Stage 1: Analysis
From the AFI’s Top 10 list, I have decided to analyze Star Wars IV – A New Hope for my final film critique. A considerable number of individuals consider this film an all-time favourite. Star Wars is a story told with regards to the fight of evil and good. The theme of the movie is as the title suggests, hope. The movie centers around a young man eager to learn the ways of the force. Around the first thirty minutes of the movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi gives the young man, Luke Skywalker a description of the Force. He highlights that it is a force of energy that all living things contribute to creating. The force according to Obi binds the galaxy together in as much as it penetrates them and surrounds them (Lucas, 1977) . It is essential to highlight a variety of information with regards to the film ranging from contextual information to the story and plot as well as the aesthetic information and the impact the film has had on the society.
Contextual Information
The contextual information regarding the film is as follows; The full movie title is Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The movie was released officially in 1977 on the 25 th of May (Lucas, 1977) . George Lucas played a significant role in the creation of the movies. He wrote the movie, directed it, and was also the executive director of the blockbuster. Gilbert Taylor was responsible for the photography and cinematography of the film. Gary Kurtz produced the film, while John Williams took charge of photography. The editing team was consistent with Marcia Lucas, Paul Hirsch, T.M. Christopher, and Richard Chew. The main cast of the fourth Star Wars release was David Prowse as Darth Vader, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Kenny Baker played R2-D2, Antony Daniels as C – 3PO, Alec Guinness as Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi, Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Adventure and action are combined with the science-fiction genre of the film. The film made a total of USD 774 million, 314 million overseas and 460 million in the U.S. The film was also ranked as one of the best movies of all time. During the 50 th Oscars Academy Awards, the film received 10 nominations. Star Wars Episode IV won six of those awards and they were inclusive of Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction.
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Plot/Story
The plot of the film begins with the boarding of a Rebel space ship by Darth Vader and his followers. The plot then changes to illustrate the life of a young man, Luke Skywalker. His life is highlighted as simple. His life then gradually translates to the young man forming new allies and attempting to rescue Princess Leia in a series of adventurous and wild events (Lucas, 1977) . The plot of the story concludes with the attack by the Rebels and Luke to the Star and eventually destroying it completely. It is essential to take note of the fact that hope is conveyed throughout the movie with a gradual understanding of the Force by Luke. The ending of the film is cinematic as a result of the chronological order chosen to convey the story. Both Yoda and Obi-Wan train Luke to utilize the force thus giving rise to a Jedi Warrior.
The story told in the film begins with the attack by Darth Vader on the Rebel ship. Two robots then escape and land on Luke Skywalker’s planet. The robots R2-D2 and C-3PO are sold to Luke’s uncle. As Luke clean up R2-D2, he replays a message from Princess Leia where she is asking for Obi-Wan Kenobi’s help. The R2-D2 escapes and lead him to the discovery of Obi-Wan. Kenobi gives Luke a description of the batter against the Empire by the Rebels and gives him a description of the working of the force (Lucas, 1977) . Upon the discovery of the death of his remaining family, Luke aligns with Obi-Wan and set out to rescue Princess Leia. After successfully rescuing the princess, they successfully destroy the Death Star and consequentially stop Darth Vader from taking over the universe.
Aesthetic Choices
The film does not contain many instances of extreme close-ups or close-ups. The surroundings and the full view of the body of the characters are illustrated using numerous long shots. This technique of filming gives the audience the opportunity to see the bonds created by the main characters of the movie. Luke’s visual-heavy style is clearly visible through the utilization of good editing techniques throughout the movie. The editing was done in such a manner that the view time of each character was just enough, not too much to the extent that it would bore the audience. Therefore, switching between characters just at the right moment allowed for the enjoyment and the maintaining of interest to the movie (Tudor , 2013) .
The various themes in the film are maintained with the utilization of good lighting. For instance, to illustrate the superiority of Darth Vader, the director utilized contrast well by having the walls of the Death Star bright white. Therefore, his suit was very distinct and thus distinguishing him from the rest of the crew. Rather than utilizing computer generated sets, the director utilized simple sets (Gordon, 2018) . For instance, as compared to computer generated objects, the real objects reflected more light, thus making them seem more realistic. It is essential for the audience to experience the movie as if it was real, thus it would be more enjoyable. Throughout the movies, the audience has an opportunity to see multiple sets in numerous angles as a result of the powerful lighting utilized.
The music utilized in the movies played a crucial role in keeping the concept of good versus evil throughout the movie. The music contributed to allowing the audience to follow the movie in as much as other components such as unique sound effects and linear progression. Regardless of the scene, the music accompanying it was meaningful and precise thus blending well into the movie (Tudor , 2013) . As for the dramatic scenes, they were complimented and made more powerful with the utilization of the effects of an orchestra. For instance, when the shot is capturing the Jedi’s prideful music is used, and when the shot is on Darth Vader the editors played dark music.
Personal and Social Impact
Given that the film has gathered and maintained a loyal following for the past 40 years, Star Wars has had an outstanding impact on the society and the film industry. Everything about Star Wars is enjoyed by adults and children alike. There have been toys and costumes modelled after the various characters in the film. This is because the whole world enjoys the science fiction universe created by George Lucas (Lucas, 1977) . Today, the Star Wars movie has led to the creating of a sport in the Olympics known as Competitive Lightsaber Fighting, with swords like the ones utilized in the Star Wars movie. The Star Wars movie gained so much appreciation by the fans that it led to the creation of four more movies. The constant demand for the movies has led them to be defined as the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. The movies earned 10 Oscars, six of which it won (Verboord, 2014) .
The personal impact of the movie begun when I watched the movies within a week. I had put off watching the movies because I felt like the movie was overrated. Then one of my friends convinced me to give it a try. I regret having not watched them earlier or as they were being released for the more recent releases. Nonetheless, Star Wars IV appeals to me because I am impressed by both the main characters fighting for good and evil (Kinard & Hartman, 2013) . Darth Vader’s suit appeals to me because I simply find it rather fascinating. Luke’s ambition to do good and put the needs of others before his own is quite inspiring. Watching this film motivated me to keep on with the remaining four films, and thus came to the realization as to why Darth Vader is on the bad side. I enjoyed the film so much that I cannot wait to engage any of my fellow peers that have not watched the movies to watch them. Furthermore, I can now understand what the fuss is all about when it comes to the Star Wars. I can now engage in various conversations regarding the movie and not feel left out.
Star Wars has had a ripple effect of changing the narratives of films in Hollywood as well as their aesthetics. The special effects used in films has changed significantly after the Star Wars films. Furthermore, computer-generated imagery in films was utilized more especially after the Star Wars. Various filmmakers invested more in special effects. The special effects became such as a crucial component in the film that it gave rise to Digital Productions and Industrial Light Magic that were specialist in the provision of special effects (Tudor , 2013) . The Star Wars IV movie pioneered the combination of numerous genres of movies into on thus telling a more vivid story. For instance, the fourth episode of the Star Wars movies made use of quasi-mystical epic, war film. Western, and science fiction. The trend where many films were released at the same time was a pioneer by Star Wars and Jaws, and thus the trend continues to date. From the film, it was realized the rights from merchandising would make more money than the film itself.
Stage 2: Reflection
There are a variety of aspects that can be gained from analyzing the film. For instance, I learned how the plot and story defer. I came to the realization that the plot is more concerned with the way various scenes in the movie transition from one to the next. While the story is simply what goes on in the movie. I learned that lighting and music truly play a crucial role in telling a story. For instance, the identification of the bad people of the movie was through darker music (Gordon, 2018) . My view on movies has changed slightly in relation to how much value I attach to them. I value the function of a movie much more as a result of the critiquing experience. Furthermore, I have also learned that I should not underestimate a movie just because I feel like it is overrated. When a movie such as this is good, it is good. There are no two ways about it.
The criticism has been constructive in the provision of more information regarding the meaning of movies. I have learned that the interpretation of movies takes more than just the story being told. There is more that goes into the true meaning of a movie. I have learned that the directors are the masters of the message they want the audience to get. For instance, the manner of lighting in the Death Star tells the audience that Darth Vader is a powerful and evil character. Through the course, I have learned that movies can be significantly impactful to society. For instance, the movies created a whole new profession in special effects (Verboord, 2014) . This would lead to the creation of more jobs in the film industry. The skills that I have developed throughout the course are movie analysis and interpretation. I am confident that these skills would allow me to get a clearer image when I watch movies.
References
Gordon, A. (2018). Star wars: a myth for our time. In Screening the Sacred. Routledge.
Kinard, B., & Hartman, K. (2013). Are you entertained? The impact of brand integration and brand experience in television-related advergames. Journal of Advertising, 42 (2-3), 196-203.
Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope [Motion Picture].
Tudor , A. (2013). Image and influence: Studies in the sociology of film. Routledge.
Verboord, M. (2014). The impact of peer-produced criticism on cultural evaluation: A multilevel analysis of discourse employment in online and offline film reviews. New media & society, 16 (6), 921-940.
