I had to vote The Empire Strikes Back as number one. It's the one I've seen the most for good reason. ESB had the best acting, plot to action ratio, and dialogue of all six. ESB is also the most emotionally jerking and dangerous in terms of the characters motives. I really saw no downside to this film; as someone stated before, it's perfection.

Second place is a tricky choice. You could make an excellent case for both A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith here. That said, in my opinion Revenge of the Sith edges out just slightly (even though there are large problems with the plot movement and dialogue) because of the sheer emotions I went through while I watched it. I was horrified and entranced. It sickened me and left me speechless. I was stunned. Disturbed. In awe. Disheartened. It's hard to describe what one goes through when watching a movie like Revenge of the Sith.

A New Hope is a movie one needs after Sith. It is exactly what it says it is: hope. It is a fresh start with a character (Luke) who is arcadian and unspoiled by the war and inhumanity of the empire. A New Hope cherishes and celebrates life. Not to mention it is, of course, what kicked off everyone's love for this series. That being said, the pacing and character development far outshine Sith.

Close fourth is Return of the Jedi, the climax and conclusion of the original trilogy. It is an excellent movie and fair culmination to the plot, but overall it does not maintain the simple elegance of A New Hope or the sheer supremacy of Empire Strikes Back.

Distant fifth is The Phantom Menace. No question it suffered though a retched reliance on CG. There were several casting decisions that I did not agree with, namely Jake Lloyd as Anakin, who I felt did a poor job of it. But then again, I'm almost never pleased with children's acting. It takes a great script to make it work, which unfortunately, The Phantom Menace did not have. The plot did not involve us at all in the lives of the characters, and even more deplorably, neither Darth Maul nor Obi-Wan received characterization or development at all. This is not even discussing Jar Jar Binks.

In far last place stumbles Attack of the Clones. Horrible acting, especially on the part of Hayden Christensen. Horrible script. What plot it contains is only an afterthought to the action/ CG shots. Attack of the Clones barely deserves to be called Star Wars when compared to the original trilogy. Whoever voted for this on an original trilogy forum was either just trying to be funny or just trying to stir up trouble.

Thanks,
Birdie