Critic consensus:A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possiblites of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.

Numbered reviews:1. [Star Wars] is the most elaborate, most expensive, most beautiful movie serial ever made.
2. Like it or not, Star Wars is a seminal movie that began a whole cycle of sci-fi works and also launched the careers of many actors and craftsmen.
3. It's easy to see why Star Wars held such an appeal to the kids and adults of the late 1970s.
4. What places it a sizable cut about the routine is its spectacular visual effects, the best since Stanley Kubrick's 2001.
5. Endlessly imitated but never rivalled, this opening instalment of George Lucas's original space trilogy dresses up the timeless tale of good versus evil with ground-breaking special effects and a dazzling array of intergalactic characters.
6. A mind-blowing spectacle that sends the audience off onto the wondrously strange world of fantasy and satisfies just about everyone's adolescent craving for a corny old-fashioned adventure movie.
7. The view of outer space is a marvelous one, awe-inspiring in its beauty, and the artists and designers who did the work... deserve as many plaudits as can be thought up.
8. Heavy SF readers will recognize each character, every situation by its stock number and almost feel the affection Lucas has for them. There is not the tiniest sniff of cynicism anywhere in this film.
9. George Lucas's science fiction adventure is an exhilarating update of Flash Gordon, very much in the same half-jokey, half-earnest mood, but backed by special effects that, for once, really work and are intelligently integrated with the story.
10. Enormous and exhilarating fun for those who are prepared to settle down in their seats and let it all wash over them.


Critic consensus:The Spiderwick Chronicles is an entertaining children's adventure, with heart and imagination to spare.

Numbered reviews:1. SPIDERWICK's great charm is that it feels exactly like the kind of adventure story you might have imagined at the bottom of the garden one day during childhood.
2. Spiderwick hits the high notes when it needs to, and kids who can handle the scarier parts will find it an enjoyable escape.
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles hands us a new fantastical adventure to capture our imagination--and make us grab the edge of our seats. It's definitely not for the youngest faint of heart.
4. It's fast-paced and funny, strangely warm and suddenly creepy, disarmingly charming and admirably icky, all at the same time.
5. Director Mark Waters does a fine job meshing the fantastical with the quotidian.
6. Meticulously rendered CGI creatures spike this dark adventure, shot marvelously by Caleb Deschanel.
7. The best fantasy movie to come along in a while. Spiderwick is miles better than the yawn-inducing adaptation of "The Golden Compass." It's smart, thrilling and funny, and it even features a good message about the importance of family.
8. A refreshingly spry, modest adventure.
9. A well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out.
10. Instead of absorbing us into this magical landscape, this adaptation crams all five books together into a frenetic and frustrating 24-hour-escapade


Critic consensus:Despite sometimes sitcom-like execution, Meet the Parents is a hilarious look at familial relationships that works mostly because the chemistry between its two leads is so effective.

Numbered reviews:
1. A very funny movie that is able to combine a great premise with ideal actors, laugh out scenes with a sentimental touch and over the top sequences with a believable story line.
2. A crisply paced romp featuring pitch-perfect performances by adversarial leads Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller.
3. A comedy that has likeable, human characters as well as consistent laughs.
4. Watching Ben get the girl or be seriously injured trying always has its dry, keening pleasures.
5. I can't remember when I last laughed so hard during a film. DeNiro and Stiller are a perfect match and I walked out of the theater wanting to see more of these characters.
6. Quite simply, this Focker has us laughing out loud frequently and abundantly.
7. Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller give the comedy of disaster a nice little workout.
8. The real comic bite comes from the combustible energy between the two lead actors.
9. It's warm and humorous and avoids being mean-spirited, which alone makes it special.
10. This fall's pleasant surprise.