*STAR WARS: EP IV A NEW HOPE* FIRST TIME WATCHING MOVIE REACTION
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ค. 2024
- Enjoy my reaction to the movie Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)! 📼 Sync up your copy with mine + we can watch together at: / star-wars-iv-new-58227560
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:58 Star Wars A New Hope Reaction
36:39 Star Wars A New Hope Movie Review
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@ 31:42 I am just wondering out loud... no spoilers please!! :)
@@BigGator5 it is also my favourite order, but I understand why many people disagree
@@BigGator5 I think the series should be watched in release order because that was the order that contemporaneous fans saw them. The prequel trilogy and Rogue One were made knowing that fans were familiar with the original trilogy and new viewers should go into them with the same information that viewers at the time had.
I agree that Rogue One is the only Disney Star Wars worth watching. I consider the rest of Disney Star Wars to be non-canon (anti-)fan fiction. The real Episode VII, VIII and IX are the Thrawn Trilogy of novels by Timothy Zahn.
Not speaking to the specific plot point you mentioned, but in general, as you watch the rest of the original trilogy, you'll pick up on a few things that were not completely thought out in advance when this first movie was made.
@@BigGator5 "Bully?" I gave my opinion than yours and provided my reasons. Just because you disagree doesn't make me a "bully," "close-minded" or "dumb." For example, I did not insult you in my comment as you did to me in the comment to which this is a reply.
@@BigGator5 I totally agree. A person that knows little of Star wars would have the most enjoyment watching them in this order. Watching them in numerical order gives spoilers for episodes 4 5 6. Watching them in release order is less fun because episode 6 is the finale of the series and watching it in the middle create a more anti-climactic watch order in my opinion. If I could erase my memory of all the Star Wars films I would watch them exactly in the order BigGator5 suggests. You are essentially watching 4 and 5 first so you don't have them spoiled. Then watch 1 2 3 R as a flashback because they occur in that order and end at right before 4. Then you get to watch the finale.
Watching the opening scene with the first scene showing a Star Destroyer, and it is just so HUGE... "People in 1977 must have lost their shit." As a person who saw it in the theater when it first came out, I can tell you that is entirely accurate. Pretty much jaw dropping.
Yes, when we paid to see the movie they gave us a ticket, and a roll of toilet paper.
Yeah, I was there, going... "How much more spaceship is there?!"
I saw it in 1990 I was 6. I saw it in a theater as a special run. I cannot even describe how massive the movie itself was to me, a kid who's never seen ANYTHING like that before. Pure classics!
I was ten. It was reality shattering.
Let me add also that the 70's was mostly doom and gloom, specially in sci-fi. Lots of disaster-movies & cynicism. George Lucas himself has called it a fairy tale. Star Wars, at least the original trilogy, is fundamentally a heroic fantasy story about a lost prince fighting an evil king, told with the means of science fiction instead of fantasy. It's imaginative, happy and thrilling.
The original film title was ONLY Star Wars, it was retroactively subtitled Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope after the huge success. A month after its release, Star Wars played at almost every theater in the US and hundreds worldwide.
As Obi-Wan said, "You've taken your first step into a larger world ". Always fun to see someone see Star Wars for the first time.
Did you know that the line in the script (and the Alan Dean Foster penned novel) was, 'You've taken your first step into a larger universe'? It was likely Sir Alec Guinness who changed the line. Probably didn't feel comfortable saying, 'a larger universe.' Saying someone had stepped into a 'larger world' was - and is - quite a common turn of phrase, changing that to 'universe' may have felt very jarring to the actor saying it.
Of course that's just a theory, I have no way to know for sure who changed the line. It's just based on who could have. I don't think Lucas would have changed the line so that leaves the actor saying it.
"I'll bet people in the 70's lost their s*it.... (when this came out).
Oh you have no idea. People stood in line for days for first, second and third viewings. Action figures arrived about a year after and kids totally lost their s*it. It's all any boy and even girl wanted for Christmas was a 'large size 14" action figure.' The one I wanted was Darth Vader. I hinted my mom every day for that year. Come Christmas and I didn't get it. It wasn't under the tree. But when I walked in the kitchen it sat in the middle of the table with a sign, "to Mel, Special Delivery". Best time of my life.
Oh my goodness I'm loving the nostalgia these movies invoke in everyone. Such wonderful memories attached to these films :)
I remember seeing this for the first time on a very large movie screen (when we still had 1-screen movie "palaces") as a young teen. There wasn't one seat left in the theatre and the lines were around the block and then some. It was an amazing experience - everyone laughing, gasping, booing and cheering together. It felt like something entirely new, even though it sort of evoked the energy of a classic (read, "old") movie swashbuckler or epic western. And it never felt cheesy. I wish everyone could experience the SW movies the same way. I don't care how big our family room tv screens are - they'll never equal the impact. I'm actually kind of sad that most reactors are watching this on computer screens.
People were losing their shit even in 90's when they saw SW for the first time. Like me, lol.
@@deiwi It really is timeless !
I was 8 years old and I did indeed lose my shit.
"Is there a human inside C-3PO?"
Yes. His name is Anthony Daniels.
Bahahaha! “Is 3PO a little bit dramatic?” 😃 Just a smidge. He’s our irritating albeit beloved, little drama queen made of gold. And we love him despite him being a know-it-all, shiny pain in the butt. 😉
This movie blew my mind so much as a kid in 1977 that I saw it 14 times! I'd ride my bike to the theater to see it over and over and over. A ticket was, like, $1.50. The theater is long gone, the kid is long gone but I remember it like it was yesterday. Amazing movie experience.
About the connection to Star Trek....
Star Trek came out in 1966 as a tv series and was cancelled because of poor ratings after 3 seasons in 1969. With the exception of a short lived cartoon series, Star Trek was dead in the water, only kept alive by a modest fan base hoping it would be revived again one day.
Star Trek however was one of the inspirations for George Lucas while writing the screenplay for Star Wars (along with the sci-fi serials of the 1930s such as Flash Gordon). Star Wars was a MASSIVE success for 20th Century Fox studios.
After the success of Star Wars, Paramount Pictures wanted to cash in on that high and turned to the franchise they owned the rights to. Two years after Star Wars, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released in 1979 and was a success as well. Star Trek had been reborn, spawning 12 movie sequels and no less than 9 spin off tv series.
So Star Wars owes a bit of thanks to the original Star Trek, and Trek owes a great deal of thanks to Star Wars. : )
Also our should be worth noting that both star wars and star trek are both in their most active time ever. With songs of their best content being made now.
Don’t forget Akira Kurosawa’s the hidden fortress And Frank Herbert’s Dune had a massive influence on George Lucas as well
@@robertpetre9378 As well as some of the French comic Valerian I'm sure
@@Caseytify …Exactly. Thank you!!! Star Trek was in preproduction for a return, with or without Star Wars. And THEN the SW box office had them change it (back) into a theatrical feature. If anything Star Wars owes most of its pedigree to Flash Gordon, James Bond, and Space: 1999.
ST...bunch of nuubs...Dr WHo came first :P
People in 1977 absolutely did lose their shit. No one had ever seen - or heard - anything like this ever.
Especially given that most '70s sci-fi was stuff like "Logan's Run" and "Soylent Green".
I can confirm that: my sci-fi club went to see it in the first few days it came out when we were in high school. We ended up going to see it endless times, dragging families and friends to see it.
Yeah it's almost criminal hearing people criticize it sometimes. You can tell when people do that EVEN if they work in the Special Effects Industry, they don't really KNOW the history. Since Star Wars reset the standards and drove innovations for decades haha.
And as for you young Jen, as per usual with Star Wars, I present the infamous quote: "we will watch your career with great interest"
I saw this in the theater in 1977 just after it was released. The lines to get tickets were insane. It was one of the greatest theater experiences I have had. From the moment that main title music started blasting to the final destruction of the death star the entire audience was completely transported. Cheering, crying, rooting for the good guys - it was fantastic. We had never seen special effects like this before. The fx in 2001 A Space Odyssey were amazing but these space battles were fantastic on the big curved screen. What a time.
A good description. I'm still trying to put words to my experience when I walked out of that theater in 1977. My new favorite- stunned.
An amazing film I was in HS when I saw it even one of my HS teachers brought the soundtrack into class one day for us to listen to.
Do you remember how much you paid for a ticket?
@@AneudiD78 A regular movie ticket around that time was I think $2 to $2.50. I recall Star Wars was bumped up to around $3 to $3.50. Seems like it was initially only shown in the biggest theaters with the best sound systems. Maybe that's why the price was higher ? I could be wrong.
I remember it was the first time seeing a movie with an intermission right when they enter the trash compactor.
Originally this movie was titled .. Star Wars , not Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope. That title was added after the 2nd movie The Empire Strikes Back was released. George Lucas had the concept of a large screen play, but realized it was too big for a single movie, so he took a segment (middle section) and made it into this movie. Since this was actually a relatively low budget movie after Hollywood rejected it, there were little expectations it would do well. Some people even thought it would flop. After it came out, it was a huge box office hit in 1977, which allowed Lucas to make the second one, which also turned out to be a massive hit. After the original trilogy was made Lucas said he would only consider making the pre-trilogy once technology advanced enough that he could tell it as he had envisioned it.
Yep.. and then the prequels sucked... sometimes less is more..
Not precisely correct. It was always Episode IV, but it was not “A New Hope” as you mentioned.
As one who saw it in 77 I can say it was never Episode IV it was just Star Wars.
You forgot the secret working title Blue Harvest
@@mikethemotormouth that was for Jedi.
"What is that huge vertebrae?"
The answer to that is addressed in "The Mandalorian" series.
Well, it was addressed way before that but The Mandalorian made it canon (or technically made it canon again?)
Originally, this movie was just titled Star Wars. When it became a hit, Lucas realized he could tell the full story. He started in the middle because, at the time, it was the most exciting. When they started making The Empire Strikes Back, they retitled the movie, Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope. Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi was originally named The Revenge of the Jedi and was even marketed with that name but they changed it at the last minute.
I was 10 when this came out in '77.
My Dad wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for his kids, so he and his buddy went and waited in line to see it first. He came home so excited and said he'd never seen anything like it! He took us all to see it the next night. The line up, the packed theatre. It's a moment I'll never forget! ⭐
The version you just saw was actually the version that was Re-released in 1997, twenty years after the 1977 release. The 1997 version contains additional content and effects. The lizard mounted storm trooper and the scene with Jaba were added in 1997. The burned corpses of his aunt and uncle are original to the 1977 version as well as all ship and planet explosions. There were a few updates to the Alderaan and Death Star explosions.
Regarding Star Trek:
The first original series with William shatter came out in 1967 and ended In 1969. They did a few movies and the next Star Trek content to come after that was The Next Generation with Patrick Stewart in 1987-1994
In the 2019 updated version, Greedo says "Maclunkey" to Han. (wtf?) That's what Disney+ has.
Good info. The success of Star Wars in 1977 is what got them to start making Star Trek movies with the first one released in 1979.
Star Trek *premiered on September 8, 1966* and the last episode of the 3rd season aired on June 2, 1969.
@@davidolden971 Correct. It was 10 years after the TV show was cancelled before the movie came out, and the movie only happened because the success of Star Wars made them realize it could make money.
The Library of Congress video section has a copy of the 1977 version. Lucas contacted the library and wanted to replace their 1977 version with the 1997 version. The library said NO. They weren't going to change history.
"Cute crew" is exactly why everyone got hooked, along with the amazing effects.
I saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977 and I can confirm that, yes, the special effects did make me lose my shit. My parents also lost their collective shit. And, in sentence I never thought I’d say, my grandmother totally lost her shit.
Welcome to Star Wars! It’s always fun to see someone experience it for the first time :)
Lollll that must have been wild!
Episode 4,5,6 were done first because Lucas knew the technology didn't exist to be able to do the other episode justice, and a new hope worked as a standalone film if he didn't get to do any more.
But after the success he had no problems doing the others .
Han Solo has one of the greatest arc in the history, going from "I only take orders from one person, me!" and only thinking about money to becoming a general in the Republic and saving the day during Luke's tunnel run.
Those wipe and iris transitions are actually a callback to the 1930s, and the "optical printer", perfected by Linwood Dunn. It was the "Swiss Army Knife" of film compositing up until the dawn of the digital age, and very much in use in all three of the original Star Wars trilogy. Essentially, two projectors work at the same time, projecting two separate films, frame by frame, into a single motion picture camera, with the ability to manipulate both images in all sorts of ways to produce the final composition. So the technology was still in use in the 1970s, but the *way* it's used to do the scene transitions in Star Wars is a call back to the way it was used 40 years before Star Wars was made: it was supposed to look "retro", even in 1977.
Excellent explanation. Much better than the one I tried to give in another reaction video.
@@williamshelton4318 Swamp Thing (1982) did almost a million of them.
@@williamshelton4318 as with Star Wars intended to look retro tho
Even the slanted opening text scroll was a callback to the old Flash Gordon serials that did the same thing.
@@Lethgar_Smith It just amazes me what skilled work could be done with the optical printer. There's all sorts of movies like Citizen Kane and The Day the Earth Stood Still where it's so seamless you don't even realize you're looking at an effects shot.
my mom was 11 in '77, she saw this in theaters with her dad. to this day she vividly remembers watching the imperial destroyer fly overhead for the first time, she says it was the coolest thing she'd seen in a movie (up to that point)
That is dope 👍🏻
The wipe transitions are actually homages to the wipes used by Akira Kurosawa in Seven Samurai, et al
Also Akira Kurosawa’s The hidden fortress had a massive influence on Star Wars but I think that George Lucas preferred the Seven Samurai even though The Hidden Fortress was a more obviously influence on Star Wars.
th-cam.com/video/4g8r0LhpMzk/w-d-xo.html
Of all the Star Wars movies, this one is and always will be my favorite. I was 12 years old when it came out back in 1977 and it was a global phenomenon for good reason. A lot of hardcore fans will say the sequel is superior, but I still love "A New Hope" more than anything that came out later.
Agreed. Empire is amazing, but the Original is always The Classic that started it all!
1977, spent all summer trying to see this. I lived on Long Island NY and they're was just one theater (with one screen) showing it on a county of 2.5 million people. It was a theater at a mall and the line would reach all the way around the mall. We'd go and wait a few hours and give up.
Finally we got in and it was worth it! The effects did blow our socks off! It was like nothing we'd ever seen before.
When the Millennium Falcon first made the jump to light speed, the whole theater erupted in cheers! I've never heard anything like that before or since!
When we saw this in cinemas in 1977 we were all knocked out by the filmmaking. The impact of these incredible practical effects (models, costumes and props, matte paintings, etc), swift editing, and world-building with a lived-in look was incredible! This was a game changer for all of us, even if I was only a teen at the time. And I had been reading Frank Herbert's Dune books, Asimov's Foundation series, and Tolkien's LotR before seeing Star Wars. Before this, could never imagine any such stories being possible on screen.
If you want some understanding of the roots of these movies (including "cheesy" shot choices like the wipes and a number of other shots, and even characters), in interviews George Lucas has said they are based on serials that were played in cinemas in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as being influenced by Westerns, a few war movies, and by the "Easterns" of Akira Kurosawa (The Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai, etc - 'jidaigeki' movies, that show the samurai warriors' way).
Oh, and guess which four-letter word Lucas coined for the Star Wars universe, based on "jidaigeki"?
Harrison Ford had broken through as a film actor in Lucas' previous film - very different in style: American Graffiti.
Also, since you asked, I saw Star Trek, TOS, when first being broadcast in the latter half of the 1960s, when I was a kid. But the first Star Trek movie appeared after this first Star Wars movie - and was disappointing by comparison.
Btw, you may enjoy a fan-made remake of the Darth Vader duel with Obiwan Kenobi in scene 38 - no spoilers now that you've seen The Empire Strikes Back.
th-cam.com/video/to2SMng4u1k/w-d-xo.html
I know it's late, but this was largely an independent film. Lucas shopped it to every studio twice, got a microscopic budget, a tiny test release, and they all largely forgot about it. After results of the test release came back they gave it a nationwide release. Harrison Ford was in a record store shopping, fans recognized him, mobbed him, and tore his clothes off. People would see the movie, leave the theater, and get right back in line again. That does not happen. Probably won't ever again
The screen wipes aren't 70s, but it was considered retro at the time, and in particular, an homage to 40s and 50s (Akira Kurosawa) movies.
In an interview with Mark Hamill, when he climbed out of his ship and Leia hugged him and laughed, he said that he accidentally said "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!". You can barely hear it over the din.
I picked that up that ‘Carrie’ line when we got Star Wars free with the purchase of a Laser Disc player. I watched it most every day during summer vacation. I’d usually put in side 2, which starts right when they’re getting pulled into the Death Star. That’s also when I noticed the stormtrooper knock his head on the door when they walk through. I laughed myself silly at that the first time I saw it. Couldn’t wait to show all my friends!
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 Ahh, Doors fan, huh? awesome.
When this movie was released it wasn't called Star Wars Episode 4, it was called Star Wars and was meant to be just that, a one story movie. The response was earth shaking so Lucas started piecing together other ideas which became two other movies and years later the prequel trilogy. It was renamed Star Wars Episode 4 when it was rereleased later because it fit in the middle of the other stories.
I was 17 in 1977. My date and I stood in a line that was 200 yards long. All 4 screens at the theater were playing only this movie. It was a blast.
Iconic quotes- Never underestimate a droid. I have a bad feeling about this. I find your lack of faith disturbing. (one of my favorite scenes) That's no moon. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. Great kid, don't get cocky. The force is strong with this one.
Since no one at the studio thought this movie would do anything, George Lucas was able to secure all merchandisng rights as part of his pay check. For all the SW movies/animation made, these rights alone are worth 12 Billion dollars. Star Trek-1966-69 (Lucielle Ball's studio, Desi-Lu produced Star Trek)
As an 8 year old in 1977, I saw this every chance I had. Sometimes first showing to last. Then Star Trek, Dragonslayer, Time Bandits, Indiana Jones, Tron... And before that Jaws and Rocky. What a great time to be a kid!
I remember the excitement that seemed to be sweeping the nation the weeks after it hit the theaters.
I remember asking my parents to take us to see it.
I remember riding 50 miles in the family car, a 1976 Dodge Aspen station wagon, to the nearest movie theater that was showing it, to wait in a line to get tickets.
I remember feeling awed by the silence of ....'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' followed by the loud symphonic tones of John Williams' score as the preliminary story scrolled out before us.
I remember the opening scene where Princess Leia's little ship was followed by the Imperial ship that seemed to fill the screen and go on forever.
I remember the moment the theater ERUPTED when the Death Star blew up!!
Such a landmark in my memory.
I was 5 when this came out and I had my mom (or dad) take me to see it 7 times in the theater. That's how groundbreaking it was. The effects were SO good, we did actually lose our shit. Lol
This is the same universe as ours so there is Earth, but like they said at the beginning this is a galaxy far, far away so nobody from this galaxy knows of Earth or has ever been there.
This was originally screened as Star Wars back in 1977. The success of this one led to the idea of a trilogy of trilogies. The first three shown would be the middle three, the next three would be the Clone War era, and the end would be the New Republic. The only characters in all nine would be R2-D2 and C3P0.
The original trilogy has a special heart. I watched them on VHS as a kid. My favorite out of these 3 is the 2nd film but I love all of them, as they are needed to build the Star Wars universe. My first Star Wars movie in theatres was Episode 1 and it has a very special place in my heart, it has some of the best fighting and music in the entire series. Older people (hardcore "fans" of the OG trilogy) usually shit on it (which hurts me) because it has a lot more humorous moments for younger Star Wars fans but for me (a 10yr old) it was just a great first Star Wars big screen experience.
It's hard to explain just how ground-breaking this movie was, in so many ways. I will never forget the first time I saw the opening scene with the massive Imperial ship flying overhead. That single shot told you it was going to be a really fun ride! Oh, and if you want an even younger Harrison Ford, watch American Graffiti .
It's the perfect opening. Within 10 seconds, you know that the rebels are hopelessly outclassed and outpowered by the Empire. It tells you everything you need to know.
Jen: I get the feeling C3-P0 is a little dramatic.
Us: You have no idea!
"Is this a different universe?" You didn't pay attention to the beginning. "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..."
Glad you liked the movie. Yeah, the whole thing has the order 4,5,6,1,2,3,7,8,9. In case you want to watch the full Star Wars saga.
Ooh Jen I was so shocked as a kid when I saw the skeletons too! Literally first ‘dead body’ I’d seen in a movie haha Love the videos, you’re awesome!
Thanks Kyle! :)
"That guy (C3 PO) seems kind of pessimistic". LMAO!
It’s easy to see Han as selfish, but you have to understand that he comes from a world where anyone would backstab you for a few credits and he owes a huge debt to one of the galaxy’s most ruthless gangster. He just can’t afford to stick around when Jabba is waiting for his money
The Death Star arrives at Alderaan.
Jen: "Is that Earth?"
Literally the first words of the movie "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."
Lol sometimes dumb stuff pops out of my mouth. I usually cringe in editing when I realize & debate taking it out to avoid being called dumb by everyone, but it is what it is!
@@jenmurrayxo Very glad you left it in, "You have taken your first step into a larger world." ~Obi-wan Kenobi
@@jenmurrayxo So not dumb. Scads of people ask that the first time they watch it.
It helps you really feel the devastation when Alderaan (spoiler alert) blows up. Imagine watching Earth be obliterated in an instant.
great reaction really enjoyed it. you asked about release order and george has said he did this one on a really small budget and to pitch it to the studio he had the whole basic series in his head and picked the one he thought would be best shot to get funding, and in case it was not enough of a hit to get funding for any more the one he most wanted to see made. when the first three were released they had no chapter numbers just the movie title all that has been added in the 2000s during redos of some of the effects shots. on a side note george created ILM to do the effects as there were no effects depts left in the studios. oh and the original star trek series was on tv about 10 years before this in the late 60s.
1:38 Well, remember you're seeing the "special edition" of "A New Hope," which means the original practical special effects have had a CGI going-over. In some cases that means fully new sequences, others the old sequence was replaced by a slightly different CG one, and in some they just spiffed up the existing imagery. The sad part, from my perspective, is you're not seeing this on a REALLY big screen, like IMAX or the big curved 70mm screens from that era. I was there for the first run of "A New Hope" and I vividly remember that first viewing. This was a MIND-BLOWING scene! The huge screen, the surround sound, the stirring bombast of John Williams' score, and then, that SO DAMN BIG Imperial Star Destroyer rumbling in "overhead," with about a mile-and-a-half of ship before it finally passed entirely into the picture! This was only nine years after the supreme achievement of "2001: A Space Odyssey," which has absolutely amazing visuals, and then THIS happened! As much fun as you may have watching this now, 11-year-old me was absolutely gob-smacked at what I was witnessing!
As far as popularity goes, in historical context it goes back and forth between "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back." I give the razor-thin edge to ANH, since it had to lay down the basic structure of Star Wars, but also laid out a compelling story at the same time. Which takes nothing away from TESB, because while it didn't have to do the heavy-lifting of the first movie, it so entirely opened up the Star Wars "universe" while telling an even MORE complex and interesting story that gave greater depth to the original at the same time. This is why I am not a fan of the following movie, "Return Of The Jedi," as IMO it doesn't break any new ground, and in many ways takes a step back with our heroes and even mishandles the villains.
But if you go back to '77, when "Star Wars" was all we knew, there was NOTHING to compare it to! There had been exactly ONE summer blockbuster before it, "Jaws" in the summer of 1975, but it was dwarfed by Star Wars. The theater I saw it at REGULARLY had lines that wrapped two and even three times around the block! It played there for over ONE YEAR before it left! Folks began to see it in costume and brag on how many TENS of times they saw it! That was a time, my dear. That was a time!
not only was a tiny human inside C-3PO costume (Anthony Daniels) but also Inside R2-D2 (sometimes) Kenny Baker.
Lucas said in a interview back in the 80’s he had scripts for 9 films after the success of American Graffiti the studio approved 1 film so he started with the strongest one in hopes it would allow him to get the rest made, I read another interview later where he denied he had other scripts written, Ford is also in Graffiti, to make ends meet between roles he worked as a carpenter, Lucas used him to read against other actors for roles and finally decided to use him in the film.
Lucas has retconned his own personal history with the development of the Star Wars saga over the decades. In the lead up to the release of the prequels, the magazine SCI-FI UNIVERSE did an extensive timeline of the contradictory claims Lucas had made (taken from various interviews) about the development of the sequels and prequels.
I've gone through phases of loving each film, and now it's hard to see them separately. The narrative works so well as a cohesive whole, each building on the last.
Episode 5 is one of the best sequels of all time, and episode 6 uses all that momentum for an incredible conclusion. I can guarantee the only disappointment you'll have is the fact that the experience won't go on forever :)
Yep, there were actors inside both C-3PO & R2-D2, Anthony Daniels & Ken Baker, respectively.
James earl jones is only the voice. The actor in the Costume is David Prowse, a british actor/bodybuilder who also had roles in A Clockwork Orange and several Hammer Horror films(as Frankenstein's monster)
So I read this on Tumblr a while back but it makes so much sense. The reason why Leia is upset and angry with Luke, Han and Chewie's rescue was because if she was expecting a rescue, she'd be expecting highly trained agents with the right skills and a plan and instead she got a farmer, a scoundrel, a walking carpet, and an old man in what's essentially a supe'd up space Winnebago that looks like it'll break down at any minute. When you rescue a high value political delegate you send Mission Impossible, not Cheech and Chong. XD
When you are where she was, you take what you can get. And surely she knew Obi Wan was a Jedi Knight. Not everyone gets one of those , esp at a time when Jedi are believed to either be myths or extinct. The 'scoundrel' is one of the best smugglers in the Galaxy and the "Winnebego" is one of the fastest ships, at least in private hands. The "Walking carpet" is good with a blaster and can also rip a man in two, and the 'farmer', besides being cute is brave and was the impetus behind her rescue in the first place. Now I'm being just as tongue - in-cheek as the OP, in part because its obvious she quickly comes to like them and she's hardly the Helpless Entitled Princess type, anyway, but if she was it's good to remember how special her group of rescuers was even if you overlook their future contributions to the Rebellion.
Speking of a "Space Winnebago," what do you think of "Spaceballs" and "The Schwarz"?;)
Being 13 in 1977 and seeing the originals, the one thing that annoyed me was how Lucas seemed to have to go back and tweak something. Like whenever the films were released in a new format. and especially when the prequel film were set to be released. You have yet to see the most egregious change, to me, in Return of the Jedi to tie it in to the prequels.
@Kristopher Chavez It's really not out of the ordinary for an artist to go back and tweak his own work. Funny thing is, Lucas also made changes to the prequels. I still remember being pretty surprised to learn that puppet Yoda in TPM had been replaced with digital Yoda for the Blu-ray version.
Besides, the films did need a drastic update due to the deterioration of the original print. It helped to fix issues such as the lightsabers changing colour or the matte lines showing up ;)
We sure did lose our shit in 1977 seeing this. I was seven years old, it blew my mind.
I Was around the same age..yeah..no other movie I ever went to had an audience that cheered .. during and after.
"People in 1977 must have lost their shit." I was 12 when I saw this in the theater in 1977 ... and yes, I lost my shit.
George Lucas wrote the whole Star Wars saga at one time. When he finally secured the means to make a movie, he was concerned that the audience might not be as receptive to the story if he started from the beginning. The first three chapters were more about character development and weaving together the incidents and actions that created the stage for the start of the story line. So, he chose to start the movie with the fourth chapter of the saga which Lucas thought was more engaging than the beginning.
When you're done with all of the episodes, look up the deleted scenes and a lot will be filled in for you. That goes for all the episodes, especially Revenge of the Sith so you can see how the rebellion was formed.
17:11 About Earth being in this part of the area? Well.. the opening line sais " A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...." so no. But who knows how distant their galaxy is to our Milky Way? :)
Star trek came out in 1966. It took this movie (in '77) to get me into star trek; plus my brother helped too with star trek books and 2 plastic model kits .
Excellent reaction!! FYI, C3PO is played by Anthony Daniels & Darth Vader was played by David Prowse. James Earl Jones only did the voice . 🙂
TOS (the original Star Trek series) was in the mid sixties, long before this movie came out. Although the franchises have been long rivals (an even moreso with their diehard fanbases), in hindsight I would say each only managed to make the other better during those competitive years rather than take anything away.
@Yewan Memnos Yeah, the debate used to be over which was better, now it's over which one is more broken. :(
I love both franchises, if not so much the movies since the 2000s onward. Star Wars is better at the epic sweep adventure story telling, more along the lines of mythology; whereas Star Trek is better at morality plays and allegories about the human condition, and striving for a bright, better future.
Mark Hamill held his breath so long during the compactor scene that he ruptured a blood vessel on the side of his face
Omg!
@@jenmurrayxo and Chewies suit retained a bad smell for the rest of the movie
I vividly recall my first time watching this in 1977. I was sitting in the second row, and that Imperial ship came in right over my head...lost my sh*t for sure. That film raised the bar for special effects much higher than it had been before, and this was well before CGI.
That must've been so cool!!!
@@jenmurrayxo Oh, it was! Science fiction and fantasy geeks world wide were flipping out. It was fun.
When I first saw this as a kid in '77 it was simply called Star wars. It wasn't until the film's theatrical re-elease in 1981 that it received the episode IV a New Hope. A 6'6 guy named David Prowse played Darth Vader but James Earl Jones was the voice.
Originally this was just titled Star Wars. It was retitled and given the episode number in the lead up to the prequel trilogy release.
Yes! That Star Destroyer flying over in the beginning was utterly mind blowing in 1977!!!!
Must have been wild!! ☺👍
@@jenmurrayxo I was almost 7 years old when my old man took me and my big bro to see it! 😁
Very good reaction. I love how much of the movie you showed in runtime and screen size. Great job! I’m looking forward to more! Episode 5 and 3 and Rouge One are my favorites.
Thank you! Looking forward to this epic journey :)
That's super seventies LOL, yeah that describes a lot of things like Han calling Leia sister that no one ever says anything about.
"she's.."
Tarkin "charming,"
Editing masterpiece JM.
Biggs: "Luke is the best bush pilot in the outer rim territories,"
Han under his breath: "that what she said."
Luke you're cool, Han your cool, eff you Vader. LOL,
R2 and chewie be like “Where’s my medal!?”
"People in 1977 must have lost their shit."
Yes. Yes we did.
Always 👀 for new reactors to movies and shows, especially SW! Yay for me, found one more!! Thanks for doing this, keep up the good work…✌️😎
Thanks! More to come for sure :)
The animal skeleton in the desert was a krayt dragon and a small one of those. The scream, that Obi-Wan used to scare away the sandpeople, was that of a krayt dragon.
There was a actor in both C3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2D2 (Kenny Baker).
Speaking of Earth, the only things we really know are that this takes place in another galaxy, not our Milky Way, and it takes place in the distant past. The presence of humans in that distant galaxy wasn't ever explained, although there was a story that was going to explain it, but it never got finished and published. It involved time travel and travel over vast distances, to another galaxy, of a small group of humans from future Earth, which over thousands of years became the most populous species of the galaxy in which Star Wars takes place, still in our distant, ancient past. I kind of wish that story got published.
The opening scene with the blockade runner & the star destroyer was absolutely mind-blowing in 1977.
I bet!! 🤯
@@jenmurrayxo And as I mentioned in a reply to someone else's comment, most '70s sci-fi was Malthusian dystopian stuff like "Logan's Run" and "Soylent Green". (Hence the Family Guy joke about "Now back to a depressing 1970's sci-fi movie, starring some guy in a turtle neck.")
Not sure if anyone’s answered Star Trek came first in the 60s I watched this movie in the theatre when I was 8 years old lol totally the reason I love science-fiction today 🙏❤️🙏
Just to expand on it a little, the first Trek movie came after Star Wars. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was 1979 IIRC.
It was cute the way she said,""it's chaos aboard the Death star"
☺
I was 10 years old when this came out. My sister took me to go see it. In a theater with their sound system, my little brain exploded!!
The force is strong with Jen, she many guesses on point.
The original trilogy was "originally" one movie. Lucas broke them up by the act structure of most movies, the setup, the confrontation, the conclusion. You're watching the rerelease, where Lucas went back and added special effects that he imagined but wasn't capable of doing with practical effects of the 70's. He also named it Episode IV: A New Hope. The original release never had a title. He picked the 4th Episode to start because he figured it would have the most bang and get peoples attention, nothing like this had ever been done before and FOX didn't have any faith in it. So, Lucas went with the one he felt had the best chance to be successful and have more made. Lucasfilms self-financed the movies. He also gave up $500,000 of his paycheck to get the rights to the merchandising and that's how he made his money. Another thing, Lucas drew heavily on a Japanese movie, The Hidden Fortress, there are TH-cam clips showing the referencing, but more importantly, you'll see like that movie, the story is told from the servants eyes and not the main characters. This story is actually told through C3-PO and R2-D2's eyes. You'll notice one if not each of them in just about every shot. They are the story tellers....
I was 7 years old in '77. Imagine how my mind mas blown.
I first saw this on VHS when I was five.
Yes, it blew my mind.
I'm so excited for you to see this!
I remember watching this movie with my dad when I was only 6 years old. (for reference, I'm almost 40) He sat me down and had a VHS copy of the original theatrical release, and we watched it. I must have re-watched it a million times in the following years. It holds a very special place in my nostalgia-riddled heart. I love all the Star Wars movies (yes, even the prequels and sequels) and hope that my son gets to feel about these films the way I felt.
You've started down an exciting path, and I'm all in to see your reactions to it! Keep it up, and may the force be with you! :)
It's so sweet to hear how connected people are to these movies, I love it I'm! I'm excited to watch these too! Feels like an epic journey awaits me! :)
Im a little older than you and I showed my son the trilogy on VHS back in the 90s. He was obsessed with the scene where (spoiler alert) Vader cuts off Luke's hand. Something about the shocking violence of the scene without blood really captivated him in a strange way. Kept asking to watch it over and over again.
He got over it...
@@jenmurrayxo That's good. You've taken your first steps into a larger world.
I hope you continue with Star Wars. The empire strikes back is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Oh yes Episode V is on Patreon, coming to TH-cam soon! 👍
After movies like JAWS and Star Wars, film making would never be the same again.
Loved this reaction, Jen!
that huge vertebra is a krait dragon. it is the thing that the sand pepole are afraid of which obiwan imitated the noise of.
the little things with glowing eyes are called jawas
Whoa! Nice jump start here. Those "Star Wars" fans... They will ALWAYS ( I like to THINK that) help you with your reactions. Looking forward to more of your work.
My mom saw this in theaters when it first came out, and she said it was the coolest thing that they'd ever seen - just mindblowing.
I wish I'd seen in theaters!
@@jenmurrayxo I mean I saw the prequels in theaters! Not the original ones of course, as I wasn't born yet lol
Easter egg - at the start of breaking Leia out of the prison, Luke says "Prisoner transfer from cell block 1138." This is a reference to Lucas's first film, THX 1138. This number can be found in most Lucasfilm projects.
Ohh fun fact 😊👍
I see you’ve started the alien franchise too. A few other franchises:
- Back to the Future
- Indiana Jones
Also, she would LOVE firefly
@@matthewcastens2532 actually, all these reactors really need to watch BSG from the 2000s
Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
I’m so glad you’re reacting to the Star Wars Series you will definitely love all the movies and the story it tells
In 1977, this was after "Star Trek" the television series (1966) and after "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) and after "Silent Running" (1972), but before "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1978) and "Star Trek I: The Motion Picture" (1979) and "Alien" (1979). You can kind of see from the dates how much this movie affected the kind of storytelling technology that was available. Before Star Wars, there wasn't really any such thing as a dedicated stand-alone special effects company.
The terrets on the Millenium Falcon are reminiscent of the ball turret of the WWll B-17. The whole thing moves to help track fast moving targets. In 77, when this movie released it was the most amazing thing we had ever seen. It was just Star Wars then. They didn't add chapter numbers until They started the next trilogy. We had heard that the whole story was a trilogy of trilogies but never expected at first to see them all.
The original Star Trek ran from 66 to 69. The first Star Treek Movie was in 79. Babylon 5(a very good series) started in 94.
The John Williams music score for Star Wars was a huge seller. It was a double record set and was amazing. It seems like everybody had their own copy. Going by memory here, but I think it was the biggest selling movie soundtrack ever.
Also, 20th Century Fox gave away the merchandising rights to Star Wars for nothing or almost nothing to George Lucas. Back in those days, merchandising was a very small part of a total movies gross. George made an absolute fortune off the merchandising rights. It does my heart good to know he didn't get screwed over by the movie studio on Star Wars.
Harrison Ford's first movie was _American Graffiti,_ which was also written and directed by George Lucas. It's a revered classic that you should react to, since you have a crush on hunky Harrison.
Lol def crushing :) Will check out for sure!
@@jenmurrayxo Might I suggest Carrie Fisher's excellent memoir The Princess Diarist. You get to learn some about an amorous Harrison in 1976, and Carrie is reliably hilarious.
I believe Ford's first film was American Graffiti. Which was also a Lucas film, and he did not initially want to use Ford again, not because he did not like him, he just did not want to use people form previous films again.
"...or is Earth in this at all? Is this a different universe?"
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
The _Star Trek_ TV series came first in the 60s. There were ideas being kicked around for doing another _Star Trek_ TV show, but when _Star Wars_ single-handedly reinvented special effects, Paramount abandoned the TV show idea and shot _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ instead.
This movie was not originally "Episode IV." When the movie first came out in the theatres, it was simply Star Wars. "Episode IV" was added after the film was a success and sequels were planned. However, even then, I don't think that the prequels were planned at the time. Rather, I think that "Episode IV" was an homage to the adventure/sci-fi serials from the 50's and 60's that Lucas loved (like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers).
The original Star Wars is based upon Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress," with the addition of fantasy elements (like the Force), aircraft combat (the whole of the last act), and the hero's journey as described by Conrad (Luke). Talk of some grand operatic hexology or ennology planned out from the start is revisionist history. This doesn't mean that the other films are bad, it just explains why some characterizations that appear later are different from what came before.
make that "an homage to the adventure/sci-fi serials from the 30's and 40's that Lucas loved (like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers)" and you got it right. They had stopped making serials by the 50's.
@@mikell5087 Indeed. I miswrote. I meant that Lucas *watched* them in the 50's when he was a child.
@@hanng1242 Ah, very good
Yes, there is a human inside C-3PO. Also inside R2-D2. Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker respectively.