Honest Slug
Ink Lemonade hurts me.
With the release of The Last Jedi, I've had a bit of a resurgence of Star Wars love, and I kinda want to talk about it a bit. I'm surprised I haven't done something like this sooner because more than any other movie/television show/video game Star Wars is the franchise I'm most passionate about. I grew up with the first 6 movies and they've shaped me who I am in many respects, and the original trilogy only gets better as I deepen my understanding of film and how finely crafted movies they are.
So because of that I think this could serve as a general Star Wars thread, talk about what you think of the series, the experiences you have with it, and what films do you think are the best.
If anyone's curious. This is how I'd rank the movies.
1. The Empire Strikes Back (Masterpiece) 10/10
2. A New Hope (It's a 40 year old movie but it never gets old, this one is often my go to with I just want to watch one Star Wars movie. I think more than any of the others A New Hope really gets the atmosphere right. The cantina scene being the best example of really giving scope to the universe and letting your imagination run wild. Everything else has been praised a lot and I agree with it) 10/10
3. The Last Jedi (I don't want to say much but I gotta say i had one heck of a time watching this. The direction was outstanding, the acting is the best that the series has ever had, there's many genuinely daring risks the story took that had me on my seat as to what would come next, and the movie added to the mythos in many ways I liked. Only a cheesy moment and minor pacing issues keep this from getting my highest approval) 9.5/10
4. Return of the Jedi (Yeah I still feel a little embarrassed watching primitive ewoks take down the empire but otherwise I found Return of the Jedi to be a highly excellent closer to the original trilogy. The highlights are definitely in the beginning and the end. The film gives Jabba's Palace an excellent, dark atmosphere (Let's not talk about the special edition) that gives a more sleazy undertone that tonally fits perfectly where Empire finished, the ending has some of the best emotional stuff from the series with the scene where Luke confronts Darth and the Emperor being complete perfection. The most flawed of the original trilogy but it's too good to be dismissed) 9.5/10
5. The Force Awakens (There's a pretty huge gap in quality in between Rogue One and The Forces Awakens. While TFA is my least-favorite of the "good" Star Wars movies I still found it to be pretty excellent over all. While it was a little too much like a New Hope for my liking, the movie more than makes up for it with great characters, possibly the most well-paced plot of the entire series, and action sequences that return to the grit of the original trilogy without the obnoxiously perfect choreography in the prequels. The reason TFA is ranked lower isn't that is has more bad things, in fact I might say it has less flaws than Return of the Jedi and The Lats Jedi, but its play it safe attitude doesn't let it reach the same heights as the best in the series) 9/10
6. Rogue One (While I liked this movie the first time I saw, the second time was more of a chore. It's definitely a better directed movie than the prequels but it still feels hollow and boring. Most of it is uninteresting with people who I don't care about with no depth (And you know how it's going to end anyways) and while the end is mildly entertaining the pandering is embarrassing) 5.5/10
7. Revenge of the Sith (This movie has a bit of a split reaction, there's one side who considers it the "redeeming" Star Wars prequel and the only good one, there's also the other side which thinks it's better than Episodes I and II but still bad. Personally I side with the ladder. It is more entertaining than Episodes I and II but it's also ridding off the coattails of having the stuff people actually wanted to see, and even then the movie fails to do the story justice. Anakin's switch to the dark side is abrupt and not believable and the scene where he turns into Darth Vader is laughable. It's an improvement for it "Getting to the good stuff" but I still find it a bad Star Wars movie when they messed up "the good stuff") 4.5/10
8. Attack of the Clones (While Anakin no longer being an annoying kid sounds like an improvement on paper, I'd say the portrayal in Attack of the Clones is more damaging to his character. Never once do you see Anakin being the great jedi as described in A New Hope. He's incredibly obnoxious to the point where he seems like a bad guy from the start rather than someone seduced by the dark side. And in general the plot is just boring, when it isn't focusing on terrible romance it's on a stagnant Obi Wan plot that feels directionless. Many people cite this as the worst and while I can see where they are coming from I find the bad things in this movie less obnoxious than The Phantom Menace) 3.5/10
9. The Phantom Menace (Picking between Phantom and Clones is really a pick your poison type of question, both mess up in about equally terrible, but different ways. However I think The Phantom Menace is worse because while Clones is about as bad it's at least a concise and dignified badness. The Phantom Menace is completely incoherent and juvenile slop that adds nothing, even the cardboard characters in Clones and Sith progress a little but here, nothing. And Jar Jar's constant blabbling makes many scenes neigh unwatchable. I can sit through Attack of the Clones if I turn my brain off. It may be boring and unenjoyable but I can stand it, the same can not be said about this movie.) 3/10
So because of that I think this could serve as a general Star Wars thread, talk about what you think of the series, the experiences you have with it, and what films do you think are the best.
If anyone's curious. This is how I'd rank the movies.
1. The Empire Strikes Back (Masterpiece) 10/10
2. A New Hope (It's a 40 year old movie but it never gets old, this one is often my go to with I just want to watch one Star Wars movie. I think more than any of the others A New Hope really gets the atmosphere right. The cantina scene being the best example of really giving scope to the universe and letting your imagination run wild. Everything else has been praised a lot and I agree with it) 10/10
3. The Last Jedi (I don't want to say much but I gotta say i had one heck of a time watching this. The direction was outstanding, the acting is the best that the series has ever had, there's many genuinely daring risks the story took that had me on my seat as to what would come next, and the movie added to the mythos in many ways I liked. Only a cheesy moment and minor pacing issues keep this from getting my highest approval) 9.5/10
4. Return of the Jedi (Yeah I still feel a little embarrassed watching primitive ewoks take down the empire but otherwise I found Return of the Jedi to be a highly excellent closer to the original trilogy. The highlights are definitely in the beginning and the end. The film gives Jabba's Palace an excellent, dark atmosphere (Let's not talk about the special edition) that gives a more sleazy undertone that tonally fits perfectly where Empire finished, the ending has some of the best emotional stuff from the series with the scene where Luke confronts Darth and the Emperor being complete perfection. The most flawed of the original trilogy but it's too good to be dismissed) 9.5/10
5. The Force Awakens (There's a pretty huge gap in quality in between Rogue One and The Forces Awakens. While TFA is my least-favorite of the "good" Star Wars movies I still found it to be pretty excellent over all. While it was a little too much like a New Hope for my liking, the movie more than makes up for it with great characters, possibly the most well-paced plot of the entire series, and action sequences that return to the grit of the original trilogy without the obnoxiously perfect choreography in the prequels. The reason TFA is ranked lower isn't that is has more bad things, in fact I might say it has less flaws than Return of the Jedi and The Lats Jedi, but its play it safe attitude doesn't let it reach the same heights as the best in the series) 9/10
6. Rogue One (While I liked this movie the first time I saw, the second time was more of a chore. It's definitely a better directed movie than the prequels but it still feels hollow and boring. Most of it is uninteresting with people who I don't care about with no depth (And you know how it's going to end anyways) and while the end is mildly entertaining the pandering is embarrassing) 5.5/10
7. Revenge of the Sith (This movie has a bit of a split reaction, there's one side who considers it the "redeeming" Star Wars prequel and the only good one, there's also the other side which thinks it's better than Episodes I and II but still bad. Personally I side with the ladder. It is more entertaining than Episodes I and II but it's also ridding off the coattails of having the stuff people actually wanted to see, and even then the movie fails to do the story justice. Anakin's switch to the dark side is abrupt and not believable and the scene where he turns into Darth Vader is laughable. It's an improvement for it "Getting to the good stuff" but I still find it a bad Star Wars movie when they messed up "the good stuff") 4.5/10
8. Attack of the Clones (While Anakin no longer being an annoying kid sounds like an improvement on paper, I'd say the portrayal in Attack of the Clones is more damaging to his character. Never once do you see Anakin being the great jedi as described in A New Hope. He's incredibly obnoxious to the point where he seems like a bad guy from the start rather than someone seduced by the dark side. And in general the plot is just boring, when it isn't focusing on terrible romance it's on a stagnant Obi Wan plot that feels directionless. Many people cite this as the worst and while I can see where they are coming from I find the bad things in this movie less obnoxious than The Phantom Menace) 3.5/10
9. The Phantom Menace (Picking between Phantom and Clones is really a pick your poison type of question, both mess up in about equally terrible, but different ways. However I think The Phantom Menace is worse because while Clones is about as bad it's at least a concise and dignified badness. The Phantom Menace is completely incoherent and juvenile slop that adds nothing, even the cardboard characters in Clones and Sith progress a little but here, nothing. And Jar Jar's constant blabbling makes many scenes neigh unwatchable. I can sit through Attack of the Clones if I turn my brain off. It may be boring and unenjoyable but I can stand it, the same can not be said about this movie.) 3/10
