The Daily Stream: There Is So Much Star Wars Out There - It's Time To Rewatch The Film That Started It All
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Star Wars: A New Hope"
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The Pitch: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a young man gazed at twin suns on a planet called Tatooine. A young princess passed a message to a droid that would have ramifications for the future. A rogue pilot joined an old "wizard," that young man, and some bickering droids on a mission, despite his world-weary philosophy. It was the start of a franchise that would take over pop culture for decades to come with no sign of stopping. I was far too little to see the first "Star Wars" film in the theater, but I do remember watching it at home. It was a fairy tale like the ones I'd grown up on, but the knights rode in ships instead of on horses. The princess was the most effective rescuer and far more resourceful than the men who tried to get her out of prison. The villain scared me so profoundly that watching him walk toward me in a VR video game still makes me step backward and sweat profusely. No monster from a book had ever done that.
I saw a story where the bad guys were really, really bad, and the good guys worked hard to do the right thing. I saw a "kid" who could change everything about his life through sheer force of will (I probably should have capitalized the "f" in Force) and a "rogue" who chose the right path. I saw an older man who didn't preach or talk down to the kid but instead really gave him advice. I saw a princess who defied everything that made me mad about women in fairy tales, even as a tiny little person. It changed my life.
Why it's essential viewing
I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to watch this for the first time again. It was a singular experience when I saw it. I knew there would be a sequel because mom and dad told me, but I didn't really know what that meant. I just knew that when John Williams' music started, I was transported. I wanted every book and toy. I wanted to rewatch it over and over. I wanted to be Princess Leia and have a lightsaber. (Don't ever tell me Rey isn't a dream come true because, to me, she is.)
I've heard from kids that grew up with the prequels that the first film is slow, but to me, it's just ... simple. It's the hero's journey from innocence to discovery, through heartbreak and tribulations to triumph. It was pure in a way that very few movies are or can be anymore. The effects were incredible for the time but now seem quaint ... and yet that's part of the appeal. If George Lucas could have stuffed more in there, he would have ... and did years later. Yeah, I love those versions as well. As an adult, I love more complex stories set in the universe like "Andor," but there is still a part of me that finds the simple story that started it all to be the best part of the universe.
A different kind of princess
The story is wonderful, and it was something different than anyone older than myself had seen before. The lightsabers are cool. Chewbacca looked huggable, and the droids made me laugh. That's all great, but the thing that cemented "Star Wars" as a pivotal thing in my life was Princess Leia. The princesses I read about were waiting to be kissed or to be saved. The women I saw on TV were there as love interests, arm candy, and rarely anything more. I watched "Wonder Woman," so I knew that women could be far more than what I saw everywhere else, but Leia was different. She was far more together than Han or Luke. She was funny, which you didn't get to see very often either. She stood up to Darth Vader, even as her planet was destroyed before her eyes.
It was profound to a kid like me. I wanted to be the hero and to fight. Before Leia, playtime in school was more of a "you go play with dolls, and we'll play pirates" sort of thing, no matter how much I tried to swashbuckle along with them. After "Star Wars" came out, I was promoted. It sounds like a small thing, but it wasn't. It was the beginning of a change in culture that people are still talking about to this day.
All of that said, I'm not recommending a rewatch just because I like Princess Leia or for nostalgia purposes. It's just a beautifully crafted film. Whether you love the franchise or hate it, it endured for a reason, and if "A New Hope" didn't work, the entertainment world would be a very different place. So would my own.
May the Force be with you.