MovieChat Forums > Star Wars (1977) Discussion > Anyone see this in the theater when it c...

Anyone see this in the theater when it came out?

posted 7 years ago by Jehosaphet (1063)
32 replies | jump to latest

In another thread, someone is talking about how much this movie is just bleh...corny and boring, it didn't age well etc. And yeah, maybe that's the case, but I think there's also a case to be made that the movie(s) are so woven into the fabric of pop culture that we forget just how different it was from anything else at the time it was released. Yes, the plot is somewhat of an amalgamation of movie plots that came before it, but the details, remember how dang unique this stuff was during the day?

Like, I clearly remember being terrified of Darth Vader, with the all black appearance, the way he breathed while he talked, but mostly it was that mask of his. Just...scary as hell. And probably at least partly because it was so other-worldly, like nothing you'd ever seen before.

Leia's hair looked just...so dumb lol I think I may have had a quick moment of wondering if we were supposed to take it seriously or not, but there was tons of stuff that was really mind blowing back then. Just that one shot of Luke cruising along in his land speeder was enough to seal the deal as this being the most amazing thing I'd ever seen in my little life, him hauling ass just above the ground like that.

The most lasting impression of Star Wars though was from Empire, which I saw in theaters at 10. The Imperial walkers, when they made their appearance on Hoth, those lumbering, laser shooting giants looked like something straight out of a frigging nightmare. There was literally nothing to tie them to...you couldn't put them in any kind of context...just a complete "Holy sh*t! WTF is that??" moment that no other movie has yet to replicate.

I wonder how much having seen this in the theater back in the day has to do with how much its loved by people, you know? Because it was a whole other experience, and one that I think makes people who view the movies as lukewarm seem unfit to hold an opinion. Anyone have anything else that sticks out as just...so awesome?

[–] kenburke (2386) 7 years ago

My mother loves the scene with the trash collectors and their big salvage truck.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I was 10.

Living in DuPage County, Illinois.

And lived through a renaissance of popcorn films like Jaws, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Was a magical time for a kid.

[–] Jehosaphet (1063) 7 years ago

Oh yeah, Jaws was an amazing movie...goddang terrifying for one with a PG rating. That'd never fly now...I imagine there'd be lawsuits lol
I lived in CA at the time and some of us kids were scared to even go in the swimming pool, forget about taking a dip at the lake or in the canal.
It was kind of deliciously scary though...made you giddily afraid. Because you KNEW that Jaws wasn't in that body of water...but...what if? Just, what if? And that was enough to inspire a whole lot of dares and double dares lol

Close encounters, all I really remember about that movie was a guy who kept making mountain shapes with stuff, especially the mashed potato scene. Might need to rewatch that at some point and remember what all the fuss was about.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

The aliens gave many people the VISION of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming in order to invite them to meet.

But those who simply didn’t turn on the television set to see the phoney hazardous chemical spill that evacuated the town...didn’t make the connection.

The telepathic message drove Roy crazy and destroyed his marriage.

But he knew he wasn’t crazy and neither did Melinda Dillon who has the same message from the aliens.

[–] artguylarry (498) 7 years ago

I was 10 years old when the original film was first released. This movie was MADE for boys like me. I feel lucky to have seen all three in their original release, and even luckier because at that time, drive-in theaters were bigger than they are now, and I got to see all three movies at the drive-in big screen. It was an awesome experience. No 3-D or surround sound, but that didn't matter to a 10 year old boy.

[–] Fletch (166) 7 years ago

I saw it the following year in one of those old theaters that always ran movies that were not in general release anymore. I went in not knowing anything about the movie and was just blown away. Huge fan ever since, except for episodes 7 and 8.

[–] crc32 (2584) 7 years ago

I remember seeing it around 1981 when it was replayed in the cinimas. VHS and Beta were still not that common so a the cinimas still had a market of replaying movies back then.

[–] Kurt (189) 6 years ago

I did, I didn't like it at first, I thought it was ridiculous. Later I came to like it because unlike all the other SW movies, this one is a bit self aware and doesn't take itself too seriously. However, there's one thing I feel is worth mentioning, the second looked better. The original Star Wars didn't look that good. It did create new techniques, and certainly new sound tech, but it did look very far from perfect. It was only when they made the second that it looked good.

I think most of the core audience were children, or sort of older children. I was not adult, but a couple of years older than most of the children there. I think it's the reason why people have so fond memory of this, it's because they were kids when they saw it. Kids don't notice all the flaws in the same way adults do. I was not really adult either, but I did definitely see all kinds of artifacts in the movie, which I can't see now, for some reason. Back then there were huge noticeable borders around the spaceships and they looked like toys, I'm not even kidding. Some of the creatures looked like total shit, they looked like stuffed toys. I mean, some of them were annoyingly stupid looking.

I don't know if this was because it looked different in the cinema, but it just didn't look that good at all. Concurrent movies like close encounters looked infinitely better than Star Wars.

[–] Jehosaphet (1063) 6 years ago

Huh that's pretty interesting, how crappy it apparently looked. Of course I didn't notice that, but yeah absolutely had those rosy kid-glasses on. But yeah, absolutely right about having those kid-colored glasses on.

With Star Wars, maybe its the story that holds it together, or the impact on pop culture, nostalgia...whatever, but unfortunately the last time I watched it will probably end up being the last time I watch it. Pretty much what you touched on...it seemed much more noticeable that it was geared towards children..and Hammill's "Aw gee" vibe felt a little forced...even irritating.

But there's other movies I thought were amazing as a kid, only to try and re-watch them...and can't, because they're just that damned horrible? Seems like there's a bit of timelessness with Star Wars where its nowhere near being like that.
But Empire...hell yeah. THAT was where it was at.
And then Jedi went back towards appealing to the kids/toys.
And Leia's inexplicable reaction to Han's jealousy: "Well of course I love him!" Pause, pause...act surprised that Han has misunderstood your intent. "He's my brother!" Man that part sticks out pretty hard now =]

[–] Kurt (189) 6 years ago

The most juvenile aspect of the original SW movie was definitely some of the Creatures. It really, clearly places this movie as kind of a fairytale movie for kids. I mean, they are so obviously fabric covered dolls that only a kid can accept them as sort of passable, while for an adult it just takes you out of the movie because of how ridiculous it is. If it was a Muppet movie, it wouldn't have mattered, but for the kind of movie it seemed to be, it just wasn't acceptable.

But you're right, Star Wars as a movie is not as bad as other "fondly remembered" movies, and the story itself is not bad.

[–] kenburke (2386) 6 years ago

I remember seeing it. It was two-dimensional, lacked depth, could be correctly taken to task for a lack of minorities in its cast - but I still loved every minute of it!!!

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I saw it in the theater the day it opened. Mind-blowing.