After Seeing ROTS, Rank The Films

Very tough question. I think my ranking of the SW movies would change every day or week, but I'll give it a try for fun:

1/ Empire Strikes Back
2/ Revenge of the Sith
3/ Return of the Jedi
4/ A New Hope
5/ The Phantom Menace
6/ Attack of the Clones

Now, if I can have movies with equal ranks, it'd rather be:

1/ ESB and ROTS
2/ ROJ, ANH and TPM
3/ AotC

 

I'm curious. How has the general opinion of AotC and TPM changed over the years. I say this because, personally, I've found that I enjoy TPM more as the years come by, and I like AotC less. When AotC came out, I loved it, but as I rewatched it, there are some parts I don't enjoy as much. So much, I fast forward them. So my PT ranking has changed dramatically during the years and I wonder whether I am the only one.

 

My enjoyment of the movies changed too. I liked the Phantom Menace when it came out and still like it a lot. AOTC I sort of liked/disliked when it came out, and the more I watch it, the more I like it. The ROTS, I loved it when it came out, and the more I watch it, the more I love it. I think in the end my love for ROTS will be greater than the one I feel for Empire Strikes Back (and yeah, that's QUITE an achievement for me). But for the Yoda scenes, probably.

 

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

 

My latest rankings:

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

ESB will always be my favorite SW film and ANH will always be a close second. The rest of the list changes, it seems, every time I watch a few of the movies.

I think AOTC is much, much better than most people give it credit for, and ROTS is not nearly as good as many think. And my latest viewing of TPM solidifies my opinion that Ep. I is the weakest and goofiest in the Saga.

 

My PT ranking has changed similiarly. I hated TPM at first, and when I saw AOTC I remember thinking 'well at least its somewhat better than TPM". But after time, I have come to dislike AOTC, while TPM has (suprisingly) really started to grow on me. My strong, strong dislike for TPM has almost completely dissapeared to the point of reversing itself and turning into a sort of mild liking.

My OT ranking have never really changed - my rankings for the overall saga (right now) are:

ESB
ANH
ROTJ
ROTS
TPM
AOTC

 

I have already posted my ranking and it hasnt changed since then, but for good measure I will post my list again with some commentarie.

1. REVENGE OF THE SITH - The only Star Wars movie that Francis Ford Coppola likes. That has to count for something! This is the darkest movie of the saga, but it wasnt dark the way we thought it was going to be. The music certainly isnt as dark as the music of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The darkness lies in the sad and pathetic fall of Anakin's character. His turn is handled perfectly by Lucas. It has been set up for two films, and it happens with the straw that breaks the camel's back, on a fateful decision made by Anakin. The movie is paced with such a sense of immediacy that you the viewer can sense the time for Anakin's decision rushing towards you. The Mustafar duel isnt as good as it should have been, but the dialouge that immediately precedes it and immediately follows it is perfect. And you have as many lightsaber duels as all the other 5 movies combined. This is the most dramatic movie and in my opinion has some of the best acting in the saga. Hayden Christensen is at his best in the scene in which tells Padme about Mace trying to assassinate the Chancellor and the Jedi taking over the Republic. If you look into his eyes you can tell he knows what he did is wrong. But as Lucas says he wont admit it.

2. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - The second darkest movie of the saga and the second most dramatic. The love story between Han and Leia is a fun modern love story. The chemistry between the characters in the Millenium Falcon is terrific and altough I normally dont like comic releif, it is handled masterfuly by Irvin Kershner in this movie. Kershner handles everything with the utmost subtlety. The story with Luke overcoming his hate is terrific, and it is symbolised beautifully in his failure at the cave at Dagobaugh. And Darth Vader is at his best in this movie. He is truly the all powerful villain, and in this movie he is even Palpatinesque, in the way he lures Luke into the Bespin trap through the tremblings of the force. And the Bespin duel is easily the best of the Classic Trilogy and maybe the second best of the saga. And of course the revealing of Vader's identity is handled very well.

3. ATTACK OF THE CLONES - The most underated movie of the saga. This is the type of movie that gets better and better everytime you see it. In contrast to REVENGE OF THE SITH, this movie takes its time with its scenes and takes time to set up a lot of plot points. It is very rewarding for those who are patient enough. Jango Fett is a much better villain than Boba Fett in the Classic trilogy. Count Dooku is a terrific Sith lord, and I loved how Lucas made him an ambiguous gentleman rather than an obvious monster. The love story in this movie is great. It is grounded in courtly love. The first time I saw it I cringed so hard that I had to look away from the screen. But I got used to it and now have come to like it. Anakin is a strong, bold, yet shy and inadequate young man who obviously is not experienced at all with women, and it is touching to see such a handsome man struggle with this. The scene where he confesses his love for Padme is terrific, although a couple of lines could have been worded better. He is really spilling his guts to her and you can feel his agony while he does it. Whatever one's crticisms of this movie, you cant call it anti-climatic. It takes its time for quite a while then cranks it up trememdously in the last reel.

4. A NEW HOPE - This movie contains easily the best space battle of the entire saga. No, there arent a whole lot of ships in the battle, but the filmakers made up for that with terrific editing and drama in this space battle. It is a terrific climax to this movie. Lucas made a risky move in following the movie through the droids' eyes for the first 20 minutes, but I think it worked well.

5. THE PHANTOM MENACE - This movie was a terrific beginning to the saga. The politics was very interesting because it represented the seeds of the Empire, and that was

 

My rankings are currently

1. RotJ
2. ESB
3. ANH
4. RotS
5. AotC
6. TPM

This of course is great for me when I'm watching a Saga marathon as each entry gets better for me than the last.

 

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

 

ESB
ROTJ
ANH
EP3
EP1
EP2

 

No, I agree with you completely. I was a kid when TPM was released, so it's always held nostalgic value for me, but it just never really held up with the other films. When AOTC was released, I thought it was amazing. Within the past year or so, TPM has really started to grow on me, and I've begun to see all of the faults in AOTC.

I guess the thing that makes TPM such a fantastic film is the cohesiveness of the story. The movie has a clear beginning, middle and end. The plot is easy to follow, and there is a good mix of humor and action. Overall, it's the most Star Warsy of the prequels.

A lot of AOTC is just cringe-worthy. The dialogue sounds like it comes from some Shakespearean drama, and the love scenes are a little stiff. I'm also of the opinion that the effects in this movie seem a little "off." The plot is jumbled, too.

So yeah, TPM > AOTC.


Oh, and to answer the original topic of this thread:

1. ROTJ
2. TESB
3. ROTS
4. TPM
5. ANH
6. AOTC

 

Well after seeing and having all six movies on DVD it looks like this:

1. ROTS
2. TESB
3. TPM
4. AOTC
5. ANH
6. ROTJ

I feel that ROTS is the best of the whole Saga. It had a lot there and I really enjoyed the movie when it came out. It's also the only movie I saw four times.

 

1. ROTS
2. TESB
3. ROTJ
4. AOTC
5. ANH
6. TPM

i also didnt really like some of the stuff that got added to the classic trilogy. alot of it was kind of uneccecary

 

Do you have a source for this? This isn't a challenge, mind you, I just find this factoid intriguing, as it gives credence to my suspicion that ROTS may someday dethrone TESB as the greatest SW film.

 

I agree. Every time I rewatch AotC there are parts I simply cannot stand to see and just skip over them. Which is mostly the Anakin + Padme scenes, which have tacky dialogue and forced acting. I really enjoy the Geonosis part and the chase at the beginning. The middle is eh.

So, my rankings as it stands right now:

1.RotJ
2.ANH
3.ESB
4.RotS
5.TMP
6.AotC

 

Your ranking is wise, Spike, but you don't really hate AOTC until you can say you like the Holiday Special better with a straight face

So why is ROTJ your favorite?

 

Unfortunately I cant remember the source. But I remember the context of it. Natalie Portman was visting the filmmakers in the editing room, possibly to do some dialouge replacement, but Im not sure. Anyway, she asked them how the movie was going, and George replied, "Its going great. Even Francis likes this one".

 

The quote from Lucas comes from the book "The Making of Revenge of the Sith" I'm re-reading it ( awesome book by the way) and I just read this last night, some where between pgs, 90-110. Hope that helps.

 

1) Empire Strikes Back- It's a masterpiece. The relationship between Han and Leia really work. And Cloud City's the best SW location. lol

2) Revenge of the Sith- A close second because it's just a fun movie. My heart still breaks when we see Order 66. Ewan really did a great job with this one.

3) Return of the Jedi- Another great one, nice way to finish the story.

4) A New Hope- The first third or so is entirely too slow for me, after that, it's typical SW action adventure.

4) Phantom Menace- I have to tie this one with ANH. Sure, Jar Jar's silly, but it's still a very fun movie to me.

6) Attack of the Clones- I still love this movie, but I felt this was lacking compared to the rest. And part of it is my hatred for that nasty looking Geonosis.

All in all, I don't care about a little clunky dialogue. To me, SW is a visual experience. If it's fun, I like it.

 

That very last thing you said is very important. Being fun and enjoyable really counts for something!

And the dialogue in the STAR WARS movies is part of the charm of these movies, part of what makes these movies STAR WARS movies and part of what takes me to that far, far away galaxy in that time of long ago. I'll take it!

 

Amen! People get so worked up over it, and it's sad to see that they can't set it aside and have a good time.

 

Okay....

ANH
ESB
Phantom Menace


and then
ROTJ

...and then the rest. I don't like ROTJ, it just drags and has poor pacing. But at least there's Luke's story. AOTC is a mess (IMO) and ROTS...well.. I just don't care about it at all.

 

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

In most movie series, the higher the number of a sequel, the less quality, but Star Wars is the opposite. If you watch it in order starting with TPM, they get constantly better. Though the OT are all essentially equal in my book, far superior to the prequels. And each prequel is subsequently far superior to the one preceding it, with TPM being the worst. The only other movie series that has this quality is Harry Potter.

 

1: ROTS
2: ESB
3: ROTJ
4: TPM
5: ANH
6: AOTC

 

Easy:

I
II
III
IV
V
VI