A New Hope begins with the capture of a Rebellion ship in possession of the secret architectural plans of the Empire's most powerful launch the Death Star. The Princess Leia is among those captured but unknown to her captor, Darth Vader, she has enclosed the plans in a little droid by the name of R2-D2. He and his wary friend C-3PO escape into a pod that lands on the planet of Tatooine. Once there they are taken prisoner and sold to Luke Skywalker and his well-meaning but overly-protective uncle. But R2-D2 insists that he has a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom Luke believes may be "Old Ben Kenobi."

The little droid escapes when Luke's back is turned and sets out to deliver his message. Luke and C-3PO go after him but are waylaid by the Sand People, vicious natives of the planet's desert wild-lands. They are rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who unlocks the message from Leia to find a terrified plea for help. She gives him the directions to the secret rebel station and begs him to take the plans to her father. Although old, Obi-Wan feels his duty strongly and is able to persuade Luke to go only after disaster strikes, leaving Luke an orphan.

In the meantime, Darth Vader has learned of the missing plans. Although unable to get anything out of Princess Leia, he sends several squadrons to guard all incoming and outgoing crafts. Obi-Wan has been able to secure them a fighter with a first-rate captain, Han Solo, who is wanted by Jabba the Hut, for dumping a load of cargo in a smuggling run. Together, these three, along with Hans' co-pilot Chewbacca and the two droids, will attempt to outwit the Empire and save Princess Leia's people from the Death Star. The first time I saw this at age nine (some time after the video release), I wasn't as impressed with the film as I am now. Going back as an adult and reliving some of the moments that became standard "classic" material was a must to fully enjoy the original trilogy. The prequels that are being released every three years have given a lot of insights and questions that can be answered in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The opening sight of the words slowly scrolling into oblivion at the top of the screen, along with that chillingly familiar score, set the stage for two hours of excitement and imagination.

The original cast is by far the best that Lucas has worked with. The characters are interesting, the dialogue not overly cheesy (although it has its moments), and the epic somewhat more mysterious than the later films... mainly because the galaxy has lost many -- but not all of -- the Jedi. The special effects are amazingly good for the late seventies, particularly in this first installment. And one cannot help but feel a shiver whenever the blue, green, or red probe of a light saber flashes into action. As an epic story of the struggle between good and evil, there are, as anticipated, many battle scenes.

None are overtly gory -- apparently Lucas knew just which generation he was aiming for (and that is everyone from the next door neighbor to his kids) but there are many scenes of explosions, people being hit by laser and stun guns, and a few bodies scattered around. Darth Vader strangles one person and attempts to do another one in using the force. Fighter-jets are picked off one by one in a lengthy and frightening scene of an attack on the Death Star. A main character is hit with a light saber and vaporized. The most problematic (for some) will be the idea of "The Force," which is a source of energy created by all living things. Those who have the knowledge (such as the Jedi) may control this magnetic power field and bend it to their will. It exists primarily of several basic rules: feel, don't think, and never get emotionally involved. It's referenced numerous times by various characters as "an old religion," but in reality it is a mindset rather than religion. Obi-Wan uses it several times to manipulate the weak-minded and teaches Luke how to also control and use it to his advantage.

While I have no problem with "the Force," it is something to be wary of, particularly with younger viewers who may not be able to distinguish the difference between a make-believe story and real life. The Force in our age now is something very akin to New Age teaching, which is in reality a variation of very old myths and practices often used by Buddhist priests. The Bible cautions against practicing false religions. However, in an epic film like Star Wars, where reality is suspended for an excellent storyline, it can be easily forgiven. If one truly wants to dig deeper, there are many valuable lessons concealed within the original trilogy and its following. Luke is also a more formidable and praiseworthy hero than his processor, Anakin. And although Hans starts out on the wrong side of the law, he does eventually find his footing and turn into a true-blue hero. Droids, Sand People, light sabers and all, A New Hope is a smashing sci-fi adventure that you won't want to miss.