10 Ways The First Star Wars Movie (1977) Set A High Bar

George Lucas’ original 1977 Star Wars movie is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Luke Skywalker’s journey from bright-eyed farm boy to promising Jedi apprentice to hero of the Rebellion is a timeless gem of classical storytelling that has captivated audiences across generations and language barriers. Along the way, Luke tangles with arguably the most iconic villain put to film and definitely the most iconic space pirate ever.

By setting the “hero’s journey” template and putting Hollywood’s focus squarely on franchises, Star Wars didn’t just set a high bar for its own intergalactic saga; it set a high bar for blockbusters in general.

10 The Opening Shot Instantly Immerses The Audience In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

The opening shot is one of the most important shots of any movie because it’s the audience’s first glimpse at the story. The iconic opening shot in Star Wars instantly immerses the audience in a galaxy far, far away.

After the text crawl, the camera settles over a planet in space. A plucky little Rebel ship flies overhead, followed by the much larger Imperial Star Destroyer on its tail. Instantly, Lucas establishes the power imbalance between the Empire and the ragtag band of revolutionaries hoping to bring it down — not to mention the movie’s gleefully escapist tone.

9 Every Major Character Became An Instant Icon

All the iconic Star Wars characters are taken for granted now because they’re a beloved part of popular culture, but before that was possible, George Lucas had to create all those characters and introduce them in his seminal 1977 masterpiece.

Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi — the list of now-universally recognizable characters that were introduced in this movie alone is astounding.

8 Lucas’ Oscar-Nominated Script Gives Luke Skywalker A Quintessential “Hero’s Journey”

While George Lucas’ dialogue is a little stiff, the storytelling in Star Wars proves he’s far from a bad writer. Lucas’ perfectly crafted, Oscar-nominated Star Wars script gave Luke Skywalker a quintessential “hero’s journey.”

Ever since it was uncovered that Lucas researched Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” studies in writing Star Wars and that there was a template to replicate its success, screenwriters have been following Campbell’s work religiously.

7 John Williams’ Sweeping Score Left A Lasting Impression

Ask anybody to name an iconic movie score and — alongside Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly score and Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score — John Williams’ score for Star Wars is bound to come up.

Williams’ music continued to be one of the stars of the saga until the very end. It was one of the few aspects of the sequel trilogy that all Star Wars fans could agree was awesome. Ludwig Göransson has since done a fantastic job of evolving the music of Star Wars for The Mandalorian.

6 The Trash Compactor Scene Is A Masterclass In Suspense

Princess Leia is often called a “damsel in distress,” but Star Wars smartly subverts the “damsel in distress” narrative. Luke and Han save Leia from captivity, but they don’t have an exit strategy, so within seconds of being saved, Leia has to step up and become the savior.

She directs them into the trash compactor, where Luke frantically tries to contact C-3PO to stop them from being crushed. With John Williams’ foreboding score and the walls literally closing in, this scene is a masterclass in suspense-building.

5 The Worldbuilding Is Seamlessly Woven Into The Plot

Although the masters like J.R.R. Tolkien make it look easy, worldbuilding is one of the most difficult parts of telling a story like Star Wars. When there’s a lot to explain about a fictional universe, it’s tough to find a way to convey that information without long, drawn-out info dumps.

But George Lucas is a master of worldbuilding, like Tolkien, and in his Star Wars script, the worldbuilding and characterization are deftly woven into the briskly paced storytelling. Lucas tells the story as concisely as possible.

4 Ben Kenobi’s Death Is Heartbreaking

Midway through the first Star Wars movie, Ben Kenobi confronts his fallen apprentice Darth Vader on the Death Star and, after a thrilling lightsaber duel, Vader strikes Kenobi down.

This scene was already heartbreaking in 1977, thanks to Alec Guinness’ performance, but it’s only gotten more heartbreaking as Lucas has filled in the context of Anakin’s fall to the dark side and provided the emotionally charged Mustafar sequence as a setup for the already-iconic rematch.

3 All The Actors Perfectly Suited The Pulpy Tone

From the unwavering commitment of Mark Hamill to the dry comedic edge of Carrie Fisher, every actor in the Star Wars cast was perfectly suited to the uniquely pulpy tone of the movie.

Harrison Ford was so perfect for the role of pulpy gunslinger Han Solo that George Lucas ended up hiring him again a couple of years later to play pulpy gunslinger Indiana Jones.

2 The Death Star Trench Run Is A Triumphant Finale

Every movie is supposed to make the audience root for the hero, but few movies manage to get huge crowds of moviegoers behind their hero like Star Wars gets audiences to cheer for Luke Skywalker’s destruction of the Death Star.

From Han Solo’s heroic return to Ben Kenobi’s wise words from beyond the grave to the spectacular explosion of the Imperial battle station, the Rebels triumphing over the Empire is a glorious, cinematic finale.

1 It’s Two Hours Of Pure Escapism

All the best Star Wars movies are pure escapism that transport audiences to a galaxy far, far away from the real world for a couple of hours. The original 1977 movie established this beautifully.

With a story that takes audiences from Tatooine to the Millennium Falcon to the Death Star and features plenty of laser shootouts and space battles along the way, Star Wars is about as escapist as movies come.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3483 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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