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Star Wars Trilogy (1977) Certificate PG

Star Wars Trilogy
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Rated 4.0 stars
Average rating
(80%)
 
Starring: Mark Hamill | Harrison Ford | Carrie Fisher | Peter Cushing | Peter Cushing | Alec Guinness | Billy Dee Williams | Anthony Daniels | David Prowse | Kenny Baker
Director: George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand
Studio: 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 361 mins
Collections: 100 Big Adventures | 100 must-see movies
Genres: Action/Adventure | Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Languages: English
Released: December 11, 2006

The complete original STAR WARS trilogy in one set, in their 1997 remastered Special Edition versions, with an extra disc containing a documentary and other amazing extras. STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE, 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 planet-like 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 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. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is considered the most morally and emotionally complex of this original trilogy and continues where Lucas's epic saga STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE left off. The Rebel Forces--which still include young adventurer Luke Skywalker, rogue pilot Han Solo, and the beautiful but seemingly humourless Princess Leia--have been successful in destroying the Evil Empire's Death Star. However, the Empire's top commander, the terrifying Lord Darth Vader, is scanning the galaxy for the Rebels' secret location. After a visually stunning-showdown on the ice planet Hoth, the Rebels are forced to flee, and Luke separates from Han and Leia. Masterful storytelling weaves multiple, archetypal plotlines that pit Vader against Han and Leia as he desperately attempts to capture Luke for political--and, secretly, personal--reasons. Luke, meanwhile, finds himself under the tutelage of the tiny but powerful old Jedi Master Yoda, who teaches him the ways of the Force and warns the impatient but talented student against the threat of the Dark Side. Greek tragedy meets a philosophical hero's journey in the film, a remarkable sci-fi epic in which the performances are as powerful as the spectacular special effects.In RETURN OF THE JEDI--the final part of the trilogy--Luke Skywalker embarks on a mission to find out if one of his enemies is a relation of his. Along for the ride are Princess Leia, Han Solo and other familiar faces from the first two movies. Jabba the Hut and the furry, adorable Ewoks are just some of the bizarre new creatures they encounter in this third action-packed, special effects-filled installment of the phenomenally popular STAR WARS series.

Rating of 5 stars out of 5
Radio Times

Endlessly imitated but never rivalled, this first instalment of George Lucas's space opera dresses up the timeless tale of good versus evil with ground-breaking special effects and a dazzling array of intergalactic characters. Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker, whose dull life on a remote planet is thrown into chaos when he intercepts a distress call from beleaguered Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). With robots R2-D2 and C-3PO in tow, Skywalker teams up with an ageing Jedi warrior (Alec Guinness) and a cynical space rogue (a star-making turn from Harrison Ford) to rescue Leia from the clutches of the evil Darth Vader. Breathless action collides with sci-fi theatrics and more than a hint of mysticism to create a new style of cinema that remains unmatched for sheer entertainment value.

Highest rated reviews

40 out of 46 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
An evolving classic

Jonathan Gear from Lyme Regis, England, 21st September, 2004

It has become fashionable to knock George Lucas. The prequels (Phantom Menace & Attack of the Clones) rarely get a fair review as they had impossible expectations to overcome. These reissues, rather than remind us of George?s genius, have aroused many fans antipathy - he?s tampered with them again (even sneaking in the new Anakin Skywalker at the end of the Jedi). But despite the flaws (e.g a lot of dodgy acting and dialogue, cutesy simplicity etc.) these films are magnificent, still evolving classics. Personally, I love the digital upgrade, the larger vistas, sweeping cityscapes and tidied up special effects. The extras come from behind the scenes and charter a cultural phenomena that changed movies for ever. But don?t rent it, buy it!

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17 out of 24 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
Lucas Strikes Back. Cheers Lucas.

TheDave from , 8th February, 2005

I've just had one of the most disturbed feelings (as if a billion voices cried out at once... and were silenced) whilst at the same time having the best nostalgic evening in a long while. Whilst watching the first two (original) Star Wars films back to back it dawned on me that if Geroge Lucas had access to the technology he does now at the time he made the first trilogy, we would have been treated to a totally different, and somewhat more shallow experience. The eveidence is there in spades in this new DVD set. What erks me more than anything is that the DVD is the 'all new special edition (TM)' Star Wards box set, with those horrible digitised outtakes. We got them on video when they first came out, and I had hoped Lucas would have decided against making them the official product, but it appears we have no such luck here. Star Wars has been brutally 'updated' with all the finess and artistic flair of a drunken wookie, and in this 'crystal clear' format, the cracks are REALLY apparent. You could just about get away with it on Video, but it all just looks so tacky on DVD. Star Wars itself has been damaged the worst. Very badly overlaid digital images are everywhere, Han Solo bullies (a very slim and young looking) Jabba, and (worst of all) Greebo shoots FIRST! ARRRGH!!! One of the most defining scenes for the character of Han Solo, and he is robbed of his menace, mystique, and darker nature. Bah! Not bad for 2 minutes of extras. To be fair, there are some nice touches (any cgi-ed Tie Fighter or Millenium Falcon action is a great improvement on the dodgy models), but the loss of pace and atmosphere throughout the Tatooine section is a big sore point. The Empire Strikes Back is much better, but mainly because it is a better film. It still stands up as a great improvement on the first one, and is the grittiest of the three. Better still, all they have done to 'improve' the film is add slightly improved visuals (mostly in Cloud City). This is largely down to the fact that Irvin Kirshner, not George Lucas directed this one. George Lucas CANNOT direct gritty. All the films he has directed of the series have been shiny and bright interpretations. I bet if you got Lucas filming Dagobah, there'd be comedy ferrets or something! Give George some special effects and he polishes up EVERYTHING: Look at the Phantom Menance. Now without wincing. It's so shiny and bright it HURTS. That's what he has tried to do to the first 3 films and, well let's face it, it comes across as a very 'friday afternoon' job. On balance, it being lovely to see the films again for the first time in years. The soundtrack is really great in this new format, and the stories are exciting and engaging. Even the acting is better than I remembered. However, at the first sign of a digitised Jawa, or a cute robot, I wanted to scream. If any studio exec ever reads this take heed - do NOT give George Lucas access to digital technology EVER AGAIN. After seeing R2D2 fly, the Saarlac gaining a beak, and Greebo shooting first, you have to get the impression he was better off with the complex airfix models that took years to get right. At least first time round he could claim he got lucky getting it right rather than nowadays being all smug whilst getting it so wrong. ***** for the films * for the 'new' special effects. Looking forward to the RotJ and Special Features disks now!

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14 out of 24 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 1 stars
Where's Jar Jar?

A Customer from your face, 13th April, 2007

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watched original Star Wars (episode 1) and thought it was really nice but as the series went on things went from worst to worst. Just seemed that by number 4 George lucass has ran out of ideas and getting rid of JAR JAR was a crime. For reccomended Lucass viewing I suggest Willow, Midgets (or Dwarfs) are just hillarious and the film goes a long way to making up for this poor trilogy.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
The Greatest Science Fiction Trilogy Ever

Neil from Watford, 2nd November, 2005

There are few people left in the world who have not heard of Star Wars, and the majority of the population of the planet has seen them. So influential are they that they have changed every film made since and had a major influence on the lives of a whole generation. I am a member of that generation who grew up alongside the release of these films, which were the first ever blockbuster movies. In many ways they became a legend, a modern equivalent to the Greek myths and the stories of King Arthur. These were our new heroes, and there are few who do not know the story of the original Star Wars saga. To begin with A New Hope is undoubtedly George Lucas's best film. Of all of them it stands alone best on its own strengths - the strong characters, snappy dialogue, well structured plot and breath taking action. It has a recognisable begining, middle and an end, almost effortlessly introducing the characters and the world the story is set in. So carefully crafted is the world of Star Wars that it is entirely believable and original. For The Empire Strikes Back a different director took the helm, Irvin Kershner. A much darker movie, and one that can only really exist as part of the trilogy this is hailed by many as the best of the lot. Developing both character and story to new levels the film has you rooting for our heroes in their darkest hour. Its the stuff of classic legend and so confidently made that it was able to end on a cliffhanger knowing the third film would be made. Of the original three Return of The Jedi is probably the weakest. Here we see George Lucas's tendency to aim for the lowest common denominator and introduce effects and cute aliens for the sake of marketing. Despite this he manages to end the story with such a climax of events that you don't really mind. The characters you have come to love reach the end of their journey and you are on the edge of your seat desperate to know how it all turns out. Regardless of what went before this is still epic storytelling. For the DVD release the format is somewhat weakened from the original cinema version as George Lucas unfortunately could not leave it alone. Expect a few more unnecessary CGI creatures in the background, a few extra scenes which were originally cut for a reason and an overdone special effects sound track that makes your speakers ache. That said the picture quality has been digitally remastered and improved so it may all be worth while. Let there be no doubt about it this is the greatest science fiction movie trilogy ever. Anyone who loves movies loves these films and with good reason. There has been nothing like it before or since, everything that has come after has been a pale imitation. These movies have everything - story, character, action and drama. It just doesn't get any better than this.

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Most recent reviews

*** May contain spoilers ***


Rated 4 stars
Believe the hype

TheImaginator from , 9th March, 2010

...well, up until the third movie 'Return of the Jedi'; which should not have had either Luke finding out Leia is his sister, nor ewoks, nor extended remastered digitalised CGI enhanced ewok disco at the end. You could quite comfortably have left those out Lucas, but you chose to let us know you were going off the rails. Cheers for 'A New Hope' and 'Empire Strikes Back' though.

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Rated 3 stars
Time takes its toll

JohnGD from , 27th February, 2010

I don't think I've seen this since it first came out. Even after all these years it still has good entertainment value and - amazingly - most of the special effects still look pretty good. However, though it's hard to put your finger on why, this film now does have a pretty dated feel about it. Perhaps it is something to do with the dialogue, which although having its moments, can be pretty plodding at times.

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Rated 4 stars
star wars trilogy

Mike99 from from Sudbury, 19th February, 2010

my son loved watching these films

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Rated 0 stars
A Clasic but still good

A Customer from Norwich, 19th January, 2010

Although many years old now this film is still very much worth a watch.

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