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[QuantumZebra]

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

There's my list, sticking too it. Lucas' execution may have been lacking, but he had a general good idea of what made Star Wars Star Wars. The Force Awakens was made by fans imo, without a proper understanding of the universe. Rather, they were emulating the movies than the actual world it created, and it falls flat. It fails to lead the Star Wars universe anywhere exciting, and fails to introduce any decent new ideas to expand the universe in any significant way.

Don't get me wrong, there's new stuff in it, but I didn't care for any of it. Also, the entire tatooine section of RotJ let it down. AotC only gets ahead because I enjoyed it's ending sequences.



As an aside, I do think Kylo Ren would have made a better Anakin Skywalker than Anakin Skywalker. Shame it didn't play out that way :/

The prequels were nothing like what made Star Wars "Star Wars" - they were an abomination. Like someone else said "Galactic CSPAN" with awful dialogue and character development.

Lucas had to be forcibly removed from control of his own series in order to save it. The best SW film - ESB - was not directed by him, nor written by him. That is all that needs to be said.

 

[Sephzilla]

Lucas had an entire vision for his own universe. Kasdan is a movie screenwriter. He can write a film, but it doesn't do it for me capturing the same sense of magic Lucas' visions did. Granted Lucas can't write a screenplay for shit, and probably isn't the most fantastic director, but the general direction of his ideas were good. Married with a good screenwriter to polish them up the Prequels could have been something people actually liked. I'd be interested to see if some far future Lucas' original ideas for the new trilogy. It was probably far more ambitious and different from what we have now.

I think that's the bonus - Lucas wasn't afraid to make it not more of the same, but something new. It's his universe, and he wasn't afraid to do things with it. Everything in the Force Awakens played it too safe with little real excitement to talk about. BB-8 is cool, Ren's Saber is cool, but there's nothing inherently new here universe wise.

No he didn't and he was pretty much making up things as he went along. Vader wasn't originally Luke's father. Luke wasn't originally Leia's sister. Anakin Skywalker wasn't originally Force Jesus. And so on.

 

[bill0527]

Let me start by saying that I have zero nostalgic feelings towards the series. I am not a huge Star Wars fan either, although I saw the original trilogy back when it was released on DVD, I never really became a fan of the series.

That said, I have always enjoyed the Star Wars movies and the original trilogy was great in that regard. The movie was so ahead of its time (1977) and still stands the test of time. That said, while I have seen the original trilogy, I never saw the prequels and the newest TFA until now.

I re-watched the series in its release order.

Stars Wars Episode IV-VI

On a rewatch, the original trilogy holds up very well. But it is also clear now that the trilogy isn't perfect. There are some pacing issues that can make the movie drag for far too long but it is pretty enjoyable overall and definitely deserves all the praise it has gathered over the years. In term of the original trilogy, The Empire Strike Backs is arguably the best of the lot followed by A New Hope. The weakest in the trilogy is definitely Return of the Jedi.

I have to also give credit to George Lucas because he knows how to create and establish characters. He takes his time with character development and even if takes a while, his characters are well developed and fleshed out by the end of the series.

Star Wars Episode 1-3

I have heard a lot about the hate these prequels have received over the years, and I think majority of it is unwarranted. The overuse of CGI is a valid complaint but the prequels have a lot going for them. I really enjoyed the character development of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and was happy to see R2-D2 kickass. The prequel also has some of the best Lightsaber duels in the series and some nice action sequences. It is dragged by a love story that feels forced and wooden at times. Having watched the whole prequel trilogy back to back, I think George Lucas focused on establishing the characters and scenarios too much in the first two movies, which were also one the reason why they sucked so much. But the payoff is what makes Revenge of the Sith a great movie. While I wasn't a fan of the the first two movies, I absolutely LOVED Revenge of the Sith and found it a great conclusion to the trilogy. It had some great sequences and lightsaber duels and the acting was also the best out of the prequels.

Star Wars: TFA

After having seen the original following by the prequel trilogy, I started watching TFA with high expectations. Sadly, the movie did nothing but disappoint me greatly. It was basically a rehash of the original Star Wars trilogy completely with new un-interesting characters. I have seen a lot of fans praising Poe as a character and he had such a limited screen time and next to none character development. I fail to understand why he is so popular? As for the main protagonist Rey, she is arguably the best part of the movie here. I couldn't stand Finn and the way they revealed his character. Out of the thousands of Storm Troopers, why did Finn have such a change of heart? To me, it just doesn't make any sense at all but maybe the answer lies in the upcoming sequel.

As for the villain, TFA has arguably the weakest villain in the series. He is worse than Darth Maul from TPM. What were they thinking? They tried to imitate another Darth Vader and even showed him worshiping the mask of Darth Vader (cringe scene), but he never came close. The end set piece was also greatly disappointing. Rey somehow starts learning her Force powers out of nowhere and is able to duel with a Sith Lord? How does this even make sense in Star Wars universe? It is a shame that they got away with it while people took a shit on the prequels. To me, TFA lies in the same category as the first two movies in the prequel. It is bad and just made to feed on the nostalgic of the fans of the original trilogy. Atleast George Lucas tried to do something new with the prequel trilogy.

My overall ranking for the whole series would be.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
5. The Force Awakens
6. The Phantom Menance
7. Attack of the Clones

I could probably write a day long dissertation on why I disagree with most of your assessment, especially concerning TFA and the prequels but alas, I do not have time. The only thing I agree with here is your take on the original trilogy and your placement of ESB at the top of your list.

I will say...that it just utterly fascinates me how different people can watch the same thing and come away with a completely different take on it.

 

[QuantumZebra]

I could probably write a day long dissertation on why I disagree with most of your assessment, especially concerning TFA and the prequels but alas, I do not have time. The only thing I agree with here is your take on the original trilogy and your placement of ESB at the top of your list.

I will say...that it just utterly fascinates me how different people can watch the same thing and come away with a completely different take on it.

Definitely.

I mean I feel the clear majority have a pretty defined ranking of the movies, I.E.:

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

But then you have people saying ROTS is better than ROTJ and TFA is the worst SW film and it just makes you go "wtf??"

 

[Number_6]

That has been pointed out several times in the thread and this might have been a lack of oversight on my part, since this is just the first viewing of TFA for me, but this doesn't necessarily make him a better villain. The scene between him and Han Solo felt forced and knowing the character of Kylo Ren won't make it better.

I understand it was likely Ford who wanted himself out of future movies hence the writers had to conjure something up in order to get him killed. But that was definitely not a good way to deal with it.

I'm sorry, who is talking about "better" villains? What is the standard? Who decides? To declare something so vague and subjective is--strange. Kylo is a different villain. A new take for the series.

If every new movie was expected to somehow have a "better" villain, well, it's a trap!

 

[cereal_killerxx]

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. The Force Awakens
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Revenge of the Sith
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>A Large Mountain>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
6. Attack of the Clones
7. The Phantom Menace.

 

[Schlorgan]

So to get this straight:
- A plot point created for a flashy lightsaber fight is a better character than one with emotions and development.
- The fact that Kylo Ren's entire point was that he couldn't reach Vader no matter how much he tried to was bad.
- A hero who believed fully in the force taking on a hurt, insane, untrained apprentice is more impossible than all other shit that's happened in this world.
- The great reaction worldwide and the $2 billion was carried mostly by fanboys looking for nostalgia.
- George "Anakin Created C3PO" Lucas was more original with his "poetry" and therefore automatically better.

Interesting.

I like you.

 

[BlackBanditSho]

Let me start by saying that I have zero nostalgic feelings towards the series. I am not a huge Star Wars fan either, although I saw the original trilogy back when it was released on DVD, I never really became a fan of the series.

That said, I have always enjoyed the Star Wars movies and the original trilogy was great in that regard. The movie was so ahead of its time (1977) and still stands the test of time. That said, while I have seen the original trilogy, I never saw the prequels and the newest TFA until now.

I re-watched the series in its release order.

Stars Wars Episode IV-VI

On a rewatch, the original trilogy holds up very well. But it is also clear now that the trilogy isn't perfect. There are some pacing issues that can make the movie drag for far too long but it is pretty enjoyable overall and definitely deserves all the praise it has gathered over the years. In term of the original trilogy, The Empire Strike Backs is arguably the best of the lot followed by A New Hope. The weakest in the trilogy is definitely Return of the Jedi.

I have to also give credit to George Lucas because he knows how to create and establish characters. He takes his time with character development and even if takes a while, his characters are well developed and fleshed out by the end of the series.

Star Wars Episode 1-3

I have heard a lot about the hate these prequels have received over the years, and I think majority of it is unwarranted. The overuse of CGI is a valid complaint but the prequels have a lot going for them. I really enjoyed the character development of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and was happy to see R2-D2 kickass. The prequel also has some of the best Lightsaber duels in the series and some nice action sequences. It is dragged by a love story that feels forced and wooden at times. Having watched the whole prequel trilogy back to back, I think George Lucas focused on establishing the characters and scenarios too much in the first two movies, which were also one the reason why they sucked so much. But the payoff is what makes Revenge of the Sith a great movie. While I wasn't a fan of the the first two movies, I absolutely LOVED Revenge of the Sith and found it a great conclusion to the trilogy. It had some great sequences and lightsaber duels and the acting was also the best out of the prequels.

Star Wars: TFA

After having seen the original following by the prequel trilogy, I started watching TFA with high expectations. Sadly, the movie did nothing but disappoint me greatly. It was basically a rehash of the original Star Wars trilogy completely with new un-interesting characters. I have seen a lot of fans praising Poe as a character and he had such a limited screen time and next to none character development. I fail to understand why he is so popular? As for the main protagonist Rey, she is arguably the best part of the movie here. I couldn't stand Finn and the way they revealed his character. Out of the thousands of Storm Troopers, why did Finn have such a change of heart? To me, it just doesn't make any sense at all but maybe the answer lies in the upcoming sequel.

As for the villain, TFA has arguably the weakest villain in the series. He is worse than Darth Maul from TPM. What were they thinking? They tried to imitate another Darth Vader and even showed him worshiping the mask of Darth Vader (cringe scene), but he never came close. The end set piece was also greatly disappointing. Rey somehow starts learning her Force powers out of nowhere and is able to duel with a Sith Lord? How does this even make sense in Star Wars universe? It is a shame that they got away with it while people took a shit on the prequels. To me, TFA lies in the same category as the first two movies in the prequel. It is bad and just made to feed on the nostalgic of the fans of the original trilogy. Atleast George Lucas tried to do something new with the prequel trilogy.

My overall ranking for the whole series would be.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
5. The Force Awakens
6. The Phantom Menance
7. Attack of the Clones

I have to slow clap this post. This is the first post that i've EVER read that is almost word for word how I feel about the Star Wars series. I've never bothered posting my opinions online because 1.) I'm older, and 2.) It's unpopular. But even down to your ranking is what i've been holding in for years and especially after seeing TFA. People don't always have to agree with others, but it's nice when someone can look at something critically and give a fair assessment. George Lucas gets a SUPER BUM RAP, and it kind of broke my heart that he gave up the franchise that he built. TFA actually made me reconsider watching future Star Wars movies. It was such a soulless experience for me. IF it wasn't for the Rebels animated series, I'd believe that Star Wars is totally a bygone bit of movie magic never to return. Thanks for posting this.

Edit: every time i try watching TFA , it feels like fan fiction. It's such an odd experience. I never make it past the first scene.

 

[QuantumZebra]

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. The Force Awakens
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Revenge of the Sith
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>A Large Mountain>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
6. Attack of the Clones
7. The Phantom Menace.

This seems to be the overriding ranking and the most common one.

I'd put Guardians of the Galaxy at 5 and put ROTS behind that large mountain, but other than that its all good.

 

[Roufianos]

1. Revenge of the Sith
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. A New Hope
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Force Awakens
7. Phantom Menace

 

[Surfinn]

I have to slow clap this post. This is the first post that i've EVER read that is almost word for word how I feel about the Star Wars series. I've never bothered posting my opinions online because 1.) I'm older, and 2.) It's unpopular. But even down to your ranking is what i've been holding in for years and especially after seeing TFA. People don't always have to agree with others, but it's nice when someone can look at something critically and give a fair assessment. George Lucas gets a SUPER BUM RAP, and it kind of broke my heart that he gave up the franchise that he built. TFA actually made me reconsider watching future Star Wars movies. It was such a soulless experience for me. IF it wasn't for the Rebels animated series, I'd believe that Star Wars is totally a bygone bit of movie magic never to return. Thanks for posting this.

Edit: every time i try watching TFA , it feels like fan fiction. It's such an odd experience. I never make it past the first scene.

TFA is a slow burn appreciation and can only be fully realized upon multiple viewings. Can't tell you how many times I've seen the "I saw it once and hated it" sentiment. I felt the same way. After consideration and repeated viewings, I have a new, deep appreciation for the film. Once you get over the "wow this is really similar to ANH in lots of ways" surface observations, you really start to get an idea about who these characters are and where they might go. It's exciting stuff. Super satisfied with what they accomplished with the writing and character development, shortcomings aside.

Mark Hamill put it best by saying "everything's changed but nothing's changed".

Couldn't be more spot on.

1. Revenge of the Sith
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. Force Awakens
5. Attack of the Clones
6. A New Hope
7. Phantom Menace

Was this randomly generated?

 

[UnforgivenTwin]

1. Revenge of the Sith
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. Force Awakens
5. Attack of the Clones
6. A New Hope
7. Phantom Menace

Oh man.

 

[sphagnum]

How many times have you seen it? I felt the same way the first time in theaters and slowly started enjoying it. Love it now.

I've got to say that my feelings about TFA have kind of gone in a parabola. When I first saw it I was conflicted, saw it two more times in theater and really enjoyed it, then saw it twice since it came out on blu ray and now I'm back to feeling meh about it.

It's good but it just doesn't engage my imagination

Spoiler

like the prequels did

.

 

[void666]

I'll post my ranking too

1 - Empire Strikes Back
2 - The Force Awakens
3 - A new Hope
4 - Return of the Jedi

And that's it. As far as i know there are only 4 star wars movies.

 

[QuantumZebra]

I have to slow clap this post. This is the first post that i've EVER read that is almost word for word how I feel about the Star Wars series. I've never bothered posting my opinions online because 1.) I'm older, and 2.) It's unpopular. But even down to your ranking is what i've been holding in for years and especially after seeing TFA. People don't always have to agree with others, but it's nice when someone can look at something critically and give a fair assessment. George Lucas gets a SUPER BUM RAP, and it kind of broke my heart that he gave up the franchise that he built. TFA actually made me reconsider watching future Star Wars movies. It was such a soulless experience for me. IF it wasn't for the Rebels animated series, I'd believe that Star Wars is totally a bygone bit of movie magic never to return. Thanks for posting this.

Edit: every time i try watching TFA , it feels like fan fiction. It's such an odd experience. I never make it past the first scene.

I totally respect your opinion - I just can't fathom how you got to it. George Lucas got a bum rap because he was trying to tank the franchise as early as Empire Strikes Back. There is a reason he was off directing/writing duties - beyond A New Hope, the dude had no idea where to go. He had an amazing original concept, and it gave us ANH; but you have to have the objectivity (and research the history behind the films) to understand that he was lost at sea once it came time for Empire Strikes Back.

That is the reason the prequels were trash "Galactic CSPAN" with hamfisted dialogue and zero character development - because they were directed and written by a guy who had no grip on what made the franchise so compelling in the first place.

Lucas himself said he thought Star Wars was a series for young boys - he never did and still doesn't seem to understand why it captivated so many people from so many different walks of life.

I'll post my ranking too

1 - Empire Strikes Back
2 - The Force Awakens
3 - A new Hope
4 - Return of the Jedi

And that's it. As far as i know there are only 4 star wars movies.

You missed Guardians of the Galaxy

 

[Surfinn]

I've got to say that my feelings about TFA have kind of gone in a parabola. When I first saw it I was conflicted, saw it two more times in theater and really enjoyed it, then saw it twice since it came out on blu ray and now I'm back to feeling meh about it.

It's good but it just doesn't engage my imagination

Spoiler

like the prequels did

.

In what way did the prequels engage your imagination? With the 50s style diner and cars? Sometimes it felt like I was watching an episode of the damn Jetsons.

And my god how those films have aged. Yikes.

 

[Roufianos]

Was this randomly generated?

Hahaha. Nope, that's my honest opinion! I actually had a New Hope and Force Awakes in the wrong places but that's my list.

Revenge of the Sith is by far my favourite with Empire/Jedi about a joint second.

 

[QuantumZebra]

In what way did the prequels engage your imagination? With the 50s style diner and cars? Sometimes it felt like I was watching an episode of the damn Jetsons.

And my god how those films have aged. Yikes.

To build up hype for seeing TFA, I watched all 6 films with my in-laws (by father in law is a huge SW fan) and my wife's niece and nephew (ages 10 and 15).

We watched in release order (the kids had never seen the originals) - they loved the OT.

We watched the prequels and by midway through AOTC the nephew asks if we can skip the film. We put on ROTS and by the end their hype for TFA had pretty much deflated completely.

When you have a prequel trilogy "made for young boys" (according to Lucas) where a young boy watches it and asks you to skip one film and then was laughing at the final one... you failed.

Spoiler

everyone loved TFA, even my mother in law

Hahaha. Nope, that's my honest opinion! I actually had a New Hope and Force Awakes in the wrong places but that's my list.

Revenge of the Sith is by far my favourite with Empire/Jedi about a joint second.

You do realize Revenge of the Sith is the one with the whiny twenty something decides to slaughter some kids, then kills his wife for no reason, and then hamfistedly ends up as Vader after a 3 hour string of horrific dialogue and visual fx, right?

Just making sure we're talking about the same film.

 

[sphagnum]

In what way did the prequels engage your imagination? With the 50s style diner and cars? Sometimes it felt like I was watching an episode of the damn Jetsons.

And my god how those films have aged. Yikes.

I love the political element and the nature of the Clone Wars. The separatist crisis is much more interesting to me than Not-Empire using Not-Death Star.

I was 10 when TPM came out and my favorite thing in the movie was the scene with Palpatine and Amidala in the Senate, so you can see where my priorities were.

 

[Sephzilla]

1. Revenge of the Sith
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. A New Hope
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Force Awakens
7. Phantom Menace

The most offensive thing on this list is having Attack of the Clones above anything. I would rather watch Ewok Adventures over that movie.

 

[QuantumZebra]

The most offensive thing on this list is having Attack of the Clones above anything. I would rather watch Ewok Adventures over that movie.

I'd rather stick my hand in a box of scorpions while watching the Star Wars Christmas Special than sit through AOTC again

 

[Sephzilla]

I'd rather stick my hand in a box of scorpions while watching the Star Wars Christmas Special than sit through AOTC again

Whoa now, I won't go that far. The Christmas Special is an entirely different tier of awful. That one was so bad even George Lucas said it was shit.

 

[QuantumZebra]

Whoa now, I won't go that far. The Christmas Special is an entirely different tier of awful. That one was so bad even George Lucas said it was shit.

Yea but at least I can laugh at it. All I can do through AOTC is writhe in existential crisis.

 

[void666]

I love the political element and the nature of the Clone Wars. The separatist crisis is much more interesting to me than Not-Empire using Not-Death Star.

I was 10 when TPM came out and my favorite thing in the movie was the scene with Palpatine and Amidala in the Senate, so you can see where my priorities were.

Now i've seen everything. "I love that part when they talk about trade negotiations. It's so exciting!"

 

[Sephzilla]

Yea but at least I can laugh at it. All I can do through AOTC is writhe in existential crisis.

(Jesus Christ I'm actually about to defend Attack of the Clones)

AOTC at least has the scene where Anakin finds his mom, she dies, and then Anakin gets pissed and murders them all. It's the only time in the entire prequel trilogy where I felt Anakin could actually turn into Darth Vader. It's more Vader-ish than any of the shit he does in Revenge of the Sith.

 

[QuantumZebra]

(Jesus Christ I'm actually about to defend Attack of the Clones)

AOTC at least has the scene where Anakin finds his mom, she dies, and then Anakin gets pissed and murders them all. It's the only time in the entire prequel trilogy where Anakin actually felt like he could turn into Darth Vader. It's more Vader-ish than any of the shit he does in Revenge of the Sith.

Great point.

What's funny is Lucas thought he was being edgy/cementing Anakin was evil with the child-killing thing, but that was probably the least Vader-ish (evil) thing he did, IMO.

Now i've seen everything. "I love that part when they talk about trade negotiations. It's so exciting!"

Yea I couldn't even process that. That'd be like making popcorn and drinks to watch CSPAN.

 

[sphagnum]

Now i've seen everything. "I love that part when they talk about trade negotiations. It's so exciting!"

I also never cared about Han Solo.

Yea I couldn't even process that. That'd be like making popcorn and drinks to watch CSPAN.

Not gonna lie, more or less done that in middle school.

 

[CloudyTuba]

TFA has arguably the weakest villain in the series. He is worse than Darth Maul from TPM.

Reading about kylo being worse than maul hurts my brian.

OP fucking killed my Brian. He's dead. The funeral is Saturday.
I got that far in the review and Brian just had a god damn heart attack. I almost did, too. Truly a mind-bending opinion right there.

I was 10 when TPM came out and my favorite thing in the movie was the scene with Palpatine and Amidala in the Senate, so you can see where my priorities were.

Now i've seen everything. "I love that part when they talk about trade negotiations. It's so exciting!"

I also never cared about Han Solo.

And now Mikey is fucking dead, too. Thanks, guys.

Someone has actually put Attack of the Clones over A New Hope

Attack of the Clones
over
A
New
Hope

Fuck's wrong with some of you people?

All my friends are dead.

 

[Sephzilla]

Great point.

What's funny is Lucas thought he was being edgy/cementing Anakin was evil with the child-killing thing, but that was probably the least Vader-ish (evil) thing he did, IMO.

While the follow up scene to Anakin vs the Sand People isn't solid, it also does a better job of setting up his turn to the Dark Side than Revenge of the Sith does. Anakin gets pissed and murders all of the sand people, then later on he's telling Padme that (in short) he murdered them all like animals and didn't really feel that bad about it. He knew he supposed to feel regret/remorse but didn't. He got his first taste of the dark side and basically liked it.

Revenge of the Sith fumbles the ball so fucking hard with this by having Anakin basically get tricked into the dark side instead of just continuing down the path of being seduced by the dark side's power. It's Lucas making shit up and changing his mind on full display.

Goddamnit why am I endorsing AOTC?!

 

[Fj0823]

I believe that at the end of the day, it's going to be TFA the movie that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Marathoning the series made me realize how much "Been there, done that" TFA feels, all other movies feel different, TFA truly feels like "ANH AGAIN!", its not bad....but its certainly not exciting.

I believe this will only get worse if 8 and 9 bring on the crazy stuff

Spoiler

In Rian we trust

 

[UnforgivenTwin]

The Darth Maul thing is new to me. I really don't understand how someone can come to that conclusion. Maul is just a plot device to lead to a lightsaber fight at the end of the film and that is it.

 

[Sephzilla]

I believe that at the end of the day, it's going to be TFA the movie that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Marathoning the series made me realize how much "Been there, done that" TFA feels, all other movies feel different, TFA truly feels like "ANH AGAIN!", its not bad....but its certainly not exciting.

I believe this will only get worse if 8 and 9 bring on the crazy stuff

Spoiler

In Rian we trust

I think what will long term make Episode 7's reputation is how well 8 and 9 do. If 8 and 9 are fun and a bit more original then I don't think anyone will care that much about episode 7 lifting bits of ANH because the entire trilogy will be considered "good". If 8 and 9 are bad for whatever reason it will hurt episode 7 retroactively. It's not too different from Revenge of the Sith being held down in reputation due to being linked with two other dogshit movies.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

The politics in the PT are fine guys it sets the perfect stage for a stagnant republic that has become too content with the status quo.

When those that feel the republic isnt serving their interests break away they go and form the separatists.

The sith manipulate the comflict to bankrupt the republic so palpatine can make his power play and become emperor while pinning it all on the Jedi.

It is pretty clear cut stuff and is in no way the largest failure of the PTs. If you ask me the issue is that the political intrigue isnt handled well because the movies never commit to it, it is why TCW show is great at using the conflict effectively.

The PTs all have glimpses of greatness benethe the shit mountain they are under

 

[TM94]

Someone has actually put Attack of the Clones over A New Hope



Attack of the Clones


over


A


New


Hope



Fuck's wrong with some of you people?

 

[CloudyTuba]

Empire
Hope
Awakens
Return
Revenge
Phantom
Holiday Special
Clones

While the follow up scene to Anakin vs the Sand People isn't solid, it also does a better job of setting up his turn to the Dark Side than Revenge of the Sith does. Anakin gets pissed and murders all of the sand people, then later on he's telling Padme that (in short) he murdered them all like animals and didn't really feel that bad about it. He knew he supposed to feel regret/remorse but didn't. He got his first taste of the dark side and basically liked it.

Revenge of the Sith fumbles the ball so fucking hard with this by having Anakin basically get tricked into the dark side instead of just continuing down the path of being seduced by the dark side's power. It's Lucas making shit up and changing his mind on full display.

Goddamnit why am I endorsing AOTC?!

You speak the truth. I think AOTC is one of the great mistakes of mankind, but there's no arguing that the sandpeople stuff set Anakin up way better than Revenge ever did. To this day I cannot fathom what Anakin's reasoning in Revenge is. But in Clones, he makes sense. And it hurts to say so.

 

[Meowster]

The Empire Strikes Back
The Force Awakens
A New Hope
Revenge of the Sith
Return of the Jedi
The Phantom Menace
The Clone Wars movie
The Holiday Special
Attack of the Clones

The Emperor/Vader/Luke parts of ROTJ are better than everything in ROTS but the rest of the movie brings it down hard for me! Sorry ROTJ! I still love you!

 

[ApharmdX]

Star Wars Episode 1-3

I have heard a lot about the hate these prequels have received over the years, and I think majority of it is unwarranted. The overuse of CGI is a valid complaint but the prequels have a lot going for them. I really enjoyed the character development of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and was happy to see R2-D2 kickass. The prequel also has some of the best Lightsaber duels in the series and some nice action sequences. It is dragged by a love story that feels forced and wooden at times. Having watched the whole prequel trilogy back to back, I think George Lucas focused on establishing the characters and scenarios too much in the first two movies, which were also one the reason why they sucked so much. But the payoff is what makes Revenge of the Sith a great movie. While I wasn't a fan of the the first two movies, I absolutely LOVED Revenge of the Sith and found it a great conclusion to the trilogy. It had some great sequences and lightsaber duels and the acting was also the best out of the prequels.

I actually rewatched the prequels last weekend with my stepdaughter, and TFA with her the week before. So Episodes 1 and 2 were even worse than I remember. The writing was bad, and aside from Qui-Gon Jinn and Palpatine, no character really impresses. Episode 1 falls under the "what the fuck were they thinking" with Jar-jar. But I did still like Episode 3. The fights were the best in the trilogy, including TFA. It's easily the best movie of the trilogy and I'd put it ahead of RotJ, but not TFA.

Star Wars: TFA

After having seen the original following by the prequel trilogy, I started watching TFA with high expectations. Sadly, the movie did nothing but disappoint me greatly. It was basically a rehash of the original Star Wars trilogy completely with new un-interesting characters. I have seen a lot of fans praising Poe as a character and he had such a limited screen time and next to none character development. I fail to understand why he is so popular? As for the main protagonist Rey, she is arguably the best part of the movie here. I couldn't stand Finn and the way they revealed his character. Out of the thousands of Storm Troopers, why did Finn have such a change of heart? To me, it just doesn't make any sense at all but maybe the answer lies in the upcoming sequel.

As for the villain, TFA has arguably the weakest villain in the series. He is worse than Darth Maul from TPM. What were they thinking? They tried to imitate another Darth Vader and even showed him worshiping the mask of Darth Vader (cringe scene), but he never came close. The end set piece was also greatly disappointing. Rey somehow starts learning her Force powers out of nowhere and is able to duel with a Sith Lord? How does this even make sense in Star Wars universe? It is a shame that they got away with it while people took a shit on the prequels. To me, TFA lies in the same category as the first two movies in the prequel. It is bad and just made to feed on the nostalgic of the fans of the original trilogy. Atleast George Lucas tried to do something new with the prequel trilogy.

The Force Awakens was good, man. It leaves a lot of questions, especially regarding Finn and Rey, but the movie was enjoyable. The dialogue was the best of the entire saga. They went a different direction with the villains, giving us a student first rather than an old master; someone more like our heroes. The Vader worship and him being a letdown is the point!

Yes, there are too many callbacks to the original trilogy. Yes, Rey develops Force without adequate lead-up time or explanation. But it was overall a good movie, balanced, and watchable.

Here's your fucking reasons: Star Wars VII doesn't respect the original trilogy

(A little thread that I made a few months back that attracted thousands of responses)

This is an interesting thread and your individual points have merit, especially regarding Luke, Leia, and Han. In some ways TFA presents a Crapsack World as the background, where the things we assumed after OT and then PT didn't really happen, and there was no return to the glorious Galactic Republic of old, but rather a further slide into disorder and chaos. Where I disagree with you is that this is a bad thing. It's not, necessarily. Can Rey and Fin deliver that brighter future, or will Kylo Ren, Hux, and Snoke prevent that? I look forward to the answer to this.

Also:

During the film's closing, Rey even goes as far as to 'return' the weapon to its owner, Luke. For reasons that I cannot comprehend, this scene has a ceremonial undertone, when the reality is that Luke never saw the weapon as anything more than, well, a weapon.

It has a ceremonial undertone because it's symbolic, man.

The Force:
The Force is nothing more than a superpower, according to The Force Awakens. It is now something that can be learned without the rigid discipline of Yoda or Obi-Wan. Now, if you believe hard enough, you can do anything with the Force!

The implication is that Rey doesn't doubt herself? She's undisciplined and untaught but she has belief, so that's enough to scratch the surface of the Force. I actually have a problem with this as well, I don't think it holds up very well.

 

[Surfinn]

Hahaha. Nope, that's my honest opinion! I actually had a New Hope and Force Awakes in the wrong places but that's my list.

Revenge of the Sith is by far my favourite with Empire/Jedi about a joint second.

I love the political element and the nature of the Clone Wars. The separatist crisis is much more interesting to me than Not-Empire using Not-Death Star.

I was 10 when TPM came out and my favorite thing in the movie was the scene with Palpatine and Amidala in the Senate, so you can see where my priorities were.

Fair enough, guys. I will admit there's a particular political aspect of the prequels that COULD have been good, just that it wasn't so in the films themselves.

I'd rather stick my hand in a box of scorpions while watching the Star Wars Christmas Special than sit through AOTC again

Lol, that's quite a visual.

(Jesus Christ I'm actually about to defend Attack of the Clones)

AOTC at least has the scene where Anakin finds his mom, she dies, and then Anakin gets pissed and murders them all. It's the only time in the entire prequel trilogy where I felt Anakin could actually turn into Darth Vader. It's more Vader-ish than any of the shit he does in Revenge of the Sith.

Are you feeling ok Sephzilla?

Nah you're right. On paper, it looks like a fantastic idea and an excellent dramatic/emotional moment for Anakin's character development (it is), it's horribly executed (pun unintentional). Speaking of which, my god I've never seen such an embarrassingly feigned death in my entire life. When I showed my GF the prequels (after watching the OT for the first time ever and LOVING IT), she burst into laughter when her head fell. Pretty good moment up until that point, lol.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Something so simple could be explained with:

"Yeah, Finn. I used to pilot things back in the day when this this and that happened."

That's all I would have needed to know. That's all it would have taken.

When I heard "WE'VE GOT ONE!", I literally thought she was referring to a third party (which doesn't make much sense in itself). Way too vague. Just say you're a fucking pilot.

This is kinda baffling, TBH.

I'm quite glad TFA's writers didn't feel the need to insult our intelligence with this kind of dialogue. It's enough that Rey gestures to herself when she says "we've got one", but just in case we missed it, Finn replies with, "You?" in surprise. The filmmakers expect us to pay attention to and understand things like context, performance and setting when interpreting exchanges between characters.

 

[Surfinn]

This is kinda baffling, TBH.

I'm quite glad TFA's writers didn't feel the need to insult our intelligence with this kind of dialogue. It's enough that Rey gestures to herself when she says "we've got one", but just in case we missed it, Finn replies with, "You?" in surprise. The filmmakers expect us to pay attention to and understand things like context, performance and setting when interpreting exchanges between characters.

Well clearly since she's a woman and all, she needs to break the fourth wall and literally tell the audience (in intimate detail) of her piloting background. Otherwise it doesn't make much sense in the film.

Even though similar context/dialogue cues in ANH were satisfactory.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

I've warmed up to AotC over the years.

The first act up to (and including) the diner is great to me. It feels like a really good episode of TCW.

The second act (Obi Wan and Anakin split up) is half good - the Obi Wan half where he investigates and finds Kamino, squares off with Jango, and winds up on Geonosis is just great storytelling to me, and Ewan is perfect. Unfortunately, the other half of that middle part, Ani and Padme, is so shitty it drags the movie into the abyss.

And then the third act is kind of a mixed bag... There are some nonsensical plot holes (Dooku telling Kenobi that a Sith is running the Senate? Why the hell? And Yoda and Mace then blow it off? Dafuq?). There's C3PO's stupid bullshit. BUT on the other hand, there's some pretty classic iconography there, too. Say what you will, seeing 60 Jedi all ignite their lightsabers at once to fight the droid army is pretty spectacular. So is seeing the Grand Clone Army mobilize for the first time and the Clone War commence. And Yoda vs Dooku is polarizing, yes, but like it or not, it's a pretty iconic piece of Star Wars lore at this point.

I've come to appreciate AotC a lot more than I used to. I rank it above RotS every time. Granted, that still puts it second to last, but there you go.

 

[Surfinn]

I've warmed up to AotC over the years.

The first act up to (and including) the diner is great to me. It feels like a really good episode of TCW.

The second act (Obi Wan and Anakin split up) is half good - the Obi Wan half where he investigates and finds Kamino, squares off with Jango, and winds up on Geonosis is just great storytelling to me, and Ewan is perfect. Unfortunately, the other half of that middle part, Ani and Padme, is so shitty it drags the movie into the abyss.

And then the third act is kind of a mixed bag... There are some nonsensical plot holes (Dooku telling Kenobi that a Sith is running the Senate? Why the hell? And Yoda and Mace then blow it off? Dafuq?). There's C3PO's stupid bullshit. BUT on the other hand, there's some pretty classic iconography there, too. Say what you will, seeing 60 Jedi all ignite their lightsabers at once to fight the droid army is pretty spectacular. So is seeing the Grand Clone Army mobilize for the first time and the Clone War commence. And Yoda vs Dooku is polarizing, yes, but like it or not, it's a pretty iconic piece of Star Wars lore at this point.

I've come to appreciate AotC a lot more than I used to. I rank it above RotS every time. Granted, that still puts it second to last, but there you go.

If you want to take me out of the SW universe completely, just throw me in a 1950s diner. My god, that is the worst visual creative decision in the franchise.

Meh, the big battle just felt like excessive action simply because they had the tech (at the time) to do it. Very boring, little substance. Just another CGI romp because it was groundbreaking for its time. The problem is that now it looks like shit (as to MANY other films that relied on this tech early on) and holds up less and less as time passes.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

I'm sorry, who is talking about "better" villains? What is the standard? Who decides? To declare something so vague and subjective is--strange. Kylo is a different villain. A new take for the series.

If every new movie was expected to somehow have a "better" villain, well, it's a trap!

TFA is considered return to the form for the series. If is good to see them trying out a new type of villain for the series but when the series gave us Darth Vader, and TFA is considered one of the best by many, I went into the movie expecting a good villain and needless to say, it was a big disappointment. I hope this clears my view.

Secondly you misinterpreted the "better villain" comment. It wasn't referring to the movie requiring a "better villain" rather it was talking about my views toward Kylo after learning more about his motivation and backstory in the thread. No, it doesn't make him any better to me. There is no way such type of villain gets a pass for me unless he is better written in the sequels.

One of my friend considers TFA his top 3 Star Wars movies and hates the prequels. He called Kylo Ren "Darth vader boy band edition" and yeh, he saw TFA multiple times in theater. I just don't get why it is so hard to take the criticism that the villain just wasn't so good. TFA isn't a perfect movie and has its fair share of flaws and when people talk about these flaws, the fans are always there to defend it.

The villain doesn't suck. The story isn't rehashed. There are no plot holes or weak writing. It is like they want to believe it is the perfect Star Wars movie. No, it isn't.

 

[Surfinn]

One of my friend considers TFA his top 3 Star Wars movies and hates the prequels. He called Kylo Ren "Darth vader boy band edition"

You should applaud him for his intellectual abilities. Didn't miss the entire point of his character or anything.

 

[RevenWolf]

TFA is considered return to the form for the series. If is good to see them trying out a new type of villain for the series but when the series gave us Darth Vader, and TFA is considered one of the best by many, I went into the movie expecting a good villain and needless to say, it was a big disappointment. I hope this clears my view.

Secondly you misinterpreted the "better villain" comment. It wasn't referring to the movie requiring a "better villain" rather it was talking about my views toward Kylo after learning more about his motivation and backstory in the thread. No, it doesn't make him any better to me. There is no way such type of villain gets a pass for me unless he is better written in the sequels.

One of my friend considers TFA his top 3 Star Wars movies and hates the prequels. He called Kylo Ren "Darth vader boy band edition" and yeh, he saw TFA multiple times in theater. I just don't get why it is so hard to take the criticism that the villain just wasn't so good. TFA isn't a perfect movie and has its fair share of flaws and when people talk about these flaws, the fans are always there to defend it.

The villain doesn't suck. The story isn't rehashed. There are no plot holes or weak writing. It is like they want to believe it is the perfect Star Wars movie. No, it isn't.

I think it's because most people equate "non threatening/ physically weak" to being a poor villain. The reason is often because they prioritise how much threat a villain poses over actual character qualities.

This is exemplified in people who say maul was better. I personally disagree and feel that a good villain is defined by their actual characterisation.

 

[Meowster]

If only all of AOTC was Obi-Wan investigating and searching for clues across the galaxy.. that stuff is really great.

 

[Surfinn]

I think it's because most people equate "non threatening/ physically weak" to being a poor villain. The reason is often because they prioritise how much threat a villain poses over actual character qualities.

This is exemplified in people who say maul was better. I personally disagree and feel that a good villain is defined by their actual characterisation.

This is the biggest problem with these kinds of movies. If they villain isn't the joker or feels like a person in the slightest, they're a pussy.

It's the most shallow a critique can be.

 

[Timu]

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
4. The Force Awakens
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. The Phantom Menance
7. Attack of the Clones

Thank god Attack of the Clones is at the bottom because that's where it belongs, also this list is legit.

 

[RevenWolf]

This is the biggest problem with these kinds of movies. If they villain isn't the joker or feels like a person in the slightest, they're a pussy.

It's the most shallow a critique can be.

Yup. It's also part of a greater problem I noticed where people confuse plot beats/ vocation changes a characterisation.

I remember one poster claiming Finn had no characterisation because he wasn't promoted or a general by the end of the movie.

Or the poster on this thread that literally said he liked how obi wan and anikan went from Palawan to masters to enemies etc.

 

[Meowster]

Kylo was a great villain for me - definitely above Maul, Dooku, and Grievous. He was so weak as a person that it made me interested with his character, instead of the hardened badass or the cool and collected villain. He was so obsessed with becoming the next Darth Vader when he was really emulating what a younger Anakin should have been. It was a great subversion and I'm excited to see what they do with the character. Snoke, less so.