Gene Siskel , writing for the '' Chicago Tribune '' in 1999 , said , " What places it a sizable cut above the routine is its spectacular visual effects , the best since Stanley Kubrick 's '' 2001 '' . " Andrew Collins of '' Empire '' magazine awarded the film five out of five and said , " '' Star Wars '' timeless appeal lies in its easily identified , universal archetypes — goodies to root for , baddies to boo , a princess to be rescued and so on — and if it is most obviously dated to the 70s by the special effects , so be it . " In his 2009 review , Robert Hatch of '' The Nation '' called the film " an outrageously successful , what will be called a ' classic , ' compilation of nonsense , largely derived but thoroughly reconditioned . I doubt that anyone will ever match it , though the imitations must already be on the drawing boards . " In a more critical review , Jonathan Rosenbaum of the '' Chicago Reader '' stated , " None of these characters has any depth , and they 're all treated like the fanciful props and settings . " Peter Keough of the '' Boston Phoenix '' said , " '' Star Wars '' is a junkyard of cinematic gimcracks not unlike the Jawas ' heap of purloined , discarded , barely functioning droids . " The film garnered numerous accolades after its release . '' Star Wars '' won six competitive Academy Awards at the 50th Academy Awards : Best Art Direction , Best Costume Design , Best Film Editing , Best Original Score , Best Sound and Best Visual Effects . A Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing went to sound designer Ben Burtt and a Scientific and Engineering Award went to John Dykstra for the development of the Dykstraflex Camera ( shared with Alvah J. Miller and Jerry Jeffress , who were both granted for the engineering of the Electronic Motion Control System ) . Additional nominations included Alec Guinness for Best Actor in a Supporting Role , which went to Jason Robards for '' Julia '' and George Lucas for Best Original Screenplay , Best Director , and Best Picture , which were instead awarded to Woody Allen 's '' Annie Hall ''
50th Academy Awards
50th Academy Awards
Star Wars (film)