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Star Wars

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Star Wars (1977)

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Reviews Counted:62

Fresh:58

Rotten:4

Average Rating:8.1/10

Consensus: The action and special effects are first rate.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: STAR WARS, George Lucas's stunning sci-fi masterpiece, is arguably one of the most inventive and entertaining films ever made, garnering generations of loyal fans who are forever imprinted with the... STAR WARS, George Lucas's stunning sci-fi masterpiece, is arguably one of the most inventive and entertaining films ever made, garnering generations of loyal fans who are forever imprinted with the memory of its characters and dialogue. As the adventure begins, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), an impulsive but goodhearted young man who lives on the dusty planet of Tatooine with his aunt and uncle, longs for the exciting life of a Rebel soldier. The Rebels, led by the headstrong Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), are fighting against the evil Empire, which has set about destroying planets inhabited by innocent citizens with the Death Star, a fearsome planetlike craft commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and the eternally frightful Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones). When Luke's aunt and uncle are murdered by the Empire's imperial stormtroopers and he mysteriously finds a distress message from Princess Leia in one of his androids, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), he must set out to find Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), a mysterious old hermit with incredible powers. On his journey, Luke is aided by the roguish, sarcastic mercenary Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his towering furry sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as they run into a host of perilous situations while trying to rescue the princess--and the entire galaxy. Magnificently referencing everything from Akira Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI and THE HIDDEN FORTRESS to THE WIZARD OF OZ to John Ford Westerns and Joseph Campbell philosophies, STAR WARS revolutionized the cinematic world with its epic storytelling and amazing special effects. In addition to film veterans Guinness and Cushing, the movie also features an unforgettable performance from the young Ford, who would, of course, go on to become one of the biggest stars of the silver screen. Even today, Lucas's astonishing film leaves viewers wanting to see it again and again. [More]

Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness

Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Peter Cushing, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Phil Brown, Shelagh Fraser, Jack Purvis, Alex McCrindle, Eddie Byrne, Drewe Henley, Denis Lawson, Garrick Hagon, Jack Klaff, William Hootkins, Angus MacInnes, Jeremy Sinden, Graham Ashley, Don Henderson, Leslie Schofield, Richard LeParmentier

Director: George Lucas

Director: George Lucas
Screenwriter: George Lucas
Producer: Gary Kurtz
Composer: John Williams
Studio: 20th Century Fox

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Star Wars

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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It's all very impressive, though I think I'd probably appreciate it a little more if I hadn't literally grown up on Star Wars and its sequels.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gemma Files
Gemma Files
eye WEEKLY

George Lucas's space fantasy struck the vortex of American popular culture.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Like some indefatigable King of the Hill, it stands alone and triumphant, regardless of the many imitators that assail its position.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

All in all, this movie is a classic.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A combination of past and future, Western and space odyssey, myth and dream world, Star Wars may be the most enduring piece of escapism ever put on film.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Backgrounds in some sequences are now more populated than they were, and it's fun to see all the creatures that make up the "wretched hive of scum and villainy" that Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi describes.

comment Comment
01/01/00
John Hartl
John Hartl
Film.com

None of these characters has any depth, and they're all treated like the fanciful props and settings!

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 48 Comments
01/01/00
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

It speaks to the child in all of us!

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies

Compelling backstory, exciting action and pleasantly archetypal characters.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Louis B. Parks
Louis B. Parks
Houston Chronicle

It is my contention that the original Star Wars is, on its own, a good film and the best of its series.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Watching Star Wars again with full knowledge of all that will happen lends some new meaning.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Grandiose but good-hearted epic!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

A pop-culture landmark!

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Star Wars is a junkyard of cinematic gimcracks not unlike the Jawas' heap of purloined, discarded, barely functioning droids.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment 16 Comments
01/01/00
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Darth Vader and his James Earl Jones voice is a bad egg no matter how much we know about his screwy upbringing.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Stack
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle

This special edition re-release really drives home the differences between seeing a movie in the theater and seeing it on video.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Lucas fills his screen with loving touches.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As much as it changed the people who watched movies, however, it changed the people who made movies even more.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A dynamic entertainment, efficiently and exuberantly setting up its mythic tale of heroes and villains, rebels and rogues, princesses and monsters, good and evil.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Sean Means
Sean Means
Film.com

His work here seems less inventive than in THX 1138.

comment 10 Comments
01/01/00
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Latest News for Star Wars

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