Star Wars (1977)

The bravest character in Star Wars is a beeping trash can, and nobody gives him a medal. The dialogue is famously stiff, Luke whines about power converters like a teenager denied the car keys, and the stormtroopers couldn’t hit a barn from inside the barn. None of it matters. George Lucas made this for a reported $11 million, it pulled $775.4 million worldwide, and it helped invent the modern blockbuster along the way. Harrison Ford plays Han Solo like he wandered in from a better-paying gig and decided to stay. Carrie Fisher’s Leia takes over her own rescue about a minute after it starts. Alec Guinness gives the space wizard stuff real dignity, and a guy in a black helmet with a breathing problem became the most famous villain on Earth. The trench run still works. A 9.4 because it’s simple, scrappy and built out of pure joy. $1,223 says you grab a flashlight tonight, swing it like a lightsaber and make the noise with your mouth.

What works: Han, Leia and Vader are instant legends, the trench run is still a blast, and the whole thing feels handmade in the best way.

What doesn’t: A lot of the dialogue is wooden, and Luke’s whiny farm-boy phase is rough going before he gets off Tatooine.

Who it’s for: Everybody, honestly, but especially anyone who has somehow never seen it and is tired of nodding along to the references.