Citizen Kane is perhaps the one American talking picture that seems as fresh now as the day it opened. It may seem even fresher. - Pauline Kael

We don't have time to catch up with the future that is here.

If there is any test that can be applied to movies, it's that the good ones never make you feel virtuous.

One of the biggest box-office successes in movie history — probably because for young audiences it's like getting a box of Cracker Jack that is all prizes. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is enjoyable in its own terms, but it's exhausting, too: like taking a pack of kids to the circus. There's no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the image of a double sunset. The loudness, the smash-and-grab editing, and the relentless pacing drive every idea out of your head, and even if you've been entertained, you may feel cheated of some dimension — a sense of wonder, perhaps. It's an epic without a dream.