Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope poster & wallpaper
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Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing ... see more see more... , Alec Guinness , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , David Prowse , Phil Brown , Shelagh Fraser , Jack Purvis , Eddie Byrne , Don Henderson , Jack Klaff , Drewe Henley , Jeremy Sinden , Graham Ashley , Garick Hagon , William Hootkins , James Earl Jones , Denis Lawson , Richard Le Parmentier , Angus MacInnes , Alex McCrindle , Leslie Schofield , Malcolm Tierney , Sadie Corre

George Lucas' mythological popcorn movie is a two-hour roller-coaster ride that has passed into movie legend. The story, for the tiny number of people not familiar with it, concerns a farm boy named L... read more read more...uke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who discovers that the used robot recently purchased by his family plays back a message from one Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), begging for help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke asks his father's friend Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness) about this, and he discovers that Ben and Obi-Wan are one and the same. Kenobi tells Luke of the battle of the rebels against the ruling Empire and the spiritual energy called "The Force." Soon Luke, Kenobi, and a mercenary named Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join forces to rescue Princess Leia from the Empire's mammoth warship, the Death Star, controlled by evil genius Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones). George Lucas has frequently cited the influence of several films on Star Wars, particularly Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo and John Ford's The Searchers, as well as the original Flash Gordon serials. After Star Wars became a success, Lucas announced his intention to turn the film into a series, originally totalling nine films (later pared back to six). Consequently, most reissue prints now feature the title Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope, with The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) serving as Episodes Five and Six in the serial, and Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace (1999) going back to the myth's beginnings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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747,726 ratings

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70 critics

PG, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: George Lucas

Release Date: May 25, 1977

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DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004

Stats: 46,613 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (46,613)

  • fb733768972
    April 28, 2013
    fb733768972
    The start of an amazing mythology, and the beginning of one of the most well known movie franchises of all time. This story tells the journey of how a young man gains knowledge of the universe he lives in, and becomes a force to be reckoned with. It is classic storytelling at it'... read mores finest. It may not have perfect dialogue, and the action is a bit weak for most of the film, but in the end, that is not at all what matters. The characters, the world, and the meaning behind everything is what really sticks out, and I love this film for that. A movie does not have to be perfect, to feel perfect. "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" is fantastic filmmaking and perfect storytelling!
  • YodaMasterJedi
    February 19, 2013
    YodaMasterJedi
    five stars!!
  • jlewis07
    December 29, 2012
    jlewis07
    An absolute classic that must be seen. There really isn't anything I can say that hasn't been said already. It does look fantastic on blu-ray, though!
  • mumby1988
    October 20, 2012
    mumby1988
    Trying to imagine filmmaking without Star Wars is like trying to imagine pop music without The Beatles: it simply isn't possible. The proliferation of Star Wars into every conceivable corner of our culture makes discussions of its legacy either pointless or severely tainted by th... read moree weight of history. But just as The Beatles were capable of writing bad songs (quite a lot of them, in fact), so we shouldn't blindly praise Star Wars simply in light of what it's left behind. While there is much in A New Hope to appreciate and enjoy, it's hardly as perfect as has been claimed.

    The worst question that any journalist can ask a filmmaker is: "Did you know this film was going be a success?". The answer is always no, because filmmaking is a profoundly risky business: productions get delayed or shut down, people fall out or suffer injuries, and finances can fall through at any time. In the case of Star Wars, Lucas was even more uncertain that his pet project would ever get made. Despite the success of American Graffiti, the film was turned down by both Universal and United Artists, both of whom had excellent track records with nurturing new talent.

    The production of A New Hope (originally just called Star Wars) was beset by many problems. Lucas quarrelled with his cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who shot Dr. Strangelove and The Omen: Taylor rejected many of Lucas' lighting decisions and resented said director's desire to control every aspect of the production. There were frequent prop and costume malfunctions, as the newly-formed Industrial Light and Magic struggled to keep pace with all the ground-breaking special effects shots. The crew looked down on Lucas for his inexperience and for making what they saw as a "children's film". And the cast objected to both Lucas' vague direction and the script, with Harrison Ford remarking: "George, you can type this shit, but you can't say it!"

    At this point you'd have every right to start making comments about how Lucas had the last laugh. You could equally point out the irony of studios laughing off his offers for merchandising to tie in with the film, considering that most contemporary blockbusters now come with some form of commercial tie-in. In fact, when you look at Star Wars outside of its status as a cultural phenomenon, you begin to realise how the criticisms of cast and crew all had some degree of validity.

    A large part of the success of Star Wars lies in the huge technical leaps that it made. In the 1970s popular science fiction was dominated by TV shows and films whose capacity for exploring ideas far outstripped their visual creativity. Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Star Trek and Logan's Run - all were interesting and ideas-driven, but also ropey, cheesy, ponderous or naff (Star Trek at its worst being guilty of all these).

    Star Wars shifted the goalposts for audience expectations of what a 'sci-fi' film looked like. Its aesthetics felt novel to audiences who had grown used to not hearing noise in space after 2001, and who were genuinely engrossed by the impressive model shots and the lightsaber battles. The film ushered in an age in which technical brilliance became as highly valued as narrative substance. It did so with such speed that Logan's Run all but vanished shortly after its release.

    Because of this emphasis on technical brilliance, or surface rather than substance, we should resist referring to any Star Wars film as 'science fiction'. Science fiction is primarily a genre of ideas, in which outer space is used to explore inner space, and strange planets or exciting gadgets are a means to explore moral and social themes. Star Wars is a space fantasy or space opera, an epic story of good vs. evil with its roots in westerns and comic strips, as I pointed out in my Phantom Menace review. The success of Jaws and Star Wars not only cemented the summer blockbuster, it made it possible for B-movie material to be made with A-movie budgets.

    The influence of various B-movie genres on Star Wars is plain to see in the archetypal characters. Luke Skywalker is the fresh-faced hero, who starts out being pretty incompetent but eventually grows into someone who can genuinely look up to. Han Solo is essentially a cowboy in space: he walks like he's wearing six-shooters, is dressed like a cowboy in black, is incredibly cocky, and shoots first and asks questions later (yes, shoots first - we'll get to that). We also have a princess or damsel-in-distress (Princess Leia) and a couple of evil overlords, with Peter Cushing in creepy Hammer mode and Darth Vader being based on Klytus from Flash Gordon.

    The performances are what lift Star Wars out of generic convention, though they work for several different reasons. Some of the performers, like Carrie Fisher, stand out because they bring out the wit of the story in a way that their characters normally wouldn't do. Some, like Mark Hamill, have little room for manoeuvre but seem natural enough for us to feel at home with them. The best performances, however, come from the actors who either genuinely get their archetype or appear to be 'in on the joke'. Harrison Ford is note-perfect because he understands the rogue character, while Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness both seem conscious of how silly it all is.

    I've been quoted in several places as saying that Flash Gordon is better than Star Wars, and here's why. Both are from the sillier end of science fiction and fantasy, with broadly drawn characters, clear divides between good and evil, and an emphasis on spectacle rather than character development per se. The difference is that Flash Gordon openly acknowledges its ridiculous nature, and embraces it. It laughs at its plot inconsistences, camp action and ripe dialogue, and encourages us to laugh with it.

    Star Wars is cut from more or less the same cloth, and is still pretty light on its feet. But rather than acknowledge the silly nature of its plot or the contrivances therein, it is more po-faced and either ignores its problems or denies that they exist. This is what critics meant when they accused the film of infantilisation: passing off the relatively childlike and playful as serious, nuanced and complicated. It's also the reason why the series never reached the heights of Indiana Jones, another series based on ripe source material, in which the silliness reigned supreme and everything benefited from it.

    When you attempt to cut through the mythology, you realise there's a lot of stuff in Star Wars that doesn't make sense. During the scene in the garbage smasher, Luke is dragged underwater - and yet his electronic com-link still works when he tries to contact C-3PO. Darth Vader's defeat is a big deus ex machina, with Han Solo coming back for no real reason and interrupting a scene that would have been more satisfying without him. And that's not including the unnecessary pirouetting during the lightsaber battle, or our heroes never being hit by hundreds of Storm Troopers.

    Being someone who grew up with the Special Editions, I should address the 'Han Shot First' controversy. In the original cut, Han shoots Gredo unprovoked in the bar, while in the Special Edition, Gredo shoots first, missing Han at point blank range: Han is digitally 'shuffled' out of the way and shoots Gredo in self-defence. Not only is the 'shuffle' really obvious, the change makes no sense. Han is an unloveable rogue, who at this point in the story arc only thinks about saving his own skin - he would shoot Gredo to get away from him. It's as stupidly nonsensical as Steven Spielberg removing all the army's guns in the re-release of E.T., though he at least had the decency to go back on this decision.

    Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope remains a game-changer in mainstream filmmaking, whose influence is still writ large, for better or worse, over popular sci-fi. Its effects are ultimately far more ground-breaking than either the story or the way that it's told, and it's not as enjoyable as Flash Gordon or Indiana Jones, both of whom are more at ease with their source material. But it's still pretty fun in its own right, boasting memorable characters and a number of good action scenes. Whatever its narrative limitations, it's still a force to be reckoned with.
  • samoriley
    August 21, 2012
    samoriley
    The first to be made out of the Star Wars saga is quite possibly the best. This Sci-Fi masterpiece created so many iconic characters, locations and even phrases. This is one of few Sci-Fi films to change the genre and remain as popular today as it did then.
  • fb1442511448
    August 11, 2012
    fb1442511448
    For a pop-culture film in the late-70s, the film is visually remarkable. With a story of epic peril and effects of high magnitude, Lucas raises the bar in, not only science-fiction, but film development and animation. 4.5/5
  • spielberg00
    July 24, 2012
    spielberg00
    In the eyes of a skeptic, STAR WARS is a film strongly fit for those who are just as much fascinated by comic books and the marvels of science. Those skeptics should be ashamed of themselves, every last one of them. Not only are such statements downright hateful to one of the Sev... read moreen Wonders of the Cinematic World, they are uninformed by a refusal to witness such a beloved science fiction classic. I'm sure there are some who find distaste in the film even after experiencing it, and I honestly hope those people plan on receiving lobotomies. Looking at its accolades, you can find proof that the Academy sees no reason to award a science fiction film the Best Picture Oscar, by just looking at the film's notorious loss for Best Picture. I say this with not the slightest hesitation, even though I strongly regard the director of the eventual winner as my all-time favorite filmmaker. Again, I (have some serious trouble trying to) understand that some people find STAR WARS silly and absurd, an interpretation that requires much explanation. That being said, I bid you all farewell until my next review. May the Force be with you.

    read it all at themoviefreakblog.com
  • aquateen2
    February 20, 2012
    aquateen2
    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.
  • fb100000716838411
    February 17, 2012
    fb100000716838411
    Forget the two crappy prequels and the one preally good prequel, this is what Star Wars is all about. This is the real beginning of the saga. Within the first couple of minutes watching this movie, you will get hooked into the storyline. The opening scene not only includes a cool... read more action sequence, but the epic reveal of Darth Vader. He's only one of the greatest villians in all of film and he makes it know why within his first few lines. The plot of the movie is that a group of rebels who are against the Galactic Empire have to rescue a princess from the ultimate weapon of destruction, the Death Star, a space station capable of destroying an entire planet. Luke Skywalker is the would-be leader and he teams up with the smooth, concieted Han Solo, Chewbacca, a Wookie who has a way with words, two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, and the Jedi mentor Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. They have to rescue Princess Leia and the plot may be simple, but everything about this film works. The acting was superb; Harrison Ford is one of my all time favorite actors and I really bought into his performance. Mark Hamill did a really good job as Luke, Alec Guinness plays his role as the wise mentor really well and Carrie Fisher played a believable Leia. The special effects, to some, are considered "dated" but I speak for a large number of people when I say that, even by today's standards, the special effects are outstanding. This movie's storyline was really well written which came as a real shock because George Lucas wrote the script. When he wrote the prequels. the dialogue was really bad and some of the storytelling was very convoluted. But in this, it's just plain epic. What Happened Lucas? This entry in the series has great characters, engaging dialogue, awesome action and a fantastic musical score by John Williams. This movie is a masterpiece, but the sequel is something that deserves it's own word to describe how awesome it is.
  • garyX
    December 25, 2011
    garyX
    There are three Star Wars films. Star Wars is a magical rollercoaster ride of fun and excitement, populated with charming characters you actually CARE about, who have believable relationships in a fairytale universe of good and evil. Star Wars is my first movie love, and no matte... read morer how many times I see it (surely a dozen by now) I am still transformed into an eight year old boy for it's two hour duration. Star Wars is NOT a bloated, computer generated toy commercial vomited onto the screen by a beardy old fat bloke's ego. The "updated" version actually points to where the prequels were going to go so horribly wrong. The added fancy CG is distracting and unnecessary, and Lucas manages to neuter Han Solo nearly as soon as he appears by making a couple of amendments that completely miss the point of his character and appeal. Adding insult to injury, he managed to turn a menacing and ruthless underworld figure into a cartoon muppet who does nothing but repeat the lines of one of his minions from the previous scene. Do yourselves a favour and watch the theatrical version. THREE I tells ya!

View All Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Reviews

Critic Reviews

Gene Siskel
January 18, 2013
Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

What places it a sizable cut about the routine is its spectacular visual effects, the best since Stanley Kubrick's 2001. Full Review

Pauline Kael
January 18, 2013
Pauline Kael, New Yorker

There's no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the double sunset. Full Review

Penelope Gilliatt
January 14, 2013
Penelope Gilliatt, New Yorker

George Lucas, who made American Graffiti, has put together a sci-fi film that draws on any number of associations. Star Wars is both amazing and familiar. Full Review

August 13, 2008
TIME Magazine

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. Full Review

A.D. Murphy
February 19, 2008
A.D. Murphy, Variety

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. Full Review

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

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

Charles Champlin
July 9, 2002
Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times

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. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Lucas fills his screen with loving touches. Full Review

Louis B. Parks
January 1, 2000
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle

Compelling backstory, exciting action and pleasantly archetypal characters.

Sean Means
January 1, 2000
Sean Means, Film.com

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

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Facts

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    • Han Solo: May the Force be with you.
    • Princess Leia Organa: Darth Vader. Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. When they hear you've attacked a--
    • Darth Vader (voice): Don't act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren't on any mercy mission after all. Several transmissions were beamed up to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.
    • Princess Leia Organa: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan!
    • Darth Vader (voice): You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Taker her away!
    • Han Solo: You're all clear kid, now let's blow this thing & go home!
    • Princess Leia Organa: He's got alot of courage.
    • Luke Skywalker: What good will it do us if he gets himself killed? Let's go.
    • Grand Moff Tarkin: Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not given you the ability to conjure up the stolen data plans!
    • Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Move along...
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Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Trivia

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hop... Trivia

  • A 1977 film in which a Princess, her twin, and a smuggler join forces to save the universe. Name that film.  Answer »
  • this is the only star wars movie that yoda does not appear in  Answer »
  • Greedo was a character in which Star Wars movie?  Answer »
  • In what movie did a character played by Alec Guinness say the line "That's no moon, it's a spacestation."  Answer »
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