[10]

Star Wars needs another review like a wookiee needs Rogaine, but let's reflect anyway, lest we start to forget its cultural importance and overall awesomeness.  After film reached (still) unparalleled popularity in the late '30s and '40s, television came along and the film industry instantly began to shrivel. The dry spell lasted until the mid-70s (perfect timing, mom and dad), when the 'film school generation' of filmmakers hit the scene. George Lucas was one of the primary figures in this movement, and Star Wars, more than any other single film, blew the box (office) apart and reinvigorated the movie business. This isn't an exaggeration. If I hadn't seen Star Wars and its sequels as a child, I doubt I'd like movies nearly as much as I do today. It remains an incredible cinematic achievement to the world, and a lasting influence on me. 

Lucas had a relatively low-budget, but he fought tooth and nail to bring his outlandish vision to the screen, and somehow, despite all odds and a legion of naysayers, he did it.  It’s the ultimate ‘little movie that could’. We’re still enraptured by its characters, locations, and mythic situations. Watching it again just recently, I was every bit as engaged and entertained as I was decades ago. Along with the amazing visuals (and incredible music and sound, too) there’s a purity of storytelling that is for the ages, a quality not as pronounced in any movie since The Wizard of Oz.  Many people try to explain this appeal by throwing around the word ‘myth’. But if it were that easily explained, the formula would have been repeated successfully by now. I’m just going to call it magic. Movie magic.

Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Music Score, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Special Achievement Award in Sound Effects (Ben Burtt)

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness)