I just watched the first SW DVD and thought the movie was very good...not as good as such firsts,as the Godfather,Rocky or LOTR...

I'm not slamming SW by any means,i just wanna know-

what makes SW number 1...

Does the development of the characters get stronger,do the movies as they move along, start to suck you in more..is it the story line???

whats the deal,why is SW like no other movie in History.???

ps...i do love having the box set

I think this was the first sci-fi/fantasy to have such a cultural impact. Everybody in 1977 saw star wars.

I think it differs between each person. For me, it just gives me such a good feeling during and after watching it. The story, the characters, the music, etc. This and Superman are the only movies that do that for me.

I just like slave leia.

God I'm so in love with Carrie Fisher when she was that young......I suppose even now she looks okay

I'd say a combination of the era it was made and the fantasy world it created.

It's not #1 in my book either, but i agree, very good.

Yep, during Comic-Con, when it was time to pick out a pic for her to sign... there was only one choice

Well, that's subjective. Not everyone thinks SW is #1. Many of us do. Others don't even like them. But it's all just opinion.

Why do I think it's #1? First of all,

- A great story
- Compelling and memorable characters that the film forces you to care about
- Some of the greatest villians in movie history, including the greatest
- Visual effects and action sequences, which at the time, were like nothing ever seen before
- The film was like nothing ever seen before
- Memorable dialogue
- John Williams' beautiful and powerful score
- Fast-paced edited, with wipes
- They were also visually stunning films
- Small, yet wonderful character moments

On top of all of that, you have a film series which was groungbreaking. It changed the way films were made and revolutionized visual effects. They legitimized a genre which always seemed to get no respect. These films had a tremendous impact on popular culture and inspired an entire generation of filmmakers.

Of course, nostalgia is a part of it as well. These films were a part of my childhood. They aren't perfect, but then I've never seen a perfect film.

If you grew up watching more recent films and blockbusters, you might not feel as strongly as many of us do, and that's okay. But that is why I feel the Star Wars trilogy is the best saga in film.

As for the other films you mentioned, I think Star Wars is better than Rocky and LOTR. I loved Rocky and Rocky II, but still feel Star Wars is better. I never got into LOTR, and was bored by it. Godfather is perhaps a better film, but I despise mafia type films. So I'm not a fan of the Godfather. So Star Wars easily gets the nod over that film as well. The only mafia/gangster film I ever liked was The Untouchables.

But this is the key. Nobody is saying you have to like Star Wars the best, or place it #1. You are allowed to like whatever you want. Nothing wrong with that.

Oh, who am I kidding. Slave Leia is the reason!

It's very simple: simple good vs. evil story, classic themes, nonstop pace, terrific editing, one of the best film soundtracks of all time, three of the most likable and identifiable movie characters in cinema history( Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa), the most iconic, recognizable movie villain in cinema history( Darth Vader). Need any more reasons?

There was just nothing like it when it came out. Its not my number #1 favorite film, but among Sci-Fi/ Fantasy its the best. Like others have mentioned it was a classic good vs evil story with very likeable characters. It was a modern mythology for my generation. Not to mention the special effects were just unheard of at the time.

I certainly put the original trilogy above Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and most other famous trilogies. Godfather is better even with the weak third film, but Star Wars definitely deserves a place in film history. Among the popcorn type films and special effects fests it spawned it actually got it right by ballancing the story, characters and effects into something nearly perfect for a fantasy film.

the documentary does a good job of setting the scene for when SW debuted.

we had just gotten thru or were still working our way as a culture thru many devisive, demoralizing events
-civil rights
-womens rights
-a radical change in sexual values
-Viet-Nam
-assassinations
-riots
-rampant drug use
-escalating crime
-a President that had to resign his office
-an energy crisis and spiking fuel costs
-rampant inflation

since the Kennedy assassination in '63, it was a little like an earthquake had come along and upset every social convention we had grown accustomed to, and less than 15 yrs later, little was left that was reliable, enduring, or safe anymore.
(i used to think 1963 was pre-historic, and being born in the late 60s, to me it was. now that i'm in my late 30s though, i know just how fast time flies and 1990 seems like only a couple years back- so the 14 yrs preceding SWs release in 1977 were pretty damn concentrated with dark events)

add to that, by 1977, movies had really only matured for the last 10 yrs.
Language, nudity,etc were now seen regularly (very different from 10-15 yrs earlier).
and serious, adult themes were now explored regularly with a frankness and sophistication that wasn't possible in years earlier.
but this also meant that there were now more nuanced, grey shaded values to parse.
anti-heros were big and the old (comfortable) values with the good guy riding in on a white horse to save the day, were considered simple minded, unrealistic, and passe.

but then all of a sudden this film comes along, that shamelessly brings back all of those old, seemingly out of date values, and does it with panache, virve, and strong storytelling choices and makes it textured and intelligent enough that many adults could go back and embrace those old values and not feel guilty about it, while younger kids could just embrace it in toto.

it's really hard, almost impossible now for someone who didn't pass thru that time to understand just why this film was such a cultural force that it was.

the doc does a pretty good job, but still can't compete with living it.

Nostalgia plays a huge role no doubt, but the fact that they are very entertaining movies seals the deal! No doubt the trilogy is the best movie series I've ever seen. Something about it makes it very special.

Effects and pacing.

Prior to 1977, no one had seen special effects like that before (prior champ: 2001...which looks primative next to Star Wars) and no one had seen a film that was as quickly paced as Star Wars.

Unless you were someone who grew up in the 60s and 70s and don't recall how different Star Wars was than anything else in pop culture at the time, it's really hard to understand the experience...but trust me, no movie has had as big of a cultural impact since then - not Titanic, not LOTR, not even E.T. That doesn't mean Star Wars is better...just means that it was first.

I should probably also add in here that Star Wars was the first movie that became a marketing machine...Lucas really pioneered the idea of selling a film through marketing (toys, t-shirts, books, promotions, etc).