4. Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Mayhew Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and James Earl Jones
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two droids to save the universe from the Empire’s world-destroying battle-station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.
It wouldn’t be a science fiction movie list without at least one entry from George Lucas’ pop culture phenomenon Star Wars. Before there was a “saga”, this little movie opened in 1977 and created a juggernaut that has yet to be stopped and/or slowed down. Not even Jar-Jar Binks can stop Star Wars.
Fun fact – every actor in Star Wars got an action figure of themselves as a keepsake. Mark Hamill on the other hand asked for one of every toy they make – a deal that is still held up today. Every month, Hamill gets a shipment of the latest Star Wars toys which he stores in various warehouses.
“Starting the saga with those cinematically immortal lines, and the incredible opening scene of that huge spaceship passing overhead, it is part of the reason the word “Blockbuster” is used today. Unlike its sequels, it needs no introduction and almost every scene has moments and quotes which will continue to be used for a long, long time to come.” J-P Wooding, Staff Writer
Originally published August 5, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
