This is the movie that started it all. It helped shape my love of film and especially my love for fantasy epics, which the LOTR franchise would only add to.

Looking back, there's just so much that came together to make this movie great. The stories of how the special effects came together, how they created these models, and how they filmed pivotal scenes like the Death Star battle offer great insight into the incredible work that was done to make this film a success. I plan to keep adding episodes of Empire of Dreams before each playing to get further looks at the work done to create the film.

The way those special effects combined with the world design, John Williams' score, and George Lucas's world helped make this universe something that affected (and continues to affect) the lives of millions.

Going back to watch this film is quite entertaining. It's hilarious to hear whiny Luke complaining about how he just wants to hang out with his friiiiiiends. And cringe-inducing to watch the sexual tension and weird love triangle that forms among him, Han, and a character that would eventually be decided is his sister in Leia. Also, I don't think anyone can deny that while Obi-Wan vs. Vader is a memorable scene, it really does come across as old men whacking sticks at eachother.

But that doesn't detract from the film to me.

There are so many iconic scenes. I mean that beginning is one of the most memorable beginnings to a film that I know. The fanfare, the title crawl, the ships flying in from the top of the screen, the short battle, and Vader's entrance all prepare you for a fantastic space-fantasy-epic to come.

That said, I feel like IV really shows how Lucas was never a truly visionary director. He created an immersive world, but there are few shots that a visually captivating and the camera is never really used in interesting ways. This will also become more apparent when we watch Empire on Sunday.

All in all, this is getting me more excited for the new movie, which I hope turns out to be a great ride, even if it's not quite as groundbreaking as this one.

And I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's thoughts.