Via Starwars.com:

WHAT DID CRITICS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GEORGE LUCAS’ NEW SPACE ADVENTURE?

This article is part of a special StarWars.com series in honor of Star Wars‘ 40th anniversary on May 25.

What better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope than by revisiting its reviews from 1977? This time machine of the written word is fascinating, as it charts the growth of the Star Wars phenomenon.

Initial reviews of Star Wars were, for the most part, really positive. The Hollywood Reporter printed in the first paragraph of its initial review that Star Wars would “undoubtedly emerge as one of the true classics in the genre of science fiction/fantasy films” and that “it will be thrilling audiences of all ages for a long time to come.”

Little did they know we’d be looking back on 40 years of thrills with a bright future ahead of us.

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