ANH/SW's space battle is still the greatest in cinematic history!!!

I agree completely, the battle of Yavin is far superior to the battle of Naboo. The intensity is far greater in the space battle of ANH as compared to that in TPM. Laudrup made an excellent point a few posts prior to this one when he mentioned the "importance of the battle" and the "interaction of the pilots." Those qualities draw the viewer in far more effectively than a host of random pilots that none of the major characters have any connection to.

 

Storywise it's the only one where we follow an unproven rookie pilot, which adds an extra layer of tension.
(And Babylon 5 looks like the screensaver I had in 1999.)

 

Yeah, nice attempt at the diss of B5, but no dice. You want to refute a claim provide actual content, not tripe.

 

And TPM is the one with the most annoying pilot, so that removes a lot of the tension from that one.

I think it says alot about the tension of The Battle of Naboo, that the reason why I care about what happens to Anakins starfighter is that R2D2 is the co-pilot/passenger.

 

The trench run is probably the most exciting, suspensful moment I've ever seen seen on film. It also makes the medal ceromony really cool instead of corny and stupid which it could of been without reference to the earlier events

 

From a purely cinematic standpoint, the Battle of Yavin is the most artful, suspenseful and audience-pleasing sequence of aerial combat ever committed to celluloid. It is a textbook example of how to put a piece of action filmmaking together, from the composition of each individual shot, to he timing of the editing, to the musical score, to the consistent raising of stakes at every turn (destruction of Y-Wings one-by-one, destruction or wounding of X-Wing co-combatants -- culminating with Biggs' sudden death -- and the apparent destruction of R2D2), to the thematic power of Luke turning off his computer, all leading up to the surprise of Han Solo's heroic return, and to our young farmboy's suddenly and triumphantly living up to the promise that his departed mentor saw in him. In the theaters in 1977, the thuderous sounds of cheering, laughter and applause was unheard of until that time, and seldom equalled since.

 

Please Vortigen ....


Show Yavin and Endor to any person under age 25 and get back to me.

Please don't try and "sell" SW importance/nostalgia to all us SW fans.


IN CINEMA HISTORY is the debate.

 

*Thanks to T'wilek*

I've probably seen this movie over 300 times in my life, yet there's still something so special and thrilling about the final space battle of Star Wars.

From the tight cuts and fast editing, the sweepeing camera movements of the space ship's dogfighting against the bleakness of space, the totally fluid movement of all the scenes, John Williams amazing score slowly but surely increasing the tension to an almost unberable level, to Luke's final assault on the Death Star and Ben's imploring of him to "Let go Luke." Everything about this action sequence works. This final 15 minutes is a complete coming together of creative perfection. A director/editor's at the top of thir game, special effects wizards melding together perfectly real and false images, and a composer of unrivaled genius.

The final climax of the sequence, Luke's destruction of the Death Star, is a blow struck for every man, woman and child that has ever dared to dream and to wish... Luke is the genuine every man come hero. We're with him at that moment, willing him on, and when he blow's that space station up, its like a little piece of us is with him.

This action sequence to me, is what Star Wars is all about and it remains my favourite action sequence of the entire series.
Yes, Return of the Jedi up'ed the anti in terms of scope and possibly has better effects (though I must say, for me the effects at the end of Star Wars still hold up as well today as they did 30 years ago) but somehow it doesn't have the organic fluidity of Star Wars, nor' the urgency and drama of Star Wars. And don't even get me started on the space battle at the end of Phantom Menace.

 

Hrm, I find that going back to the battle in ANH is pretty, well....let's just say that after reading all that ridiculous stuff about XJ6's and StealthX's in the EU, seeing the original X-wings back in action on the screen reminds me why they're cool again. Not to mention that Lucas was able to put a lot of substance into what would otherwise be a senseless combat scene.

 

"Please" don't plead me to act on your personal requirements to fulfill what you perceive to be the "debate" of this thread. My post, above, to which you have so derisively responded is written from a solid cinematic historical perspective. Your failure to comprehend that artfulness and audience appreciation are essential elements in determining the historicity of a particular film reveals your limited understanding both of cinema and pop culture history, not to mention your needlessly combative nature. Please refrain in the future from instructing me in my course of action, or from attempting to belittle my conclusions.

 

I disagree. While "Into The Trap" is a great cue that got tons of play on my turntable in 1983, it's not even close to being as worn out as "The Last Battle" (title of BoY track on OST) is on my vinyl.

Which reminds me, I need to cut across the axis and try to draw Ben Burtt's attention before the next dvd set is released.

(OK, I can't remember who it was who made that "creative" decision to turn down the score in that scene, but I think it will still make me feel better to punch Burtt in the stomach.)

 

I would say the Space battle in Endor was the best and Revenge of the sith battle/space comes in second. Best Duel of the Films= battle of the Heroes because it was very Emontional for me.

 

The ROTJ space battle is the best. It holds the record for the most motion-controlled models used in one scene, as far as I know, and there's not a drop of CGI to be found anywhere.

It's like heaven for me...

 

I know I think I posted that when everyone was voting against it in the Music Tournament

 

What I noticed in the Battle Of Yavin was that it showed x-wings in the Death Star Trench, then it cut to close-ups of the actors, then it cut back to the same x-wings in space re-entering the trench from above and to the side. Why did they apparently leave and re-enter the trench several times?

This happened at least twice that I can recall right now and probably happened
more than that.

On another note, how much peripheral vision could the Tie Fighter pilots possibly have with there helmets on, the huge vertical wings, and the small window in front and no windows above or to the side?

Not very much. It would be basically like looking through a tube.

 

I don't know why people are comparing the Battle of Naboo to the Battle of Yavin - they are completely different. In the Battle of Naboo, Anakin and his squad are trying to shut down the Droid Control Ship, so to give his friends a better chance. The Battle of Yavin is a fight for the whole of humanity, and the world is basically on Luke's shoulders. They are two completely different battles, with different purposes and goals. I don't see why you would want to bring that battle into the mix, unless it's a veiled attempt to bash the prequels. There are similarities, yes, but other than that, the circumstances are completely different. I personally love the Battle of Naboo - the score, the intensity, the action, showcasing Anakin's piloting skills, it all comes together perfectly.

 

Anakins piloting abilities are portrayed in a way that they seem more like a silly mixture of luck and stupid Yipees. R2D2 is the only part of that battle that I have any interrest in. Yes it is a shame, but sadly enough it is true. I felt absolutely nothing while watching that battle. All I cared about was how Qui-Gon and Kenobi were doing.

And it's not like I don't like the Prequels or that I am trying to bash them, I genuinely like them and I am generally very entertained by them. I am just not moved by that space battle at all. I abolutely love the Podrace though, and I even find myself putting on the TPM DVD just to watch the podrace from time to time.

 

I didn't particulary care about the Battle Of Naboo either. The fight between Kenobi, Qui Gon and Maul was interesting but sometimes I find myself wondering why Darth Maul's "tattoos" keep changing slightly from scene to scene.

BYW.....Make sure to say you aren't bashing TMP , just in case you don't
come across as a True Star Wars fan. People might get suspicious.

 

True star wars fan? Opposed to a false one or what do you mean?


I did actually say that it was not meant as a mocking of TPM.

 

Actually, the Battle of Yavin sometimes reminded me of a second-rate WWII movie. It's not exactly a personal favorite of mine.

 

RamRed, you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at the battle. You may note the fluid movement of each individual shot, and how it's all cut together very precisely and with an eye toward total clarity of narrative. Or note how the stakes are raised every couple of minutes or less, with the Rebel ships being destroyed one by one until it's down to Luke and Biggs, before the DS gets Yavin in its sights, R2 is shot, Biggs is killed, Luke turns off his computer, the superlaser sequence starts... and then Han rides out of the sun and Luke fires an ace in the hole. It's action filmmaking at its absolute best. There was a reason audiences cheered in the theaters in 1977!

 

Yeah, I agree the Battle of Yavin was sweet.

The Battle of Endor had the potential to outdo it if we didn't have those dual storylines going at the same time with all those stupid bears, the new re re re re re re release of Return of Jedi should scrap that and add another 20 minutes to the space battle. Rock on Lucas.

 

I would second that motion.....

 

I think that if the Endor space battle hadn't been broken up by the ground battle and the lightsaber battle, it would have become too overwhelming. It's the single most action filled sequence I've ever seen, even beating out Temple Of Doom's mine cart chase.

 

Hi, I'm under 25 and think the Battle of Yavin is the best space sequence in the Saga.