CT Which climatic scene do you prefer?

Luke vs Vader in TESB

 

It's ROTJ. Although it's quite old fashioned concept of trying to turn someone to the dark side by showing him his friends dying in a battle, it provides a satisfying climax to the saga (six part saga), and Anakin's return and killing Palpatine and himself in the process is pure gold.

TESB and it's Luke vs. Vader is great, but not that big as this from ROTJ.

ANH space battle is very well done, but it's contrivance of the DS orbiting Yavin for half an hour is just too obvious.

 

This. The delivery of the lines, the lighting, the tension. Everything about it to me is utterly perfect, and sets up the climax to the greatest film ever made.

Send shivers down my spine. Every. Time.

 

It's a tough choice. For me, ESB is clearly the weakest, it's not close to the others. I don't think it's good by Lucas' standards. I actually like the last shot in ESB way more than the climax.

It's hard to choose between ANH and ROTJ. The Battle of Yavin is just so tense and thrilling, but the Battle of Endor is nearly as good, it's every bit as tense and nerve wracking, and it has Luke vs Vader and the Emperor to go on top of it. So I have to go with ROTJ, but only if you count the space/ground battle as well, which one should.

 

The one with the orb.

 

^ Is that the Lost Orb of Phantastacoria?

 

TESB for the sheer raw emotion of it all.

Luke, trying to save his friends, facing his inner fears and doubts by confronting the supreme evil of Vader, putting forth a valiant effort (Impressive, most impressive) and then the absolute shock of base betrayal as the truth is revealed.

Weave in the scenes of attempting to rescue Han/fleeing Cloud City and ending with Luke & Leia both unsure of what comes next and it's a fantastic brilliant climax/cliffhanger.

 

Luke, Vader, and Palpatine in ROTJ

 

I gotta admit that TESB does look beautiful, somber, and raw. One of my favorite films of all time.

As for this...this is good stuff. Epicness.

 

The entire movie of ESB built up so perfectly to the climax of the movie so that by the time Luke was staring down Vader in that dark, ominous chamber, I was on the edge of my seat. There's the gut-wrenching scene where Leia stares off at the ship taking Han away and of course the final plot-twist that stands as one of the most iconic twists in film history. The set design, music, choreography, and script are all executed perfectly.

 

Yeah, it probably would have obliterated the internet. I think Lucas had the right idea about making people wait three years before he confirmed that it was authentic. His original notion of portraying Luke's father as a separate individual than Vader would have been less interesting. I'm glad he changed his mind.

 

Even with all the tweaks and the knowledge that Anakin throws Palpatine all the way to Exegol. The emotional weight of the Father & Son duel on the Death Star II will never not shake me to my core.

 

ROTJ -- the emotional weight is incredible. You see defeat and victory all within 5 minutes. You see failure and redemption that you don't get in ESB or ANH. ESB and ANH are more standard "boss battles" so to speak. So, ROTJ's emotional themes cross the finish line first.

 

ROTJ with Anakin redeemed because that was what made the final fight matter most otherwise ESB is superior.

 

ROTJ because the confrontation on the Death Star II is the climax of the CT and George's 6 episodes. It's done pretty much pitch-perfect.
If you were including all of the Battle of Endor and all of the Cloud City stuff, I might pick Cloud City. It's more focused with just a brilliant saber duel and Leia and company. ROTJ has three things going on at once and two of them are pretty large scale and less intimate.

 

The final confrontation on the second Death Star is the culmination of the Skywalker/Jedi drama and perfectly sums up what it’s all about as Luke and Anakin both find their inner Jedi and commit themselves fully to selflessness. That’s why I picked that one.
…but in terms of purely cinematic, nail-biting excitement, the Battle of Yavin beats the other two with ease.

 

Oh @SateleNovelist11 you made this one almost impossible!!

All three are amazing I think. If I had to pick just one, though, it would be the ROTJ one. It's simply so powerful, and so beautifully set up, too... and the message, about winning such a confrontation without resorting to aggression or violence, makes it very different to many other movies in that regard. To this day, I get emotional when I see it.

 

Not to be "The guy who only posts about one thing", but...

Until the final edit of ROTJ, the Throne Room stuff was all resolved simultaneous to the Bunker being destroyed. Vader kills the Emperor, the Bunker explodes, and then the Rebels head for the Death Star. Even in the final film, they don't enter the superstructure until after the Emperor is dead, which calls into question just what is the climactic moment of the film.

 

@macrobinoculars , to me, the "let's toss the Emperor" game is the climax of the whole saga. Lando & Wedge vs DS2 is a thrilling denouement.

 

I'm with you guys. ESB is my favorite Star Wars movie overall but between those scenes the Battle of Yavin had the most edge of your seat tension. The other scenes are great too but it was the Battle of Yavin that shot Star Wars into legendary popularity.

 

I have a really hard time choosing between ROTJ and TESB. The ROTJ scene is basically the climax of the entire saga, but the Luke/Vader confrontation at the end of TESB is IMO one of best scenes in any movie ever (the cinematography, sound, lighting.... just everything is absolutely perfect - even the pacing).

This scene here is arguably the best scene in any Star Wars film and one of the most iconic scenes in film history. One thing I really, really appreciate is how they are willing to let the scene breathe... and let the tension build. Notice the long pause before Luke ignites his saber. That's something that so few movies do anymore.

 

Palpatine lost to a game of "Stop hitting yourself".