8.7/10
1,031,172
1,559 user 297 critic

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

Star Wars (original title)
Trailer
2:02 | Trailer

On Disc

at Amazon

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle-station while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader.

Director:

Writer:

Popularity
250 ( 66)
Top Rated Movies #20 | Won 6 Oscars. Another 50 wins & 28 nominations. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.8/10 X  

After the rebels are overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda. His friends accept shelter from a questionable ally as Darth Vader hunts them in a plan to capture Luke.

Director: Irvin Kershner
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

After a daring mission to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the rebels dispatch to Endor to destroy a more powerful Death Star. Meanwhile, Luke struggles to help Vader back from the dark side without falling into the Emperor's trap.

Director: Richard Marquand
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Three years into the Clone Wars, the Jedi rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. As Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, Anakin acts as a double agent between the Jedi Council and Palpatine and is lured into a sinister plan to rule the galaxy.

Director: George Lucas
Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

Two Jedi Knights escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their old glory.

Director: George Lucas
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padme Amidala, while Obi-Wan investigates an assassination attempt on the senator and discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.

Director: George Lucas
Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

Three decades after the Empire's defeat, a new threat arises in the militant First Order. Stormtrooper defector Finn and the scavenger Rey are caught up in the Resistance's search for the missing Luke Skywalker.

Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

The daughter of an Imperial scientist joins the Rebel Alliance in a risky move to steal the Death Star plans.

Director: Gareth Edwards
Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.7/10 X  

While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.

Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.9/10 X  

Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.8/10 X  

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Red Leader (as Drewe Hemley)
Edit

Storyline

The Imperial Forces, under orders from cruel Darth Vader, hold Princess Leia hostage in their efforts to quell the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, work together with the companionable droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess, help the Rebel Alliance and restore freedom and justice to the Galaxy. Written by Jwelch5742

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

May the Force be with you. One year old today. (Star Wars Happy Birthday Poster) See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi violence and brief mild language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 May 1977 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A New Hope  »

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,554,475, 30 May 1977, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$322,740,140

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$775,398,007, 25 November 2011
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (special edition)

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (as Dolby System) (35 mm prints) (1977 print)| (as DTS Stereo® in selected theatres) (1997 print)| (as Dolby® Digital in selected theatres) (1997 print)| (as Sony Dynamic Digital SoundTM in selected theatres) (1997 print)| (some 35 mm prints) (other 16 mm prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Bantha, seen being mounted by Tusken Raiders after they spot Luke Skywalker's speeder, was actually an Asian elephant owned by Exotic Animal Trainer Ralph Helfer, dressed in a costume of fur and fake horns. Filming the scene proved difficult because the elephant was not accustomed to the extreme heat of Death Valley, and kept removing the costume. See more »

Goofs

In the Special Edition, as a figure passes in front of Luke and Biggs in the rebel hangar, R2D2's position jumps as he is being lifted up to the top of the X-Wing fighter (right side of the frame). This is a result of editing out a section of the scene where Red Leader mentions having known Luke's father. The passing figure is intended to mask the edit, but the jump in R2's position reveals the edit. This is mainly evident in the widescreen format. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
C-3PO: Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We'll be destroyed for sure. This is madness.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The film's opening prologue: It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Emperor's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Emperor's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy .... See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Big Bang Theory: The Veracity Elasticity (2016) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
The greatest cinematic epic of all time begins here.
25 April 2005 | by See all my reviews

Here begins the greatest cinematic epic of all time, and arguably one of the greatest stories ever told. Originally conceived as a serialized popcorn movie in the manner of the old action movies that Lucas grew up with, Star Wars surpassed even George's keen and bombastic imagination to become a central part of movie history.

There are countless tales of the making of this movie; how Lucas never believed he would get the chance to complete the series, how it spawned an industry and made the name of nearly everyone who touched it a household word. But what that does not reveal, nor do the much diminished prequels, is the sheer joy and excitement these movies generated.

It was a once in a lifetime experience. You could feel it from opening day, earlier if you paid attention to such things. We had never seen anything like it, and we are not likely to again.

This episode finds young Luke Skywalker yearning to leave the agrarian life he has with his aunt and uncle, and chase after adventure as his friends before him have already done. And what adventure there is. The galaxy is in the grip of a massive rebellion against a tyrannical and oppressive empire, but on Luke's home planet, it's something you only dare speak of in a whisper.

Along come two robots, "Droids" for short, who inadvertently involve Luke in a stellar attempt to contact an old wizard named Ben Kenobi, who lives in the caves near Luke's home.

The rest is history, and there isn't a person alive in the civilized world who doesn't have at least some awareness of the epic story that unfolds. Luke's rise from adolescent obscurity on Tatooine to a leading role in the greatest struggle of all time is told with humor, action, adventure, and always a sense of story that is unmatched on the screen or on the page.

With the completion of the prequel trilogy, these films are enjoying a renewed popularity among a generation that never saw the films on the big screen, and the theatric revivals are almost guaranteed. Go. Get some popcorn. And may the Force be with you.


195 of 276 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 1,559 user reviews »

Contribute to This Page

What Are the Sundance Stars Watching?

"The IMDb Show" sits down with stars of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival to find out their favorite Sundance movies, including such films as L.I.E., An Education, and Whiplash.

Watch now