After Seeing ROTS, Rank The Films

I think all the films suffer from terrible dialogue, wooden acting, and silly scenes... but that's not why I watch them ! And for every bad scene, there is quite a good one...

But I would rank them as follows:

1) The Empire Strikes Back: Couldn't be anything else really. What makes this film for me is the ending, mainly for the Luke/Vader fight, but also that it ends on such a downer - the Empire has essentially won. And the scenes with Yoda in the swamp are quite cool.

2) Revenge of the Sith: Action, action, action. I hated this film when it came out (I think I'd built up the hype too much in the Spoiler Forum ). But I think Palpatine is quite cool, and I was fairly moved by the obliteration of the Jedi.

3) A New Hope: I think this is probably the best and most accessible film for non fans. The story is great, but Luke annoys me in parts.

4) Attack of the Clones: Yes, OK. The love scenes were bad. VERY BAD. But I quite like the rest of the film, particularly the Jedi Council, and Mace's MOFO turn on Geonosis.

5) The Phantom Menace: Not the most exciting film, but Darth Maul at the end kicks arse, and I can stand Jar-Jar. The general story line is interesting enough.

6) Return of the Jedi: Don't get me wrong. The scenes on the Death Star with Luke, Vader and the Emperor are probably my favourite scenes in the entire saga. But the whole Ewok thing is ridiculous, and I'm not a big fan of the whole Jabba's palace thing at the start.

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By the way, I always had a theory that the new film haters were the ones who saw the originals as kids, and always looked through them with rose tinted glasses. I always had a theory that the people who saw the new ones as kids wouldn't dislike them as much as us oldies who saw the originals as kids. It's quite interesting to see it being played out by people like the poster above... although that might be an exception.

 

Exceptionally difficult, even more so when ranking both "trilogies" together, but I'll give it a shot:

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

I'll give it some more thought and then hopefully list explanations. I keep wanting to group films together, instead of listing them 1-6. I will say I could shuffle any of them up or down a slot or two quite easily depending on what criteria I use to rank them: enjoyment, story, etc. etc.

 

1) ESB Most Suspensful, unpredictable. Really did a great job of taking expanding the whole SW world
from what it was in ANH

2) ROTJ Loved the whole Jabba sequence, Loved Vader's transformation and the Palpatine scenes. Could have done
without the Ewoks and The Death Star. I mean, if was more threatening than the first, why did it blow
up just as easy and why didn't we see it's destructive power? (One ship blowing up is not as scary
as ANH's Alderaan)

3) ANH Great movie, but for some reason I put this one in my DVD player the least (from the original Series)
Kind of drags at times. Once you've seen Luke and the droids roaming the desert umpteen times, you do not
need to see it anymore.

4) ROTS Bold movie. Glad they didn't 'lighten' the DArk Side stuff. Seeing Jedi and children slaughtered was a good
move. But, the acting and script writing unforunately holds this down.

5) AOTC Great chase scene in Corrisant, nice battles. But again, the acting and lines were so lame. And, this movie
started plot/questions that never got answered.

6) TPM Synonomous with a 'Star Wars Children's Special'. Nuff said!



The order for ROTJ, ANH, and ROTS can vary from week to week. It's hard to rank them

 

Here's my ranking of the films in order:

ROTS: Man, this is probably the most awesome of all six. The opening scene just astonishes me. The relationship of Obi-Wan and Anakin and how it falls apart is great to watch. And Sidious/Palpatine is at his best.

TPM: I know, a lot of folks hate this one. But I love it. I love seeing DV as a little kid, being a little kid (Yippeee's, and all).

ESB: This whole film is fantastic.

AOTC: The chase scene at the beginning is fantastic. I love how the clone wars start at the end.

ANH: Classic SW!!!

ROTJ: One of the flicks had to be last.


Just like to add that I love all of them.

 

ROTS - loved this - the Anakin/Obi-Wan show at the beginning is killer to watch. Love the star fighting scene and the rescue. The ending would have been sad, but it wasn't very realistic - but it didn't ruin the movie, it just made it fantastic in nature and we had to get Darth Vader somehow!

ROTJ - Okay, in reality, I didn't enjoy this movie except in the Empire ship scenes (funny stuff); but the final Luke-Darth Vader turns Anakin - Lord Sidious scene and the chosen one finally fulfilling the prophecy (and the spectral Jedi at the end) was so awesome, the movie gets knocked up into 2nd place.

TPM - Loved this - in too many ways to relate. Great stuff. Great Battle scenes and loved Qui-Gon - plus Obi-Wan taking a dip on the dark side in his quest to kill Maul...kick movie.

AOTC - Again, good stuff, nice battle scene, cool watching Anakin go ballistic, absolutely hilarious seeing Shakespear appear in the middle of the movie and Yoda flashing around like a mad spastic bat hawk - awesome stuff.

SW - ANH - well this was not my favorite, but it was cool seeing Vader/Obi-Wan meet up again. Too bad they filmed it before the prequel or I bet that scene would have been even more poignant. But anyway, pretty good. Leia kind of got on my nerves, so that pulled this movie down to 5th. Nice battles.

ESB - what can I say - I was not at all impressed with this one. But at least we got battles. I liked the Cloud City bit.

 

It's interesting to see that some people like 'The Phantom Menace'...

My 60+ mother reckons her least favourite is 'A New Hope'. Although I did show them in Episode order, and, let's face it, it's a come down after 'Sith'.

 

I want to sponge my brain out after reading that.

 

1.Return of the Jedi
I'm a sucker for endings. I LOVE Luke in this one and the whole Jabba Rescue scene was awesome. The first Star Wars movie I remember seeing, probably because it was alot more colorful and kid friendly. I'm 19 and a stern defender of the prequels but if I was stuck on a desert island and for some reason I could only keep one movie, this would be it.

2.Revenge of the Sith
The most emotionally involving of all six for me and the visuals are incredible. This movie gets me so excited because I love seeing Darth Vader without his life support. I totally buy him as Darth Vader and it is just gives me chills thinking about the events on Mustafar because the mythology, the images, and the lines delivered seem like ancient legend, not made by some guy 30 years ago, when Lucas first mentioned the duel.

3.Attack of the Clones
The Star Wars movie I pop in the most, just because I can just enjoy it and not have to think about and get TOO emotionally involved, not that there are some scenes that are just perfect like Anakin's search for his mother and as my Username suggests, I LOVE Kamino and the whole plot with the clones.

4.A New Hope
Still just so enjoyable and easy to watch with anyone, including people who have never seen Star Wars. Funny, thrilling, and just so much fun.

5.The Phantom Menace
Qui-Gon Jinn=My favorite Star Wars character. Not enough to put the movie at the top because I'm not just judging on whether or not Liam Neeson's in the movie. A Fun movie and i watch it with my 3 year old cousin all the time. The First Star Wars movie I saw in theaters.

6.The Empire Strikes Back
I know, I know..blasphemy right? Just hear me out. I love this movie and there are moments in this one that give me this uneasy feeling that I never get in any of the other ones. Han Solo is my favorite character in this one. This movie just doesn't have that special "thing" or memory that involved me that the other ones did. A fantastic film though, and probably the best acted overall.

 

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

 

1. The Empire Strikes Back.
2. Return of The Jedi.
3. A New Hope.
4. The phantom Menance.
5. Revenge of The Sith.
6. Attack of The Clones.

 

My mother and sister had the same reaction. They were transfixed by ROTS, and couldn't come to grips with the tonal incongruity between III and IV.

"Too corny," they said. (Which was repeated over and over throughout Jedi.)

 

ROTS is really supercharged with emotion. Twenty years go by, and the galaxy changes. ANH really lets you settle down and see the new state of the galaxy, and the seeds of what is to come. Then in ESB, the story picks up again.

 

I'm ranking them by purely ''using my feelings'':

1) Star Wars - Just perfect. It draws wonderfully from Kurosawa's work and themes and becomes something else, something amazing all together. What I love most about the film are the archetype fantasy characters. They all have their own appointed role.

2) The Phantom Menace - My ranking of TPM is harder to explain, but I'll try. I absolutely love the feel of the film, it feels innocent and sometimes even childish, yet it works perfectly for me. I also
believe it's one of the best looking films in the saga, in terms of cinematography, design, clothing, locations, lightsaber fights etc. It contains two of my favorite SW characters of all time, Qui Gon Jin and Darth Maul. Yes, there are few setbacks and flaws, mainly Jar Jar, but I've learned to accept it by now and he doesn't bother me that much anymore.

3) The Empire Strikes Back - Possibly the best work of film in the saga and I think it's exceptional, but for some reason it drags a little bit for me, mainly some scenes that involve Leia and Han in the falcon. I know the film is mostly character study/drama, but sometimes it could have been a little more exciting and tighter.

4) Return of the jedi - Would be number one if only some of the material wasn't as filler and if the film had a more cohesive feel. Don't get me wrong, I love the jabba scenes, I even love the ewoks, but for some reason it all doesn't quite gel together. The throne room scenes on the death star with Darth Vader, the emperor and Luke are the best in the entire saga imo.

5) Revenge of the sith - A great, flawed film. What I love most about it are the scenes between Anakin and Palpatine and Anakin and Obi Wan. They're all so wonderful, but maybe there are just not enough of them. A big character drama like ROTS could really benefit from a little more conversation and a little less action. Apart from that the script dialogue also annoys me from time to time, yet it isn't as bad as some people like to make you believe. I also thought Hayden Christensen was excellent in this, contrary to popular belief. Honestly, I pretty much love the film, but I had to place it somewhere !

6) Attack of the clones - My least watched and liked SW film. At times it doesn't even feel like SW. The romantic scenes are too annoying and dare I say stupid. The special effects stick out like a sore thumb, especially in the big Geonosis battle, but even with individual characters like Dex. This is the only SW film where I can say that from. That said, it's a film with very interesting ideas and a few splendid scenes, but it just doesn't all work for me.

I pretty much love all the films with the exception of Attack of the clones. While I don't hate it, and there are certain things I take from it, it really doesn't move me in the same way the others do.

 

The tragedy and fairy tale couldn?t be reconciled. After ROTS, they wanted to hear Vader spout soliloquies about Padme; they couldn?t understand why Luke and Leia were so chirpy after having lost their loved ones, when Anakin and Padme were crying tears of blood. Empire was the only OT film that pulled them in. It was ?more like the new ones.? ?More mature.?

Makes me wonder how future generations will perceive these films.

 

I go by the which one gets the most DVD play standard.

1) Empire Strikes Back: Hands down the tightest of all of them. Action where it is needed and philosphy where it advances the plot. The double entendre adds enough adult humor to it to make me laugh. This one had Han Solo at his best. Yoda seems almost out of character but then you realize he has been on a swamp for 20 years and might have gone a bit loopy.

2) Revenge of the Sith: Amazing to watch. The emotional impact was high on this one too. There were spots I would have changed but overall, it was unrelenting and a very tight movie.

The rest are hard to rank. I am of one of the few people who loved AOTC but I am hesitant to rank it higher than ANH or ROTJ. Also, these three films are so different and have scenes that I would put as my favorites. ROTJ gets forwarded through a lot of the ewok scenes, but the whole Jabba plotline was excellent and Luke fighting the emporer and removing Vader's mask were potent scenes. ANH was filmed as a stand-alone and needs to be respected as such, but it is also the one I watch the least perhaps because it spends most of its time showing us the Star Wars universe and doesn't delve too much into the individual characters. AOTC, yes, pure cheese in parts and Anakin was slap-worthy 90% of the movie, then again most 18 year olds trigger the smack-down reflex so it was an accurate characterization. However, the movie was enjoyable to me and I have watched it over and over again.

I can say for sure that Phantom Menace is the one SW film I have not been able to sit through the whole way and I do not own. For many reasons that movie just doesn't do it for me at all which is sad because Qui-Gon is such an interesting character.

 

That is why, even though people will want my head for saying this, but I think that if they are going to put a young Anakin at the end of ROTJ, Padme should be there too. I think Luke could figure it out through the force and just common sense who she is, especially if she appears with some big leia buns. Yoda never said only Jedi could come back only that Qui-Gon figured out a way to come back from the netherworld. We never see Anakin learn this trick either, only that him, Yoda and Obiwan show up as force ghosts. There is nothing to say that once a Jedi has learned this trick he/her could help others who have become one with the force make an appearance.

I also think that when Luke is getting fried we get the back and forth shots of Vader before he tosses the emporer. This could be a good place to add in a clip from his dream of Padme asking for help vs Luke's. This would tie in the concept that he has a choice to do the right thing where he went wrong before and that Padme's existance is not forgotten. Of course, this could also look pretty cheesy so who knows? It's just a thought.

Basically, yes I agree with you that it is hard to swallow that Padme is long forgotten and has no place in the OT when Anakin's desire for her and she herself played such a large role in the PT. It does end up feeling disjointed.

 

I tried to make them understand that when placing Padme's final words into proper context, the Luke who slides through the "birth canal" of Cloud City can essentially be seen as being reborn his mother's son. A reincarnation of sorts. But it didn't work. They wanted Momma back; not as a Force ghost, but as an integral part of Episode VI. I suspect they're not alone. Padme's disappearing act may have an adverse effect on the Saga. Of course, Lucas can't do a thing to remedy this, short of an animated remake or novelization.

It's no coincidence that most ROTJ reimaginings/fan-fics, including my own, brings her back into the narrative.

 

ROTS- I do not think it is the most well-made. However, I will never forget the faces of the people I saw it with at the midnight premiere after the movie was over. We were all wrecked. ROTS wrecks me everytime I watch it, even when I commit to not letting it get to me. Like a real relationship, I love ROTS for everything that is right with it and I also accept its flaws. It is my current favorite film (not just SW) of all time because of what it meant to me when I saw it. I DO NOT think it is the best movie ever made. It's just my favorite.

ESB- I really had a hard time with ESB, growing up. I have come to really admire this movie. It is just so tragic. ESB is often held in such high esteem, over its siblings but ESB is not perfect. The characters are still archetypical. The Han/Leia relationship is underdeveloped. I never get a sense of how long Luke spends with Yoda anymore. Is it a weekend? Many people pick ESB as their fav to be edgy because its very dark. I love ESB. I just think it is treated unfaily, because to hear many folks tell it, they make it sound like ESB is the only SW film that ever got it right.

ANH- I had the best viewing of ANH recently. The previous time that I watched it, I was bored to tears. This time, I remembered why I fell in love with it in the first place. There are many things I see now that do no make sense or were not resolved from the OT to the PT, but I can let it go. I don't really dwell on the changes (although, in my universe Han ALWAYS guns Greedo down first and we love him for it). The scene where Han talks to Jabba is lame, but I can let it go. The movie is a great achievement, even by today's standards, many of which were established by the film.

TPM- I'm going to go off here, a bit. TPM has the makings of a GREAT SW movie. It is the victim of a few key, bad choices. I will never forget the joy I expereinced to be back in the SW universe in 1999. I will never forget sitting there with my jaw on the floor during the lightsaber work. My heart still races during several scenes in the film. It's good story telling to show how a special child is slowly transformed into a monster. Perhaps that is not the part of the story people were expecting and the actual telling of the story coud have been done better. Almost a decade later, I have respect for TPM. ESB might have gotten into an ivy league school, but its sibling, TPM also got great grades and is someone to be proud of.

ROTS- Was my favorite OT movie for a long time. The only OT movie I was old enough to see in the theater (born in 1978). I just find ROTJ to be so bleeding boring! I hate feeling that way. There are parts that move me. From the moment that Luke screams, "Never", to the moment his father actually mans-up and throws the devil down the shaft, I am usualy shaking my head, thinking about family disfunction as a theme. I always thrill as the Falcon busts out of the imploding Death Star, Lando shouts, and Fish Face mumbles his agreement. I have gotten over the loss of the Nub Nub song, and I actually like the extended celebration sequence. I have no problem with Hayden or Shaw. I do wish they would do something about Shaw's age when the mask comes off. The conversation between Luke and Vader/Anakin after Luke surrenders always makes me sad. As a kid, when the two Ewoks got blown up and one dies, I used to cry. Now I usually am wondering what would have happened if they had set that sequence Kishyeek. (spelling, sorry, I'm not going to look it up right now) I love Jedi, it just has grown into that uncle that always tells stories, and you spend most of your conversation with him wondering when he's going to stop talking.

AOTC- Clones for me was like dating some really hot girl, who only later took all of her make-up off in front of you and looked completely different. I still love Obi taking a flying leap out of the window. I still thrill when Mace and Co. arrive at the execution (before, like, almost all of them die). I love the look Sam shoots Daddy Fett, when

 

I ranked the films alomst three years ago when ROTS first came out. After all that time my overall ranking hasn't changed, but my opinion of the films has gone up and down a bit.

1. ESB - Almost a perfect film for me. I've always thought it was the darkest and most interesting of the original films. There are of course a few tiny flaws, but they are so small that as I am writing this I can't even think of any to list. The good things simply out-shine the bad. The dog fight scenes, the lightsaber duel (my favorite one), the yoda scenes, I could go on and on.

2. ROTS - This one is a very close second. Again, I love the movies that are darker, I always find them more interesting and exciting. I also think that, despite an excess of computer effects, the effects are fantastic. There are just a couple things that keep it from being my favorite film. First off, some of the flaws of the film itself. I love the acting, I thought Hayden, Ewan, Natalie, Ian, and company did a fantastic job, and I think the writing was a vast improvement from the previous two films and doesnt get enough credit. Having said that, I thought Padme's dying of a broken heart was a bit of a cop-out. Also, the duel between Sidious and Mace Windu and co. should have been one of the most powerful scenes in the film but instead it was poorly handled. These are just minor complaints and overall I thought the film was just about as good as a Star Wars fan could have hoped. The real reason it ranks second is my sentimental and probably everlasting attachment to ESB.

3. ANH - The movie is the most dated of all the original films (for obvious reasons) and it lacks the depth of story that the other movies have. Having said that, ANH is just plain fun. The humor and acting is so fresh and lighthearted, I can't help but smile whenever I see this movie. The main reason this is third is that, as I already indicated, I tend to favor darker stories.

4. AOTC - My opinion has probably changed more for this episode than any of the others combined. I still rank it fourth as I did a few years ago, but I am not quite as fond of it as I was then. I loved this movie when it came out and in many ways I still do, but many of the flaws have started to bother me more the last few times I've seen it. The love scenes never bothered me much, but Anakin's whining has started to bother me more. I think this is at least in part due to the fact that I love his character so much in episode III that he annoys me a bit more in episode II. Also, many of the effects are spectacular, but some are far too cartoonish. Plot holes are another problem. Having said all of that, I love the music, many of the action scenes, the overall mysterious look and feel of the movie, and (in spite of the dialogue) much of the acting.

5. TPM - My opinion has also changed for this film. I was 12 when it first came out, loved it then, hated it by the time AOTC came out, liked it by the time of ROTS, and now it continues to grow on me. As others have said, it isn't how I would have started the series but the more I watch it the more I appreciate its uniqueness. There are many flaws in the film, but in contrast to those of AOTC, they are actually getting less annoying for me. I still dont like Jake Lloyd or Jar Jar Binks or the somewhat slow pace of the movie but they don't bother me nearly as much as they used to. Still, I think it lacks the operatic feel of most of the other episodes including AOTC, so it stays in 5th place.

6. ROTJ - I love the stuff with Luke, Vader and Palpatine but the first 20 minutes are totally boring for me, and the stuff with the Ewoks is just plain silly and distracting. I also dislike how much many of the leading actors seem to be phoning in their performances. Anakin's turn back to the light and the destruction of the DS are extremely well done, but the good things aren't enough to overcome the blah feeling I get from this movie. Its still star wars and I still love it on certain levels but the series deserved a much stronger finish chronologically IMO.


As others

 

I was on spring break this week, and worked 50 hours during it. Today was my day off, finally, so I used a couple hours to figure something out that I had been curious about for a while. I wanted to know which films got ranked in first place the most and which were ranked last the most. I did not count lists where there were ties for first or last for various reasons I won't go into. Empire was in the first place spot the most, followed by Sith, then Hope, then Jedi, then Clones, and finally Menace. I found it interesting that I got the exact opposite results when tallying the rate that the movies landed in last place (TPM got last place most, followed by AOTC, ROTJ, ANH, ROTS and ESB).

Also, to answer a question that was presented earlier on this thread, yes the dynamic is indeed shifting. To make it easier to keep track, I tallied the lists 10 pages at a time. The results were consistent for the first 20 pages, which were spread over the first year and a half after the release of ROTS. However, for the last 9 pages, which were added over the last year and a half, the results started to change. ESB was still in first place, but whereas before ROTS was a very close second, now it became a distant second. ANH had previously been a distant third, but lately it became a very close third, almost surpassing ROTS. ROTJ stayed pretty much in the same place at fourth, but what I found most interesting was the change in the perception of TPM and AOTC. TPM had been in dead last by a wide margin the first 20 pages, but for the last 9 AOTC completely fell into last place. I had been getting the feeling for quite a while that people's feelings for Episodes I and II had been changing, and now this confirms it for me. It seems as if people are starting to forgive TPM's flaws more and more, while they are starting to notice the flaws in AOTC more and more. This is, of course, a generalization based on one group of numbers and some assumptions.

One more note of interest is that this average placing from best to worst (5,3,4,6,2,1) is only actually shared by 7 people in the entire thread.

This is what happens when my gf goes out of town and the weather turns crappy. I promise, I really do have a life......

 

That's really interesting. Since ROTS came out, the movie I've come to appreciate more is ANH. It used to be in last (blasphemy right?), but I feel that ROTS improved it, especially the scenes with Obi-Wan. After ROTS came out, TPM fell to last place.

 

My last "official" ranking was about three years back, I think. So, according to my current feelings:

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

I join a seeming majority in ranking Empire first. It's the most atmospheric of the entries for me, and also the chapter in which I'm most emotionally caught up in the direct trials the characters are battling through. It's not only my favorite SW, but one of my all-time favorite films. My number two pick puts me in a seeming minority, as I simply love AOTC. Yes, some sketchy moments of writing and acting stick out here, but I find this film the most interesting in terms of philosophical and thematic explorations. I love the context this film provides for Anakin's fall, while passages like the Tuskan slaughter and the ending montage delight in terms of pure cinematic brilliance. These are the two SW films I have felt the most passionate about in recent years.

As for the rest, ANH is still pure bliss in terms of Good/Evil style escapism. Jedi can be difficult to watch at times given a slightly plodding opening act and a regurgitated Death Star climax, but fortunately the Luke/Vader/Emperor stuff is good enough to carry the film. I love a lot about TPM, including its subversive, if understated, portrayal of the Jedi, the Republic, and the nature of prophecy, but ultimately feel the film suffers from too much of an identity crisis. It tries to cater to the kids (and this is certainly not a bad thing) while at the same time featuring a very mature stance on real-life politics, and this was probably too tall a task for Lucas to pull off. Sith is the SW film I have the most difficulty sitting through. A few brilliant scenes here, like the immolation sequence, surrounded by the implosion of Padme's character, a mess of uninspired action scenes, and some stilted OT connections in lieu of taking the time to develop this key Saga entry as its own living, breathing, unique entity.