STAR WARS (1977)

RCMerchant · February 11, 2021, 02:01:08 PM

We my as well get this out in the open, because it's one of the most popular movies of all time.
It's also a big budget remake of old Flash Gordon Buster Crabbe serials.
Do you like it? If so, why? I read a lot of comic books- and it was like a living comic book- except it sucked. I was 15.
Myself, I thought it had good F/X- but never cared .
I went back to comics in later years- but never STAR WARS- where the storyline was going. It had a comic book plot, and in 1977, I kinda was done with comic books . I never cared about it from day one. I saw it when it first came out. Didn't really care. It was like the KING KONG remake. It was big budget reworked s**t.

pacman000 · February 11, 2021, 02:21:32 PM

I like it. Stating why is harder.

It helped advance the art & technology of special FX. 2001: A Space Odyssey had great FX, but the techniques they used were too expensive to really change things; the motion control cameras used on Star Wars made filming space ships, fighter jets, & the like practical. Having said that, Close Encounters also used motion control cameras; it was probably just the right time for those techniques to take over. Star Wars did lead to the founding of ILM, which is still one of the best FX houses in the industry.

It does have a classic story, & that story is told well. Sure, it might be cliché, space opera stuff, but it was generally well-refined cliché space opera stuff. Sort of like comparing Edgar Rice Burrows to the dozens of other early-20th-century pulp writers; sometimes a story doesn't need to be original, if it's developed better than what's competing against it. Star Wars does have an interesting technology vs. mysticism angle. While it's not the first sci-fi story to take that approach, I don't think Flash Gordon or Buck Rodgers used that angle. John Carter of Mars did, but it hadn't been made into a movie by 1977, & I think it kinda came down on the "religion is evil" side of things. Not heavily so; the Martian religion just turned out to be fake; John Carter doesn't call out all religion.

The music is good, tho it owes a lot to other classical pieces, especially Holst's The Planets.

RCMerchant · February 11, 2021, 02:26:07 PM

^Well! There ya go!
PS: I Love 2001.

http://youtu.be/ypEaGQb6dJk

pacman000 · February 11, 2021, 02:40:45 PM

I forgot that 2001 gave us front projection, during the Dawn of Man segment. That is significant. Thanks for the reminder!

Rev. Powell · February 11, 2021, 02:58:10 PM

I was 8 when it came out, the perfect age. So yeah, I liked it!

RCMerchant · February 11, 2021, 03:23:47 PM

This has nothing to do with STAR WARS- but one of the 2001 monkey man heads were used in the Joan Crawford film TROG!

zombie no.one · February 11, 2021, 07:39:11 PM

I saw each of the first 3 when I was about 7 or 8. I remember thinking they were pretty good (but then at that age I thought the POLICE ACADEMY movies were genius comedy). I understand why they're considered so iconic, and I get the fanboyness they inspire, but I never jumped on that bandwagon...

iirc I actually liked the toys/action figures way more than the films...

Allhallowsday · February 11, 2021, 09:12:54 PM

STAR WARS is fun and important. I like all 3 of the first films. The later ones do not interest me.

indianasmith · February 11, 2021, 10:13:29 PM

I like them all, but I LOVE the original trilogy.

kornula · February 12, 2021, 01:11:33 AM

The first one is the classic "Hero's Journey" (and a remake of Kirasowa's "Hidden Fortress") with just the right touch of a unique spin that made it engaging for me. The bit that blew my 13 year old me back then was being hyped up to see a movie that takes place in the future... only to have my mind instantly blows away with "A Long time ago in a Galaxy Far Far away..." It never occurred to me that a Science Fiction film that could take place in the past....and no where near earth!

Alex · February 12, 2021, 04:48:50 AM

I grew up watching Star Wars and collected the toys. Guess as a boy it was my big thing.

RCMerchant · February 12, 2021, 06:48:04 AM

Don't get me wrong. I loved that it had Peter Cushing doing something beyond a horror film, and using James Earl Jones as Darth Vader's voice was genius. The f\x, of course were fantastic.
I dunno- maybe because they so oversold it. Breakfast cereal and toys and fast food giveaways- it got to be grating at the time. Like the band KISS in 1977. Who I liked for about a year.

Alex · February 12, 2021, 06:54:45 AM

Quote from: RCMerchant on February 12, 2021, 06:48:04 AM
Don't get me wrong. I loved that it had Peter Cushing doing something beyond a horror film, and using James Earl Jones as Darth Vader's voice was genius. The f\x, of course were fantastic.
I dunno- maybe because they so oversold it. Breakfast cereal and toys and fast food giveaways- it got to be grating at the time. Like the band KISS in 1977. Who I liked for about a year.

Different strokes for different folks my friend.

RCMerchant · February 12, 2021, 07:08:59 AM

What I really didn't like, was that my favorite magazine back then was Famous Monsters of Filmland- and once STAR WARS came out- it was on every dam cover for the rest of it's run.
I had to stop buying it. And I loved Famous Monsters.
I reckon I took it kinda personal. We didn't have cable TV. The nearest theater was 8 miles away. I read a lot.

zombie no.one · February 12, 2021, 08:18:11 AM

Quote from: Alex on February 12, 2021, 04:48:50 AM
I grew up watching Star Wars and collected the toys. Guess as a boy it was my big thing.

I was really jealous of another kid in my class who had Ti-Fighters (sp?). I thought they were so cool but I only had a few figures.

It's possible that I might have liked STAR WARS more than I recall? but it wouldn't have been for long.

Luke Skywalker has a cool name, and the light sabres were cool. hah, just remembered I had a light sabre as well. it lit up

might as well just come out as a STAR WARS uber fan right now eh?

STAR WARS (1977)

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