Ranking the Star Wars Movies

[ZooCougar]

Empire Strikes Back is one of the best movies of all time. Best theater of all time. It belongs in the discussion with Aeschylus's Oedipus, Sophocles' Antigone, and Homer's Illiad. It's why, even after crappy prequels and crappy sequels, fanboys continue to spend on the new dreck.

It is in some ways the perfect sequel. Better than the first movies and leaves you with a sense of dread and suspense for what happens next.

I don’t even remember what happened in The Last Jedi. Hillary Clinton flew back into the spaceship and they fought a battle on a red velvet planet. It was stupid.

 

[Fishy]

Empire Strikes Back is one of the best movies of all time. Best theater of all time. It belongs in the discussion with Aeschylus's Oedipus, Sophocles' Antigone, and Homer's Illiad. It's why, even after crappy prequels and crappy sequels, fanboys continue to spend on the new dreck.

I have never spent money to see a Star Wars movie.

Well, unless you count the $8,000 I spent to see Solo. Plus whatever the rum cost.

But that's it - I won't spent more than $8,012.50 to see any Star Wars movie. They're just not that good.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

That simply has not been my experience with our 13 year old and his friends. Back when we were watching Star Wars all the time, they always wanted to see The Empire Strikes Back.

Here’s the thing. The story of the original theory is great. Without that you have nothing. Which is basically what 1-3 and 7 and 8 have been.

Episode 7 had it’s charms but it was like watching a Friends reunion with an all too familiar plot.

Wrath of Khan came out around the same time as Empire Strikes Back, and that movie was awesome too. The special effects in the old Star Trek TV show were so awful that they are still mocked today. By 1979, real special effects were possible, and the franchise was brought to the big screen. Star Trek the Motion Picture was basically just special effects with some talking in between, but Wrath of Khan was a real movie, and one of the greatest science fiction movies ever. That movie ages as well or better than any of the original Star Wars.

I think a lot of GenXers love of the originals is just nostalgia.

 

[Waquoit]

Magic happens when actor and role mesh perfectly. Like Khan and Montalbon.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Magic happens when actor and role mesh perfectly. Like Khan and Montalbon.

The fact that Ricardo Montalbon played one of the top movie villains of all time is kind of insane when you look at Montalbon by that point in his career. Fantasy Island was a modest hit, albeit one that was considered ridiculous even for the era. Montalbon's best days were behind him, and strangely, he didn't really leverage Wrath of Khan into a rebirth of his film career.

Your cast were a bunch of middle aged character actors typecast by a show that only ran for 3 season, but somehow got cult status in re-runs. Wrath of Khan was a sequel to a single episode of this TV show, and had run 15 years before the movie was released. This movie had flop written all over it, and somehow it just worked.

 

[ZooCougar]

Wrath of Khan came out around the same time as Empire Strikes Back, and that movie was awesome too. The special effects in the old Star Trek TV show were so awful that they are still mocked today. By 1979, real special effects were possible, and the franchise was brought to the big screen. Star Trek the Motion Picture was basically just special effects with some talking in between, but Wrath of Khan was a real movie, and one of the greatest science fiction movies ever. That movie ages as well or better than any of the original Star Wars.

I think a lot of GenXers love of the originals is just nostalgia.

That’s another movie that had a compelling story. There’s a reason why the reboot tried to copy it and made an inferior product.

 

[Mano]

Episode 4-6 are a benchmark that may not be beaten until movies become more entertaining than TV again. And even then it may not happen.

I can’t think of a better trilogy. Everyone wants to beat it but nobody ever has.

There is simply no debate.

I’d take Indiana Jones over them. Toy Story too. LOTR is right there for me. Hell, even Nolan’s Batman’s. But then, I’m no SW lover. They’re fine, but never awestruck me as a kid.

 

[Waquoit]

The fact that Ricardo Montalbon played one of the top movie villains of all time is kind of insane when you look at Montalbon by that point in his career...

And to add, his reading of "fine Corinthian leather" in that Plymouth commercial was a running punchline everywhere at the time.

 

[intlzncster]

That would have made for a worse individual movie (Empire is perfect as it is), but a better trilogy. Return of the Jedi had only one place to go and everyone knew it. And they did it poorly. A RotJ where Luke and Vader start on the same side is a much more compelling premise.

I don't get all the hate for RoTJ. I enjoyed it, especially as a kid. Perfect? No, but damn good fun in my estimation. I remember having my balls in my stomach during the speeder bike scene. Tho maybe they hadn't dropped yet?

As you said, they had one way to go. So all suspense is effectively gone.

 

[Waquoit]

I don't get all the hate for RoTJ.

For me, Ewoks. They wrecked my suspension of disbelief.

 

[intlzncster]

For me, Ewoks. They wrecked my suspension of disbelief.

I was an ewok for Halloween when I was 6 so I'm not saying anything

 

[ZooCougar]

I’d take Indiana Jones over them. Toy Story too. LOTR is right there for me. Hell, even Nolan’s Batman’s. But then, I’m no SW lover. They’re fine, but never awestruck me as a kid.

I love the Indiana Jones movies. But I don’t think they are as good, but they were pretty huge.

Nolan is one of my favorite directors but only The Dark Knight was on a truly classic level.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Fingers crossed as the teaser looks good....



Which desert world is this? Tatooine, Jakku, Jedha? As XI was filed in Jordan, where Rouge was was filmed (Tatooine was in Tunsia and Jakku was Abu Dhabi) and as the rumor is that Ray & Co. is after some mporant Jedi artifacts, my bet is on Jedha.

Lando!?

The ship behind the A Wing that is on fire looks to have the tower of a Imperial Class Star Destroyer built into the body of an Old Republic Venator Class Star Destroyer with the markings of the Rebel Alliance.

In the last scene, is that Yavin and DS 1 or Endor and DS2 and what role does good old Palpatine is playing? I am split on location as Leia has the old awards medal from the Battle of Yavin in her hand (is this where she dies?); but, Paps 'died' above Endor on the DS 2.

Which Skywalker is rising? Luke returns, Anakin returns, Ben/Kylo redeems himself, Rey turns out to be a Skywalker or is Skywalker the name that Rey gives to her new Jedi order?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Final Ranking:

1) V: Empire Strikes Back
2) VIII: Last Jedi
3) Solo
4) IV: New Hope
5) VII: Force Awakens
6) Rogue One
7) IX: The Rise of Skywalker
8) III: Revenge of the Sith
9) II: Attack of the Clones
10) VI: Return of the Jedi
11) I: Phantom Menace

I moved Solo up. I like it the more I think about it. I would put #3 through #8 on my list pretty close to each other.

It is not my money, but I hope Disney makes more origin story Star Wars movies like Solo and Rogue One.

 

[intlzncster]

The Final Ranking:

1) V: Empire Strikes Back
2) VIII: Last Jedi
3) Solo
4) IV: New Hope
5) VII: Force Awakens
6) Rogue One
7) IX: The Rise of Skywalker
8) III: Revenge of the Sith
9) II: Attack of the Clones
10) VI: Return of the Jedi
11) I: Phantom Menace

I moved Solo up. I like it the more I think about it. I would put #3 through #8 on my list pretty close to each other.

It is not my money, but I hope Disney makes more origin story Star Wars movies like Solo and Rogue One.

They need to get out of those eras imo. Been banging on about doing Old Republic movies for ages. I think those would be sweet. Jedi origin stories would be cool too.

I still don't know why Return of the Jedi gets no love amongst Star Wars fans. Thought it was great. Introduced so many cool things and characters (Jabbas world, speeder bikes, etc).

 

[nelsonmuntz]

They need to get out of those eras imo. Been banging on about doing Old Republic movies for ages. I think those would be sweet. Jedi origin stories would be cool too.

I still don't know why Return of the Jedi gets no love amongst Star Wars fans. Thought it was great. Introduced so many cool things and characters (Jabbas world, speeder bikes, etc).

I wouldn't have a problem with that.

 

[SubbaBub]

V: The Empire Strikes Back
IV: A New Hope
Solo​

VI: The Return of the Jedi

Rogue One
VIII: The Last Jedi
VII: The Force Awakens
I: The Phantom Menace
III: Revenge of the Sith
II: Attack of the Clones

This is the correct order. ROJ has Ewoks or it would be third. Solo and Rogue One are better than any of the prequels (natch) or the new sequels because TFA is a remake of A New Hope. Not as bad the remakes of Rollerball, Conan the Barbarian or Dirty Dancing but bad. TLJ was at least an original story though it was packed with unnecessary nostalgia for the old cast. Harrison Ford made the right call in bowing out after TFA. Instead of Leia floating in space and the OJ chase of space battles they could have had more Luke but the main weakness is Kylo trying hard not to become the next Jar Jar/Anakin and failing. You don't build a film franchise around an emo Darth Vader wannabe. Deadpool didn't feature Negasonic Teenage Warhead as anything but comic relief. They are the same character.

As for the prequels, yeah they're bad but I'll take a miscast 8 year old (he should have been a teenager into petty crime like Solo) and the Trade Federation (worst antagonists in movie history) over the unbelievable romance between Anakin and Padme (also Hayden Christensen).

Solo and Rouge One get high marks for original stories. Solo >>> Rogue one based on the fact that I can remember the names of many of the RO characters.​

ROS just above Rogue One.