The History of Star Wars Movies

The history of Star Wars movies begins with one of the most influential blockbusters ever made. When George Lucas created this universe in 1977, he couldn’t have possibly foreseen that the history of Star Wars movies would go on to encompass not just his imagined 9-part saga, now concluded with “The Rise of Skywalker,” but spin-off films like “Solo” and “Rogue One.” It’s remarkable to look at Roger Ebert and his followers’ coverage over the last four decades, a collection that holds six four-star reviews. In fact, Roger Ebert himself gave all three chapters of the original trilogy – “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi” – his highest possible rating, even naming the first film a Great Movie (although he would later go on to say on its re-release that “Empire” was the best in the history of Star Wars movies.).

The saga got more divisive in the 2010s as J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson presented their own inconsistent trilogy and spin-off films became a part of this cinematic universe. Click through the reviews below to see how Roger and the current staff members have covered the history of Star Wars movies.