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I watched "Star Wars: A New Hope" for the first time, last night. I have seen parts of all of the Star Wars movies, and I've seen all of Episode I, but I had never seen all the movies from beginning to end and understood them in their entirety. So Justin decided he was going to force them down my throat, and that I was going to like them. I can't say it was horrible, but I can't say it was fantastic either.

It's like this — movies can be good for many reasons two of which are incredible special effects, and a great plot with good acting and solid characters. The second type of movie, while generally not doing as well on opening day in the box office, tends to last through time, retaining it's worth. The first type of movie, however, is GREAT, until something with better special effects comes along. Then, it's effects serve historical and nostalgic purposes — but nothing more. Star Wars, in my opinion, falls into that first category.

The effects were incredible…. 25 years ago. Today, they suck. Horrible even. It looks like a really bad Sci-Fi that I made in my mom's basement. The underlying story behind Star Wars is decent: The Jedi. The Empire. The Rebellion. A almost Magic Religion that has grown all but extinct filled with transcendentalism and a interesting view on Good and Evil. These are good building blocks. But the story focuses on the action. Very little is told of the Jedi, what they are, how they came about or what they stand for.

I understand that this movie is merely part 4 in a series of 9. And perhaps it was advertised exactly in that fashion, as the first movie in a series of three that represented the middle of a story that may or may not ever be told in its entirety. And perhaps, after seeing the other two, I will be more capable of accepting this. But, as it is by itself, I would have left the theater in 1977 (or whenever this was released) wondering where the rest of the story was. I would be confused as to why so many thoughts and concepts and ideas and characters were merely brushed on, and then run over, with out a second thought.

We are introduced to character after character, and are given no chance to see any development. Who is Darth Vader? Where did he come from? Why the continuous mention of Luke's father, with no resolution of this in the end? We see interaction between Leia and Hans. He likes her. But why bother telling us that, if you aren't going to take it any where? Obi Wan was a good character. He provided means to get Luke introduced to the Rebellion. He started training Luke in the ways of the Jedi. And then he dies. And Luke is very distraught. Yet we never saw much build up between them. We never really got the student-teacher feel between them, yet Luke is destroyed when Obi Wan is killed. Yet… minutes later, he is happy and everything is fine. Where did that pain go?

Clearly, it's an action flick. And it's initial merits were because of that, I'm sure. Further episodes may develop the story further, therefore making it more worthy in the end, but, as it stands now, it is an action flick that was probably very good in it's time. But it's time has past. Therefore, if I didn't grow up loving this movie, I certainly am not going to now when I've seen special effects and actions scenes that beat the tar out of this.

Maybe with the rest of the story, I'll have a different opinion.