20th Century Fox released Star Wars on 25 May 1977.

I first saw the film on 4 July 1977. I was in no rush to see it because the commercial for it sucked. It seemed to depend upon the fact that there was already a lot of buzz about the film. And that was true. The nerd class in middle school was indeed abuzz! This made me less inclined to see it. Yes, I was a nerd. But I considered myself a higher level of nerd. I was a little prick!

I liked the film. But I didn’t go crazy for it. And I still find it hard to believe just why it was such a big deal. I guess it was the special effects. The plot was standard — pretty much the same as dozens of genre films. The characters were primative stereotypes. I’m not complaining. The film works. I just don’t understand why so many people lost their minds over it!

Since its release, of course, the film has been renamed Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Because it was the first film of the second trilogy of a trilogy of trilogies. I think the renaming is stupid and annoying as hell. But I will forgive George Lucas for the rest. Before The Empire Strikes Back, he was already pushing the trilogy of trilogies. So it was not, as many have told me, a later cash grab.

But what most annoys me is that Lucas has gone back and changed the special effects. All works of art are products of their time. Star Wars is now the product of the late 1970s — and the late 1990s. And there is no way that the film would have had such primative characters and stories in the late 1990s. So the film is, as it stands, a kind of Frankenstein’s Monster of a film.

What’s more, it wasn’t enough for Lucas to get his ultimate vision produced. He has also done everything he can to limit anyone from seeing the original film. That’s the kind of narcissism that comes from having far too much money, fame, and power.

I’d embed the film if that were possible. But it’s hard to find even a restored copy online. After all, George Lucas is only a billionaire. And Disney is just scraping by! (Much of Lucas’ billions are in Disney stock.)

But you know who the real villains are? People who don’t read this site. These are the people who make rich men richer because they just want to watch what everyone else is watching. Star Wars is psychotronic. There’s no doubt about that, though.

Instead of watching it, check out this clever Chris & Jack skit about who really wrote Star Wars.

Other 25 May Anniversaries

Filmmakers:

• Charles Barton (1902-1981): Director known for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff.
• Claude Akins (1926-1994): Character actor I mostly know from The Night Stalker.
• Ann Robinson (1929-2025): Star of the 1953 The War of the Worlds.
• Ian McKellen (1939-): Actor known for the major films based on X-Men and Lord of the Rings.
• Frank Oz (1944-): Best known as the man behind Miss Piggy, he is a solid film director of such hits as The Dark Crystal and Death at a Funeral.
• Neil Marshall (1970-): Writer-director of many psychotronic films including Dog Soldiers and The Descent.
• Cillian Murphy (1976-): Actor known for 28 Days Later.

Films:

• Behind the Mask (1946): The second of The Shadow films.
• The Stranger (1946): Orson Welles’ most banal film about a Nazi hunter who suspect a school teacher.
• The Cabinet of Calagari (1962): Premiere of the classic story.
• Dead Planet (1972): An overpopulated dystopian society bans pregnancy.
• Return of the Jedi (1983): That’s right, it was released exactly six years after Star Wars. For the record, The Empire Strikes Back was close to being exactly in the middle. The premiere was 17 May. It went into limited release on the 21st. But didn’t see wide release until 18 June.
• Dead Calm (1989): A married couple pick up a shipwreck survivor who turns out to be insane.
• Possessed By the Night (1994): A mutant embryo controls people.
• Witchcraft X: Mistress of the Craft (1999): British vampires go to California to get a Satanist needed for a ritual.
• Bug (2007): Two weird people fight bugs in a motel room.
• Destination: Outer Space (2010): Space pilot must find his way home from Christopher R Mihm
• Attack of the Moon Zombies (2011): Plant-based horror on the moon — again from Christopher R Mihm.
• House of Black Wings (2010): Two women refurbish an aging appartment but there are ghosts.
• Crimes of the Future (2022): More sex, surgery, and conspiracy from David Cronenberg.

---

Star Wars (1977) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.