Why Star Wars Could Be the Greatest Film of All Time (From a Certain Point of View)

Words by Alfie Hartshorne (he/him)

Before you read further, search up a list of the “greatest” films of all time. You’ll find the usual suspects—Seven Samurai, Lawrence Of Arabia, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and so on. But could Star Wars belong on that list? Could it be considered one of the greats?

Many have blamed the film for its role in the creation of the modern blockbuster. Critics say it “ruined cinema” by shifting the focus of the medium to popular entertainment and have dismissed its worth as a piece of art. Scarcely any films have an impact as immense as Star Wars. 

Much like how the Star Wars timeline is divided up into before and after the battle of Yavin, film history may as well be divided up into before Star Wars and after Star Wars (BSW and ASW, I guess). What other films have shifted the cinematic landscape in such a way? There've been plenty of hugely influential films over the years, but nothing touches the ubiquitous reach and global recognition of Star Wars. Rotten Tomatoes states in its consensus on Star Wars: “A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possibilities of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.” So the real question here is: What makes Star Wars work? The answer is, quite literally, simple—its simplicity.

For a story with worldbuilding and lore rivalled only by the works of J.R.R Tolkien, Star Wars is deceptively simple on a plot and character level. Usually this would be a point of criticism but, in this case, it works in the film’s favour. Within the first act, the film throws terms such as Jedi, Sith, Clone Wars, the Force, Kessel run, Tosche Station with the power converters, and many others at the audience—and George Lucas doesn’t stop to explain any of them. He drops us into an infinite universe under an imperial regime where there once were space wizards. When you try to process it without all the ensuing years of franchise building, it’s overwhelming. But Lucas puts it all in the background, and focuses on the characters—another strength of the film. 

Star Wars has some of the most memorable and iconic characters in film history—everyone knows Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader. Why? They’re archetypes. Take Luke Skywalker, he is Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey personified. His arc is a beat-for-beat retelling of Campbell’s story cycle—the purest distillation of a protagonist. The hero’s journey arc is taken from Arthurian legend, lending the film itself a mythic quality. This creates a feeling of timelessness—not only is it set in a fictional world detached from ours, but it tells its story in a way that’s closer to ancient mythical epics than a blockbuster. The film’s reach is universal thanks to this, leading to its worldwide popularity. This popularity led to the ever-expanding franchise we have now—one that has continuously sustained its own success. This is because the franchise has continued on with Lucas’ use of archetypes—characters who mirror mythical figures that humanity has told stories about for thousands of years—alongside narratives of good vs evil, both in tragedy and triumph. Everyone can recognise these archetypes, which is what keeps Star Wars’ audience coming back.

Star Wars’ influence on cinema is massive—like I said before, film history may as well be divided up into before and after Star Wars. It became the highest grossing film ever at the time of release which, when combined with the success of Jaws two years prior, turned blockbusters into the new dominant force in cinema. Film was no longer just an art form for the elite; it could be enjoyed by everyone. While there were films before Star Wars that had a similar effect, none reached the levels of popularity, recognition, and respect achieved by Star Wars. It transformed popular science fiction from a pulpy, trashy, niche genre to a legitimate blockbuster force, and paved the way for generations of filmmakers to make films their way. For example, Lord Of The Rings mastermind Peter Jackson has praised George Lucas’ ambition, stating, “He opened the door for me to make the films that I have, in a way I could have barely dreamt of doing before Star Wars. It’s only these technological advances driven by George that allow me to transfer images directly from my imagination onto the screen.” Today’s blockbuster king, Christopher Nolan, even said when interviewing George Lucas: “I saw Star Wars in a movie theatre twelve times.” Star Wars has been accused of ruining cinema by creating the modern blockbuster, yet so many of the filmmakers influenced by it have gone on to make some of the most celebrated films of their respective times. Star Wars showed what a film could be—it could have meaningful themes and not be exclusively artistic, and it could be fun and pulpy without being a low-budget B-grade movie. It made cinema fun for all who saw it. And there has to be value in that.

So, looking at all that—the influence, ambition, simplicity, and universality—is Star Wars the greatest film of all time? From a certain point of view, yes. And from this particular point of view, hell yes.