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Ranking the Star Wars films — Page 3

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Is that our first top two placement for TFA?

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Easy!

  1. The Empire Strikes Back
  2. Star Wars
  3. The Force Awakens
  4. Return of the Jedi
  5. Revenge of the Sith
  6. The Phantom Menace
  7. Attack of the Clones
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joefavs said:

Is that our first top two placement for TFA?

It might be.
It took me some thinking and it was hard for me to choose if ANH or TFA was #2. I rank it at #2 because of the comedy in it, I enjoy good comedy. But that’s my opinion.

One day we will have properly restored versions of the Original Unaltered Trilogy (OUT); or 1977, 1980, 1983 Theatrical released versions (Like 4K77,4K80 and 4K83); including Prequels. So that future generations can enjoy these historic films that changed cinema forever.

Yoda: Try not, do or do not, there is no try.

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 (Edited)
  1. The Empire Strikes Back (I can’t even explain why: this is the perfect sequel as well as the perfect movie: entertaining, intelligent, mythological, deep, moving, funny, an infinite replay value…)

  2. Star Wars A New Hope (almost as good as its first sequel, a very hard call to rank it second place)

  3. Return of the Jedi (the confrontation with the Emperor is truly great, the Jabba’s opening scenes are pure swashbuckling fun, the space battle is magnificent: just frustrating this is a rehash of ANH with dull moments and poor characters. Would have love this scene to make its way in the final cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-ZsR2P8dU (without the “scum” line))

  4. The Force Awakens (mediocre, albeit entertaining and with the first 30 minutes very nicely done. Sadly, the characters, especially Rey - who masters the force in a minute because the script needs it… -, are not interesting, and fan service has its narrative limits).

  5. Revenge of the Sith (well, I like the global aesthetic and a few sequences. Williams score is a masterpiece, but the key scenes are failed in almost every way possible) (with a proper edit, it would be ranked a little bit higher than TFA I think)

  6. The Phantom Menace (not that bad and as about the same quality as ROTS - great score, the Qui Gon Jin lead character is fine, the overall plot is interesting -, but overwhelmed with bad taste jokes, confused plot elements, pointless sequences, and questionable designs)

  7. The Attack of the Clones (this one is so bad on every level, I don’t understand how this is even possible to miss an opportunity so much. I would save most of the Kamino’s scenes and the Tusken massacre. Even the score got mixed up: Yoda’s theme used for Anakin in action, Darth Maul’s theme used for Anakin on a bike, Darth Vader’s theme used for the Clone Troopers and the Republic Army, Trade Federation’s droid army theme for the Separatist’s droid army… : not very wagnerian…).

If it had been a movie, I would have ranked Tartakowsky “Clone Wars” fourth, between Episode VI and Episode VII.

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  1. The Empire Strikes Back

  2. The Force Awakens (in terms of characters, dialogue, acting, action, a layered/compelling villain, special effects, comedy and the way it sets up Episodes XIII and IX TFA is vastly superior and in general is a more ENJOYABLE film to watch than STAR WARS)

  3. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

  4. Return of The Jedi (great resolution to the OT but Ewoks kill the pacing and Death Star 2.0 was unnecessary)

  5. Revenge of The Sith

  6. The Phantom Menace

  7. Attack of The Clones

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ray_afraid said:

  1. The Empire Strikes Back
  2. Star Wars (A New Hope)
  3. Return of the Jedi

You original trilogy fanboys are all the same.

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Lord Haseo said:

  1. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

I really like TFA but I’m gonna disagree there.

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TV’s Frink said:

Lord Haseo said:

  1. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

I really like TFA but I’m gonna disagree there.

It’s one of those unpopular opinion things that I can’t adequately explain but every time I watched TFA I enjoyed it way more than I have ever enjoyed STAR WARS. Maybe it’s because it’s new but I’ve seen the film 4 times and it’s embrace has only tightened.

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Lord Haseo said:

TV’s Frink said:

Lord Haseo said:

  1. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

I really like TFA but I’m gonna disagree there.

It’s one of those unpopular opinion things that I can’t adequately explain but every time I watched TFA I enjoyed it way more than I have ever enjoyed STAR WARS. Maybe it’s because it’s new but I’ve seen the film 4 times and it’s embrace has only tightened.

At least STAR WARS stands on its own, while TFA needs its two sequels to know if the story is relevant or not. And the new characters are not as interesting (Rey has nothing to accomplish - everything is easy for her, with “Full Force Unlocked” plot holes… -; Finn is just a “traitor”; Poe is on screen 10 minutes…). The mythology is also a missed point (the soul of an “excalibur” light saber ? Seriously ?!?). Nevertheless I enjoy TFA, but it’s very far to be a movie as strong as the original STAR WARS.

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MalàStrana said:

Lord Haseo said:

TV’s Frink said:

Lord Haseo said:

  1. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

I really like TFA but I’m gonna disagree there.

It’s one of those unpopular opinion things that I can’t adequately explain but every time I watched TFA I enjoyed it way more than I have ever enjoyed STAR WARS. Maybe it’s because it’s new but I’ve seen the film 4 times and it’s embrace has only tightened.

At least STAR WARS stands on its own, while TFA needs its two sequels to know if the story is relevant or not.

That’s because Star Wars was conceived as a stand-alone movie, at least it was planned to be so initially. TFA was the first of a trilogy from the beginning, so it’s unfair to compare them in that way. And so what if TFA doesn’t stand on it’s own? That doesn’t make it bad.

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I’ve heard of a number of people who have been able to enjoy TFA as their first Star Wars film.

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MalàStrana said:

Lord Haseo said:

TV’s Frink said:

Lord Haseo said:

  1. STAR WARS (has a better plot than TFA but falls short in just about every other way)

I really like TFA but I’m gonna disagree there.

It’s one of those unpopular opinion things that I can’t adequately explain but every time I watched TFA I enjoyed it way more than I have ever enjoyed STAR WARS. Maybe it’s because it’s new but I’ve seen the film 4 times and it’s embrace has only tightened.

At least STAR WARS stands on its own, while TFA needs its two sequels to know if the story is relevant or not.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. After STAR WARS there’s no real reason to watch the others; everything is wrapped in a tight little bow while there are many things to look forward to in the upcoming sequels and that in turn invokes more of yearning to watch Episode’s VIII and IX.

Also let’s be honest. While ANH is a really good jumping off point most of the uber important stuff happened in Episodes V and VI.

And the new characters are not as interesting

Very debatable. The only thing that tips the odds in the ST’s favor is that Leia isn’t interesting at all beyond her “I’m not going to take shit from anyone” attitude. I’m interested in the dormant emotions Rey has and how that could effect her when she is tempted. I’m interested in Rey’s parentage, I’m interested in how Finn is going to transition from the First Order to The Resistance in terms of ideals. I’m interested in Kylo Ren progression as a Dark Sider and his pull towards the light. I am also interested in his deteriorating mental state.

I could keep going on and on but I think you get it. If we were in 1977 the only character we could really ponder about is Luke and his progression.

Rey has nothing to accomplish

Rey wanted to get off Jakku and be reunited with her family. Not only she set off at the end of the film to accomplish her training. Other than Luke blowing up isn’t that his only aspiration? To becoming a Jedi?

everything is easy for her

A lot of that has to do with the fact that she had to be self sufficient unlike Luke’s pathetic farming ass. Also as it pertains to flying the Falcon she almost crashed it before the chase even started.

with “Full Force Unlocked” plot holes

It’s way premature when we don’t know her origins. The possibility of her having her mind wiped is still a decent possibility and that would explain her being competent with a Lightsaber after she tapped into The Force

Finn is just a “traitor”

They decided to show us what it’s like for a morally wholesome person being a storm trooper is like…Yeah sucks that they tried to do something different.

Poe is on screen 10 minutes

Poe was certainly underused and underdeveloped but even then he was still more enjoyable to watch than Leia.

The mythology is also a missed point (the soul of an “excalibur” light saber ? Seriously ?!?).

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Psychometry

Also the Force Flashback not only introduced a new element to The Force but it is ushering in flashbacks into the Star Wars universe. A story telling element Star Wars doesn’t necessarily need but something that can improve it.

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Ignoring the other movies is like ignoring that your parents had sex. You can pretend it never happened, but it did.

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And everyone else knows it happened and most people are more than content with it.

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TV’s Frink said:

Ignoring the other movies is like ignoring that your parents had sex. You can pretend it never happened, but it did.

Well there is artificial insemination.

真実

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 (Edited)

TV’s Frink said:

Ignoring the other movies is like ignoring that your parents had sex. You can pretend it never happened, but it did.

How? it’s not like the PT spawned the OT…
So, it’s more like ignoring your children.
And I’ll gladly take the paternity test live on Maury to prove that I got nothin’ to do with those kids!

But, if it’ll make ya feel better:

  1. ESB
  2. ANH
  3. ROTJ
  4. TFA
  5. PT

Does that work?

Ray’s Lounge
Biggs in ANH edit idea
ROTJ opening edit idea

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  1. Star Wars. Nothing beats the original, there’s a sense of innocence, amazement and just plain fun that I feel none of the other movies have. It’s such a simple basic story if you manage to forget all the baggage that comes with the sequels and prequels.

  2. The Empire Strikes Back. May be the best one. It was such a clever and bold move to make something so different from the first movie when it was so easy to just repeat the formula (As the Force Awakens proves). Probably the most interesting one in terms of characters.

  3. Return Of The Jedi. Without a doubt the weakest of the original trilogy, but my favorite for many years, it was the first movie I ever watched. Lucas often claims that Star Wars movies are for children to defend the awful prequels, while I don’t think that argument works for the prequels (and it’s not true anyway), Return Of The Jedi is a wonderful movie for kids, it had everything, huge monsters, tons of new spaceships, the ewoks, jabba, and I loved it all. (And yes, I loved the ewok scenes, like when they’re going to cook our heroes, when I was a child). Luke’s story keeps me entertained as an adult.

  4. The Force Awakens. A very entertaining movie but I feel it’s too reliant on the OT (and basically a remake of Star Wars) to be considered any higher. It’s also too soon and we have to see how it holds up once the “OMG it’s the falcon!!!” nostalgia wears off. Still, I really enjoyed the new characters, they stand well with the classic ones and that bodes well for the future.

Way, way below are the prequels:

  1. The Phantom Menace. Universally regarded as the worst one, I think it’s actually the least awful prequel. At least they used some locations and sets so it still looks like a movie. It has a few nice moments and I quite like some of the designs and the score, but the problems are evident right from the beginning (boring characters, boring plot, no stakes, OT contradictions, terrible story decisions, bad direction, editing, etc.)

  2. Revenge Of The Sith. Why so many people consider this a good movie (or better than ROTJ) is really baffling to me. There’s really not a lot of difference with Clones, but I guess the (merciful) lack of love scenes puts Sith ahead. People like it cause it’s dark, but it’s so forced and nonsensical (Anakin killing little Jedi kids is so cheap and stupid) and the whole resolution so rushed, it really shows how wasted Episodes I and II really were.

  3. Attack Of The Clones. What a mess this is: boring characters, awful choices, the love plot doesn’t make any sense, the clone army plot doesn’t make any sense, the assassination plot doesn’t make any sense, terrible performances and it looks like a videogame.

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Diego said:

  1. Return Of The Jedi. Without a doubt the weakest of the original trilogy, but my favorite for many years, it was the first movie I ever watched. Lucas often claims that Star Wars movies are for children to defend the awful prequels, while I don’t think that argument works for the prequels (and it’s not true anyway), Return Of The Jedi is a wonderful movie for kids, it had everything, huge monsters, tons of new spaceships, the ewoks, jabba, and I loved it all. (And yes, I loved the ewok scenes, like when they’re going to cook our heroes, when I was a child). Luke’s story keeps me entertained as an adult.

Agreed. As a kid, I replayed Rotj probably the most, but admittedly, I fastforwarded that blasted VHS to the battle sequence. The immersion of the space dogfights, the moving duel between Vader/Luke, and the campy thrill of the Ewok battle with AT-ST’s was very enjoyable to me.

  1. Revenge Of The Sith. Why so many people consider this a good movie (or better than ROTJ) is really baffling to me. There’s really not a lot of difference with Clones, but I guess the (merciful) lack of love scenes puts Sith ahead. People like it cause it’s dark, but it’s so forced and nonsensical (Anakin killing little Jedi kids is so cheap and stupid) and the whole resolution so rushed, it really shows how wasted Episodes I and II really were.

I probably replayed this film as second place in my childhood. Obi-Wan vs Anakin basically is an on-screen version of what I used to pretend play as a kid: the floor is lava! So after viewing that film for the first time, I made makeshift sabers and dueled with one of my little brothers across couch cushions 😄

The Rise of Failures

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Diego said:
Anakin killing little Jedi kids is so cheap and stupid

Cheap? Yes. Stupid? No…if you’re going to kill all of the Jedi it’s reasonable to kill the kids too just in case one of them comes across a holocron. It’s called a contingency for God’s sake.

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Diego said:

  1. The Phantom Menace. Universally regarded as the worst one…

  2. Revenge Of The Sith.

  3. Attack Of The Clones.

This order is actually pretty common here.

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Yeah, as I’ve learned in this past month, TPM seems to be regarded as the best of the PT round these parts. But I think the general consensus on the inter webs is that ROTS is superior (an opinion I share).

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Lord Haseo said:

Diego said:
Anakin killing little Jedi kids is so cheap and stupid

Cheap? Yes. Stupid? No…if you’re going to kill all of the Jedi it’s reasonable to kill the kids too just in case one of them comes across a holocron. It’s called a contingency for God’s sake.

I find Anakin killing the children stupid, any clone could have shot the children, instead we’re shown the clones fighting older lightsaber-weilding Jedi, while Anakin goes to kill the baby Jedi. Not a great start for the “awesome” Darth Vader.

It’s a nonsense scene to get the “Anakin is evil” reaction. There’s really no reason for Anakin to start killing children at that point, and if it was done to prevent them becoming Jedi in the future, it should have happened off-screen in between episodes.

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Diego said:

Lord Haseo said:

Diego said:
Anakin killing little Jedi kids is so cheap and stupid

Cheap? Yes. Stupid? No…if you’re going to kill all of the Jedi it’s reasonable to kill the kids too just in case one of them comes across a holocron. It’s called a contingency for God’s sake.

any clone could have shot the children

True but maybe Palpatine specifically had Anakin kill the children to show his commitment.

instead we’re shown the clones fighting older lightsaber-weilding Jedi

Younglings had lightsabers too.

while Anakin goes to kill the baby Jedi. Not a great start for the “awesome” Darth Vader.

Every villain has to start somewhere. To think he’d be instantly like the Vader in the OT is a ridiculous expectation.

It’s a nonsense scene to get the “Anakin is evil” reaction

Primarily yes but is it really that pertinent? Whether it was kids or random innocent people there was going to be a scene that exists for the explicit purpose to show how far Anakin has fallen. Even a good version of the PT would have had such a scene.