New Films: Star Wars

Director: George Lucas. Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness (U)

The 1977 space spectacular gets a re-release in this sparkling, digitally remastered version which boasts a few minutes of extra (though largely redundant) footage, and a big improvement in the special effects - after all, kids today aren't impressed by robots and laser guns any more.

The plot (pinched from John Ford's classic western The Searchers), acting and characterisation are as creaky as ever, the saddest victims of the intervening years being the camp fussbudget C3PO and our whingeing hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). But Darth Vader remains an enduringly fearsome villain, and the climactic airborne showdown as the rebels attack the Death Star still gets the adrenalin flowing, even in these post-Top Gun days. Nostalgia freaks will get the biggest kick.