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Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 67
Fresh: 63 | Rotten: 4

A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possiblites of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 2

A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possiblites of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.

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Movie Info

In a distant galaxy, a long time ago, young Luke Skywalker assembles his motley crew of allies including space rogue Han Solo and two "droids" -- C3PO and R2D2 -- to rescue Princess Leia, the rebel leader of her planet from the clutches of the evil Empire as embodied by its enforcer Darth Vader.

PG, 1 hr. 45 min.

Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: George Lucas

Written By: George Lucas

In Theaters: May 25, 1977 Wide

On DVD: Sep 21, 2004

20th Century Fox

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Trailer & Photos

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Cast

Mark Hamill
Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford
Han Solo
Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia Organa
Peter Cushing
Grand Moff Tarkin
Alec Guinness
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anthony Daniels
C-3PO
Kenny Baker
R2-D2
Peter Mayhew
Chewbacca
David Prowse
Darth Vader
James Earl Jones
Darth Vader (voice)
Denis Lawson

Critic Reviews for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

All Critics (68) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (5) | DVD (24)

A grand and glorious film that may well be the smash hit of 1977, and certainly is the best movie of the year so far.

August 13, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comments (5)

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

A magnificent film. George Lucas set out to make the biggest possible adventure fantasy out of his memories of serials and older action epics, and he succeeded brilliantly.

February 19, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment (1)

A.D. Murphy

Variety

Top Critic

It is, all in all, hard to think of a place or an age group that would not respond to the enthusiastic inventiveness with which Lucas has enshrined his early loves.

July 9, 2002 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Lucas fills his screen with loving touches.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comments (3)

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

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

January 1, 2000 Comment

Sean Means

Film.com

Top Critic

Twenty years later, George Lucas' loved saga of the war between good and evil in a distant galaxy returns in digitally enhanced and augmented form.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Detroit News

| Comment

Susan Stark

Detroit News

Top Critic

Sci-fi action classic perfect for sharing with older kids.

July 21, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Matt Springer

Common Sense Media

Like it or not, Star Wars is a seminal movie that began a whole cycle of sci-fi works and also launched the careers of many actors and craftsmen.

March 30, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

First of a sci-fi phenomenon, #4 in the series.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Lucas consegue imprimir energia � dire��o e estabelece seus personagens como figuras imediatamente ic�nicas, mesmo que, aqui e ali, seus p�ssimos di�logos comprometam a experi�ncia.

January 7, 2010 Comments (3)

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

It is a sweeping epic with classical themes lifted from the teachings of Joseph Campbell, but it maintains strong central characters.

November 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope

| Comment (1)

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

After Star Wars, movies not only spawned profitable kids' toys; they merged with kids' toys, and basically became toys themselves.

August 20, 2009 Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

| Comments (49)

Rob Nelson

City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

It has shaped our imaginations, our inner worlds. The series may be over at last, but the Force will be with us always.

October 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide

| Comment

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films Guide

On the basic level of simple entertainment it succeeds as well as any film ever has.

July 13, 2008 Full Review Source: ESplatter

| Comment (1)

Steve Biodrowski

ESplatter

So, is this the best film of all time? Certainly not. But it definitely is one of the most enduring, and it's hard not to be seduced.

March 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comments (6)

Film4

A product of its time, certainly, but like the myths that informed it, Star Wars will outlive the lot of us.

September 23, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Andrew Collins

Empire Magazine

Lucas and his cronies have done absolutely nothing to port this thing over for home theater other than to simply dump it on DVD.

September 12, 2006 Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com

| Comments (13)

Joshua Tyler

CinemaBlend.com

Has distinct limitations, but the current return to a cinema of spectacle and wonder is wholly encouraging.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment (1)

Derek Adams

Time Out

Puts most recent 'epic' blockbuster mediocrities to shame.

September 15, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comments (3)

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

One of those few films that you can expect to find in almost anyone's collection.

July 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

| Comment

Jason Zingale

Bullz-Eye.com

Lucas' trilogy earned its place in eternity not for its mechanical precision, but for its intangible qualities of inspiration and wonder.

December 31, 2004 Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star

| Comment (1)

Phil Villarreal

Arizona Daily Star

There is no doubt that the original three Star Wars movies are classics. It's good to have them on DVD, at long last. [Star Wars Trilogy DVD set]

September 9, 2004 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

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Star Wars is the orginal epic that matured science fiction. George Lucas has created an opera set in space, a drama taking place on different worlds since then nothing hollywood has brought us has ever been the same.

November 1, 2011

Directors Cat

Super Reviewer

There's a question I bet many are still pondering: why did STAR WARS lose to ANNIE HALL for Best Picture? This was the first time something so creative and inventive had been sparked, and even with AVATAR, THE TERMINATOR, HARRY POTTER, INCEPTION, E.T.--you name it!--science fiction and fantasy have never gotten so

June 14, 2011

Alexander Diminiano

Super Reviewer

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Quotes

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1. Darth Vader (voice): COMMANDER TEAR THIS SHIP APPART AND BRING ME THE PASSENGERS, I WANT HEM ALIVE!
– Submitted by Jack P (1 hour ago)
1. Darth Vader (voice): I have you now.
– Submitted by Jack P (1 hour ago)
1. Darth Vader (voice): Your powers are weak, old man. You should not have come back.
– Submitted by Sidharth E (2 days ago)
1. Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a master of evil Darth.
– Submitted by Sidharth E (2 days ago)
1. Darth Vader (voice): I've been waiting for you Obi-wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.
– Submitted by Sidharth E (2 days ago)