Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
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A farm boy joins forces with a galactic rebellion to stop a deadly space station from destroying the galaxy.
The story
Set in a fictional galaxy ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the film follows a resistance movement called the Rebel Alliance that aims to destroy the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star. When the rebel leader Princess Leia is captured by the Galactic Empire, Luke Skywalker acquires stolen architectural plans for the Death Star and sets out to rescue her while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as "the Force" from the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a period of galactic civil war, Rebel Alliance spies steal blueprints to the Death Star, a colossal space station capable of destroying planets. Princess Leia Organa, a rebel leader, is captured by the Empire after her ship is intercepted by Darth Vader. Her droids, carrying the plans, crash-land on Tatooine. Luke Skywalker finds the droids and meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master who teaches him about the Force and gives him his father's lightsaber. After Imperial forces destroy Luke's home, he joins Obi-Wan and the droids, eventually hiring smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca to reach the rebel base. While the Death Star destroys the planet Alderaan, the group infiltrates the station. Obi-Wan is killed by Darth Vader in a duel, allowing the others to escape. During a desperate battle, Luke joins the X-wing squadron to attack the Death Star. Han and Chewbacca return at the last moment, and Luke uses the Force to guide his torpedoes into the station's exhaust port, causing it to explode. The film ends with a ceremony where Leia awards Luke and Han for their heroism.
- First release year
- 1977
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George Lucas
- Writers
- George Lucas · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mark Hamill · Luke Skywalker; Harrison Ford · Han Solo; Carrie Fisher · Princess Leia Organa; Peter Cushing · Grand Moff Tarkin; Alec Guinness · Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi; Anthony Daniels · See Threepio (C3PO); Kenny Baker · Artoo Detoo (R2-D2); Peter Mayhew · Chewbacca; David Prowse · Lord Darth Vader; James Earl Jones · Lord Darth Vader
- Genres
- epic space opera
- Themes
- Good vs. Evil; Hero's Journey; The power of faith/mysticism
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- Space Opera; Sci-Fi; Adventure
- Reception
- The film was a surprise blockbuster that received critical acclaim, particularly for its special effects, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1989.; The soundtrack was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2004.; The film was named 'Movie of the Year' by Time in 1977.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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