STAR WARS (1977) *** The all-time Welterweight champion of the world. A film's film, the definition of blockbuster. An embarrassment in riches, of stills and sets and alien costumes. Since George Lucas is obviously pretty smart, and got so obsessed with this stuff, it's probably fair to wonder what it is that he's trying to say. At the time I was pretty sure that it was a metaphorical commentary on the fall of Nixon, with the Revolution being, essentially, the counterculture. That's definitely not a direct hit. It may be closer to think in terms, for the entire Star Wars saga, of Darth Vader & associates representing overbearing and bad political groupings, of the sort that liberals mean when they say "fascist" and conservatives mean when they say "communist." On the other hand, it's probably even better to realize that, for the most part, the plot is just an archetype with futuristic space trappings, and that what Lucas does better than anything else is stay out of the way. Plot or not, something carries the film and it's not the acting: Alec Guinness is the only one of the principals to be consistently credible, and Harrison Ford the only to even occasionally cross that bright line into brilliance. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher aren't even close to what you'd expect from their roles, most of the time. Truth is that the most compelling dialogue of the entire thing is early, and between two robots. So what? It's full of action, the pacing couldn't be better, the special effects and sets are really cool, and John Williams' theme has to be one of the most upbeat, dramatic, and instantly recognizable pieces of music of the entire 20th century. In fact, I have a recalcitrant dog who can only be relied upon to respond if you whistle it or "Whole Lotta Love" at him. The Force is not, despite what I've read, a template for some hokey "new age" religion: the very concept speaks directly to our subconscious and sense of truth, and an intricate plot or uniquely developed characters would have done nothing but dilute the ultimate primitive impact. We, too, George Lucas says, are made of the stuff that can invent even myths. And we serve 'em up, new and improved, with synthetically buttered industrial produced popcorn. Yeah, that's right, the film is a confirmation of the very intrinsic value of our entire cultural morality and ideals, no less. Plus it's got one of the better bar scenes in cinematic history.
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