A long time ago, in a California desert far, far away, a group of filmmakers, artists, and special effects pioneers made one of the greatest movies of all time: Star Wars, released in 1977 (and since retitled Star Wars: A New Hope). A game-changing blockbuster, A New Hope launched the epic and expansive Star Wars franchise. But as cool as the many action figures and video games and extended universe novels may be, at its core Star Wars is primarily a series of moving pictures with words and sounds.
The inspiration for the many Star Wars movies and shows isn't necessarily other science fiction stories, but other movies from other master storytellers. From Japanese samurai flicks to gritty war movies, the visual language and tonal atmosphere of Star Wars is rooted in decades upon decades of film history. Here are 32 movies that inspired Star Wars creator George Lucas, as well as his many successors.
32. The Dam Busters (1955) George Lucas wasn't just a sci-fi fan. He was also an aviation enthusiast who admired World War 2 planes and especially World War II films.
Influencing Lucas' understanding of space dogfights was real footage of World War 2 aviators, as well as some popular war movies of the time. As observed in an article by Smithsonian in 2020, Lucas took heavy inspiration from the 1955 film The Dam Busters to craft the iconic "Trench Run" sequence in A New Hope. 31.
Blade Runner (1982) Towering buildings, neon lights, shadowy figures lurking on every corner – Is this .
