Saga Rate the Star Wars films, TPM to TFA

So the Rebs or the Imps didn't find poor Noah? I think it does take place a few years after ROTJ in my head-canon.

 

My latest order:
ROTJ
ESB
ROTS
ANH
TFA
scraping a knee
scraping both knees
TPM
AOTC

 

Good list, although I'd put TFA just below gas pains on my list! Darth_Articulate

 

My order:
1 ROTS To me is perfect, I love everything of ROTS. The plot, the characters, the visuals...
2 ESB Simply amazing.
3 ROTJ I don't like the first half of the movie but the parts with Vader, Luke and the Emperor are awesome.
4 ANH / TPM
5 AOTC
6 ...
7 ...
8 ...
9 TFA I considered TFA inferior to the saga for a lot of reasons.

 

As of Aug 2016,
Have hard time ranking these films, love
them all sooo much..


1, Star Wars Revenge Of The Sith
2, Star Wars Return Of The Jedi
3, Star Wars The Empire Strike Back
4, Star Wars A New Hope
5, Star Wars Attack Of The Clones
6, Star Wars The Force Awakens
7, Star Wars The Phantom Menace

 

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Force Awakens = Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The reason why I put TFA and ROTS on par with one another is due to my belief that they are both films that could have been so much more but were heavily undermined by the ridiculous choices of both the writers and the director.

 

Best to okay:

1.) RotS 5/5
2.) RotJ 5/5
3.) TESB 5/5
4.) ANH 5/5
5.) TPM 4/5
6.) AotC 4/5
7.) TFA 3/5

 

Is there a thread that discusses how it looks like people who choose ANH/ESB as their favorites hold TFA in good standing, while people who really enjoy ROTS usually don't care for TFA as much? There really is so much to be learned from these rankings. Like how there is a clear pattern from favorite to least favorite, yet hardly anyone ranks them in that perticular order.

 

ROTS- Pretty much the reason SW still interests me.

ESB- Best of The OT

TPM- Favorite intro to each trilogy. Visually stunning, and the imagination is captivating while remaining a light adventurous tone.

AOTC- Use to be lower but rewatching it recently has made me really enjoy it more than ever. Some effects haven't aged well like TPM or ROTS but I do have a blast with the Geonosis battle everytime.

ANH- Eh. I don't love it. I don't hate it. It's just there for me.

ROTJ- Definitely my least favorite of the OT. Never liked the battles, the duel was alright but nothing special and the Palace scenes put me to sleep. I do like Luke when he gets his saber, I like the ending and Palpatine is a highlight.

TFA- Don't hate this movie either. Just didnt give me anything to care for. I didn't get SW nostalgia from it.

 

Here's mine
(Worst to best)
7. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace
5. The Force Awakens
4. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
2. Revenge of the Sith
1. The Empire Strikes Back
------------------------------------------
Ratings
7. AoTC - 6/10 - No action at all except that ****ty Geonosis.
6. TPM -6.5/10 - It wins AoTC cause Darth Maul.
5. TFA - 6.8/10 - Repetitive plot. Duel on Starkiller is meh. But good techniques and the return of Luke.
4. ANH - 7/10 - I dislike Kenobi's duel with Vader. And all an all the only other great thing is the Battle of Yavin.
3. RoTJ - 8/10 This is a great leap. There is a number of actions here. We see a confident Luke. Space Battle on Endor, and Luke//Vader duel, and Vader's
redemption.
2. RoTS -10/10 - Oh I can'd describe it. Damn, Tense war battle. Conflicts and the Jedi's suspection of Steve. Good Plot (Although spoiled significantly by the OT) and a ****load of duel. (Mustafar nuff said)
1. TESB - 11/10 - Hoth. Star Destroyers and Executor. Han's lolwat against Star Destroyer. R2 saves the day. And a lot more. Also. "No, I am your father."
oh yeah, the introduction of the Imperial March.
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That's not exactly true though. ESB and RotS are my favs of the saga and I thought TFA was pure garbage. TFA is by far the worst of the saga imo.

 

yeah, that's pretty interesting, but not all that surprising if you ask me. The two trilogies are so different in much of their tone and style that if someone likes only one of the two, they'll probably have totally opposite views on TFA than their counterpart who only likes the other trilogy or certain movies from said trilogy.

 

I heard someone a while back describe TFA, he said it was a great film but a terrible STAR WARS movie! And I couldn't agree more

 

I wouldn't even give it that much credit tbh. Ironically the movie is very much like it's weak-a** character Kylo Ren, it'll never be as powerful as other Star Wars movies lol.

 

I personally believe that a lot of reviewers at the time were paid off to give it a good review hardly anyone at the time mentioned it's rehashed and lazy story yet Suicide Squad gets regular 2/10s all across the board

 

I absolutely agree with you, although I haven't seen Suicide Squad. When I first saw TFA I didn't really like it, but i tried to give it the benefit of the doubt and initially rated it about equal with TPM and AotC as being in the bottom 3 of the saga in no particular order per se. However, after a second viewing on DVD recently, and some time to actually contemplate, I now see clearly that TFA is by far the worst of the saga. It boggles my mind how it was able to do so well financially.

 

It did well because of PT bashing.

 

I think most 70's fans we're just glad to see rebels vs stormtroopers again

 

That kinda fits with what he's saying, though: those who like ROTS tend to dislike TFA and vice versa. I think ROTS is the best predictor of this pattern, maybe because it has the widest popular range, from being ranked first by many to being pretty strongly disliked by a certain contingent of OT fans. Whereas ESB is nearly universally liked, it seems.

 

1. ESB
2. TFA
3. ANH
4. TPM
5. ROTS
6. ROTJ
7. AOTC

 

Yeah, fair enough I guess. I didn't get any nostalgia from TFA though, it was a complete disconnect for me, it didn't even feel like a Star Wars movie to me, let alone anything OT; and it actually just got worse the second time I saw it. I don't know where or how some fans got that idea or feeling from it. Yeah sure there was an attempted rehash of some OT stuff that fell flat imo, but that's about it, and it was very lackluster and second rate. Almost every aspect of TFA seemed off to me in some way. I just cannot bring myself to understand how supposedly so many people/fans think it was good. I really have to question popular opinion and the mindset of what is considered "good" these days.

 

Every time this conspiracy theory gets raised about any movie ("Disney pays off the critics!") it never sounds any less stupid.

 

Especially with the contrasting example given. Suicide Squad gets 26% on Rotten Tomatoes and people cry conspiracy even though Warner Bros. has a 30% stake in the company that runs Rotten Tomatoes.

 

My rankings are in my sig, but I'll list them out here with my reasoning.

1) Revenge of the Sith--This used to always flip flop for me 1 or 2, but I'm sticking with 1 for good (unless VIII or IX jump up there). It has everything I wanted when we first heard about the prequels--it was dark, we see the rise of the Empire, the fall of the Jedi and the fall of Anakin specifically. I can literally pop this in and enjoy it anytime.
2) Return of the Jedi--Again, it used to flip flop for me with ROTS. I've never had a problem with the Ewoks; the duel between Luke and Vader is aces. And that Death Star run? To die for.
3) A New Hope--The classic that started it all.
4) Empire Strikes Back--Yup, it's close to the middle of the pack. I love the movie and all, but have always felt it was a tad on the overrated side. The movie comes to a bit of a crawl after Hoth and doesn't pick back up until Cloud City. Luke and Yoda on Dagobah is great stuff, but I've little interest in Han/Leia hiding away in the asteroid.
5) The Force Awakens--Love it. Saw it three times in theaters. I'm excited to find out where it's going to head with VIII and IX. It does lean a little bit too much on the OT for my liking (SKB and the coordinated X-wing attack are a bit too much--we've seen it twice before, we don't need to see it again).
6) Attack of the Clones--I dig this one a lot. The only reason it's not higher is because of the strengths of the others above it. It's still a hell of a good time, and I love the mystery aspect of the plot. My jaw dropped when I saw the storm(clone) troopers for the first time. And Yoda whipping out a lightsaber? The entire audience applauded.
7) The Phantom Menace--Yes, it's at the bottom. No, it's not a bad movie in the least. It has its weaknesses, mostly in that it's setting up the events of the next five movies. It would be a stronger candidate to be a top SW movie with a more consistent tone. I'd have preferred if things with Anakin taking down the Droid Control Ship were taken more seriously. Other than that though...I still dig it. How can you not dig a movie that has one of the best lightsaber battles in the saga?

 

1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith (2011 Version)
ROTS is not only my favorite Star Wars film, but my favorite FILM of all time. The visuals, the epic scope, the battles, the lightsaber duels and the tone are all perfect Star Wars to me. The first 20 minutes are very action packed and exciting. You get a little bit of everything we love about SW in that opening battle and I love it. I also love Palpatine in this film. I believe the Clone Wars MUST be watched before this film in order for Anakin's fall to make the impact it does. If you just watch the movies, the drama is still there, but lessened because you haven't spent as much time with Anakin. Overall, a perfect film. A+, 10.5/10 for me.

2. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (2011 Special Edition)
As a child, this was always my favorite film out of the original trilogy and my opinion hasn't changed to this day. I love Jabba's palace. I love the battle over the Sarlacc. I love Luke's new Jedi robes and calm, collected demeanor. I love Luke's green lightsaber and how bright it looks, especially in the final duel. I love the Rancor and the ewoks and the epic space battle at the end. Man this movie has so much memorable action! I also love the speeder bike sequence, especially when Luke falls off and uses his saber against one of the biker scouts. The climactic duel at the end is also amazing. The score at the moment Luke snaps and unleashes on Vader is some of Williams best work. I also love all of the Blu Ray changes that only enhance this near perfect film for me. Yep, unpopular opinion, but I absolutely LOVE seeing Hayden's force ghost at the end. That single moment ties up the entire saga and is Lucas telling us - Yes fans, Anakin is redeemed and is the chosen one. Who's to say a man with a midi-chlorian count that high wouldn't look young as a force ghost? It's George's story. Let the creator tell US how it works, not the other way around! Another 10/10 movie that falls behind ROTS by .5 for me because it's that good.

3. Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2011 Version)
Jango Fett vs Obi Wan, Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi (finally!), The Clones, The gladiator style execution arena, seeing Mace Windu in action, The Tusken camp slaughter, The tone of impending war and darkness, Yoda whipping out the saber for the first time on screen, the short, but well done duel between Anakin, Obi Wan and Dooku and perhaps the most epic ground battle of the entire saga - The Battle Of Geonosis. That battle is pure Star Wars. To me, this film is an excellent prequel to the Clone Wars series (which I consider to be some of the best Star Wars stories of all time!) and should be viewed as such instead of a stand-alone movie which is bound to disappoint (even though I enjoyed the heck out of this movie in my youth). I don't see Hayden's acting as a problem. He had the impossible task in portraying the damaged hero who is destined to become the villain. I love seeing his Vader side come out. This film is also Ben Burtt's best work. Seriously, the lightsabers sound great, the republic gunships, Jango's dual pistols and of course, the sonic bombs from Slave 1. 9.5/10.

4. Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace (2011 Version)
What hasn't been said about this film already? It had an impossible task to live up to. Did people really expect not to criticize it the way they did? Star Wars fans can be the worst! But this fan love this movie. I see it as a prologue to the saga. It relative peacetime, optimistic tone is great. The politics intrigue me. The podrace is pure eye-candy. The score is powerful, the visuals still impress me almost 20 years later and the duel is hands down the best Star Wars duel of them all! And yes, I like Jar Jar Binks. He's hilarious to me and I'm not kidding. 9/10

5. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (2011 Special Edition)
This one was my least favorite as a kid because I thought it was boring after Hoth until the Bespin duel. But now I've grown to appreciate it more. Seeing Ian McDiarmid's hologram from ROTS was wonderful and tied to Episode III very well. I love the score for Cloud City and all of the CGI additions that really make Bespin look lived in. I love Boba Fett and his theme. I also love Temuera's VO for Fett, which tells me Lucas takes continuity very seriously. The lightsaber battle is great. The Wampa scene is so tense and still makes me hold my breath to this day! Overall, an excellent follow up to IV. 8.5/10

6. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (2011 Special Edition)
The one that started it all still feels like a later chapter to me because I am a "prequels come first" proponent. Say what you will about Lucas's tinkering with this movie, but I am SO glad he did. The CGI updates make this movie feel less like a 1970s low budget Sci-Fi film, and more like a lived in universe. Haters will hate. Most of the Tatooine stuff is my favorite part of the film. Yep, the Jabba scene is a great addition for me. And I'm very glad they got that 1997 piece of CG filth replaced with a better 2004 version. It makes a HUGE difference in quality and believability. The battle of Yavin is also great with the new CG ships and makes the film feel more like modern Star Wars. Excellent dogfighting in this one. And the ending ceremony is very sentimental and joyful. 8/10

7. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
It's a shame JJ wanted to please OT fans more than fans of the entire saga with this one. But I still found things enjoyable. It doesn't have the same feel to me as the original six, but to me, it's a future tale so it should be different in some ways. Han Solo and Finn were stand-out characters for me. The duel in the forest was brutal and intense. Kylo was a great villain and Snoke was intimidating as heck. The action was great. The story was so so. But the visuals were beautiful. 7.5/10

Remember people, this is all one SW fans OPINION. It's not fact because film is SUBJECTIVE not OBJECTIVE like many want you to believe! Peace to you all, whether you disagree or agree with me!