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
Lucasfilm
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
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 at the same time is far less polished in the scripting department
The Ewok Adventure (1984)
Dec 21, 2002Children's Planetary Adventure/Star Wars Spinoff
Crass attempt by George Lucas to further milk the Star Wars phenomenon with a tv movie (released to theatres outside the US) given over the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi
Ewoks and the Marauders of Endor (1986)
Jun 20, 2002Children's Planetary Adventure/Star Wars Spinoff
Follow-up to The Ewok Adventure, a tv movie in the US and released to theatres internationally. This is a better film than its predecessor and even manages to capture something of the Star Wars spirit on occasions
Howard the Duck (1986)
Jun 19, 2000Talking Alien Duck/Comic Book Adaptation
This adaptation of the cult Marvel comic-book from Lucasfilm should have been a classic but instead is a mess that went tail-feathers up in a big way such that it became the term used for a film that bombs for years afterwards
Willow (1988)
Nov 9, 2003Epic Fantasy
Outside of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, not much else that George Lucas has made has been a success. This Ron Howard-directed epic fantasy proved to be a big flop where Howard's lightweight touch fails to make a one-dimensional plot fly
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 that eventually becomes far too broad
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Jun 6, 1999Space Opera
George Lucas's return to the Star Wars series after a sixteen year absence and a build-up rivaled only by the Second Coming. Instead most audiences went away disappointed. Lucas has used the interim to push the technology to its heights but the story and characters are lacking
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Jun 20, 2002Space Opera
The second of George Lucas’s Stars Wars prequels is no particular improvement. The romance is stiff and awkward, badly written while the effects sequences seem to be running out of new things to do and so just up the scale of what has happened before with so much going on it reaches a point of visual overload
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
May 22, 2005Space Opera
The last of George Lucas's Star Wars prequel trilogy and the last opportunity for him to get it right, which he generally does. The effects are expert but are not allowed to dominate as much as they did previously and the focus has come back onto the story and Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Oct 9, 2008Space Opera/Animation
Theatrical spinoff from the Star Wars prequels, released to introduce the popular animated series. This shows it is time for George Lucas to move beyond recycling something that was successful three decades ago
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 and coming to terms with it, this tries but the action scenes pale against what the series was back in the heyday
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
Strange Magic (2015)
Feb 6, 2015Animation/World of Fairies
George Lucas's venture into animation was critically pilloried. It's not bad, just no different from a formula film like Rise of the Guardians or Epic. From the man who made Star Wars, you had higher expectations
Rogue One (2016)
Jan 7, 2017Star Wars Prequel
With their assumption of the Star Wars copyright, Disney are now doing what Lucasfilm started doing with their novels in the 80s and spinning adventures off from even minor background characters. This is slightly grittier Dirty Dozen type adventure but I kind of wish the Star Wars universe would stop recycling the same basic elements
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Mar 17, 2018Space Opera
I'm not one of the haters on this. It's the first Star Wars sequel since the 1980s to invigorate the series with fresh and original action sequences, place more focus on the characters instead of the action, and be unconcerned about slavishy repeating what has gone before
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Dec 8, 2018Star Wars Spinoff Film
The second of the Stars Wars spinoff films tells a Han Solo origin story. After behind-the-scenes production troubles and a change of directors, it emerges in the hands of Ron Howard who has spent nearly four decades being the world's most ploddingly sedate director. Nothing particularly terrible but exactly what you expect of Howard
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Mar 21, 2020Space Opera
The concluding chapter of the third trilogy of Star Wars films. After the critically divided The Last Jedi, J.J. Abrams opts for a return to the safety of familiarity and nostalgia
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, which still has the spark of the good old adventure spirit