surviving Y-Wing came from, Green squadron.
@@MGower4465 i do like how there are a few times it shows the falcon is actually undercrewed. (han having to stand behind the pilots seat to do the hyperdrive calculations when they take off from tattoine for example)
You're just not understanding how difficult and unsafe it is to have a weapon like that with a simple button. That's a nice shower thought but it doesnt make sense. The technology is too complex and its capabilities are too powerful to let the entire thing be accessible with a single button.
I am like 11 yrs old, first time I seen this movie, I know Luke used the force to proton torpedo the DS after Han saved him from Vader's attack. How old are these reviewers? Only Jedis have the Force...um Luke is said to be the son of a powerful Jedi in this episode, so well respected form General Obi Wan himself..
I refuse to believe that ALL of these people had never before watched one of the most celebrated movies ever made (that was released nearly half a century ago) and has been on TV at least 17 million times.
You may be at the center of your universe, but so is everyone else. I know plenty of people with zero interest in scifi that have effectively managed to remain completely Star Wars illiterate. These streamers are tapping into that for their channels.
Hate to break it to you but I'd bet real money that half the planet or more, has never seen the original Star Wars. Surveys in the USA actually come back at about 40%.
"You should have been in the theater in '77. People were coming unglued." - my dad
I love the way the music acknowledges Luke trusting in the force by switching from really tense to heroically determined when he turns off the targeting computer.
In the liner notes for the first soundtrack album, the main theme is referred to by John Williams as Luke’s Theme. He also called the Force Theme Ben’s Theme.
Imagine being 5 yrs old and seeing this on the debut day in 1977 in a crowded theater in Dallas Texas like i was. It was louder than hell and you could barely hear the movie sounds for screaming kids lol
I was six when I watched "A new hope" for the first time in 1988 on VHS. I screamed in joy when the Deathstar blew up. To this day, one of the most iconic explosions in a movie.
Star Wars changed cinema forever. Watching this in the theater was a historical experience in time. It was unlike anything humanity had ever seen on a screen. The Millennium Falcon swooping in at the last second will forever be an iconic moment.
I saw Star Wars in the theater with my older brothers back in the day. What a great experience. The whole theater was cheering at the end
The moment when our cinema literally exploded in 1977 and infernal cheers arose. A gigantic moment.
Every single person in the world who sees this movie for the first time turns immediately into a 9-year old child especially when Han shows up out of nowhere for the assist! You don't need to know how old I was when I first saw it. But that was me too!!! 😂
I think “the force is strong on this one” is my all time favorite Star Wars line
That and “The force will be with you…always.
With, not on.
The one thing I was always surprised me as a kid is the guys firing the Death Star never had an action figure, just the commanders with the Samurai style helmets. A lot of characters in the Cantina had dolls. I think the most obscure was the hammer head one that is shown briefly.
I had Hammerhead
Movies in the ‘70s were mostly downers. When Star Wars came out, people were leaving theaters after seeing it feeling so GOOD. It was like a high seeing this in a theater back then. Of course, there was no home video in those days so we all went to see it as many times as we could because we didn’t know if we’d ever get a chance to see it again. It was such a magical time to be a kid and I’m glad I experienced it.
They were downers until 1977 or so. There were still a few more "downer" films in the pipeline that came out afterword, but largely films like Star Wars, Smokey and the Bandit and the James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me signaled the return of feelgood and FUN movies.
And Star Wars was simply the most obvious - and Star Wars DEFINITELY turned SCIENCE FICTION films around. You want to talk about "downer" trends. Most "Sci-Fi" films in the early to mid 70s were Post Apocalyptic or showed dystopian futures (Logan's Run and the Planet of the Apes series of films simply the most obvious well known examples). The general positive trend in movies was on the way in 1977. But Star Wars STOPPED the negative Sci-Fi films DEAD. Turned it around completely, and paved the way for much more positive fare. Star Trek: The Motion Picture might not have happened at all without Star Wars.
Oh - and we got the first true superhero film in 1978 with Superman. Talk about positivity!
@ William Shatner says that Star Wars saved Star Trek from fading into obscurity and that none of the Trek films would’ve been made without Star Wars.
There's a great fan edit of this scene floating around that adds a twist to the Death Star's destruction; it shows the superlaser powering up and actually in the process of firing when the station blows up. It's too bad George Lucas didn't include something like that in the special editions.
I like to think that even though Han was a scoundrel, his heart was always in the right place. Even if he needed to sit on it a bit 😅
I just realized another bit of genius in this scene - possibly due to editing by Marcia Lucas - two things happen in quick succession that really make you feel like the bottom has just dropped out and everything is about to fail - Artoo Detoo getting hit by fire from Darth Vader and putting out a "death scream", and the notification that the Death Star now has a clear line of fire on the moon where the Rebel base is. One right after the other.
Luke now has NO support. Nobody to distract Vader, no other fighters that can get a clear shot, ,not even the help of his trusty veteran astromech droid (his engineer) to make adjustments to his fighter. He can't keep Darth Vader off of him AND use what little control of the force he has half-learned to make the shot. He's got NOTHING between him and failure.
There's no time for another go around.
This is - quite frankly - an IMPOSSIBLE task. And we all feel it as the audience.
And then Han and the Falcon come screaming out of the Sun to take out Vader's wingmen and knock Vader tumbling out away from the trench.
And it's beautiful because it all depended on a change of heart in Han we knew was possible - but had completely forgotten about by this point.
With no further distractions - NOW Luke can make that shot! What was impossible now becomes inevitable.
THIS is what made Star Wars great - the emotional heart of the story. Redemption and hope.
"They blew up the death star? They blew up the death star? they blew up the death star?" ....we love you Cassie.
Watching her entire reaction I got the distinct impression that she thought it was silly. Pew! Pew!
Huh, looks like Robb Squad managed to get the original theatrical explosion.
They probably watched the Despecialized Edition.
They saw Han shoot first!
Most of them thought it was over when Artoo was shot 😂
Quite possibly the best movie climax of all time. John Williams rules. PS it’s hard to believe these movie watchers haven’t seen Star Wars before. I guess it has been 45 years. Christ I’m old
Nice! Can we get one with the Death Star destroying Alderaan too?
There already is one. It's titled "Tarkin destroys Alderaan"
It was Natalie Gold's reaction that made me "get" reaction videos. I've since watched too many reaction videos. Which is probably why I'm here.
Why her? What was it?
@@baron7755 Natalie's was one of the first movie reaction videos I've seen. Her enthusiasm was infectious. It was at this point I realized that some people have a knack for doing reaction videos-to make me experience movies in a new way.
Yeah Nat’s great
@@digitaldroo She's one of the worst reactors and clearly just does it for the money.
@@theflyingfisherman7829Now, anyway. When she first got started, she was genuine and funny and enthusiastic. Now she chases the algorithm and hates on everything.
The chosen hero of the Force rides hard trusting his faith to end the giant weapon of Death, the Evil Champion is coming hard about to strike him the final blow, when out of the bright light a divine intervention in the form of a true friend fouls up the Champions attack and allows the Hero to win. This is right out of classic heroism, faith, good and evil...Lucas thought of everything except Kennedy's BS.
Big whoop. Galen Erso had already rigged that exhaust port to blow up. Why he didn’t blow it up himself, I do not know.
I've always imagined how many X & Y-Wings would've survived if Han Solo had decided to participate in the whole battle rather than show up at the last minute?
Probably not much difference. Falcon us fast, not maneuverable. During the Death Star escape Han and Luke were firing as the TIEs made attack runs. And Hand Chewie were both in the cockpit, using only the forward gun Chewie deployed as they fought off the Stormies at Tatooine. Pointless gun in a dogfight against actual fighters.
If they had had dedicated gunners so they could use the turrets, they might gave been able to draw off some fighters, but lets face it, the Dsath Star would jjust have deployed another squadron.
A better strategy would be to put more than just 3 fighters into the trench. One torpedo launcher, folliwed by a spotter ti verify a hig, a second torpedo launcher as backup, then 5 or 6 blockers, a wide gap, then another 3 or 4 . TIEs have to choose to take that gap and have fighters behind them, or have to shoot their way through the entire squadron. Maybe even have a coupke mire torpedo equipped fighters in the trailing group as backups to the backups.
Never seen onscreen were Blue and Green squadrons, who were trying to draw fighters off Red and Gold. That's where that surviving Y-Wing came from, Green squadron.
@@MGower4465 i do like how there are a few times it shows the falcon is actually undercrewed. (han having to stand behind the pilots seat to do the hyperdrive calculations when they take off from tattoine for example)
When did they change "The Death Star is clear to fire" to "The Death Star has cleared the planet"? That was not a Special Edition change
Pretty sure that's always been the line.
Yes, it's always said "cleared the planet"
Imagine if the Death Star had a simple firing button instead of dozens of levers and slides to move one by one.
You're just not understanding how difficult and unsafe it is to have a weapon like that with a simple button. That's a nice shower thought but it doesnt make sense. The technology is too complex and its capabilities are too powerful to let the entire thing be accessible with a single button.
I am like 11 yrs old, first time I seen this movie, I know Luke used the force to proton torpedo the DS after Han saved him from Vader's attack. How old are these reviewers? Only Jedis have the Force...um Luke is said to be the son of a powerful Jedi in this episode, so well respected form General Obi Wan himself..
"Use the instrument panel, Loke. [...] That's what it's there for. Advanced weaponry designed to hit tiny targets." - Oobeedoob Scooby-Dooby Benubi
8 out of 16
Aw, I miss when Natalie Gold was genuine and could enjoy things and she wasn't chasing the algorithm for hits.
Anakin destroyed the death star. Jeez guys
I refuse to believe that ALL of these people had never before watched one of the most celebrated movies ever made (that was released nearly half a century ago) and has been on TV at least 17 million times.
You may be at the center of your universe, but so is everyone else. I know plenty of people with zero interest in scifi that have effectively managed to remain completely Star Wars illiterate. These streamers are tapping into that for their channels.
Hate to break it to you but I'd bet real money that half the planet or more, has never seen the original Star Wars. Surveys in the USA actually come back at about 40%.
@@TrigonsTrailers Star Wars isn't scifi. It's swords & sorcerers in SPAAAAAACE.
@@BasketOfPuppies 40% of Americans have or have not seen it?
@@TrigonsTrailers except the things that are so universal they've invaded the pop culture zeitgeist (like the vader is luke's father reveal)