What can we said about Star Wars that hasn't been said already? Many will be shocked that we've chosen to rank the original movie above the immensely favoured second chapter, but all said and done, the original Star Wars flick is a cleaner, simpler, more accessible movie that can be enjoyed by pretty much everyone, and one that offers up an unrivalled sense of adventure - almost childlike in its approach to telling the hero's story. And in this case, our hero is one Luke Skywalker, who finds himself caught up a galactic battle against the evil Empire. Everything about Star Wars is wonderfully executed; the world that George Lucas fashions by way of combining his influences (everything from B-movies to Flash Gordon) explodes onto the screen, resulting in one of the most giddy adventure movies ever made. The design of Lucas' world, dusty and used, evokes the feelings of a western, and in essence that's where a lot of the appeal comes from. But then there's the John Williams soundtrack, the space battles, Harrison's Ford's unequalled Han Solo, and that truly astounding mythology...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
