CT Favorite OT movie?

I used to prefer Empire out of the OT,but on recent watchthrough ROTJ really started to pull me in. Empire does sag a bit between Hoth and Bespin, more so than the Jabba sequence to me.

 

ANH. Its probably the best looking film out of the original three. The creatures never move to stiff and they never look fake or cgi(The Rancor monster was actually made using some early cgi and it shows). Also Alex Gunnies will always be my favorite Obi Wan and here he actually does something and unlike the two later films were all the Muffs are so forgetable and bland we got Muff Tarkin who is one of the most memmorable villain of the series.

I also like the arrogant Mutti.

 

Empire is my favorite, but I think Star Wars is underrated by much of the fanbase. It's one of the funnest movies I've ever seen and manages to be serious and intense while never losing its youthful energy. I can't think of a better introduction to this universe. I often watch it without watching the other two.

I have nothing to add to the discussion about Empire. There's a reason it's widely considered the best.

RotJ isn't bad, and I'm nostalgic about it since it was my first Star Wars movie and the only one I cared about when I was 7, but I don't think it's in the same league as the first two.

 

As a kid I loved ANH to death but as I got older and rewatched it's TESB the Luke yoda scenes on degobah are Star Wars to me. And then the final duel with vader is the greatest saber duel in saga IMO. Empire shows being a hero isn't as easy and fun as other movies make it out to be.

 

Return of the Jedi is my favorite. Yes it has Ewoks and yes the characters aren't as developed as in The Empire Strikes Back, but it has some really great moments. Everything in Jabba's palace is awesome, the Battle above Endor is awesome, and the final showdown between Luke, Darth Vader, and the Emperor is amazing. My favorite part is when Luke just snaps and gives into his anger and attacks Vader. Also the conclusion to the movie is awesome with Luke seeing Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin (who's played by Sebastian Shaw).

 

For me: 1. Empire Strikes Back 2. A New Hope 3. Return of the Jedi.
I'm not entirely sure what makes ESB so great, but it does a great job of growing off of ANH and expanding the universe and characters. Princess Leia gets new clothing and hairstyles and you get to see more of her authority and maturity, Han Solo gets compassion and affection where ANH only touched upon that part of him at the end of the movie, and finally Luke gets to be more than just the whiny farm boy who gets to be the hero (who I love) and develops more maturity, but not yet to the weird Jedi calm he has in ROTJ. I love all three movies so much,so I apologize if I over analyze anything!

 

A New Hope (original Star Wars from 1977) is #1 for me in the OT. Even if I like The Empire Strikes Back and its one of my favorite Star Wars movie along with Revenge of the Sith, I'm still amazed that the original Star Wars could have been in the 1970's, despite the changes and upgrades made in the special edition. It seems that this movie cost a lot more to make than it actually did.

 

Return of the Jedi, it brought that story together with Vaders redemption, Lukes taste of the dark side and rejecting it.

 

Empire, though Return of the Jedi is my favourite.

 

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was already a great film by the time The Scene arrived. The revelation took the film to another level and guaranteed that no other STAR WARS film, past or future, will surpass it as the pinnacle of the saga.

It also has the best dialogue and interpersonal relationships of the saga. As great as the first STAR WARS is, dialogue was arguably a weakness of that film. Since Lawrence Kasdan, and not George Lucas, wrote the screenplay for EMPIRE, it’s a strength here. Director Irvin Kershner is better at working with actors than Lucas is. While Mark Hamill was able to make Luke Skywalker likable in STAR WARS, he had some shaky moments. In EMPIRE, he’s greatly improved. He does a great job of showing Luke’s emotional turmoil at the film’s climax. We can feel his pain. Harrison Ford, who was able to mask some corny line deliveries with a deliciously cocky attitude in STAR WARS, retains his cockiness here without any of the stilted moments from the first film.

What also makes the film work is the decision by Kershner and Kasdan to slow the film down, allowing the characters to breathe and develop and become more fully realized. They’re at their most fully real and human in this film, which works far better than the “faster and more intense” pacing and style of the subsequent Lucas-micromanaged installments. This film is about people, not lightsabers.

The thing that none of the subsequent installments realized is that you could never recapture the freshness and novelty of the original STAR WARS. With EMPIRE, Kershner and Kasdan understood that, and realized that, rather than just trying to do a bad imitation of the first movie, they had to deepen the mythos and the characters. EMPIRE has a richer, darker, and more mythical feel to it than the other films do. That is why EMPIRE succeeds where so many other sequels fail. That is why EMPIRE is a truly great film—the last truly great STAR WARS film to date.