Sooooo much this. All these franchises being sought after, bought, then destroyed wouldn't be happening if they weren't so well recieved in the first place.
I think too many people confuse campy/silly with brainless. A New Hope definitely had silly elements, but it wasn't brainless. It was genuinely well written and any “cheesy” parts just reflected the fun nature of the story. It could also get serious when it needed to, like in the Death Star meeting scene that established the Empire as an actual... empire. It really annoys me when people defend terrible writing in modern projects like the BOBF because "SW has always been cheesy".
Cheesy is defined as "cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic." Another definition is, ": of poor quality : lacking style or good taste." None of that applies to Star Wars.
I think the people who use that argument don't actually believe it. They are just unable to defend modern SW so they just try to tear down the originals.
The perception of the concept has changed, because time does that. The people calling the original cheesy or campy are mostly inexperienced and not well educated. (Quality of education, not amount.)
It’s the quintessential depiction of the hero’s journey. Even if it never spawned a huge franchise afterwards, it would still be worth watching and studying for that alone.
It's quite a shame that they don't use The Heroes Journey concept anymore for nowadays Heroes and they all turn out to be either hollow, uninspired or unlikable.
@@dereklopez9060, I mean, you could say they still do that to some extent. Not sure Rogue One would count here, but I also think Jedi: Fallen Order would definitely be a good example of Disney Star Wars properly using the Hero's Journey concept, even if it has its own flare to it.
@@occam7382 I'd say the Hero's Journey applies to Rogue One. It's just that the heroes became heroes during the course of the movie and, of course, none of them survived. If some of them had, they would have deserved to be on that dais with Luke, Han, and Leia receiving medals. Chewie should have been there as well.
For a movie that came out in 1977, A New Hope still holds up to this very day. It's still a masterpiece. When I first saw A New Hope, I was astonished. I watched it on VHS where the movie was unedited and you watch an exclusive interview with Leonard Maltin interviewing George Lucas before you watch the movie. Star Wars can be a bit cheesy at time's and it had humor, but to be honest, it has been dark more than anything.
I'm not sure it does hold up... The quality of the film does and the characters and story. But the message of both the OT and PT was right wing American politicians = bad. But recently those too trilogies have been used by supporters of those politicians to say why modern star wars is "too left" or even "too political". I've even heard the argument that they use "too much modern American politics". So I really think the overall message of the film hasn't held up and has been lost
@@rez00L it’s not that people think the messages are out dated. It’s that some people say it’s outdated and what they mean is it’s not white enough anymore. Not all of them, but your stupid if u don’t see how that’s what all of the crisitism devolves into. Kinda like how they don’t like that Rey “ ruins “anakin legacy. I’ll agree if u can tell me what the fuck balance to the force even means?
I think people forget how significant the first Star Wars was. Not only did it introduce us to the universe of Star Wars, but it introduced us to a whole new kind of cinema. Every epic sci-fi and fantasy movie afterwards is an extension of Star Wars, and every blockbuster evolved from it. Yeah, Star Wars is cheesy and light-hearted, but it STILL IS one of the most exciting and immersive experiences you can have. I've watched the film over and over, and I'm still blown away what they could accomplish in 1977. Far more than what 300 million dollars and overblown CGI has accomplished these days
There’s a reason Star Wars sits at 13 on the AFI top 100 films of all time. Yes the the movie broke new ground on how modern films are now made today. But, what truly resonated was our connection to the characters and themes George Lucas presented. Using Campbell as his narrative structure with the Hero’s Journey, to imagery and influence from Saturday matinee serials to Kurosawa. This film was well crafted from script to the editing bay! George also treated his audience with more respect to understanding this movie and not to dumb it down - brilliant film in all respects!
Watch A New Hope with no soundtrack. John Williams’ score 100% elevates the film and creates emotional moments that speak to the core of humanity. Add to that the classic heroes journey and other well executed timeless tropes and somehow it speaks to people on an instinctual level. Then place it in the 1970s, a decade where a good portion of cinema was cynical and dwelled on the worst of humanity, and suddenly this movie of hope becomes a welcome breath of fresh air that audiences didn’t know they needed. I draw a parallel to the season 2 finale of the Mandalorian and the time it was released. I read countless stories of people tearing up. People need hope. And I think that’s something some creatives forget when they approach Star Wars.
I think encouraging "spirituality" in the sense that commitment to morals and causes beyond the self through Luke, Cal, Kannan, or anyone is desperately needed in today's world. They display integrity, perseverance, humility, and optimism that would starkly contrasts the rest of media and be very refreshing. It doesn't have to be silly
The great thing about Star Wars is that it can be many different things all at the same time. If you want, it can be a light hearted adventure with fantastical battles, but if you look more closely and analyse it, there is also an incredible amount of depth and themes that keep you interested and make you come back to it again and again.
I was 16 in 1977 when I first saw Star Wars. I went with my Dad and as we were leaving the theater I was amazed when he said he liked the movie. Star Wars was so good that even my Dad liked it! You can't get better praise than that.
The ONLY way you can compare SW holding up, is to also consider what movies and TV were available at the time in 1977. If you see Herby the Love bug, Logan's Run, The Deer Hunter, The Bionic man, Three's Company, and many other entertainment OF THE DAY - SW would REALLY stand out.... that is why it changed how movies and TV was made ever since. SW was just supposed to be summer fair, but so many elements came together due to GEORGE getting very lucky with the good people he surrounded himself with.
Star Wars was absolutely revolutionary for sci-fi. That's why almost every single sci-fi movie/show/video game/comic/etc made afterwards borrows something from SW.
It is definitely cheesy and silly but it is a masterpiece of cinema. In my opinion, Revenge Of The Sith and Empire Strikes back are my personal favorites because they have a more SERIOUS and Darker tone.
@@jamesfitzgerald1684 I think objectively. Empire is the most impactful movie and the biggest cultural Icon from the franchise, but if it was made today, with modern graphics/effects, and still had the same dialogue and acting, nobody would think it was better than RoTS. The People calling it the best Star Wars Movie confuses quality of story telling, world building and character development with cultural impact. They are not the same.
A new hope is my favourite star wars movie to this day, it enchanted me as a young child when my father showed it to me for the first time - a getaway from the cult of hollywood movies and something which will always hold a special place with it's captivating heroes journey! The sequels will never even touch it's boots.
Star Wars being campy: Lucas' Star Wars films took themselves very seriously, that's why they work. Any making light of it or memes around it has all been completely external. One of the problems with many franchises today, not only Star Wars. Perhaps influenced by the fact that there are memes and parodies around these franchises, or perhaps because the writers are self-conscious because their peers and many critics incorrectly consider these franchises to be silly and immature, they cover their asses by writing campiness into the actual shows and movies to some degree. But if you are writing something fantastical, having the movie or show not take itself seriously is it's death knell unless you are making a parody.
I was 27 when the original Star Wars came out, and it was the best "feel good" movie I can remember. They went to great lengths in order to make a collection of non-humanoid beings seem believable and not resemble Muppets or monsters. They even made a Jizz band with Max Rebo and Sly Snootles with completely original music. If I had to compare it to earlier movies, maybe American Graffiti or The Sting for its fast pacing or plot twists.
George Lucas did want to include whimsical elements in the movies. He said that it was made for children. But the fact is, it was loved by all at the time. Reviews from the time reflect that. Keep in mind that doesn't mean it was childish. Being made for younger audiences doesn't mean childish. Also, to judge it on today's standards means judging it against the massive influence it had on movie making. The technologies that were invented, the filming methods, the special effects, these things made such a huge difference in Hollywood. To compare it by today's standards just would be silly. It probably would be considered a bit cliche but today's standards, because it set up that cliche in the first place.
So true. The big reasons comparing a really good movie to Citizen Kane is seen as a joke nowadays is because the stuff the movie invented is now common in cinema.
You’ve got Han Solo blow a guy away in a bar, Luke’s aunt’s and uncle’s burned corpses, a whole planet blown up, Vader killing Obi-Wan, and the various other deaths of characters throughout the film (and that’s just a few examples). Hardly what I would call childish.
I watched the movie during its original release (I was 26). When I walked out I certainly had a lot of complaints about how it approached things. But it was still a lot more realistic looking than the typical science fiction movies of the time. And I've watched it many times since.
Star Wars works because it strikes a near perfect balance of light hearted humor AND serious drama! Which Marvel *used* to do, before they started getting WAY too silly...This was a breath of fresh air back in the 70s, a decade whose entertainment was largely marked as being "very serious and grounded in Reality"...
The ewoks were getting slaughtered. As an adult, rewatching the scene where the ewoks tried to get his friend/family member back up is heartbreaking, and I know it was pretty shattering to me even as a kid before I really understood what was going on. Star Wars has always been dark, but never pitch black. Without the dark you can’t distinguish the light, but without the light there’s nothing to look forward to.
Yep people forget that. I also felt that the movie invited some subtle horror near the end as we know Ewok has no problems eating humans and in a later celebration scene we see Imperial helmets serving as drums. What did they do the bodies? Oh and it is also mentioned in one book Ewok arrows are so effective in the film against Stormtroopers because the arrowhead is actually coated in a a toxin that makes it hard to breath. That is disturbing.
My dad still teases me about how, as a little girl, I would cry at that part every time we watched it. And I was a cynical kid who resented shows trying to tug on my heartstrings, but those Ewoks felt genuinely sad to me
When you watch A New Hope with someone who has never seen it, you get to watch it with fresh eyes, and I couldn't believe how much of the heavy lifting John Williams is doing.
The original isn't called a space opera for nothing. I'm fine with the pacing of it still, but a lot of the latest generation, would be on their phones when R2 is wandering the Jundland Wastes.
Agreed! A New Hope is my favorite movie in general and it’s score is also my absolute fovorite movie score in general. It will always be pure magic to me.
ANH is a masterpiece. I just wish they (lucas) hadn’t added the special features edition. The dialogue is a little off, but the music and sound effects are amazing in it. ANH was so good it could have stood on it’s own without a sequel.
Star Wars no matter what Trilogy you started with either the OT or Prequels but the thing is George Lucas started with Episode 4 and decided to shrink the script because it was far to long so he turned Star Wars into a movie which was a genius idea but the the thing is episode 4 was fun and adventurous!
I heard this comments as well, but usually from people who haven't seen the movie and non of the others either. It's like just because we who had loved it was young when we saw them for the first time or all the toys they see everywhere. I also heard a few who loved the sequels and thougt, well it had space ships, the force, aliens and robots. So I think those who says these think don't understand or have never seen Star Wars for more than the "flashy" exterior
I was ten years old when ANH came out. In 1977, there was not a lot of Sci-Fi movies available to watch. Even TV shows didn't have much. Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, 2001, Space 1999 and maybe some of the old Flash Gordons from long, long ago. I had watched syndicated Star Trek episodes, but when ANH came out, it was absolutely electrifying. EVERYONE wanted to go see it. Kids, Adults, Grandparents -- it was the rage for six months and beyond. My uncle (a teacher and a actual genius) stood in line to get tickets for me, my cousin and him for four hours just to see it the next day. He loved it and he did not like foolish or cheesy things. He was impressed. Lines of adults and kids wound around a city block waiting for tickets. Never had any movie ever created that much excitement. The thing I remember is that it was for all ages -- kids? Sure, there were plenty of Star Wars toys, comic books and costumes around Halloween. But adults went to see it numerous times. It appealed to everyone. Now, how would it compare today? Well, in 2022, kids are inundated with media. Realistic sci-fi games, comics, cable and internet channels especially focused on sci-fi and fantasy. ANH started a surge of sci-fi series and movies, such as Battlestar Galactica. Kids these days have grown up surrounded by Sci-fi due in large part to the groundwork laid by ANH. The toys today are much more advanced (and expensive) and the internet helps kids find groups of other kids with similar interests. So to take ANH from its' time period and ask it to measure up to today's youth who are gorged on sci-fi and fantasy would be a tall order. If you take into account the era that it came from with greatly limited special effects and budget, I think ANH stacks up rather well. With no fan service to deal with, as it was the first movie, it focuses on the story and characters and the dialogue is logical and reasonably mature by 1970s standards. I think the characters are solid and not cheesy at all. Some of the aliens might seem a bit goofy looking in 2022, but they didn't to anyone in 1977. Many of them, such as Chewbacca, look as good today as he did then. Lucas had some of the 1940s and 50s serials and adventure movies in his head when he wrote the dialogue, but it fit the era. In 1977, the special effects and the aliens blew everyone away. The star destroyer shooting at the blockade runner at the first was something I'll never forget. The packed theater was absolutely silent and glued to the screen during that scene. It was amazing then and thanks to ANH's success, Lucasfilm was able to advance CGI so that today's kids take special effects for granted. Even today the special effects are fair, but they were pure magic in 1977 and a film that revolutionized sci-fi and special effects for generations is certainly worthy of respect and honor.
Wonderful write up my man. Even for me growing up in the 80s 90s The OT was transformative. The closest thing I could compare it to at the time was Star Trek the Next Generation. And Episodes IV V and VI of Star Wars was so much more epic seeming and just fun and the effects so much more impressive than anything I had seen in any Star Trek movie or TV show it REALLLY sucked me in. What Star Wars did for Special Effects industry is just incredible. I was ACTUALLY introduced to Star Wars by episode V first. It wasn't even in a theater it was because I stayed home sick from school and my dad had the day off and rented one of his "favorite movies" to watch. So the first thing I saw in Star Wars was the Ice Planet of Hoth. I can still remember asking my dad "How did he do that!?" when Luke pulled his lightsaber out of the snow. And to see Obi-Wan's force ghost appear and as my dad "Who's that? is that a Ghost!?" lol. I remember laying down on the couch and when the Imperial March played for the first time (My dad had a good surround sound setup to the TV setup etc) I literrally shot up and was like WHAT!? To see those Star Destroyers and TIE fighters and to hear all that sound and that march... I was like "WHAAAAT! This is AWESOME!" It was only after I saw that movie and was capitvated by all of it my dad got us A New Hope and Return of the Jedi so I could watch them all consecutively. Such a great adventure.
@@benjaminroe311ify A lot of people had the same experience. When The Phantom Menace came out, my wife and I went to the theater to see it, but there were two teenage boys we knew that had never seen SW in the theaters -- any of the episodes. So we offered to take them with us, and for one of the two, it was his very first time in a movie theater (due to his religion, which earlier that year changed their views and allowed them to see movies). Robbie had seen SW movies, but only at home and we told him that he was in for a treat. When the 20th Century Fox music began playing and the SW theme began with the scrolling text, his eyes about popped out of his head. He was grinning from ear to ear for the whole thing and it was really neat to see, because he had the same experience with TPM that I'd had back in 1977 with ANH. Star Wars, is miles ahead of other sci-fi in the passion of those who view it and the love of the universe. Star Trek is fairly close, but with SW in the early years, it was the whole package -- Actors you liked, good scripts and plots, amazing special effects (for that time frame) and of course John William's epic music. You're right, it is a 'great adventure'.
Kinda funny because I watched ANH for the first time in a long time a couple weeks ago, and I was struck by the artistry of the cinematography. I normally am not into noticing stuff like that, but I couldn't help it. I think that the attempt to treat all of the "campy" elements of scifi as the subject of "real" film shows in all of the tiny details, and that detail orientation in turn keeps things from looking cheap, unconvincing, or hokey. The only thing that grabbed me as being really goofy was the idea that it took so long for the Imperials to realize there was something amiss and not absolutely flooding that section of the station with troops. Oh so the plan was to let them get away the whole time? Yeah right... Then I got to thinking... There had been ample time up to that point for the plans to be copied and re-distributed, so finding the original stolen set to stop them spreading was more or less a moot point, and Tarkin does not seem to put much stock in their usefulness anyway. From the beginning, what Tarkin wanted was to find the rebel base, as without support from Bail Organa and the Senate, the rebellion is the greatest potential threat to the Death Star and the Empire. They have the princess, but neither torture nor essentially the ultimate attempt at extortion worked to get her to give up the location of the base, and now that they've blown up her home and family there is no chance she will choose anything but death before betraying the rebellion. Vader's personal primary objective is to find, isolate and kill Kenobi, which he achieves easily, whether Kenobi intended to act as a distraction or not. He doesn't have to reign in the stormtroopers because it doesn't really matter who gets killed, as long as one of them escapes, probably the princess, since Vader is a smart sort and knows she won't tell anyone else the location if they don't already know it while they are still at risk for capture. What we, the audience, don't know yet is that if Luke, Han, R2 and Chewie don't survive, the death star is probably not going down this time, or maybe ever. Then they have but to follow the Falcon's tracking signal to find the rebel base, because the Falcon's crew doesn't have any choice but to go there, both to ensure delivery and distribution of the plan, but to keep the Death Star away from non-combatant systems before it can be stopped. Basically, there are a lot of different threads at play and there is an almost unimaginable amount at stake. So even some of the "big" plotholes, actually aren't when you trace them back, which can't be said for the new stuff.
They flooded that section with troops quite quickly. Han's attempt to BS the guards over the coms didn't work unlike in other Hollywood movies. That is what makes the movie actually quite good. The guards on the Death Star don't fall for the classic movie cliches. Random unscheduled prisoner transfer? Leuitanent Shan Childsen is quick to actually the cellblock the troopers and prisoner allegedly came from. Han's bluff doesn't work and the Stormtroopers guarding the tractor beam power coupling actually go and investigate when they hear something unusal.
Multiple things can be true at once: - The Star Wars universe has room to tell lots of different kinds of stories and still be "Star Wars". - You're the proverbial 'Sith dealing in absolutes' if a film or show has to always be 100% serious/not serious to be good. :P But truly, you can have fun and still tell a good and meaningful story. The mark of a good storyteller is knowing how to balance both in appropriate amounts in a given story. The original Star Wars knows how to do this pretty well. Plenty of humor and fun adventure balanced with moments of seriousness that appeals to all generations. The biggest mistake modern creators make is thinking a piece of media has to be dumbed down or corny to appeal to children and totally serious or "dark" with "mature" content to appeal to adults. Good stories are like the Force: balanced.
Very well said thor. I was born in 02 and remember the first time I watched ANH. I was blown away not from the sci fi aspect, but because the STORY HOLDS up to this day. I actually remember rolling my eyes at the blaster effects when I first saw it. But ANH is my favourite star wars movie tied with rouuge one, because the movie has consequences, Conseqeunces like than having to pay off jaba in 5, and being his wall decor in 6. just because the main demographic is for kids doesn't mean a movie has to sell out to childish audiences
I'm sixteen and it's my favorite one even though when I was born all of the Prequels were already released and I grew up with the clone wars. It was the second star wars film I saw after the phantom menace (I mean I knew the story of the saga either way and in Germany these were the only ones you were allowed to watch with 6) and I did notice that the effects obviously weren't as good but my dad explained the issue for me. Since then I've watched all the other star wars movies and still have to say: A new Hope has a special place in my heart and I appreciate it for what it is
This "the original Star Wars wasn't actually good" style argument feels like an extension of "its a kids movie. It's not supposed to be good". They can't defend what they like so they have to tear down everything else. And the original trilogy does still hold up.
It's definitely always been campy. It's always included a lot of poorly written dialogue and some seriously over the top melodrama style performances. It is perfection.
The critics and audiences of the time definitely treated it as a genuine movie. As a sincere movie. It’s nothing like, say, Adam West Batman. And if it was silly and campy, Joey could you parody it like Spaceballs which came out only a little later? It’s roughly the same tone as Avengers infinity War. It was geared toward teens and had humor but was also about deeper themes, especially heroism and doing the right thing.
It has its issues, but A New Hope still holds up today, mainly with how it depicts the Hero's Journey. The characters are still likeable and relatable even today. Lucas put his heart and soul into it and the cast did the best they could with it. Whoever said this nonsense probably defends the sequels because deep down, they know those garbage films won't hold up compared to the original, hell, even the prequel trilogies.
When George Lucas was making the first Star Wars movie, he was trying to make his own interpretation of Flash Gordon, but with other things added in, because he couldn't get the rights to do a Flash Gordon film.
I think SW while being fun was never childish. There are Ideas in there, story arcs, character growth. And it was serious while having some funny scenes, or even some cheesy stuff. It still told a story, it had a great journey for not only one character. To me, it holds up better than alot of the newer stuff. The villains are actually threatening. Characters have flaws but are likeable (besides the villains maybe) and as I said have arcs for them. The story still flows rather well. New movies (not only the SW ones, but those for sure) don't have the same. I don't think any villain in the new trilogy was really threatening. Kylo loses his first fight, and Snoke while he could have worked was killed in a really stupid way. Especially Rey does NOT have a real flaw, and also doesn't really have much of a journey or arc, simply because she already is perfect - thats the issue with Mary Sue characters, they are just not interesting. Story doesn't flow well in my opinion, which could also be because they basically remade episode 4, but everything that followed wasn't really thought through beforehand so it really feels clunky. The original movie also made more sense in terms of how the world (or universe) was setup and worked. So bottom line for me: A new hope still holds up as a movie, even if it has funny moments and is cheesy at times.
I have found that a lot of things like: "it's always been silly" comes from people who haven't seen it in a long while (if at all, yes I am looking at you disnoids) and work with foggy, partial memories of the big scenes. Similar to the situation when people criticize Rey-Sue Palpatine and bring up Luke being a mary sue, bringing up his piloting skills are brought up as an example. Then, when you actually go and watch the movie, Luke being a pilot and a good one at that is mentioned several times throughout the movie. PS: Screw the Ewoks
I was a little kid when Star Wars came out and I loved it. I loved the story and how REAL it felt. I loved how all the different species lived and worked together on the different planets. George could have just made a few alien species and had them on their own planets. It probably would have been cheaper to make it that way, but he didn't. He made it feel like a real place somewhere out there beyond our galaxy. About the Ewoks. Yes, they LOOKED like furry teddy bears, but remember, they were going to cook and eat, Han, Luke and Chewie. Not exactly a kid-friendly concept. They also got the better of the stormtroopers in battle. Ok so they may have had a bit of help from plot armor, but they did rise to the challenge and honored their committment to the new members of their tribe and stood with them in battle. If JarJar had such a "rise to the challenge" moment at the end of TPM, instead of accidentally taking out the enemy while he was trying to run away and hide, he might have been redeemed in the eyes of the adults in the audience. I noticed that Filoni tried to do that for him in some of the Clone Wars episodes.
I felt Jar Jar wasn't supposed to rise to the challenge but be a character that is failing upwards through luck and thus is a chronic case of a fish out of water.
Haven't finished the video yet but I absolutely love that you are doing this. That's all I ask for! Same standard of critique applied across all Star Wars and not just the new stuff
I mean it's easy to say that things in ANH may be campy, cheesy or cliche now, but this is a 40+ year old movie....it pioneered some of those aspects you see so much of now in movies and stories lol. I don't think its really fair to hold it up to the same standards we have now. Of course some things could be better, some story beats may not make sense (especially once you get into ESB and ROTJ) but it was an entirely different landscape for movie making back them well. You can say the same thing about early Star Trek, but they both defined an entire generation for a reason.
This is one of the arguments I absolutely despise. People who can't defend their own point just try to change the subject and attack things that came before. They are basically admitting defeat since they are not defending, they are just attacking. I'm not even going to justify that argument by defending the OG movies. Those movies stand for themselves. If you take someone who's never seen Star Wars before and show them the OT then the sequels, I am certain they will see the obvious friggen issues with the sequels. They may not like the OT, but they have to be idiots not to see the glaring problems in the ST.
I think the difference between the original trilogy and the newer movies is that the underlying story is very good and relatable, and has a satisfying conclusion. the newer movies are harder pressed to do this, although I will say that the prequels got better to me as time wore on than I originally thought at the time. The sequels however, I was so upset about them that I haven't rewatched any of them, skipped the 3rd movie, and never intend to go back....
We can’t ignore our biases and how they affect they way we look at things, so the time and environment in which Star Wars came out in definitely has to do with what anyone claims about it. However, I think Lucas’ genius comes out when we see the variety he put in the films. Character, environmental, emotional and, yes, even thematic diversity helps Star Wars feel as big as it is.
When TFA came out, I caclulated the number of tickets that first SW movie sold. Then I did the same for TFA. Incredibly, more Americans bought tickets to the first SW than bought tickets for TFA. And SW only released in America compared to TFA releasing worldwide. And that was 40 years later, with an additional 100 million people on the planet. Add all those together and face it, modern SW is not nearly as popular as it was. The first movie was GIANT. People nowadays have no idea.
I think it was great for the time it was released. I did not see it as campy or childish. I think people today ate too jaded and expect more adult themes rather than just a movie to suspend reality for a while and enjoy the adventure
It's only cheesy to modern audiences because they think the props look cheesy and the style isn't marvelesque that they have been exposed to so much. They make a comparison that should never be made having no knowledge of the time or context of the world then, It wasn't just sci fi movies that were bleak it was most films in every genre, and also it was probably seen by more adults than kids when it came out. Most kids saw it when it became popular via word of mouth and reviews and parents took them to see it. The OT was filled with very adult issues or coming of age issues. The wiz bang was so the kids would have fun too. ESB can almost be viewed as a horror movie if you look at the things that happen to them all in it. I introduced my kids to these movies in the 90's and they loved it then so it holds up.
I did this. A NH is pretty solid. (Some things maybe are over explained in it.) The biggest plot hole of why the Rebels decide to fight the Death Star is easily explainable. (RO wasn't necessary and didn't really fix this. It creates other story problems.) It's only cheesy during the Death Star part, especially the fight with the TIEs. RothJ is a disaster if you look at it closely though. This is mostly during the Endor battle (not the Tatooine part like some claimed). The ESB also has issues. The Hoth battle is a mess and dull.
Given my personal experience growing up behind the Iron Curtain, I came to Star Wars in a wrong order, starting with V and VI, on pirated videotapes, and I was utterly smitten. It was only in my late teens when A New Hope finally made it into the cinemas. It didn't smite me as much as the other two films, but even so, I went to watch it three times. Yes, it is somewhat simpler, but that doesn't make it bad - it's like, The Hobbit is simpler than The Lord of the Rings, but that doesn't make it childish or a poorly told story. There were still many dark and serious moments, pain and loss, which gave the story depth the like of which we never saw in the Sequels. And as for the Ewoks... yeah, they were cute. Which made for a wonderful contrast showing them waging such clever guerilla attack on the stormtroopers, and let is not be forgotten that originally, they planned to _eat_ people. They were small but they were brave hunters and warriors, while JarJar was just being an idiot.
@@emberfist8347 Except, without the wisdom and pain conveyed through Forrest's story... hence, he is comic relief without deeper meaning, and thus utterly annoying, at least for me.
One thing I think people confuse with the battle of endor, is the fact that we only see PART of it. The ground attack, while very much focuses on the ewoks, has a completely different part to it. You remember that one girl in the mandolorian talking about how rebels on endor were mowed down on endor. We never see that in the movie, but we know it happened.
I saw Star Wars for the first time in my twenties (though I knew the basic storyline-including the big reveal-and the characters before), so I have absolutely no childhood association with it. George Lucas’s Star Wars are, without a doubt, my favorite movies of all time, and I’m not sure what people mean when they say that these movies are “childish.” Yes, there are funny, silly, and lighthearted moments, but does that mean that they are childish? Like you pointed out, there were plenty of gritty, serious parts. Though I suppose if Star Wars was made today for adults, we would have actually seen Leia being tortured and Luke’s family being killed on screen. So does “child appropriate” necessarily means childish? And if Star Wars is considered childish or campy, I’m perfectly fine with that. Reality is serious and dark enough, in my opinion, and these movies about love, friendship, hope, and redemption honestly just make me happy.
Fun is a lot to ask of a single movie itself. To have fun is to accumulate positive sensory experiences. The associated "fun" of our experience with a SW movie doesn't come from the movie. It's our experience around it. More instance: watching it for first time in the theatre which could include many different components. The excitement of being one with the crowd, the thrill of anticipation, the dopamine hit from the popcorn and soda, the association of familial bonding as we experience this with our family. Think of it this way: how much fun can you really have watching a movie alone, on the couch, while scrolling on your smartphone? What were missing is the capability to be immersed.
I am SO tired of all these “fans” saying that this franchise or that franchise was never great to begin with. If these “fans” are challenged, they never give any definite or concrete answers. Either ignore them or ridicule them, I say. Sorry, I’ve reached the end of my tether with these “fans”…
It picked up on a lot of the motifs that originated from Greek playwrights and oral tradition. I think I remember George saying he basically wanted to make a love letter to the westerns and samurai films he loved as a kid (maybe in that 60 minutes interview where he called Disney white slavers lol, but don’t quote me of course). What worlds to collide, eastern and western…and in space no less!! And those films similarly picked up on those themes, so even if George wasn’t super literate in mythology I think he subconsciously carried that tradition over. Those older movies didn’t have effects and all to carry them, of course they had action but early movies really relied on strong storytelling to captivate the audience. Sure George wasn’t around at the beginning of cinematic film and it’s not like every old black and white film is narrative gold but that’s the tradition he grew out of, and when the effects did catch up Star Wars was part of (if not entirely) the spark that inspired a lot of the filmmaking techniques that went on to make movies what they are today (and in a sad twist of irony overcame great storytelling largely…which is ironic that movies now don’t seem as intelligently written as a result. Even the sequels don’t hold much of a candle in that regard which really shows the decline). I know this video centered on a new hope specifically but my favorite scene currently from the original trilogy is the discussion between Luke and Vader on the walkway before going to the emperor’s throne room. As a kid that all went over my head and I was just hype to see the final lightsaber battle but as I grew up that scene stood out more and more. Vader always seemed like a true scholar of the force and in that scene Luke matched his wisdom which is such a far cry from his character in his debut. And he got that far because he was so intrigued and inspired by his father’s memory in the first place! My second favorites are similar scenes in ESB, almost every line yoda has and pretty much every line Vader has too but especially in his bespin duel with Luke, again as a kid they just sounded like corny hero/villain banter but the older I get the more I find it really thoughtful. And of course a new hope had similar dialogue that aged well, obi-wan’s wisdom and Vader’s devotion to the dark side. Even most of the dialogue in the tench run sounds like hardened veterans rather than cheesy pilot jockeys! As a final aside it’s really a logical fallacy to attribute the quality of a story to its audience or the medium it’s told in. A story is just a story. BTAS has some of the greatest writing ever put to screen. It’s my personal favorite form of media of all time. In fact a lot of times I think that censorship of “we can’t use cuss words, can’t show blood, can’t show sexual themes” can enhance storytelling because the writers need to come up with other ways to evoke the same feeling. It’s subtlety, which helps the viewer put themselves in the scene more rather than third hand experience what’s happening to someone else. I mean again to use BTAS look what happened because Joker wasn’t allowed to kill anyone - they gave him joker gas which became so iconic and terrifying it’s now a core part of his arsenal. Much scarier than just seeing him shoot someone dead! I get why people like to use that argument so much but it’s insanely baseless and unfortunately a lot of people accept that as a kind of trump card that it really isn’t. It puts an artificial limit on what people could consider good storytelling and as a result people miss out on some really powerful lessons or narrative experiences.
I grew up not watching Star Wars obsessively but I remember my first time watching return of the Jedi when I was 3 or 4. That movie utterly fascinated me to the point that just seeing old posters for it gives me chills and reminds me of how amazing I thought it was. And I loved it because it felt mature to me. Obviously I liked the Ewoks and droids and stuff but the scene of Luke walking into jabbas palace, or the scene of Leia killing jabba made the movie seem, at least to my idiot child brain, seemed really mature. I don’t remember watching new hope or empire for the first time but even watching them today, they don’t feel like kids movies to me.
good characters, logical actions fed by reasonable plot progression. everyone in film driven by something you understand. its a good story and was cool beyond belief when i was a kid and saw it. and all of us fans even back then of course saw some of the funny inconsistencys in it. but that was part of being a star wars fan was poking fun at those things. a favorite of mine and a friend was leia telling luke he looked a little short for a stormtrooper, and we thought he should have said 'im the same size as the guy i took this from. it fits great'
I never really thought about Luke being whiney until some people that I was working with around the time the prequels came out said that. Hamill brought so much to that character by what he didn't say and I think Christensen did that as well. People probably say it's campy because of the dialogue but to me that's the charm. I do like you had the picture of C3PO in the mess of wires on the Falcon. Brought back memories of my oldest brothers college friends. They were talking about how the, "I'm melting." was a throwback to The Wizard of Oz. Star Wars did leave me feeling good leaving the theater at 8. Then at 11 I really didn't know how to feel leaving the theater after The Empire Strikes Back. Probably didn't help that I had the Topps trading cards before hand.
I think camp/cheese is one of those things that you either love or hate. I loved the 80s Flash Gordon movie. Cheesy AF but it's part of what made the movie so fun to watch for me.
@@kaptinbarfbeerd1317 I loved that one as well. Got to see it in the Theaters as well as Ice Pirates. It was that Queen soundtrack that made Flash Gordon good.
George said it many times that it was inteded for kids but was enjoyed by all. Focused on fun, good vs evil and clear heroes and villains. Timesless themes ans story for anyone to enjoy and get invested in or connect with.
I was born in 2000, and essentially grew up with both trilogies with the sequels coming out in my teens. Myself, I was always in awe of all 6 George films. I watched them all on a loop as far back as I can remember. Honestly though I am no longer in the youngest generation of Star Wars fans A New Hope and the rest of the OT never felt “old” to me. And if they held up to a kid like me back then, I fail to see why they wouldn’t hold up to plenty of young fans today. I don’t feel any of them were all that childish, and really never felt that way to me. In fact it’s the deep moral and philosophical concepts portrayed in them that I would say did captivate me and still do. Star Was really felt like “handcrafted” storytelling to me for lack of a better description. It’s personal and universal in all of the best ways. I think the sequels and much of the subsequent Disney projects really fall short of that. Those that would try and poke holes in George’s films to try and justify those I feel are those who miss the point of Star Wars and clearly never thought of them as much more than just some other sci fi franchise. I’d say Disney seems to have the same attitude and it seems like a pretty lackluster and surface level way to look at a saga that truly connected with so many people.
Is Star Wars cheesy (defined as "cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic"; ": of poor quality : lacking style or good taste.")? No. Is Star Wars camp (defined as "absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way")? No. Was Star Wars childish ("showing the less pleasing qualities (as silliness) often thought to be those of children)? No. However, as a child when Star Wars came out, did the movie appeal to me? Absolutely. However, it also appealed to my parents.
just to further illustrate my point, I was thinking about Jaws which came out around the same time frame. That movie had more emotional heart then this and it was about a shark killing people. basically a monster movie let's be honest. Quint speech on the boat about how soldiers went into the water after the ship capsized and was surrounded and eaten by sharks had a more emotional gravitas and foreshadowing to what eventually happened to him by the end of the movie that anything did in A New Hope. That one speech helped define his character in that movie more than anything that happened to Leah and Luke really in a New Hope. and that's just me being honest. A New Hope was basic storytelling, it was like old cowboy movies from the '50s all the good guys wore white and all the bad guys wore black aka vader or dark gray, just like in the cowboy movies from the '50s. when it was just mostly black and white picture, all the good Cowboys had white hats on and all the bad Cowboys had a black hats on so the audience could easily identify the good from the bad guys, same exact principal in A New Hope.
I think it's a good thing to say it doesn't hold up. Trends and tastes go in cycles. It doesn't lessen the impact of the legacy of the movie that started it all.
This is the kind of shit that really boils my piss. We are talking about a time period where vulgarity in film was frowned on. Where sex can be implied but not actually shown. We lived in a different culture back then, we were far more civil. Which is very ironic considering how nihilistic the time period was after the Vietnam war. I remember as a child thinking Uncommon Valor was an amazing movie, and I loved it for its action and its vulgarity. The fact is we have become desensitizes to the point that now Star Wars has become clean, sanitized. Just look at the vulgarity in modern Star Trek and how out of place it is with the original fans...which contradicts the very lore of Trek when you look at the fourth film. The fact is people who look at Star Wars as "childish" are not looking at it in the context of when it was made. It would be like expecting the original Batman series to be more like the Dark Knight series...fucking ridiculous. Of course, it doesn't help that Lucas's defense of Star Wars was made for children. His intent, does not change its true outcome. Another great example of this is the movie Flash Gordon. At times it is very childish; to the point of being cringe, but there are very adult themes like sex in the film that adults were intended to see the film as well. I haven't seen Andor, and I'm honestly sick of Disney patting themselves on the back for making a Star Wars show for adults...that's not why I love Star Wars...I love good stories, good characters and they haven't been giving us that for a long time. Trying to make Star Wars "adult" is yet another contradiction to what Star Wars is and supposed to be. Yet another example of how Disney just does not "get it." "It was made for children" is not an argument and adding sex and/or gratuitous vulgarity to Star Wars does not make Star Wars betterer, it diminishes its artistic style.
You’re right about Star Wars not being considered as great by todays standards but by the standards of 40 years ago it was epic. It was exactly what George said it was. But it had an identity crisis. The first films in each trilogy were playful but had seriousness to it at the same time. then 2nd of each trilogy got super serious and somewhat dark. So the original trilogy probably would be what Andor is if it were told today but would have a character or two that would reflect a subtle comic relief.
People are calling A New Hope campy and childish because they are reaching any reason to hate it. This movie had people waiting in lines for hours to watch it who were fully grown adults. Ain't no movie since then making that kind of impact. They just trying to excuse the flaws of some modern day movies by comparing them to a movie made over forty years ago.
Speaking from someone who is older, I was 7 when Star Wars came out. I never seen anyone with a c3p0 doll. I seen people with wind up R2 toys but I am not even made 3P0 dolls. The prize doll was always darth vador and Hans gun
TLJ defenders: this movie is a cinematic masterpiece with complex and enthralling themes. It’s genius because it subverts your expectations and is just great cinema. Also TLJ defenders: Why are you taking this stuff so seriously, it’s just a movie with with space wizards intended for children
I was sure of if when I found your channel during the release of the sequel films, but as I've continued to watch your videos, I am consistently blown away at how you perfectly encapsulate 'our' generations feelings in a way that the 'sequel era' world continually tries to object to (I say our generation as people who literally grew up watching the OT throughout their entire childhood and were late teens when the prequels came out) I love how you fairly, but so extremely accurately always portray many of our thoughts and feelings, without ever needing to be 'nasty' about it. It's so refreshing. Now as to is A New Hope 'cheesy'.... I think at this point in the cinematic culture, you cannot answer that simply. It's both a GENRE DEFINING film AND a film of it's era. It popularized space opera, pulp, and eastern culture at a time when western wasn't overtly exposed. It was also created by a creative individual who was of an 'anti establishment' mindset. It's an excellent execution of the hero's journey, and for most of us, it was our FIRST example of which. I grew up my whole life wanting to be Luke Skywalker, and wanting to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. If you were to put it up against what we think are our ideals in today's society, that isn't an accurate or fair framing. Take the Matrix (the original) when we were 15 years old we had NEVER seen a western film attempt to tackle themes of that nature. I had been already watching all of the source material they pulled most their reference from, but you can never 'recreate' that same feeling you got when you saw it the first time. It redefined the genre. Look 'objectively' at Blade Runner. There are some quite offsides and problematic elements to that film, when watched with TODAY's eyes, but it's still a film that defined a genre for a generation to follow. We still copy these films to this day, so to hold them up to a modern lens, without first calibrating that lens for the time and place they were created for, is an unfair assessment IMO. Anyway, love your stuff, it's nice to know there's an 80's kid out there who loved star wars as much as I did, and feels the same about where it's gone, and is still able to speak about it with hope and respect, while wonderfully explaining what many of us feel. Keep it up!!!
These people: the OG Star Wars is too corny! Thor: *proceeds to completely dismantle the entire argument by listing all the dark and serious crap that's the trilogy let alone the just movie* I love it how people will say the most bizarre things without really looking into what they are talking about and then just get completely destroyed using logic and facts.
A New Hope is a perfect family film. People of all ages will like something about it. It doesn’t favor one age group over the other. I don’t care what anyone else says.
My question to critics would be: if Star Wars is so terrible, what movie today could be said to have that THAT degree of impact-on audiences, on cinema, on culture in general? What movie today has defined a generation? Or even since Star Wars? The only rival (even then to a LESSER degree) might be Avatar in terms of impact. Maybe Jurassic Park. Maybe The Matrix. But none of those so profoundly as Star Wars. And, more importantly, would the critics consider the new trilogy to be even remotely in the same class as THOSE films?
@@АлексейМомот-щ7о While true. Although I personally think that with the respective seriel shows/series that have been released of both Marval and Star Wars. The the world building of the creative universe is greater in Star Wars now. Although Marvel is amazing too.
"A New Hope" is very much a film that is a product of it's time (1970s). And as long as George/Disney quits tinkering with it, it will remain a classic, game changing movie that changed cinema forever. It wasn't guaranteed to be a hit, and George held back because of that - to let it be a hit first, and then he could tell more stories. This was the perfect movie for the perfect time, introducing a phenomenon that we're STILL talking about!!!!
I remember being a child, watching star wars for the first time. The star destroyer and just captured Leia's blockade runner. The rebels were all lining up at the door to fight off the soon to be entering storm troopers. The camera focuses on one of the rebels for a moment. I thought, who is this? What part does he play in this story. Then the storm troopers blast out the door and the rebels immediately gets gunned down. Oh, ok. Never mind. I guess we will never know. Edit: oh, look at the ewoks! Aren't they cute? They are just soooo ardor-- OH MY GOD THEY ARE ABOUT TO COOK AT EAT LUKE AND HAN!
We do now thanks to the fanbase. The Old Rebel Trooper who themeatically meant to demonstrate the ragtag nature as he is obviously older than the other Rebels in that scene is named Lieutanent Pello Scrambas he is a Clone Wars veteran from Alderaan who first enlisted in the planety security forces after Jedi Watchman Jorus C'Baoth showed to resolve a dispute between two houses on Alderaan that led to current ruling family we see in the films with Bail Organa.
Fascinating analysis. I enjoy the more campy parts of Star Wars, but there is more balance between the camp and serious components then one would normally think.
The same arguments go back and forth about the Beatles. It's usually younger people who weren't there and don't understand the historical context and the ground breaking precedence. I wasn't there for the Wizard of Oz or Elvis but I understand their historical significance and why they are still revered today as classics.
For me the only thing that a new hope doesn’t take seriously enough is the tremendous losses it futures. Especially two moments which are very devastating and personal. The first is Luke returning home and finding the remains of the only family he had in the world(to his knowledge) burned, probably burned alive while trying to flee. The second is Lia witnessing the annihilation of her home world and the mass murder of millions including her family. Both Luke and Lia lost everything and for the love of god it doesn’t show! In both cases the first emotional response is shock, which is good, it makes sense it’s human. But gosh I don’t get why this doesn’t affect their characters at the slightest. The first step is shock which was shown to us, but later should come anger and grief but we get nothing. Why didn’t we get a scene where Lia is in her cell, while Han and Luke are on their way, in which she processes her loss, maybe even an emotional break down. That would have added much more depth to Lia and made the story feel more realistic. Luke could have displayed some sorrow while they were traveling on the Falcon. That would be the real human response. But of course this wasn’t done, as it would have made the movie much darker and sadder and less appealing to younger kids. It requires some level of maturity to comprehend complex emotions and it would have confused younger audiences. We overlook this because we watched it for the first time as kids so we didn’t realize that. But the truth is that A New Hope doesn’t take itself seriously in some parts of it in order to stay fun and simple “Good vs Evil” because that was what George wanted the audience to experience. The film is about Luke’s journey and not about how that journey made him feel along the way, even if a more mature audience would find that cheesy or unserious
I think people are talking about the overwrought dialogue when they say the original trilogy was campy or cheesy. Like "I have placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit."
Merriam-Webster can answer these, questions three. Campy- in the style of camp : absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way. Childish- marked by or suggestive of immaturity and lack of poise. Cheesy- resembling or suggesting cheese especially in consistency or odor. I’ll leave you to determine if A New Hope matches any of these. Except for the last. It definitely reminds me of cheese.
If Star Wars was never all that great, then we wouldn’t have a franchise or a fan base so large, would we?
Sooooo much this. All these franchises being sought after, bought, then destroyed wouldn't be happening if they weren't so well recieved in the first place.
Star Wars has been hit or miss, honestly.
@@VictorTheVan You got that right.
Reason why Star Wars has fans because well the stories are good and the characters are good.
(I'm referring to Ep1-Ep6 of Star Wars)
And the rapid-fire style realeasing of these movies and shows degrade their quality smh.
I think too many people confuse campy/silly with brainless. A New Hope definitely had silly elements, but it wasn't brainless. It was genuinely well written and any “cheesy” parts just reflected the fun nature of the story. It could also get serious when it needed to, like in the Death Star meeting scene that established the Empire as an actual... empire.
It really annoys me when people defend terrible writing in modern projects like the BOBF because "SW has always been cheesy".
Cheesy is defined as "cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic." Another definition is, ": of poor quality : lacking style or good taste." None of that applies to Star Wars.
I think the people who use that argument don't actually believe it. They are just unable to defend modern SW so they just try to tear down the originals.
@@AstroNerdBoy I guess that's the official definition.
The perception of the concept has changed, because time does that.
The people calling the original cheesy or campy are mostly inexperienced and not well educated. (Quality of education, not amount.)
@The AstroNerdBoy cheesy also means it has cheese
It’s the quintessential depiction of the hero’s journey. Even if it never spawned a huge franchise afterwards, it would still be worth watching and studying for that alone.
That WAS a novel idea at the time and its influence is borne out by the fact that so many movies now are built around the hero's journey.
It's quite a shame that they don't use The Heroes Journey concept anymore for nowadays Heroes and they all turn out to be either hollow, uninspired or unlikable.
@@dereklopez9060, I mean, you could say they still do that to some extent. Not sure Rogue One would count here, but I also think Jedi: Fallen Order would definitely be a good example of Disney Star Wars properly using the Hero's Journey concept, even if it has its own flare to it.
@@occam7382 I'd say the Hero's Journey applies to Rogue One. It's just that the heroes became heroes during the course of the movie and, of course, none of them survived. If some of them had, they would have deserved to be on that dais with Luke, Han, and Leia receiving medals. Chewie should have been there as well.
@@istari0, good point.
For a movie that came out in 1977, A New Hope still holds up to this very day. It's still a masterpiece. When I first saw A New Hope, I was astonished. I watched it on VHS where the movie was unedited and you watch an exclusive interview with Leonard Maltin interviewing George Lucas before you watch the movie.
Star Wars can be a bit cheesy at time's and it had humor, but to be honest, it has been dark more than anything.
I'm not sure it does hold up... The quality of the film does and the characters and story.
But the message of both the OT and PT was right wing American politicians = bad. But recently those too trilogies have been used by supporters of those politicians to say why modern star wars is "too left" or even "too political". I've even heard the argument that they use "too much modern American politics".
So I really think the overall message of the film hasn't held up and has been lost
@@jamesarnold7253 Because certain people don't understand what George Lucas was trying to say doesn't mean the messages are outdated.
@@rez00L it’s not that people think the messages are out dated. It’s that some people say it’s outdated and what they mean is it’s not white enough anymore. Not all of them, but your stupid if u don’t see how that’s what all of the crisitism devolves into. Kinda like how they don’t like that Rey “ ruins “anakin legacy. I’ll agree if u can tell me what the fuck balance to the force even means?
Literally has to be dark and light.
I think people forget how significant the first Star Wars was. Not only did it introduce us to the universe of Star Wars, but it introduced us to a whole new kind of cinema. Every epic sci-fi and fantasy movie afterwards is an extension of Star Wars, and every blockbuster evolved from it. Yeah, Star Wars is cheesy and light-hearted, but it STILL IS one of the most exciting and immersive experiences you can have. I've watched the film over and over, and I'm still blown away what they could accomplish in 1977. Far more than what 300 million dollars and overblown CGI has accomplished these days
It was transformative!
There’s a reason Star Wars sits at 13 on the AFI top 100 films of all time. Yes the the movie broke new ground on how modern films are now made today. But, what truly resonated was our connection to the characters and themes George Lucas presented. Using Campbell as his narrative structure with the Hero’s Journey, to imagery and influence from Saturday matinee serials to Kurosawa. This film was well crafted from script to the editing bay! George also treated his audience with more respect to understanding this movie and not to dumb it down - brilliant film in all respects!
Watch A New Hope with no soundtrack. John Williams’ score 100% elevates the film and creates emotional moments that speak to the core of humanity.
Add to that the classic heroes journey and other well executed timeless tropes and somehow it speaks to people on an instinctual level.
Then place it in the 1970s, a decade where a good portion of cinema was cynical and dwelled on the worst of humanity, and suddenly this movie of hope becomes a welcome breath of fresh air that audiences didn’t know they needed.
I draw a parallel to the season 2 finale of the Mandalorian and the time it was released. I read countless stories of people tearing up. People need hope. And I think that’s something some creatives forget when they approach Star Wars.
I think encouraging "spirituality" in the sense that commitment to morals and causes beyond the self through Luke, Cal, Kannan, or anyone is desperately needed in today's world. They display integrity, perseverance, humility, and optimism that would starkly contrasts the rest of media and be very refreshing. It doesn't have to be silly
Many people put Jedi in their religion on facebook profile.
@@thomaslacornette1282 I didn't know that. That's funny
The great thing about Star Wars is that it can be many different things all at the same time. If you want, it can be a light hearted adventure with fantastical battles, but if you look more closely and analyse it, there is also an incredible amount of depth and themes that keep you interested and make you come back to it again and again.
I was 16 in 1977 when I first saw Star Wars. I went with my Dad and as we were leaving the theater I was amazed when he said he liked the movie. Star Wars was so good that even my Dad liked it! You can't get better praise than that.
The ONLY way you can compare SW holding up, is to also consider what movies and TV were available at the time in 1977. If you see Herby the Love bug, Logan's Run, The Deer Hunter, The Bionic man, Three's Company, and many other entertainment OF THE DAY - SW would REALLY stand out.... that is why it changed how movies and TV was made ever since.
SW was just supposed to be summer fair, but so many elements came together due to GEORGE getting very lucky with the good people he surrounded himself with.
Star Wars was absolutely revolutionary for sci-fi. That's why almost every single sci-fi movie/show/video game/comic/etc made afterwards borrows something from SW.
Well said. @ MattM
It is definitely cheesy and silly but it is a masterpiece of cinema.
In my opinion, Revenge Of The Sith and Empire Strikes back are my personal favorites because they have a more SERIOUS and Darker tone.
*groan*
I think objectively. Empire is the best Star Wars movie.
@@jamesfitzgerald1684 Revenge Of The Sith Is mine but that’s fair
@@seanmurphy7011 thats what i do when ever i watch a disney star wats project.
@@jamesfitzgerald1684 I think objectively. Empire is the most impactful movie and the biggest cultural Icon from the franchise, but if it was made today, with modern graphics/effects, and still had the same dialogue and acting, nobody would think it was better than RoTS. The People calling it the best Star Wars Movie confuses quality of story telling, world building and character development with cultural impact. They are not the same.
A new hope is my favourite star wars movie to this day, it enchanted me as a young child when my father showed it to me for the first time - a getaway from the cult of hollywood movies and something which will always hold a special place with it's captivating heroes journey! The sequels will never even touch it's boots.
Star Wars aka ANH is my favorite movie in general, I love the entire OT but ANH is my absolute favorite by far.
For u…
Star Wars being campy: Lucas' Star Wars films took themselves very seriously, that's why they work. Any making light of it or memes around it has all been completely external. One of the problems with many franchises today, not only Star Wars. Perhaps influenced by the fact that there are memes and parodies around these franchises, or perhaps because the writers are self-conscious because their peers and many critics incorrectly consider these franchises to be silly and immature, they cover their asses by writing campiness into the actual shows and movies to some degree. But if you are writing something fantastical, having the movie or show not take itself seriously is it's death knell unless you are making a parody.
You know what's what. They like to call that immersion-snuffing shlock 'self-awareness'.
I was 27 when the original Star Wars came out, and it was the best "feel good" movie I can remember. They went to great lengths in order to make a collection of non-humanoid beings seem believable and not resemble Muppets or monsters. They even made a Jizz band with Max Rebo and Sly Snootles with completely original music. If I had to compare it to earlier movies, maybe American Graffiti or The Sting for its fast pacing or plot twists.
When I recently re-watched a new Hope, I was surprised by how tight and effective the story was.
The skeletons of Luke's aunt and uncle are visually shown to be charred, but sure, pure camp🤣
George Lucas did want to include whimsical elements in the movies. He said that it was made for children. But the fact is, it was loved by all at the time. Reviews from the time reflect that.
Keep in mind that doesn't mean it was childish. Being made for younger audiences doesn't mean childish.
Also, to judge it on today's standards means judging it against the massive influence it had on movie making. The technologies that were invented, the filming methods, the special effects, these things made such a huge difference in Hollywood. To compare it by today's standards just would be silly. It probably would be considered a bit cliche but today's standards, because it set up that cliche in the first place.
So true. The big reasons comparing a really good movie to Citizen Kane is seen as a joke nowadays is because the stuff the movie invented is now common in cinema.
You’ve got Han Solo blow a guy away in a bar, Luke’s aunt’s and uncle’s burned corpses, a whole planet blown up, Vader killing Obi-Wan, and the various other deaths of characters throughout the film (and that’s just a few examples). Hardly what I would call childish.
I watched the movie during its original release (I was 26). When I walked out I certainly had a lot of complaints about how it approached things. But it was still a lot more realistic looking than the typical science fiction movies of the time. And I've watched it many times since.
Star Wars works because it strikes a near perfect balance of light hearted humor AND serious drama! Which Marvel *used* to do, before they started getting WAY too silly...This was a breath of fresh air back in the 70s, a decade whose entertainment was largely marked as being "very serious and grounded in Reality"...
The ewoks were getting slaughtered. As an adult, rewatching the scene where the ewoks tried to get his friend/family member back up is heartbreaking, and I know it was pretty shattering to me even as a kid before I really understood what was going on.
Star Wars has always been dark, but never pitch black. Without the dark you can’t distinguish the light, but without the light there’s nothing to look forward to.
Yep people forget that. I also felt that the movie invited some subtle horror near the end as we know Ewok has no problems eating humans and in a later celebration scene we see Imperial helmets serving as drums. What did they do the bodies? Oh and it is also mentioned in one book Ewok arrows are so effective in the film against Stormtroopers because the arrowhead is actually coated in a a toxin that makes it hard to breath. That is disturbing.
My dad still teases me about how, as a little girl, I would cry at that part every time we watched it. And I was a cynical kid who resented shows trying to tug on my heartstrings, but those Ewoks felt genuinely sad to me
When you watch A New Hope with someone who has never seen it, you get to watch it with fresh eyes, and I couldn't believe how much of the heavy lifting John Williams is doing.
The original isn't called a space opera for nothing. I'm fine with the pacing of it still, but a lot of the latest generation, would be on their phones when R2 is wandering the Jundland Wastes.
Agreed! A New Hope is my favorite movie in general and it’s score is also my absolute fovorite movie score in general. It will always be pure magic to me.
The reason its childish/fun (in a good way) is because the mature ideas are presented in a lighter and less violent way
ANH is a masterpiece. I just wish they (lucas) hadn’t added the special features edition. The dialogue is a little off, but the music and sound effects are amazing in it. ANH was so good it could have stood on it’s own without a sequel.
Thats...kinda the point when nobody knew if a sequel would get approved
Quote of the day, “That’s a high body count for a kids film.”
Some corny acting at times but definitely not childish. It’s a classic morality tale about good vs evil set in space.
A New Hope is a near flawless movie, which is the highest rating I can give any movie, which is really to say it's brilliant and perfect
Star Wars no matter what Trilogy you started with either the OT or Prequels but the thing is George Lucas started with Episode 4 and decided to shrink the script because it was far to long so he turned Star Wars into a movie which was a genius idea but the the thing is episode 4 was fun and adventurous!
I heard this comments as well, but usually from people who haven't seen the movie and non of the others either.
It's like just because we who had loved it was young when we saw them for the first time or all the toys they see everywhere. I also heard a few who loved the sequels and thougt, well it had space ships, the force, aliens and robots. So I think those who says these think don't understand or have never seen Star Wars for more than the "flashy" exterior
A New Hope is a classic hero's journey film. It holds up just fine.
I was ten years old when ANH came out. In 1977, there was not a lot of Sci-Fi movies available to watch. Even TV shows didn't have much. Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, 2001, Space 1999 and maybe some of the old Flash Gordons from long, long ago. I had watched syndicated Star Trek episodes, but when ANH came out, it was absolutely electrifying. EVERYONE wanted to go see it. Kids, Adults, Grandparents -- it was the rage for six months and beyond. My uncle (a teacher and a actual genius) stood in line to get tickets for me, my cousin and him for four hours just to see it the next day. He loved it and he did not like foolish or cheesy things. He was impressed. Lines of adults and kids wound around a city block waiting for tickets. Never had any movie ever created that much excitement. The thing I remember is that it was for all ages -- kids? Sure, there were plenty of Star Wars toys, comic books and costumes around Halloween. But adults went to see it numerous times. It appealed to everyone. Now, how would it compare today? Well, in 2022, kids are inundated with media. Realistic sci-fi games, comics, cable and internet channels especially focused on sci-fi and fantasy. ANH started a surge of sci-fi series and movies, such as Battlestar Galactica. Kids these days have grown up surrounded by Sci-fi due in large part to the groundwork laid by ANH. The toys today are much more advanced (and expensive) and the internet helps kids find groups of other kids with similar interests. So to take ANH from its' time period and ask it to measure up to today's youth who are gorged on sci-fi and fantasy would be a tall order. If you take into account the era that it came from with greatly limited special effects and budget, I think ANH stacks up rather well. With no fan service to deal with, as it was the first movie, it focuses on the story and characters and the dialogue is logical and reasonably mature by 1970s standards. I think the characters are solid and not cheesy at all. Some of the aliens might seem a bit goofy looking in 2022, but they didn't to anyone in 1977. Many of them, such as Chewbacca, look as good today as he did then. Lucas had some of the 1940s and 50s serials and adventure movies in his head when he wrote the dialogue, but it fit the era. In 1977, the special effects and the aliens blew everyone away. The star destroyer shooting at the blockade runner at the first was something I'll never forget. The packed theater was absolutely silent and glued to the screen during that scene. It was amazing then and thanks to ANH's success, Lucasfilm was able to advance CGI so that today's kids take special effects for granted. Even today the special effects are fair, but they were pure magic in 1977 and a film that revolutionized sci-fi and special effects for generations is certainly worthy of respect and honor.
Wonderful write up my man. Even for me growing up in the 80s 90s The OT was transformative. The closest thing I could compare it to at the time was Star Trek the Next Generation. And Episodes IV V and VI of Star Wars was so much more epic seeming and just fun and the effects so much more impressive than anything I had seen in any Star Trek movie or TV show it REALLLY sucked me in. What Star Wars did for Special Effects industry is just incredible. I was ACTUALLY introduced to Star Wars by episode V first. It wasn't even in a theater it was because I stayed home sick from school and my dad had the day off and rented one of his "favorite movies" to watch. So the first thing I saw in Star Wars was the Ice Planet of Hoth. I can still remember asking my dad "How did he do that!?" when Luke pulled his lightsaber out of the snow. And to see Obi-Wan's force ghost appear and as my dad "Who's that? is that a Ghost!?" lol. I remember laying down on the couch and when the Imperial March played for the first time (My dad had a good surround sound setup to the TV setup etc) I literrally shot up and was like WHAT!? To see those Star Destroyers and TIE fighters and to hear all that sound and that march... I was like "WHAAAAT! This is AWESOME!" It was only after I saw that movie and was capitvated by all of it my dad got us A New Hope and Return of the Jedi so I could watch them all consecutively. Such a great adventure.
@@benjaminroe311ify A lot of people had the same experience. When The Phantom Menace came out, my wife and I went to the theater to see it, but there were two teenage boys we knew that had never seen SW in the theaters -- any of the episodes. So we offered to take them with us, and for one of the two, it was his very first time in a movie theater (due to his religion, which earlier that year changed their views and allowed them to see movies). Robbie had seen SW movies, but only at home and we told him that he was in for a treat. When the 20th Century Fox music began playing and the SW theme began with the scrolling text, his eyes about popped out of his head. He was grinning from ear to ear for the whole thing and it was really neat to see, because he had the same experience with TPM that I'd had back in 1977 with ANH. Star Wars, is miles ahead of other sci-fi in the passion of those who view it and the love of the universe. Star Trek is fairly close, but with SW in the early years, it was the whole package -- Actors you liked, good scripts and plots, amazing special effects (for that time frame) and of course John William's epic music. You're right, it is a 'great adventure'.
Kinda funny because I watched ANH for the first time in a long time a couple weeks ago, and I was struck by the artistry of the cinematography. I normally am not into noticing stuff like that, but I couldn't help it. I think that the attempt to treat all of the "campy" elements of scifi as the subject of "real" film shows in all of the tiny details, and that detail orientation in turn keeps things from looking cheap, unconvincing, or hokey.
The only thing that grabbed me as being really goofy was the idea that it took so long for the Imperials to realize there was something amiss and not absolutely flooding that section of the station with troops. Oh so the plan was to let them get away the whole time? Yeah right... Then I got to thinking... There had been ample time up to that point for the plans to be copied and re-distributed, so finding the original stolen set to stop them spreading was more or less a moot point, and Tarkin does not seem to put much stock in their usefulness anyway. From the beginning, what Tarkin wanted was to find the rebel base, as without support from Bail Organa and the Senate, the rebellion is the greatest potential threat to the Death Star and the Empire. They have the princess, but neither torture nor essentially the ultimate attempt at extortion worked to get her to give up the location of the base, and now that they've blown up her home and family there is no chance she will choose anything but death before betraying the rebellion. Vader's personal primary objective is to find, isolate and kill Kenobi, which he achieves easily, whether Kenobi intended to act as a distraction or not. He doesn't have to reign in the stormtroopers because it doesn't really matter who gets killed, as long as one of them escapes, probably the princess, since Vader is a smart sort and knows she won't tell anyone else the location if they don't already know it while they are still at risk for capture. What we, the audience, don't know yet is that if Luke, Han, R2 and Chewie don't survive, the death star is probably not going down this time, or maybe ever. Then they have but to follow the Falcon's tracking signal to find the rebel base, because the Falcon's crew doesn't have any choice but to go there, both to ensure delivery and distribution of the plan, but to keep the Death Star away from non-combatant systems before it can be stopped. Basically, there are a lot of different threads at play and there is an almost unimaginable amount at stake. So even some of the "big" plotholes, actually aren't when you trace them back, which can't be said for the new stuff.
They flooded that section with troops quite quickly. Han's attempt to BS the guards over the coms didn't work unlike in other Hollywood movies. That is what makes the movie actually quite good. The guards on the Death Star don't fall for the classic movie cliches. Random unscheduled prisoner transfer? Leuitanent Shan Childsen is quick to actually the cellblock the troopers and prisoner allegedly came from. Han's bluff doesn't work and the Stormtroopers guarding the tractor beam power coupling actually go and investigate when they hear something unusal.
Multiple things can be true at once:
- The Star Wars universe has room to tell lots of different kinds of stories and still be "Star Wars".
- You're the proverbial 'Sith dealing in absolutes' if a film or show has to always be 100% serious/not serious to be good. :P But truly, you can have fun and still tell a good and meaningful story. The mark of a good storyteller is knowing how to balance both in appropriate amounts in a given story.
The original Star Wars knows how to do this pretty well. Plenty of humor and fun adventure balanced with moments of seriousness that appeals to all generations. The biggest mistake modern creators make is thinking a piece of media has to be dumbed down or corny to appeal to children and totally serious or "dark" with "mature" content to appeal to adults. Good stories are like the Force: balanced.
New Hope is fantastic
Very well said thor. I was born in 02 and remember the first time I watched ANH. I was blown away not from the sci fi aspect, but because the STORY HOLDS up to this day. I actually remember rolling my eyes at the blaster effects when I first saw it. But ANH is my favourite star wars movie tied with rouuge one, because the movie has consequences, Conseqeunces like than having to pay off jaba in 5, and being his wall decor in 6. just because the main demographic is for kids doesn't mean a movie has to sell out to childish audiences
The original is flawless. Everything about it is better then the Disney crap
I'm sixteen and it's my favorite one even though when I was born all of the Prequels were already released and I grew up with the clone wars. It was the second star wars film I saw after the phantom menace (I mean I knew the story of the saga either way and in Germany these were the only ones you were allowed to watch with 6) and I did notice that the effects obviously weren't as good but my dad explained the issue for me. Since then I've watched all the other star wars movies and still have to say: A new Hope has a special place in my heart and I appreciate it for what it is
This "the original Star Wars wasn't actually good" style argument feels like an extension of "its a kids movie. It's not supposed to be good". They can't defend what they like so they have to tear down everything else. And the original trilogy does still hold up.
I have been hearing more and more people wanting the original movies to be remade. I hope it never happens
It's definitely always been campy. It's always included a lot of poorly written dialogue and some seriously over the top melodrama style performances.
It is perfection.
"You can type this sh*t, George, but you sure as hell can't say it."
- Harrison Ford
The critics and audiences of the time definitely treated it as a genuine movie. As a sincere movie. It’s nothing like, say, Adam West Batman.
And if it was silly and campy, Joey could you parody it like Spaceballs which came out only a little later?
It’s roughly the same tone as Avengers infinity War. It was geared toward teens and had humor but was also about deeper themes, especially heroism and doing the right thing.
It has its issues, but A New Hope still holds up today, mainly with how it depicts the Hero's Journey. The characters are still likeable and relatable even today. Lucas put his heart and soul into it and the cast did the best they could with it. Whoever said this nonsense probably defends the sequels because deep down, they know those garbage films won't hold up compared to the original, hell, even the prequel trilogies.
When George Lucas was making the first Star Wars movie, he was trying to make his own interpretation of Flash Gordon, but with other things added in, because he couldn't get the rights to do a Flash Gordon film.
I think SW while being fun was never childish. There are Ideas in there, story arcs, character growth.
And it was serious while having some funny scenes, or even some cheesy stuff.
It still told a story, it had a great journey for not only one character.
To me, it holds up better than alot of the newer stuff. The villains are actually threatening. Characters have flaws but are likeable (besides the villains maybe) and as I said have arcs for them. The story still flows rather well.
New movies (not only the SW ones, but those for sure) don't have the same. I don't think any villain in the new trilogy was really threatening. Kylo loses his first fight, and Snoke while he could have worked was killed in a really stupid way. Especially Rey does NOT have a real flaw, and also doesn't really have much of a journey or arc, simply because she already is perfect - thats the issue with Mary Sue characters, they are just not interesting. Story doesn't flow well in my opinion, which could also be because they basically remade episode 4, but everything that followed wasn't really thought through beforehand so it really feels clunky. The original movie also made more sense in terms of how the world (or universe) was setup and worked.
So bottom line for me: A new hope still holds up as a movie, even if it has funny moments and is cheesy at times.
I have found that a lot of things like: "it's always been silly" comes from people who haven't seen it in a long while (if at all, yes I am looking at you disnoids) and work with foggy, partial memories of the big scenes. Similar to the situation when people criticize Rey-Sue Palpatine and bring up Luke being a mary sue, bringing up his piloting skills are brought up as an example. Then, when you actually go and watch the movie, Luke being a pilot and a good one at that is mentioned several times throughout the movie.
PS: Screw the Ewoks
I was a little kid when Star Wars came out and I loved it. I loved the story and how REAL it felt. I loved how all the different species lived and worked together on the different planets. George could have just made a few alien species and had them on their own planets. It probably would have been cheaper to make it that way, but he didn't. He made it feel like a real place somewhere out there beyond our galaxy.
About the Ewoks. Yes, they LOOKED like furry teddy bears, but remember, they were going to cook and eat, Han, Luke and Chewie. Not exactly a kid-friendly concept. They also got the better of the stormtroopers in battle. Ok so they may have had a bit of help from plot armor, but they did rise to the challenge and honored their committment to the new members of their tribe and stood with them in battle. If JarJar had such a "rise to the challenge" moment at the end of TPM, instead of accidentally taking out the enemy while he was trying to run away and hide, he might have been redeemed in the eyes of the adults in the audience. I noticed that Filoni tried to do that for him in some of the Clone Wars episodes.
I felt Jar Jar wasn't supposed to rise to the challenge but be a character that is failing upwards through luck and thus is a chronic case of a fish out of water.
Haven't finished the video yet but I absolutely love that you are doing this. That's all I ask for! Same standard of critique applied across all Star Wars and not just the new stuff
It's far from perfect but it's Fun and Charming. Two concepts modern critics are incapable of grasping.
I mean it's easy to say that things in ANH may be campy, cheesy or cliche now, but this is a 40+ year old movie....it pioneered some of those aspects you see so much of now in movies and stories lol. I don't think its really fair to hold it up to the same standards we have now. Of course some things could be better, some story beats may not make sense (especially once you get into ESB and ROTJ) but it was an entirely different landscape for movie making back them well.
You can say the same thing about early Star Trek, but they both defined an entire generation for a reason.
This is one of the arguments I absolutely despise. People who can't defend their own point just try to change the subject and attack things that came before. They are basically admitting defeat since they are not defending, they are just attacking.
I'm not even going to justify that argument by defending the OG movies. Those movies stand for themselves. If you take someone who's never seen Star Wars before and show them the OT then the sequels, I am certain they will see the obvious friggen issues with the sequels. They may not like the OT, but they have to be idiots not to see the glaring problems in the ST.
I think the difference between the original trilogy and the newer movies is that the underlying story is very good and relatable, and has a satisfying conclusion. the newer movies are harder pressed to do this, although I will say that the prequels got better to me as time wore on than I originally thought at the time. The sequels however, I was so upset about them that I haven't rewatched any of them, skipped the 3rd movie, and never intend to go back....
We can’t ignore our biases and how they affect they way we look at things, so the time and environment in which Star Wars came out in definitely has to do with what anyone claims about it.
However, I think Lucas’ genius comes out when we see the variety he put in the films. Character, environmental, emotional and, yes, even thematic diversity helps Star Wars feel as big as it is.
When TFA came out, I caclulated the number of tickets that first SW movie sold. Then I did the same for TFA. Incredibly, more Americans bought tickets to the first SW than bought tickets for TFA. And SW only released in America compared to TFA releasing worldwide. And that was 40 years later, with an additional 100 million people on the planet. Add all those together and face it, modern SW is not nearly as popular as it was. The first movie was GIANT. People nowadays have no idea.
I think it was great for the time it was released. I did not see it as campy or childish. I think people today ate too jaded and expect more adult themes rather than just a movie to suspend reality for a while and enjoy the adventure
It's only cheesy to modern audiences because they think the props look cheesy and the style isn't marvelesque that they have been exposed to so much. They make a comparison that should never be made having no knowledge of the time or context of the world then, It wasn't just sci fi movies that were bleak it was most films in every genre, and also it was probably seen by more adults than kids when it came out. Most kids saw it when it became popular via word of mouth and reviews and parents took them to see it. The OT was filled with very adult issues or coming of age issues. The wiz bang was so the kids would have fun too. ESB can almost be viewed as a horror movie if you look at the things that happen to them all in it. I introduced my kids to these movies in the 90's and they loved it then so it holds up.
Even watching it now as a pessimistic old grump, Star Wars has a magic to it that I can’t explain.
Star Wars didn’t really get campy until Return of the Jedi (and camp isn’t an inherently bad thing).
Star wars was always campy. But camp is awesome so i love it.
I did this. A NH is pretty solid. (Some things maybe are over explained in it.) The biggest plot hole of why the Rebels decide to fight the Death Star is easily explainable. (RO wasn't necessary and didn't really fix this. It creates other story problems.) It's only cheesy during the Death Star part, especially the fight with the TIEs.
RothJ is a disaster if you look at it closely though. This is mostly during the Endor battle (not the Tatooine part like some claimed). The ESB also has issues. The Hoth battle is a mess and dull.
I don't think there's anything cheesy or childish about A New Hope
Jawas? *cough* *cough* C3PO bickering with R2D2
It’s still SW to me, I watched it when it was originally released.
Given my personal experience growing up behind the Iron Curtain, I came to Star Wars in a wrong order, starting with V and VI, on pirated videotapes, and I was utterly smitten. It was only in my late teens when A New Hope finally made it into the cinemas. It didn't smite me as much as the other two films, but even so, I went to watch it three times. Yes, it is somewhat simpler, but that doesn't make it bad - it's like, The Hobbit is simpler than The Lord of the Rings, but that doesn't make it childish or a poorly told story. There were still many dark and serious moments, pain and loss, which gave the story depth the like of which we never saw in the Sequels. And as for the Ewoks... yeah, they were cute. Which made for a wonderful contrast showing them waging such clever guerilla attack on the stormtroopers, and let is not be forgotten that originally, they planned to _eat_ people. They were small but they were brave hunters and warriors, while JarJar was just being an idiot.
Jar Jar is many many things but he is not an idiot. He is clumsy which doesn't immediately mean stupid. He is basically Forrest Gump.
@@emberfist8347 Except, without the wisdom and pain conveyed through Forrest's story... hence, he is comic relief without deeper meaning, and thus utterly annoying, at least for me.
One thing I think people confuse with the battle of endor, is the fact that we only see PART of it. The ground attack, while very much focuses on the ewoks, has a completely different part to it. You remember that one girl in the mandolorian talking about how rebels on endor were mowed down on endor. We never see that in the movie, but we know it happened.
Because nothing says kids movies like hours of political debate in a space Senate, cutting off limbs and creepy stalker‘s.
I saw Star Wars for the first time in my twenties (though I knew the basic storyline-including the big reveal-and the characters before), so I have absolutely no childhood association with it. George Lucas’s Star Wars are, without a doubt, my favorite movies of all time, and I’m not sure what people mean when they say that these movies are “childish.” Yes, there are funny, silly, and lighthearted moments, but does that mean that they are childish? Like you pointed out, there were plenty of gritty, serious parts. Though I suppose if Star Wars was made today for adults, we would have actually seen Leia being tortured and Luke’s family being killed on screen. So does “child appropriate” necessarily means childish? And if Star Wars is considered childish or campy, I’m perfectly fine with that. Reality is serious and dark enough, in my opinion, and these movies about love, friendship, hope, and redemption honestly just make me happy.
Fun is a lot to ask of a single movie itself. To have fun is to accumulate positive sensory experiences. The associated "fun" of our experience with a SW movie doesn't come from the movie. It's our experience around it. More instance: watching it for first time in the theatre which could include many different components. The excitement of being one with the crowd, the thrill of anticipation, the dopamine hit from the popcorn and soda, the association of familial bonding as we experience this with our family. Think of it this way: how much fun can you really have watching a movie alone, on the couch, while scrolling on your smartphone? What were missing is the capability to be immersed.
I am SO tired of all these “fans” saying that this franchise or that franchise was never great to begin with.
If these “fans” are challenged, they never give any definite or concrete answers.
Either ignore them or ridicule them, I say.
Sorry, I’ve reached the end of my tether with these “fans”…
It picked up on a lot of the motifs that originated from Greek playwrights and oral tradition. I think I remember George saying he basically wanted to make a love letter to the westerns and samurai films he loved as a kid (maybe in that 60 minutes interview where he called Disney white slavers lol, but don’t quote me of course). What worlds to collide, eastern and western…and in space no less!! And those films similarly picked up on those themes, so even if George wasn’t super literate in mythology I think he subconsciously carried that tradition over. Those older movies didn’t have effects and all to carry them, of course they had action but early movies really relied on strong storytelling to captivate the audience. Sure George wasn’t around at the beginning of cinematic film and it’s not like every old black and white film is narrative gold but that’s the tradition he grew out of, and when the effects did catch up Star Wars was part of (if not entirely) the spark that inspired a lot of the filmmaking techniques that went on to make movies what they are today (and in a sad twist of irony overcame great storytelling largely…which is ironic that movies now don’t seem as intelligently written as a result. Even the sequels don’t hold much of a candle in that regard which really shows the decline). I know this video centered on a new hope specifically but my favorite scene currently from the original trilogy is the discussion between Luke and Vader on the walkway before going to the emperor’s throne room. As a kid that all went over my head and I was just hype to see the final lightsaber battle but as I grew up that scene stood out more and more. Vader always seemed like a true scholar of the force and in that scene Luke matched his wisdom which is such a far cry from his character in his debut. And he got that far because he was so intrigued and inspired by his father’s memory in the first place! My second favorites are similar scenes in ESB, almost every line yoda has and pretty much every line Vader has too but especially in his bespin duel with Luke, again as a kid they just sounded like corny hero/villain banter but the older I get the more I find it really thoughtful. And of course a new hope had similar dialogue that aged well, obi-wan’s wisdom and Vader’s devotion to the dark side. Even most of the dialogue in the tench run sounds like hardened veterans rather than cheesy pilot jockeys!
As a final aside it’s really a logical fallacy to attribute the quality of a story to its audience or the medium it’s told in. A story is just a story. BTAS has some of the greatest writing ever put to screen. It’s my personal favorite form of media of all time. In fact a lot of times I think that censorship of “we can’t use cuss words, can’t show blood, can’t show sexual themes” can enhance storytelling because the writers need to come up with other ways to evoke the same feeling. It’s subtlety, which helps the viewer put themselves in the scene more rather than third hand experience what’s happening to someone else. I mean again to use BTAS look what happened because Joker wasn’t allowed to kill anyone - they gave him joker gas which became so iconic and terrifying it’s now a core part of his arsenal. Much scarier than just seeing him shoot someone dead! I get why people like to use that argument so much but it’s insanely baseless and unfortunately a lot of people accept that as a kind of trump card that it really isn’t. It puts an artificial limit on what people could consider good storytelling and as a result people miss out on some really powerful lessons or narrative experiences.
I grew up not watching Star Wars obsessively but I remember my first time watching return of the Jedi when I was 3 or 4. That movie utterly fascinated me to the point that just seeing old posters for it gives me chills and reminds me of how amazing I thought it was. And I loved it because it felt mature to me. Obviously I liked the Ewoks and droids and stuff but the scene of Luke walking into jabbas palace, or the scene of Leia killing jabba made the movie seem, at least to my idiot child brain, seemed really mature. I don’t remember watching new hope or empire for the first time but even watching them today, they don’t feel like kids movies to me.
good characters, logical actions fed by reasonable plot progression. everyone in film driven by something you understand. its a good story and was cool beyond belief when i was a kid and saw it. and all of us fans even back then of course saw some of the funny inconsistencys in it. but that was part of being a star wars fan was poking fun at those things. a favorite of mine and a friend was leia telling luke he looked a little short for a stormtrooper, and we thought he should have said 'im the same size as the guy i took this from. it fits great'
The short for a stormtrooper joke was a meta nod to Mark Hamil not being 6'1 which was the height of action heroes at the time.
I never really thought about Luke being whiney until some people that I was working with around the time the prequels came out said that. Hamill brought so much to that character by what he didn't say and I think Christensen did that as well. People probably say it's campy because of the dialogue but to me that's the charm. I do like you had the picture of C3PO in the mess of wires on the Falcon. Brought back memories of my oldest brothers college friends. They were talking about how the, "I'm melting." was a throwback to The Wizard of Oz. Star Wars did leave me feeling good leaving the theater at 8. Then at 11 I really didn't know how to feel leaving the theater after The Empire Strikes Back. Probably didn't help that I had the Topps trading cards before hand.
I think camp/cheese is one of those things that you either love or hate. I loved the 80s Flash Gordon movie. Cheesy AF but it's part of what made the movie so fun to watch for me.
@@kaptinbarfbeerd1317 I loved that one as well. Got to see it in the Theaters as well as Ice Pirates. It was that Queen soundtrack that made Flash Gordon good.
George said it many times that it was inteded for kids but was enjoyed by all. Focused on fun, good vs evil and clear heroes and villains. Timesless themes ans story for anyone to enjoy and get invested in or connect with.
Original Star Wars is awesome, easily in my top 10 films of all times.
And it really is not SciFi, it is Fantasy
Everyone’s entitled to have an opinion. For me, the OT always holds up.
I was born in 2000, and essentially grew up with both trilogies with the sequels coming out in my teens. Myself, I was always in awe of all 6 George films. I watched them all on a loop as far back as I can remember. Honestly though I am no longer in the youngest generation of Star Wars fans A New Hope and the rest of the OT never felt “old” to me. And if they held up to a kid like me back then, I fail to see why they wouldn’t hold up to plenty of young fans today. I don’t feel any of them were all that childish, and really never felt that way to me. In fact it’s the deep moral and philosophical concepts portrayed in them that I would say did captivate me and still do. Star Was really felt like “handcrafted” storytelling to me for lack of a better description. It’s personal and universal in all of the best ways. I think the sequels and much of the subsequent Disney projects really fall short of that. Those that would try and poke holes in George’s films to try and justify those I feel are those who miss the point of Star Wars and clearly never thought of them as much more than just some other sci fi franchise. I’d say Disney seems to have the same attitude and it seems like a pretty lackluster and surface level way to look at a saga that truly connected with so many people.
Is Star Wars cheesy (defined as "cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic"; ": of poor quality : lacking style or good taste.")? No.
Is Star Wars camp (defined as "absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way")? No.
Was Star Wars childish ("showing the less pleasing qualities (as silliness) often thought to be those of children)? No.
However, as a child when Star Wars came out, did the movie appeal to me? Absolutely. However, it also appealed to my parents.
just to further illustrate my point, I was thinking about Jaws which came out around the same time frame. That movie had more emotional heart then this and it was about a shark killing people. basically a monster movie let's be honest. Quint speech on the boat about how soldiers went into the water after the ship capsized and was surrounded and eaten by sharks had a more emotional gravitas and foreshadowing to what eventually happened to him by the end of the movie that anything did in A New Hope. That one speech helped define his character in that movie more than anything that happened to Leah and Luke really in a New Hope. and that's just me being honest. A New Hope was basic storytelling, it was like old cowboy movies from the '50s all the good guys wore white and all the bad guys wore black aka vader or dark gray, just like in the cowboy movies from the '50s. when it was just mostly black and white picture, all the good Cowboys had white hats on and all the bad Cowboys had a black hats on so the audience could easily identify the good from the bad guys, same exact principal in A New Hope.
I think it's a good thing to say it doesn't hold up. Trends and tastes go in cycles. It doesn't lessen the impact of the legacy of the movie that started it all.
This is the kind of shit that really boils my piss. We are talking about a time period where vulgarity in film was frowned on. Where sex can be implied but not actually shown. We lived in a different culture back then, we were far more civil. Which is very ironic considering how nihilistic the time period was after the Vietnam war. I remember as a child thinking Uncommon Valor was an amazing movie, and I loved it for its action and its vulgarity. The fact is we have become desensitizes to the point that now Star Wars has become clean, sanitized. Just look at the vulgarity in modern Star Trek and how out of place it is with the original fans...which contradicts the very lore of Trek when you look at the fourth film. The fact is people who look at Star Wars as "childish" are not looking at it in the context of when it was made. It would be like expecting the original Batman series to be more like the Dark Knight series...fucking ridiculous. Of course, it doesn't help that Lucas's defense of Star Wars was made for children. His intent, does not change its true outcome. Another great example of this is the movie Flash Gordon. At times it is very childish; to the point of being cringe, but there are very adult themes like sex in the film that adults were intended to see the film as well. I haven't seen Andor, and I'm honestly sick of Disney patting themselves on the back for making a Star Wars show for adults...that's not why I love Star Wars...I love good stories, good characters and they haven't been giving us that for a long time. Trying to make Star Wars "adult" is yet another contradiction to what Star Wars is and supposed to be. Yet another example of how Disney just does not "get it." "It was made for children" is not an argument and adding sex and/or gratuitous vulgarity to Star Wars does not make Star Wars betterer, it diminishes its artistic style.
You’re right about Star Wars not being considered as great by todays standards but by the standards of 40 years ago it was epic. It was exactly what George said it was. But it had an identity crisis. The first films in each trilogy were playful but had seriousness to it at the same time. then 2nd of each trilogy got super serious and somewhat dark. So the original trilogy probably would be what Andor is if it were told today but would have a character or two that would reflect a subtle comic relief.
People are calling A New Hope campy and childish because they are reaching any reason to hate it. This movie had people waiting in lines for hours to watch it who were fully grown adults. Ain't no movie since then making that kind of impact. They just trying to excuse the flaws of some modern day movies by comparing them to a movie made over forty years ago.
Speaking from someone who is older, I was 7 when Star Wars came out.
I never seen anyone with a c3p0 doll. I seen people with wind up R2 toys but I am not even made 3P0 dolls.
The prize doll was always darth vador and Hans gun
Lol wow. The OT has held up for me for the last 30 years Lol. Even as I got older I watch it at least once or twice a year.
Anyone who says shit about the original should be "reminded" what happened to Owen and Beru, while lighting a match near there face.
Threepio cremating jawas always stood out to me as a rather down-to-earth detail, even when I first saw it in 1978.
Many new viewers of ANH are surprised how well the film stands up.
TLJ defenders: this movie is a cinematic masterpiece with complex and enthralling themes. It’s genius because it subverts your expectations and is just great cinema.
Also TLJ defenders: Why are you taking this stuff so seriously, it’s just a movie with with space wizards intended for children
I was sure of if when I found your channel during the release of the sequel films, but as I've continued to watch your videos, I am consistently blown away at how you perfectly encapsulate 'our' generations feelings in a way that the 'sequel era' world continually tries to object to (I say our generation as people who literally grew up watching the OT throughout their entire childhood and were late teens when the prequels came out)
I love how you fairly, but so extremely accurately always portray many of our thoughts and feelings, without ever needing to be 'nasty' about it. It's so refreshing.
Now as to is A New Hope 'cheesy'.... I think at this point in the cinematic culture, you cannot answer that simply. It's both a GENRE DEFINING film AND a film of it's era. It popularized space opera, pulp, and eastern culture at a time when western wasn't overtly exposed. It was also created by a creative individual who was of an 'anti establishment' mindset. It's an excellent execution of the hero's journey, and for most of us, it was our FIRST example of which. I grew up my whole life wanting to be Luke Skywalker, and wanting to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. If you were to put it up against what we think are our ideals in today's society, that isn't an accurate or fair framing.
Take the Matrix (the original) when we were 15 years old we had NEVER seen a western film attempt to tackle themes of that nature. I had been already watching all of the source material they pulled most their reference from, but you can never 'recreate' that same feeling you got when you saw it the first time. It redefined the genre.
Look 'objectively' at Blade Runner. There are some quite offsides and problematic elements to that film, when watched with TODAY's eyes, but it's still a film that defined a genre for a generation to follow.
We still copy these films to this day, so to hold them up to a modern lens, without first calibrating that lens for the time and place they were created for, is an unfair assessment IMO.
Anyway, love your stuff, it's nice to know there's an 80's kid out there who loved star wars as much as I did, and feels the same about where it's gone, and is still able to speak about it with hope and respect, while wonderfully explaining what many of us feel. Keep it up!!!
Blade Runner doesn't anything problematic unless you don't pay attention to the story.
These people: the OG Star Wars is too corny!
Thor: *proceeds to completely dismantle the entire argument by listing all the dark and serious crap that's the trilogy let alone the just movie*
I love it how people will say the most bizarre things without really looking into what they are talking about and then just get completely destroyed using logic and facts.
A New Hope is a perfect family film. People of all ages will like something about it. It doesn’t favor one age group over the other. I don’t care what anyone else says.
My question to critics would be: if Star Wars is so terrible, what movie today could be said to have that THAT degree of impact-on audiences, on cinema, on culture in general? What movie today has defined a generation? Or even since Star Wars? The only rival (even then to a LESSER degree) might be Avatar in terms of impact. Maybe Jurassic Park. Maybe The Matrix. But none of those so profoundly as Star Wars. And, more importantly, would the critics consider the new trilogy to be even remotely in the same class as THOSE films?
MCU has long since dethroned Star Wars
@@АлексейМомот-щ7о And people are becoming bored of that now. Each franchise has its ups and downs.
@@АлексейМомот-щ7о While true. Although I personally think that with the respective seriel shows/series that have been released of both Marval and Star Wars. The the world building of the creative universe is greater in Star Wars now. Although Marvel is amazing too.
"A New Hope" is very much a film that is a product of it's time (1970s). And as long as George/Disney quits tinkering with it, it will remain a classic, game changing movie that changed cinema forever. It wasn't guaranteed to be a hit, and George held back because of that - to let it be a hit first, and then he could tell more stories. This was the perfect movie for the perfect time, introducing a phenomenon that we're STILL talking about!!!!
I remember being a child, watching star wars for the first time. The star destroyer and just captured Leia's blockade runner. The rebels were all lining up at the door to fight off the soon to be entering storm troopers. The camera focuses on one of the rebels for a moment. I thought, who is this? What part does he play in this story. Then the storm troopers blast out the door and the rebels immediately gets gunned down.
Oh, ok. Never mind. I guess we will never know.
Edit: oh, look at the ewoks! Aren't they cute? They are just soooo ardor-- OH MY GOD THEY ARE ABOUT TO COOK AT EAT LUKE AND HAN!
We do now thanks to the fanbase. The Old Rebel Trooper who themeatically meant to demonstrate the ragtag nature as he is obviously older than the other Rebels in that scene is named Lieutanent Pello Scrambas he is a Clone Wars veteran from Alderaan who first enlisted in the planety security forces after Jedi Watchman Jorus C'Baoth showed to resolve a dispute between two houses on Alderaan that led to current ruling family we see in the films with Bail Organa.
Fascinating analysis. I enjoy the more campy parts of Star Wars, but there is more balance between the camp and serious components then one would normally think.
Thor:
*makes a "Revisiting 1977 Star Wars" video series*
Me: i've been looking forward to this
The same arguments go back and forth about the Beatles. It's usually younger people who weren't there and don't understand the historical context and the ground breaking precedence. I wasn't there for the Wizard of Oz or Elvis but I understand their historical significance and why they are still revered today as classics.
For me the only thing that a new hope doesn’t take seriously enough is the tremendous losses it futures. Especially two moments which are very devastating and personal. The first is Luke returning home and finding the remains of the only family he had in the world(to his knowledge) burned, probably burned alive while trying to flee. The second is Lia witnessing the annihilation of her home world and the mass murder of millions including her family. Both Luke and Lia lost everything and for the love of god it doesn’t show! In both cases the first emotional response is shock, which is good, it makes sense it’s human. But gosh I don’t get why this doesn’t affect their characters at the slightest. The first step is shock which was shown to us, but later should come anger and grief but we get nothing. Why didn’t we get a scene where Lia is in her cell, while Han and Luke are on their way, in which she processes her loss, maybe even an emotional break down. That would have added much more depth to Lia and made the story feel more realistic. Luke could have displayed some sorrow while they were traveling on the Falcon. That would be the real human response. But of course this wasn’t done, as it would have made the movie much darker and sadder and less appealing to younger kids. It requires some level of maturity to comprehend complex emotions and it would have confused younger audiences. We overlook this because we watched it for the first time as kids so we didn’t realize that. But the truth is that A New Hope doesn’t take itself seriously in some parts of it in order to stay fun and simple “Good vs Evil” because that was what George wanted the audience to experience. The film is about Luke’s journey and not about how that journey made him feel along the way, even if a more mature audience would find that cheesy or unserious
I think people are talking about the overwrought dialogue when they say the original trilogy was campy or cheesy. Like "I have placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit."
That line is not really overwrought.
It's still my all time favorite movie.
Merriam-Webster can answer these, questions three.
Campy- in the style of camp : absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way.
Childish- marked by or suggestive of immaturity and lack of poise.
Cheesy- resembling or suggesting cheese especially in consistency or odor.
I’ll leave you to determine if A New Hope matches any of these. Except for the last. It definitely reminds me of cheese.