geordie locust is a genius, vader is a pure bad gang.this film has pure haggin and smashin throughout..
a true great film and is worthy of being no.1

Star wars is my all time favourite film and one which I have watched so much growing up, I can recite every line even now. The reason is it is one of the most entertaining films you will ever watch, the action never stops, the characters are engaging, the special effects still look great today and most importantly the film is believable.

But can a film made so long ago still stand the test of time today. Well it consistently appears in lists of classic/best/most entertaining films of all time. It also one of the most important Science Fiction films ever made and would easily make most people's top 5 sci-fi. It is a classic tale of the struggles between good versus evil, of love and sacrifice and ultimate triumph which has been the blue print of many stories for centuries. Where Star Wars is different is the way it retells this story in a futuristic setting. It is that simple and yet it is so much more. You actually believe in the characters and that there is a galaxy far, far away. Everything from the set design to the costumes is looks authentic and the story doesn't take the audience for granted giving reason and purpose.

For example when the bounty hunter Gredo wants to 'speak' to Han Solo, it may look like nothing but so much goes on before it that is hinted at (but not revealed until later if at all) to give you this meeting that you never question it. Also when Obi-One talks to Luke about The Clone Wars, even though you never see it you can imagine it as it is described so well and makes you understand why things are the way they are now. The script is complex in this respect but within the context of this film work perfectly.

Credit should also be given to John Williams whom, yet again, manages to create such a memorable theme tune as well as a soundtrack of rising, stirring and dramatic music which fits this film probably better then any soundtrack I've heard. You can listen to it and understand the story without ever seeing the film.

For 1977 the special effects were way ahead of their time and was a big a leap for the FX industry as Terminator 2 was in 1991 and The Matrix was in 1999. From this ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) was formed and more budget was given to special effects companies and in particular science fiction (Star Trek: The Motion Picture was going to be Star Trek Phase II series until Star Wars came out, due to it's success they decided to turn it into a film). It is also one of the most recited, satired and talked about film ever made.

Star Wars also introduced us to some of the greatest concepts in cinema namely the Jedi, the force and the best movie weapon ever, the Light Sabre. Any of these things in one film would have made it good, but to put them all together was a work of genius. The Jedi knights are based on Japanese Samurai as it was George Lucas's love of Akira Kurosawa's films and American Westerns that inspire this film (he describes it as a western in space). George also often says that his is not a new story, simply an old story retold. That may be true but it is the way the story is retold that created a landmark in movie history, a film which will never be beaten.

Is it really that good? Well it won 7 Oscars and if you are a man or a fan of any science fiction then it is like breathing (in other words essential). People have differing views on the later films (past the Sequel Empire Strikes Back), but there is no arguing over this film. If you love science fiction of any description then you are going to love this, if you don't you are among the 0.000000001% of people that don't.

I just thought to hell with it"gotta add a Star wars reveiw to the list"Pretty pointless,But essential.This is the stuff kids dreams are made of,The merchandise,The music,The characters,the Action,The sheer Perfection of it all,"George lucas went on to produce Howard the duck?"Movies"A"There a funny ol Game.

I feel the same way about this movie as "movieaddict" as I remember all too well seeing this movie 7 times at the cinema.
The problem with the original version of Star Wars on DVD lies in the subtitles (Not hard of hearing subtitles). The DVD is non-anamorphic and as such needs you to expand the picture to 16:9 on a widescreen TV. The subtitles are put on screen on the black portion of the screen, so when you come to watch the film after expanding you may well be able to see Han shoot first but you can't see what Greedo is saying!

These original versions of all three movies seem to be the direct copies of the first 5 widescreen films ever put onto tape by Fox in the UK. The other two were Die Hard and Alien. These were released in the early 90's and because Widescreen TV's were definately not the norm, watching these across the middle of a 4:3 TV would not present a problem seeing the subtitles.
It is a shame that George Lucas gave us what we wanted i.e. the original unaltered versions of his trilogy but failed to put any effort into the DVD's at all.
What I would of liked is the original trilogy, unaltered, cleaned up, 5.1 surround sound, anamorphic and carrying the original cinema poster on the sleeve. The original cinema poster is on the reverse side of these DVD's.

While I'm on the subject - I do think the sleeves to ALL the Star Wars saga DVD's are the worst sleeves ever put onto DVD. Why can't we have the glorious original cinema posters ?

On the whole the picture quality is still excellent compared to VHS and although the sound on the original versons is only 2.0 compared to 5.1 on the special editions this is still excellent.

Anyway as this is the ONLY way you are going to see the original versions of these films on DVD at the moment and at this price they are well worth parting with your hard earned cash.

This film is almost to good to review.

On every single level it hits 100% perfect. I was born the month this was released and like a surrogate parent it has been with me ever since. It takes impossible themes and makes you believe in them in a future which has a past. Wonderful, encapsulating, uplifting appealing to our base instincts to overcome adversity and evil, and not in the messed up way that george Bush defines evil. I even think that bush would be Darth Vader if he was in this film, but that's probably being a little unfair to Vader because he has good in him afterall.

Thats one of the amazing things about this film. It grows and evolves with you, becoming deeper and more full of hidden meaning. Even if you want it to have no meaning and just be an action popcorn flick it will deliver exactly what you want.

I'm sure you've all seen it, but the Original version, if you haven't, gives a good insight into how good this film actually was on release almost 31 years ago.

It all started here, the event movie ! I remember being lined up for what seemed hours on a blazing summers day with my parents, outside the cresent cinema Pontefract in the summer of 1977 to see this. This film is still as good today, and the effects still are great. But it's the characters that make this work, and thats where the prequels failed (apart from Episode III).They have become pop culture icons. This is pure escapism that takes all the best bits from every folk law and fairy tale and mashes them up to get a outstanding SCI-FI Hybrid. Also for the fan boys out there. The original of Han shooting Greedo first is far better than the special addition of 20 years later. A must buy !

2 disc great movie great price what else can you say

Whether you want to see Greedo shoot first. a CGI Jabba the Hutt and dewbacks that move in the backgroud or stick to the original theatrical release before the 'special editions' were brought out in 1997 then you're going to be pleased with this purchase as you'll have a choice between the 2 for a price that won't start a rebellion against your bank account!

A brilliant film from my childhood that has always been one my favourites, now this 2dvd limited edition that contains both the 1977 and 1997 versions of the film, is amongst my growing dvd collection.
A great sci-fi story with amazing images and loads of spaced out action, with a young allstar cast Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill etc.. it will be something that you will watch more than once!
A fantastic price of just £4.99 is to good to miss so grab your copy and collect the Limited Edition set of all the Star Wars films! Nice one Play!

Now, decades on, folks will wonder why all the fuss? A so so film with lame special effects. Maybe by modern standards, yes, but when released there had never been anything like this film. Lucas literally wrenched you out of your seat and put you in another world, the likes of which had never been seen before. This film a was a landmark in many respects, not least of which that it served as the foundation and inspiration for modern special effects. More important for Hollywood, the film singlehandedly saved a dying film industry. Having said all that, to really appreciate it, you just had to be there at the time to savour the atmosphere it generated amongst the audiences.
Well, in my old timer opinion, the greatest movie of all time.