10 Sci-Fi Movies That Ignored The Critics

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Metacritic Score: 90

Nowadays, critics and audiences alike treat the original 1977 outing in a galaxy far, far away as the golden idol of the franchise, put on a pedestal from which nothing can topple it – and, indeed, is raised ever-higher each time another questionable decision is made by the creators of new Star Wars media.

But when George Lucas' space saga was released, reviews were tepid, lukewarm and more mixed than a Mos Eisley Cantina cocktail, with as many damning indictments as there were glowing recommendations. Among its detractors were the Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine, for whom it was all just a bit much while not being enough in the first place.

Most critics took note of the key elements that would come to be celebrated and those that would prove the Achilles' heels of the series, such as the universality of the film's deep roots in worldwide folklore and culture, and the hollowness of its often paper-thin dialogue.

But the proof is in the pudding, and A New Hope led the charge for a global phenomenon spanning decades and penetrating more mediums more widely than any other franchise in film history. Star Wars redefined brand marketing and, in many ways, set the template for the uber-consumer synergy of toys, films and merchandise that we just accept as part of the natural order of things nowadays.