If the appeal of “Star Wars” lies partially in our intoxicating nostalgia for experiences long ago in a galaxy far, far away, then re-reading the six-film saga’s original reviews is the antidote.
That’s not to say critics were roundly dismissive of 1977’s “Star Wars” (later retitled “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope”), or that time has been any more kind to the reputation of 2005’s prequel-capping “Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.”
But given the powerful role of memory in film legacies, it’s still fascinating to revisit how unsuspecting critics felt about the special effects wizardry and genuinely experimental characters of the original trilogy — or the (justified) savaging that George Lucas’s prequels got at the hands of disappointed critics, for whom a high bar had already been set.
The amount of ink spilled on the meaning and influence of “Star Wars” could fill several libraries. Here, we simply present the unflitered, unedited first-impressions of wide-eyed critics when each movie first hit theaters.
— John Wenzel
“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” Publish date: May 26, 1977.
George Lucas, who brought us those memorable kids in “American Graffiti,” is back with “Star Wars”– a film that would captivate the Mel’s Drive-In crowd as well as enchant the kid in all of us.
In “Star Wars,” the young filmmaker has brought all of the spectacle, humor, fun, adventure and innocence we found in classics ranging from the “Flash Gordon” sci-fi excitement, to “The Wizard of Oz” crowd and the chase scenes and predicaments of “Tom Jones.” And for the frosting on the cake, Lucas has assembled the most brilliant special effects and futuristic characters this side of “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
“Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.” Publish date: May 23, 1980
If a critic had any doubt about the power of the “Force,” a recent screening of “The Empire Strikes Back” — the sequel to “Star Wars” — proved conclusively that any review of the film is an exercise in futility.
There are millions of people out there who have waited for three years for this movie and nothing will stop them from seeing it or, for that matter, from applauding as familiar pieces of hardware and comic strip characters appear on the giant screen for yet another chapter of George Lucas’ galactic odyssey.
“Return of the Jedi.” Publish date: May 25, 1983
As the familiar titles unfolded, the greatest cinematic fable picking up from where we left off “in a galaxy far, far away,” I found myself watching “Return of the Jedi” with a mixture of joy and sadness.
“Jedi,” one of the most anticipated movies of all time, opens today at the Cooper and Continental theaters, and it’s everything it ought to be — glorious, exhilarating, exciting, absorbing, technically wondrous.
“Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Publish date: May 16, 1999
Maybe George Lucas — the director, writer, and Yodalike poohbah behind “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” — isn’t responsible for the hype associated with its release.
Maybe, as he claims, he just wanted to make a high-tech adventure film for 12-year-olds and the rest is just the creation of an overstimulated, overpopulated media.
But he is responsible for “”Phantom Menace” being nowhere near as good as the original “”Star Wars” trilogy. Lucas has had 16 years to imagine what his “”prequel” to that trilogy would be — “”Return of the Jedi” was made in 1983.
“Episode II – Attack of the Clones.” Publish date: May 16, 2002
When the eagerly anticipated “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” proved so roundly disappointing, I, like many others, blamed Jar Jar Binks.
This allegedly “cute” creature, a floppy-eared, lizard-like, computer-generated thing with stand-up eyes and mangled-English baby talk, was in the movie as much as anyone. Yet a little of him — of it — went a long, long, long, long way.
“Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” Publish date: May 19, 2005
“Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” has had no shortage of pomp. Myriad magazine covers and the sheer tonnage of tie-in memorabilia have seen to that. But it is the circumstances surrounding the movie that fundamentally compel.
At last, we come to the end of an often amazing 28-year ride. Although technically, with this installment revealing how a good guy can go so very bad, we really arrive at a satisfying beginning. Once out of the multiplex, you may find it hard to resist this episode’s gravitational pull, the tug exerted on you to revisit the original trilogy, which started in 1977.
