BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... The Jedi Knights have been exterminated and the Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist. A small group of rebels have dared to fight back by stealing the secret plans to the Empire's mightiest weapon, the Death Star battle station. The Emperor's most trusted servant, Darth Vader, must find the plans, and locate the hidden rebel base. Princess Leia, a captive rebel leader, sends out a distress signal that is intercepted by a simple farm boy, Luke Skywalker. Seizing his destiny, Luke takes up the challenge to rescue the princess and help the Rebellion overthrow the Empire, along with such unforgettable allies as the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi, the cocky Han Solo, the loyal Chewbacca, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.

FILM REVIEW: "Star Wars" is one of those rare events that hardly ever happens; a cultural phenomenon that swept across the film, earning the title 'most popular film ever made'. But even aside from all that, this is just a perfect film where everything works. You don't get magic captured like that too often. Even if you're not in to sci-fi you'll probably like it. The genre is more of a dressing for an age-old morality tale of good guys versus bad guys, but jazzed up with some spectacular images and sound that at the time no one had ever seen. Even now, after becoming de-sensitised to excessive amounts of CGI and special effects work, there's something about the way "Star Wars" did it that still packs a hell of a punch.

The opening shot of the film just grabs you instantly; set to John Williams oscar winning score, we are given an introductory title sequence setting the scene of a fight between a rebel force and the evil Empire ruling the galaxy. And then we get the first big shot which will still knock you back in your seat; a pan down from the stars revealing one big ship being chased by another planet-sized space ship. Remastered now in 5.1 surround sound, they feel like they're flying straight over your head and there's no wonder that when audiences first saw that scene they started cheering. And it just follows after that, scene after scene that will keep your eyes glued to the screen for the two hour running time, including a final twenty minutes that must go down as one of the most exciting battle sequences every put to film.

For all its high-tech special effects wizardry, which is spectacular on its own and worth the price of admission, "Star Wars" has at its core an incredibly strong story told through some very likeable and strong characters. George Lucas spent six months getting the right combination of casting it paid off in spades. Mark Hamill is perfect as the young, innocent farm boy wanting to do his part against the evil Empire, Harrison Ford is spot on as the smart-ass space pilot, and Carrie Fisher is the perfect foil between the two as the bright, smart and beautiful Princess Leia who won't be pushed over. But even the supporting cast are great, some of whom make characters all on their own despite never seeing their faces. Darth Vader, the film's villain is one of the most famous in history, and yet his performance was driven by two men, David Prowse (in the infamous black suit) and James Earl Jones who provided the voice. Then there's the droids, C3PO and R2D2, two bickering robots with a heart of gold. It's a testament to Lucas that he was able to give those characters such a strong presence on screen when they probably shouldn't have worked at all.

"Star Wars" brought together two different mediums and fused them together to make the "space opera". The first is an old-fashioned coming of age tale and the second is a sci-fi extravaganza. Lucas was able to bring both together, keep all the best parts, and create something fresh and original even though the core components have been called by some as elements we've all seen before. But as Mark Hamill put it in one interview, "sure we've seen this before... but not like this!"

"Star Wars" is spectacular entertainment. A must see.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: You'd expect the best from George Lucas and at least for the special edition of the film, that's exactly what you get. The first disc containing the special edition is absolutely spectacular. Given the age of the film, it has been remarkable remastered and reproduced for the DVD format. The images are nothing short of breathtaking, and the sound will transport you to another galaxy. It is a shame in this respect that on the bonus disc, we have the original theatrical cut of the film which is not even 16x9 enhanced, forcing to utilise the zoom feature to make the picture take up the whole screen on flat panels, giving you less than a spectacular experience. Perhaps George only wanted to grudgingly gives us the original versions but it is a major disappointment.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The way this disc is designed, you would think the original theatrical cut on the bonus disc was considered an extra and thus in the end, the only notable extra on this DVD is the audio commentary featuring Lucas, sound designer Ben Burtt, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and Carrie Fisher. In this respect, this version is not worth having, particularly when a trilogy box-set which also contains a mammoth documentary and other featurettes had already been released separately in addition to the films. I guess if you want to see the films as they were before George tinkered with them again, then this would be your release.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection, but buy it when it goes on sale.