Why 'A New Hope' and 'The Force Awakens' are Better Than Each Other

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is breaking box office records everywhere and story speculations for Episode VIII are swarming the Internet. With a film with so much hype surrounding it, it’s bound to have both haters and lovers. However, there is one major complaint nearly everyone agrees with: The Force Awakens is too similar to Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope, but does that necessarily mean it’s worse than A New Hope? In some respects, yes, and in others, probably not. Here are 5 reasons why A New Hope is better than The Force Awakens and 5 reasons why The Force Awakens is better than A New Hope.

5 Reasons Why A New Hope is Better Than The Force Awakens

          1.    Originality

Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope featured a premise like nothing audiences had ever seen before. The Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the Force and John Williams’ amazing score are all deeply engraved into peoples’ minds. I mean, who doesn’t recognize the likes of Darth Vader or lines like “May the Force be with you”? Star Wars created a science-fiction fantasy tale that influenced so many films (like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and even J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek) with its originality and uniqueness. The Force Awakens is simply riding on the premise, character archetypes and storylines of A New Hope and therefore lacks true originality. It will entice audiences for sure, but what will entice fans today about The Force Awakens are its similarities to the very first Star Wars, not its own originality, because it doesn’t really have any.

Who doesn't love these guys?

        2.    Outstanding Special Effects of its Time

Yeah, the special effects are starting to look a little dated now, but imagine a world where no one knew what a TIE fighter or an X-Wing or a Death Star was, let alone see them in action. Special effects were essential to A New Hope and are one of the main things that people remember the film for. The climactic attack on the Death Star was one of the most, if not the most, riveting and exciting sequence anyone had ever seen on screen in the 70s. Although The Force Awakens does have its share of great visual effects, any major blockbuster in the 21st century is expected to have them. When Star Wars opened in 1977 however, no one saw what was coming, and it spellbound audiences in a way no movie today ever could.

Taken from the Despecialized Edition. Still looks great.

       3.    More Memorable Characters

Not that Rey, Kylo Ren and BB-8 aren’t memorable characters, but they’re basically reiterations of even more memorable ones from A New Hope: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and R2-D2. George Lucas’ first film in the saga introduced us to characters we’d remember for a lifetime, with names that are instantly recognizable. The hero’s journey Luke goes through in A New Hope, Vader’s intimidating entrance and R2-D2’s mission are key moments in A New Hope that The Force Awakens simply can’t hold up to, although it tries. The stories of our new heroes are great, but their mark in history will always be overshadowed by that of their predecessors from the original Star Wars.

You can see a shot exactly like this in The Force Awakens with BB-8.

       4.    A Simpler Story

Sometimes less is more. A New Hope gave us a very clear-cut plot: the heroic Rebel Alliance must defeat the evil Galactic Empire by destroying their most powerful weapon, the Death Star. This simple, straightforward but engaging plot not only gives audiences a tighter, more focused film, but also makes things easier when we’re introduced to the mythology of the Force and other space mumbo-jumbo. Having the responsibility of setting up story threads for sequels to complete, The Force Awakens tosses in one too many characters and unresolved mysteries in its breakneck pace that one viewing isn’t enough to fully enjoy the film. This, however, wasn’t the case with A New Hope when it hit theatres in 1977.

       5.    A Wholesome Standalone

In the days before extended cinematic universes existed, films were made with a wholesome Beginning, Middle and End structure. With The Force Awakens being the launching pad for a new trilogy, it leaves many unanswered questions to be resolved in future instalments, something A New Hope didn’t need to do because Lucas never planned for a trilogy in the first place. As a result, A New Hope was able to tell a complete standalone story without the burden of having to set up sequels. But that didn’t stop us from wanting to see more, did it?

The best closing shot of the saga, happy and wholesome

5 Reasons Why The Force Awakens is Better Than A New Hope

       1.    The Acting

Looking back at A New Hope, you have to admit the acting wasn’t all that great, save for Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, despite their charisma, were especially cringe-worthy at times (Luke’s Tosche station line comes to mind). In The Force Awakens however, the acting is splendid all around. Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) in particular bring great depth and intrigue to their characters in a way A New Hope didn’t with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Luke's look after seeing his aunt and uncle's burnt skeletons

       2.    An Old Plot, Better Visualized

Although A New Hope’s attack on the Death Star will remain as one of the saga’s most memorable scenes, the attack on the sun-sucking Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens does look better, visually and symbolically. While the Death Star exploded into debris and pretty sparks, the Starkiller Base turned into a sun – a symbol of hope – after collapsing into itself. A New Hope’s sequence was exciting, but given the theme of ‘hope’ in the film, the climactic attack didn’t make as good a use of imagery and symbolism the way J.J. Abrams did in The Force Awakens. Poe’s line “As long as there’s light, we’ve got a chance”, really sells the idea that hope isn’t lost in the presence of the light. This ties in very nicely when we finally see the Starkiller Base become the very thing it wanted to crush – hope, in the form of a light-giving sun.

A sun-sucking base on an icy cold planet - oh the villainy

       3.    A Fleshed Out Villain

Darth Vader will always be the greatest villain of all time, largely due to how developed he was as a character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In A New Hope, Vader is a one-note and rather one-dimensional villain. At the end of the film, we remember him more for his costume than for him as a character. Kylo Ren on the other hand, is many things Vader was, and more. Not only is he intimidating as his grandfather was, but Ren is also complex, damaged and insecure. Yes, that makes for a physically weaker villain, but what we gain from that is a more interesting and layered antagonist that we can understand, fear and at times, pity – a very humanized individual. Although we got all that with Vader in the sequels (and to an extent, the prequels), George Lucas simply didn’t develop his character well enough when he was first introduced in A New Hope.

Pale white under all that black

       4.    The Drama

Obi-Wan’s death in A New Hope was important for Luke’s journey as hero. It took an emotional toll on him and motivated him to join the Rebel Alliance and trust in the Force. That about sums A New Hope’s most emotional aspect. One could argue that Luke seeing his Aunt and Uncle’s burnt bodies was an emotional turning point, but Luke’s emotionless reaction to it makes it hard for audiences to feel any real sadness. Different from A New Hope, The Force Awakens features a bevy of heart and emotion. From Rey’s journey of discovery to Kylo Ren’s internal struggle, J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan really gave The Force Awakens the heart it needed to resonate with audiences. And Han’s Solo’s death has got to be as heart wrenching as a Star Wars scene can get. Abrams knew that he couldn’t repeat A New Hope’s success through spectacle alone, and instead gave us an emotional, character-driven film. While A New Hope was remembered for its spectacle, The Force Awakens will be remembered for its emotion; and in some respects, that makes a better movie.

A light in the darkness. The symbolisms just go on and on...

       5.     The Buzz It Creates

Dangling story threads can be a bummer, but don’t we all secretly love them? That’s what Marvel does all the time and we’re always more than willing to see the next chapter in their superhero saga. If it isn’t broke, why fix it, right? One could argue that The Force Awakens doesn’t work very well as a standalone film, but in a way, that’s what makes it so much fun of a movie-going experience. The speculation people make and the questions they ask just create more buzz for the franchise, and is a sure-fire way of bringing people back to the theater for sequels. In 1977, A New Hope’s novelty was enough to generate a mass of followers and fans. Today, however, the formula has changed. People want to be introduced to characters they wish to see more of and stories that they can see unfold through more movies. In that way, Disney has succeeded marvellously with The Force Awakens by bringing in enough nostalgia for fans, introducing new characters that new viewers can follow and a set up for sequels that everyone will anticipate. With all the Internet and pop culture buzz surrounding this film and its already announced sequels, The Force Awakens has created phenomenon probably even bigger than A New Hope did.

Fans dressed up at The Force Awakens' premiere

Well, there you have it, 10 reasons why A New Hope and The Force Awakens are better than each other. Do you agree with the article? Which do you think is the better movie and why? Share your thoughts! 

You can find my reviews for A New Hope here and The Force Awakens here.