Vote your favourite of the saga, & tell us why...

Myrddin

Simple as the title says, vote for your favorite of the Saga, & maybe tell us a little about why it's your personal favorite

I'm going to join the mainstream & pick Empire.

For me, this film has it all. From the icy opening on Hoth, to the dank & murky Dagobah, & the epicly cool Cloud City on Bespin. We see Luke getting really character developed, the introduction of Yoda, the 'return' of Obi-Wan, we get a glimmer of the Emperor, Vader gets some good development too.

Some of the scenes are really iconic, from the Battle Of Hoth, to the Lightsaber Duel on the gantry [my personal favourite]. The music & score is as epic as the onscreen action & the whole film has a dark gritty feel about it. It sets the sequel up so well, for me, is the pre definition of what a Star Wars film should be.

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

While Empire is one of the best in the series and could be classed as my favorite I'll break with tradition and go with Revenge of the Sith.

Why: For me it has the hardest hitting scenes out of all the movies and those are Anakin finally accepting the Dark Side and the Galactic good guys (Clones) suddenly becoming the oppressor, Order 66.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

downwithpeace wrote: »

While Empire is one of the best in the series and could be classed as my favorite I'll break with tradition and go with Revenge of the Sith.

Why: For me it has the hardest hitting scenes out of all the movies and those are Anakin finally accepting the Dark Side and the Galactic good guys (Clones) suddenly becoming the oppressor, Order 66.

Oddly enough, that'd be my second choice. Well as much as I really really love the Throne Room scenes in Ep 6, the Endor scenes can be tiresome & detracting.

Episode 3 is so dark, grim & we finally get to see the plot fall into place after two films had set it up.

The mastery of manipulation by Palpatine, Anakins fear of loss ultimately is what causes him to lose everything, & the betrayal of democracy etc....really brilliant film, good choice

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Mine is definitely "Episode 7 - Return Of The Jed" (as listed in the poll options)

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

Mine is definitely "Episode 7 - Return Of The Jed" (as listed in the poll options)

What makes it stand out for you above the others?

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

EnterNow wrote: »

What makes it stand out for you above the others?

It stands out for me because it's the only one in the poll with the wrong title.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

It stands out for me because it's the only one in the poll with the wrong title.

Fixed, cheers

Happy to vote now?

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Yep, I went with Empire in the end. It's the only one I can really look from start to finish and think "that really couldn't have been any better". A perfect movie.

Little touches like Chewie lamenting when the hoth base doors are closed or Bossk looking down on the Imperial officer are clearly not scripted (I reckon?) and are the cherries on the cake of the movie. They m absolutely no difference to the plot but they are the subconscious elements that Lucas didn't have in the original movie and forgot to put into the prequels clearly. Either that or he didn't understand their value.

doubletrouble?

The Clone Wars {Film & Series}

as lord vader once said "all to easy". it's gotta be return of the jedi for me. you've got possibly the greatest ever space battle, then we find out leia is lukes sister, i'm still drooling over her in that bikini top . the greatest sword fight in history. we get to see the real anakin ( sebastian shaw). then you've got the memorable funeral pyre. throw in on top of that the opening scene of vader leaving the executor and the music. just a master piece.

ziedth

The Clone Wars {Film & Series}

Empire is definitely the best film of the six. No question, it has everything.

BUT I'm actually going to pick Jedi:

Like that was mentioned above all the throne room scenes are as good if not better then anything in Empire. I loved the space battles as a kid so I still look on them fondly today, Luke is pretty bad ass in it and his introduction is often an overlooked scene but seeing him with all his Jedi powers is excellent. The gold Bikini

The obvious thing that leaves it down is the battle for Endor. Painful viewing now.

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

I love Jedi but it really does just feel like a bunch of incoherent set-pieces. In essence it really sets the format for everything that comes after it (the prequels and stuff like Clone Wars) (ie if you're bored don't worry, there'll be something different along in 10 minutes).

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

kitakyushu wrote: »

I love Jedi but it really does just feel like a bunch of incoherent set-pieces. In essence it really sets the format for everything that comes after it (the prequels and stuff like Clone Wars) (ie if you're bored don't worry, there'll be something different along in 10 minutes).

Not my take on it but I do find something about it just doesn't fit, there's something off about Jedi that I can't put my finger on.

thegreengoblin

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

Hmmm. I've thought about this for a while and I'm going to choose Episode 4...or Star Wars as some of us still call it! It just has that old school charm about it. I love the Tatooine scenes in it, because we're getting to see the 'regular' Star Wars universe as it has been for years. That scene where the droids go their separate ways is just so iconic as is Luke's twin suns moment. I like the fact that we get to see Han Solo acting like a regular dude, hanging out in dodgy cantinas.

For years I probably would have picked Empire as my favourite. It's certainly the best directed and contains the best performances of all the films, particularly from Harrison Ford. I can't actually fault the film in any way. But I'm going for A New Hope by the width of a lightsaber!

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

No Phantom Menace fans yet...weird

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

I think the first two movies are pretty much a write off and that most people generally accept it now.

All Ep3 did was serve to highlight how bad the first two were and to confirm that that "yes" a prequel could actually in someway be a decent movie after all.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

I think the first two movies are pretty much a write off and that most people generally accept it now.

All Ep3 did was serve to highlight how bad the first two were and to confirm that that "yes" a prequel could actually in someway be a decent movie after all.

The reason Ep3 was so good for me, was because it took two full movies to set it up. Once they were out of the way & we knew the plot, the Saga basically could get on with itself.

The first two lost huge opportunities to be so good, too much time was spent building up to where everything unravels.

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

EnterNow wrote: »

No Phantom Menace fans yet...weird

No surprise Empire is leading either, people just prefer AT-AT's over Jar-Jar's

doubletrouble?

The Clone Wars {Film & Series}

EnterNow wrote: »

No Phantom Menace fans yet...weird

downwithpeace wrote: »

No surprise Empire is leading either, people just prefer AT-AT's over Jar-Jar's

the biggest let down and most disappointing thing of the whole saga so far has and always will be jar jar. fans were disgusted with jar jar. most fans hated the ewoks and thought they were the worst thing in star wars till Mr.binks arrived.if i was part of the rebellion i would've taken him out myself just to just everyone out of their misery.

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

doubletrouble? wrote: »

the biggest let down and most disappointing thing of the whole saga so far has and always will be jar jar. fans were disgusted with jar jar. most fans hated the ewoks and thought they were the worst thing in star wars till Mr.binks arrived.if i was part of the rebellion i would've taken him out myself just to just everyone out of their misery.

Problem with Jar Jar is he filled the gap in how to bring the Gungan into the story, unfortunately anything else would have worked out better and the idiotic childs character would be the sole nightmare of Lucas.

thegreengoblin

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

The fact that he is one of the most badly done CGI creations I have ever seen in a film doesn't help at all. If you're going to do it then do it right. The only scene I can remember where I thought he looked in any way real was when Qui Gon pinned him to the ground while the droid army rolled over them. It's a pity he didn't strangle him on the spot.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Jar Jar is a massive distraction in the film, constantly pulling the viewer away from the actual plot, in the name of comedic relief. Blast him with p1ss :mad:

C3PO & R2 provide the perfect subtle distraction, & actually have some old school charm about them too. Jar Jar makes the Ewoks look like hollywood a-listers

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

doubletrouble? wrote: »

the biggest let down and most disappointing thing of the whole saga so far has and always will be jar jar. fans were disgusted with jar jar. most fans hated the ewoks and thought they were the worst thing in star wars till Mr.binks arrived.if i was part of the rebellion i would've taken him out myself just to just everyone out of their misery.

I was a small kid for ROTJ so I kinda liked the Ewoks. I surprised later to hear how fans older than me actually hated them so much. In retrospect I can see the Ewoks were slightly off-model for what had come previously in the star wars movies and also that they were a bit of a money-making racket (there was 8 ewok toy figures for instance). However that said the Ewoks had a purpose in the story (ie to be the harmless primitive looking creatures who were strong enough to beat the powerful empire). Lucas had this idea all the way (an earlier draft had the Wookiees as the primitives who beat the empire for instance).

However with JarJar and the Gungans I don't know what the point of having them in the movie is beyond having something wacky to appeal to little kids? Is the Gungan story about teaching people to put aside their differences and learn co-operate or something? If it was then that wasn't really a central idea to SW theme of man vs machine, nature vs technology. Whatever the point was anyway Lucas clearly didn't have the courage of his convictions as he pretty much relegated Jar Jar and co to scenery after the fan backlash to Ep1.

Sindri

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

I voted for A New Hope mainly because it's where we get the introduction to the story and to the world and we get to explore and discover it and become captivated by it and because it as an opening sequence say to the series, particularly the iconic famous scenes in it, like the binary sunsets (I actually visited where that was shot ), the first 15 20 minutes, destroying the Death Star in such a fashion, the music, the obliteration of Alderaan are all things considered, close to second to none in cinematic history. Yet it's still hard to decide which is my favourite. Each has it's own unique charm. Episode 3 deserves a mention but I can't help but wonder if the music in it actually makes half of that film, it's lacks a bit of it's own gravitas.

Johnny Bitte

Episode 4 - A New Hope

Eppisode 3 for me.
The whole film just felt like the deep breathe before the storm for me.

Seeing Vader being born and just the darkness of the film really worked for me.

FishBowel

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

IV - rips off lots of other movies: Logan's run, Plainsman, The island earth, Kind hearts and coronets.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

FishBowel wrote: »

IV - rips off lots of other movies: Logan's run, Plainsman, The island earth, Kind hearts and coronets.

I think its fair to say it's influenced by certain films, from sci-fi to westerns. It tells an age old tale that even the films that influenced it were retelling from other sources. The difference is though, it combined a lot of things together in a way that made everything new again.

There's films that have since retold some of the stories in Star Wars, but in different ways. It doesn't 'rip off lots of other movies', by that logic, every film has been ripping of other films for the last couple of decades.

The good ones tell proven stories in new exciting ways, the bad ones are blatant rips offs. Star Wars, is one of the better ones

FishBowel

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

Nah, it directly copies these earlier films for example Alec Guinness says 'the port is with you' in Kind Hearts and Coronets. That's a rip off and not an influence. The car the family use is the same as the one in This island earth. The same scrolling opening credits was done in Destination moon. There are lots of other old movies episode 4 'borrows' from.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

FishBowel wrote: »

Nah, it directly copies these earlier films for example Alec Guinness says 'the port is with you' in Kind Hearts and Coronets. That's a rip off and not an influence. The car the family use is the same as the one in This island earth. The same scrolling opening credits was done in Destination moon. There are lots of other old movies episode 4 'borrows' from.

That's your opinion, fair enough. What is it your trying to contribute to this particular thread though?

FishBowel

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

Here's my contribution: Episode iv is the Good the bad and the ugly of science fiction films so vote for the other ones.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

FishBowel wrote: »

Here's my contribution: Episode iv is the Good the bad and the ugly of science fiction films so vote for the other ones.

Very constructive, lucky you gave us that advice or the results would have been all wrong.

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

FishBowel wrote: »

IV - rips off lots of other movies: Logan's run, Plainsman, The island earth, Kind hearts and coronets.

Come to think of it I saw a film older than Star Wars that had spaceships in it. Rip off city!

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Whether or not it rips/borrows or takes influence from any other film, has got nothing to do with this thread. Make your point in the general discussion thread maybe, this thread is a poll & for posting why your favourite is what it is. Anything else is off topic.

Mickalus

I feel a Star Wars-a-thon coming up soon so I can pick my favourite. I don't actually have one yet !!!

Episode one obviously isn't my favourite, I watched it a while back and skipped over all the Gungan/Jar Jar parts and it was half decent. There's a lot more wrong to that film that just Jar Jar, but taking him out of the equation improved it a lot.
I also endured it in 3D recently, was hard to sit through. Couldn't fast forward anything!

Mickalus

Mickalus wrote: »

I feel a Star Wars-a-thon coming up soon so I can pick my favourite.

Bought the Original Trilogy in Blu Ray there on eBay so I can do it in style! was only £19 + £2 delivery from England. (2nd hand

That also got me thinking.....
Original theatrical version of each film OR the digitally restored and remastered version???

Do the changes bug anyone enough to rate one higher than another? Han - Greedo encounter for example.?

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_changes_in_Star_Wars_re-releases

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

Mickalus wrote: »

That also got me thinking.....
Original theatrical version of each film OR the digitally restored and remastered version???

Selective quoting here, I bough a DVD release that contained both versions and I prefer the originals, mainly because they are the original and not redone for CGI.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Personally I prefer the original non-cgi enhanced versions. I only have them on VHS, are they available on dvd?

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

EnterNow wrote: »

Personally I prefer the original non-cgi enhanced versions. I only have them on VHS, are they available on dvd?

You can get them on DVD but they are in non-anamorphic format. Also iirc they're not actually the "original-original" versions, if you get me. They're laserdisc transfers from the early 90's. Still no special edition effects in sight.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Theatrical/dp/B000FMH8UI/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1338742514&sr=8-14

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

EnterNow wrote: »

Personally I prefer the original non-cgi enhanced versions. I only have them on VHS, are they available on dvd?

A New Hope:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Theatrical/dp/B000FMH8UI/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1338742423&sr=1-3

The Empire Strikes Back:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Episode-Includes-Theatrical/dp/B000FMH8US/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1338742423&sr=1-1

Return of the Jedi:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Episode-VI-Theatrical/dp/B000FMRYNE/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1338742423&sr=1-2

Those are the ones I bought when they were first released, I passed on the new films in this release.

MetalDog

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

Gonna go with Episode IV A New Hope, although I hmmed and hawwed over Empire. I think it was the first one that I really watched and it has stuck with me.

DazMarz

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

The Empire Strikes Back

by far the best of the Original Trilogy (and ergo better than anything in the prequel trilogy). That said, the Original Trilogy is simply one of the greatest masterpieces ever committed to celluloid. People forget this, can forget simply how good the films are (I had to an extent, until I watched them all over the weekend... I had tears in my eyes several times!!!) and people can also forget that more than any other film in history, Star Wars definitively changed almost everything about films and film-making. The technology, special effects, the studio system... everything.

It was ground-breaking and yeah, everyone goes on about "Oh, Lucas just stole a load of ideas and mashed them together". And so what? He did it so bloody well, so seamlessly and the Original Trilogy was just absolutely brilliant. It had everything a goodies v. baddies story should have and it had more. It had incredibly well-defined and memorable characters (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Darth Vader, C-3P0, R2-D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lando Calrissian) and even minor characters were memorable in many cases (Admiral Motti ["Don't try to frighten us with your sorceror's ways, Lord Vader"], Grand Moff Tarkin, Admiral Ozzel, General Veers, Captain-then-Admiral Piett, Admiral Ackbar ["It's a trap!!!"], Wedge Antilles, Captain Needa ["I will apologise to Lord Vader"; that went well]). This strength in the characters is what made the Original Trilogy so memorable. The heroes weren't straight up good guys; they had conflict and much learning to do, or they were scoundrels and more anti-heroes. The villains also had conflicts in their make-ups; Vader was obviously a conflicted, contradictory character, most of the Imperial Officers in the film always gave off this air that they were back-stabbing and Machiavellian and even Jabba the Hutt was only a villain because he crossed swords with 'our' heroes.

In Empire, the second act, so much happens and so much darkness surrounds the film that it is easy to see why it is the best. The heroic Rebels are dealt a severe blow by the Empire; Luke is separated from the rest of the heroes for much of the film as he expands his knowledge and has revelations; the Empire succeeds in much of its nefarious endeavours... and of course, there is that final, damning revelation at the film's conclusion (that also gave us one of the most mis-quoted lines in cinema history). While I'm guessing that EVERYONE here has seen the film and knows exactly what I'm referring to here, I won't type it up... just in case!

In my opinion, I would rank the films as thus, from best to worst:

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack Of The Clones

I will say this much, I do not hate or even dislike the Prequels. Far from it, I enjoy them and think they are decent enough craic and are easy on the grey matter. Very little of the plot makes clear sense (trade disputes, convoluted evil schemes that are fairly illogical, etc.) but at the back of it, there are some fine set-pieces, some good action and so on.

But there is no real soul. Practically everything in the prequels is done in front of a blue-screen. There are no sets as such; just areas wrapped in green fabric. There were no clone trooper costumes made in the films; they were all CGI.

In the originals, everything was 'there'. You could walk up to and touch the X-Wings and TIE Fighters (even if they were only models in some cases!), the stormtroopers were blokes in uniforms, the Star Destroyer interiors and so on all existed in real life in front of the cameras. It felt 'real'. There was nothing real in the prequels. Everything has that artificial, computer-y, plastic-y sheen to it.

The Originals captured the imagination like nothing else. Their plots were not complicated in any way, but they sucked you in and you could not help but be enthralled. It was pure genius in its simplicity.

The Force Will Be With You. Always.:)

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

@DazMarz - excellent excellent post, I agree with pretty much everything in it too :cool:

doubletrouble?

The Clone Wars {Film & Series}

great post daz. it got me thinking. star wars is 35 years old this year. if lucas made a complete re-make of the movie would it be as good as the original. the thing that stands out in most people minds is the opening scene where the tantive iv is being chased by a star destroyer. those few seconds are what blew peoples minds away and set history in motion. i think it's one of the few things in the saga that you could never replace or improve on.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

doubletrouble? wrote: »

star wars is 35 years old this year. if lucas made a complete re-make of the movie would it be as good as the original.

A bland wooden cgi fest? No thanks, thankfully he's fiished with them now so we'll never have to suffer that. Besides, aside from the original trilogy, what has Lucas done that was actually any good?

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

EnterNow wrote: »

A bland wooden cgi fest? No thanks, thankfully he's fiished with them now so we'll never have to suffer that. Besides, aside from the original trilogy, what has Lucas done that was actually any good?

American Graffiti (one of my favourite movies ever). He's also responsible for Indiana Jones, whether he directed them or not.

Whatever of Lucas's creative collapse over the past 20 years, he's done enough in my mind to make me believe he wasn't just a one trick pony and probably could have done even more had he been so inclined.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

American Graffiti (one of my favourite movies ever). He's also responsible for Indiana Jones, whether he directed them or not.

Whatever of Lucas's creative collapse over the past 20 years, he's done enough in my mind to make me believe he wasn't just a one trick pony and probably could have done even more had he been so inclined.

Wasn't Spielberg a co-creator of Indiana Jones? I suspect without the influence of him, the franchise wouldn't have been as good.

One trick pony? Not quite, but not far off.

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

EnterNow wrote: »

Wasn't Spielberg a co-creator of Indiana Jones? I suspect without the influence of him, the franchise wouldn't have been as good.

They were co-creators in terms of getting the guy developed and up on the screen. However Lucas was the one who pitched the initial idea.

No doubt Spielberg's involvement was a huge reason those movies are so great, but Lucas was the genesis of the character.

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

No doubt Spielberg's involvement was a huge reason those movies are so great, but Lucas was the genesis of the character.

Aye, but it was the films/production/direction that made it all good.

downwithpeace

Episode 4 - A New Hope

EnterNow wrote: »

Wasn't Spielberg a co-creator of Indiana Jones? I suspect without the influence of him, the franchise wouldn't have been as good.

One trick pony? Not quite, but not far off.

I've heard two different stories as to how Spielberg ended up directing that, one was he was on holidays somewhere and Lucas turned out to be there as well and the two starting talking about the American James Bond, second one was about Spielberg being in some downer after 1941 and Lucas offered him the job knowing Spielberg was a good director and Indian Jones was just the thing to bring him back to directing.

kitakyushu

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

EnterNow wrote: »

Aye, but it was the films/production/direction that made it all good.

Spielberg didn't produce those movies afaik. As for directing, you'd have to diminish Lucas's contribution on ESB and ROTJ too in that case as he didn't direct them either. But I don't think you have that opinion though, as you've already credited Lucas for the OT as a whole a few posts back.

My point of mentioning Indiana Jones is that Lucas was the genesis of the character, he developed it , came up with the stories and was heavily involved in the actual production of the movies. Whether he was the primary or secondary reason they are great movies doesn't matter imho. He should get a lot of the credit for Indy because he played a vital role in getting his vision to the screen.

So imho it's a valid answer to the question of "aside from the original trilogy, what has Lucas done that was actually any good?"

Myrddin

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

kitakyushu wrote: »

So imho it's a valid answer to the question of "aside from the original trilogy, what has Lucas done that was actually any good?"

If it was solely his baby, then yes. But it wasn't, so its hard to credit Lucas for the brilliant work done by others.

Also regards Lucas not directing ESB & RoTJ, I was aware of that

al28283

Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi

Johnny Bitte wrote: »

Eppisode 3 for me.
The whole film just felt like the deep breathe before the storm for me.

Seeing Vader being born and just the darkness of the film really worked for me.

You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor!