Star Wars (1977)
Dec 16, 2000Space Opera
The single most influential science-fiction film of all time, one that created a massive industry of sequels and spinoffs and changed the way that people thought of science-fiction
Harrison Ford
The Possessed (1977)
Mar 5, 2020Evil Happenings at a Girl's Boarding School
This was a copy of The Exorcist made for tv. Unable to replicate that film's gross-out effects, all that we get is a girl's boarding school beset by supernatural fires. An amazing cast line-up, including an unknown Harrison Ford as a teacher having an affair with a pupil before getting set on fire
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Oct 8, 2005Star Wars Variety Show
The tv special that George Lucas would have all copies destroyed, a work of legendary badness - a Star Wars Thanksgiving special featuring most of the original cast and a series of variety performances that are mind-boggling in their ineptitude, not to mention complete and utter fumbling of everything that Star Wars was
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Apr 4, 2001Space Opera
George Lucas’s first sequel to Star Wars and a work that holds up every bit as well as its predecessor, in many places betters it. The story darkens the mythos and introduces new characters, while the special effects sequences are the peak of the series
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Aug 6, 2001Tomb Raiding Adventures
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's homage to the adventure films of the 1940s was a huge hit in its day, spawning several sequels and many imitators. The film is pure action and adventure, delivered with enormous charm and wit
Blade Runner (1982)
Jan 8, 2000Cyberpunk Future/Hunt for Escaped Androids
Ridley Scott's film was not a success at the time but has since been regarded as a SF masterpiece, one of the defining screen treatments of android themes while the incredibly dense Cyberpunk vision of the future was copied by many subsequent films
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Mar 21, 2001Space Opera
A disappointing end to George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy. The script lazily wraps up loose ends while sidelining the new characters introduced the last time, and the climax rehashes the climaxes of the two other films
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Aug 2, 2003High Adventure in India
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's first sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark is like a single 118 minute rollercoaster ride without let-up in terms of action, although is far less polished in the scripting department
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Feb 15, 2001High Adventure/Holy Grail Quest
Third of the Indiana Jones films. This comes with all the breakneck action sequences and Sean Connery doing a fine comic turn as Indiana's irascible father but also plays to a much greater slapstick emphasis
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Jul 23, 2000Ghost Story
Robert Zemeckis takes on the ghost story with uncommon effectiveness. While this is average on a story level, Zemeckis's directorial approach pushes it to the unnervingly spooky, with the last fifteen minutes being one of the most suspense-filled sequences in recent memory
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
May 25, 2008High Adventure/Alien Artefacts
The fourth of the Indiana Jones films, returning after a 19 year gap to general disappointment. Largely a film about Indy getting old, this tries but the action scenes pale against what the series was in its heyday
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Jul 9, 2011Western/Alien Invasion
High-concept Jon Favreau directed film that has a winning title concept, overflows with star power and is made on a big budget. But the script feels like it had no idea what to do after setting up its title conceptual mash-up
Ender’s Game (2013)
Nov 2, 2013Space Military Recruits in Training
I will defend Orson Scott Card as an exceptional science-fiction writer, his controversies aside. While this is an extremely faithful adaptation of his book, it works unevenly as a film and never soars dramatically
The Age of Adaline (2015)
Apr 25, 2015Woman Who Does Not Age
Aimed at the same audiences as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Blake Lively is a woman who hasn't aged since the 1930s. This comes with the nostalgic weepiness and solemn self-importance of a work pitched to Academy Awards voters
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Dec 26, 2015Space Opera
Ok so it's not another Empire Strikes Back but it makes up for the prequels. A good part fanservice homage to the original – if overly reliant on rehashing elements from Star Wars – this also does many things right and feels a welcome return to the sort of adventure we kept wanting George Lucas to resdiscover
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Jan 6, 2018Cyberpunk Future/Androids
Blade Runner is a landmark classic but this is well worthwhile sequel from Denis Villeneuve that recreates the fascinating Cyberpunk world in more detail and expands out on the themes laid down in the original. Made with impeccably beautiful detail
Spielberg (2017)
Oct 23, 2017Steven Spielberg Documentary
Documentary made for HBO about director Steven Spielberg in which he reflects on his life and films. The documentary tends to focus more on his major hits and skips his minor films but does give worthwhile insight into Spielberg, his life and formative years
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Sep 8, 2019Animation/Talking Animals
Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets came with a winning concept - a Garfield like series of wry observations on humanity by pets - and this is one amongst the current plague of animated sequels that emerges equally likably
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Sep 9, 2023Adventure Film
At age 80, Harrison Ford returns for what looks like being the last ever Indiana Jones film. It’s not perfect but when you compare to all the other contemporary franchises, this still has the good old adventure spirit
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Apr 26, 2025Comic-Book Superhero
The fourth Captain America film, where Anthony Mackie now takes over the shield and costume. And you really need to have been following MCU continuity to make sense of much of what is going on