Favorite Star Wars movie?

[Brandon Rhea]

In honor of the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, let's talk about the age-old question…

What's your favorite Star Wars movie?

We're counting live-action canon theatrical releases here (my apologies to all the Caravan of Courage fans out there).

It's okay to talk about disagreements. Maybe you don't like the prequels. Maybe you don't like the originals. That's fine! Discussion on that is fine, and so is disagreement, but don't attack other people. For example, "If you like the prequels then you're stupid" or "If you don't like the prequels then you're not smart enough to understand them" are not acceptable in this thread.

The poll is anonymous so be sure to comment with your choice too!

 

[Wit]

Saw Rogue One a few days ago, not for the first time, and was almost tempted to with it. I really have few gripes with it. But Empire is still the best for me.

 

[Insalius]

Return of the Jedi. I don't think any other movie yet has given me the same sense of wonder as the space battle over Endor did.

 

[Marcus]

I have to say that over the years, ESB and RotJ have become my favorites. However, I am one of the oddballs that puts TFA above them, ever so slightly. I have a feeling TLJ will become my favorite, but we shall see. ANH always has a place in my heart as well.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

For me the answer is easily The Empire Strikes Back. Every SW movie has flaws… except for maybe that one. I really can't think of anything wrong with it. There's a reason why it's regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

If I was to rank them in order, I would say:

-The Empire Strikes Back
-A New Hope
-The Force Awakens
-Return of the Jedi
-Rogue One
-The Phantom Menace
-Attack of the Clones
-Revenge of the Sith

 

[Marcus]

If I was to rank them in order, I would say:

-The Empire Strikes Back
-A New Hope
-The Force Awakens
-Return of the Jedi
-Rogue One
-The Phantom Menace
-Attack of the Clones
-Revenge of the Sith

My ranking would be almost identical, with TFA being higher. Great minds? Nah, can't be it if I'm involved...

 

[Raydo]

If I am super honest, currently my list is:

1. Revenge of the Sith

2. The Force Awakens

3. Return of the Jedi

4. Rouge One

5. Empire Strikes Back

6. New Hope

7. Clone Wars

8. Phantom Menace

My Obi Wan fandom makes up for RoTS's other short comings I guess
Not sure why RoTS is just one of fthose movies I always watch if given the chance.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Sassy Kenobi is the best Kenobi.

 

[Raydo]

 

[Braden]

Even though I had watched the original trilogy a few times before. It was The Phantom Menace that really brought me into the proper love of Star Wars, one of the first films i saw in the cinema as a kid.

 

[Gamov]

Empire Strikes Back easily ranks as my top favorite among either trilogy. I was introduced to Star Wars with A New Hope when I was six (and I was initially bored to tears with it. Fell asleep somewhere around the scene where C-3PO was wandering the desert), but the special edition of Empire Strikes Back was the very first time I had seen any Star Wars film in theaters, and it reignited my interest in the franchise.

My personal list would look a little something like this:

1) Empire Strikes Back

2) Rogue One

3) Revenge of the Sith

4) Return of the Jedi

5) The Phantom Menace

6) Attack of the Clones

7) The Force Awakens

8) A New Hope

To this day I still have a tough time sitting through A New Hope. It seems to drag on forever, whereas no matter how many times I watch ESB or Rogue One, they seem to be over in a matter of minutes.

 

[Nor'baal]

Has to be revenge of the sith for me. The music is astoundingly good, plus it's like the opposite of what Brandon thinks so it must be true.

 

[Logan]

ESB is def my favorite star wars movie.

List would be something like:

1. ESB

2. TFA

3. AotC

4. ANH

5. RotJ

6. RotS

7. TPM


Haven't taken the time to see Rogue One yet. <.<

 

[KaiserMelech]

My list from best to worst:

Episode 5: The quintessential Star Wars movie. This gave us by far some of the most important information on the galactic mythos, explained the light and dark sides of the force, had fairly decent action scenes, and moved the plot along a substantial amount.

Episode 4: Probably the best movie when it comes to the plot. This is the only movie that had a fully-encapsulated story.

Episode 3: Disclaimer, this just barely beat out Return of the Jedi for the #3 spot. This film has a lot of flaws, and I mean a lot. However, it took great risks and told a decent story. Order 66 had all the emotional punch that we would have wanted. The behind-the-scenes scheming from Palpatine that many people praised I think felt way too obvious and on the nose, but that might just be because we get the opportunity to see it from the outside and know what's coming. The acting overall was easily the best of the prequels, with Ewan McGregor making Obi Wan way more popular than he ever would have been with just Alec McGuinness. Ian McDermond had some real talent in portraying the subtleness of the chancellor and the over the top bombastic nature of the emperor.

Episode 6: Honestly, I just feel like half the movie was wasted. We had such potential, but I literally don't care about anything that happened on Endor. That being said, the completion of the Vader arc and his redemption were essential to the story, and handled well enough. In one of the few cases where new versions win out, I like the revised ending over yub nub. I guess this lost out to Revenge of the Sith because it was a let down of high hopes, rather than being a pleasant surprise.

Rogue One: A good storm-the-beach movie. Great action scenes and amazing effects, but dragged down by lack-luster characters. If nobody cares that your protagonists get vaporized, you didn't do your job. It told a story that I don't think a whole lot of people cared about, but at least it did a good job. It showed a lot of what we would see in a war, with partisan movements, internal sabotage, and questions of collaboration, rather than the pure, plucky colonials vs big bad redcoats feel that the movies gave off.

Episodes 1: Episode I, from a movie-making standpoint, was probably the best of the prequels. CGI was kept to an appropriate minimum, the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Maul lightsaber duel felt incredibly grounded and was probably the best lightsaber fight of the entire saga, the podracing part was great, and we had our first visual taste of some truly exotic locations in the galaxy. However, the movie made the mistake of using child actors, which is an automatic death stroke. At least it wasn't a screaming little girl.

Episode 7: Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie. It was a good movie, but an awful Star Wars movie. When I can sit back in the theater during my first time seeing the film and count off similarities between this and New Hope, we have a problem. No, this movie didn't "save" or "redeem" the series from the prequels. I liked Rey and Finn and Poe (and yes, I am one of those people who hope Finn and Poe are gay for each other), so my issues don't lie with them. It's just that this was the proverbial second movie in a trilogy, and I feel like all we got is a few new characters and a setup to further movies, rather than an experience to be enjoyed on its own.

Episode 2: Bad characters, bad plot, bad humor, bad script, great memes.

 

[Drav]

I just recently rewatched the movies to prepare for TLJ. With a fresh look at it this is my current ranking of the movies. I want the last jedi to be my new favorite, because that'll mean it is great. (Disclaimer: I'm writing this from my phone, so... I apologize for the quality :))

1. The New Hope
Probably the one I have seen the most times. This is the episode that for some reason I always have the most fun with. I love pretending that I'm seeing it for the first time. This is the movie that started everything, this was the one that grabbed everyone's attention back in the day, and this is my favorite to this day.

2. Revenge of the sith
After re-watching it recently I realized that the second part of the movie is great. I think it captures well what Star Wars is, and how it should have been in the prequels. This is also the movie that finally drew my girlfriend in, and where she could finally see why people might love the franchise. I also love the duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin.

3. The Force Awakens
I did not really like it the first few times I watched it, but it slowly grew on me since. The lightsabers look amazing, I really like Rey and Kylo, and I believe this was the movie we needed for episode 7 to be. There are many things I don't like, the humor being one, but it would be stupid to expect a Star Wars movie to be flawless.

4. The empire strikes back
I'm someone who does not like ESB quite as much as other people, and I honestly don't see the same qualities in it as others. But it introduced us to many new concepts in Star Wars, made the universe bigger, and it is very fun, so this is where it's ranked.

5. Rogue One
We are getting to the difficult territory. When this movie came out, I'd have put it much higher probably, but since it's magic got lost on me. But if RotS' second half can put it in #2, then rogue one's second half can put it at #5.

6. The return of the Jedi
This movie was the most magical for me when I was a kid. Everything that has to do with Jabba is great, but it somewhat slows down in the middle, then Ewoks happen. I'm pro - empire, so it always hurts to see the stormtroopers getting devastated by Teddy bears.

7. The phantom menace
This was the movie I saw for the first time in cinema, and the one me and my brother loved the most when we were kids. It still holds a nice place in my heart, and I managed to enjoy it for a quite surprising amount a few weeks ago. But it is bad compared to the other ones.

8. The attack of the clones
This I could not enjoy when watching it recently. It is dumb, awkward and stupid. It also doesn't make a whole lot sense. It gets the last position from me.

Edit: I've written at the return of the jedi that I'm NOT pro-empire, but I wanted to write that I AM. That is fixed.

 

[Phoenix]

Shameless unpopular opinions incoming:

Episode III: This movie is not without its flaws, but it is far less flawed than the rest of the prequels in my opinion. Obi-wan is certainly a contender for my favorite character to appear in the Star Wars movies, and he's pretty awesome in this movie. Some of the heartbreaking moments on Mustafar make up for the rest of the movie's flaws in my mind.

Rogue One: I really liked Rogue One. It managed to provide a sense of grit, desperation, and realism to the Star Wars universe that I don't think the movies had expressed up until that point. I really enjoyed some of the ethical dilemmas presented (which are to me one of the most fascinating elements of any entertainment media), so R1 ranked highly for me.

Episode IV: I think I'd have to give the next slot to ANH. It was the original and it introduced all these seemingly random characters to each other and the galaxy at large. It was the movie that introduced the world to this "Jedi" concept, and I really enjoyed it overall. Had a lot of neat places that they went to and it just generally didn't have any cringe-inducing moments.

Episode VI: I have always liked RotJ. It's got some parts in the middle that I'm not a huge fan of (read: Ewok Village) but it has a lot of other redeeming qualities. I like the seedy criminal stuff at the beginning and the epic battle at the end. We get a nice "conclusion" to Vader's arc and Luke fully settling into his "Jedi-ness." Cut out the Ewoks and this would have been a really great movie.

Episode II: So this is here with a caveat. The true movie would probably be a bit lower and what I'll term the "Phoenix edits" version would be significantly higher. There are some seriously cringe-inducing scenes in this movie, but since "Phoenix edits" involves me skipping any scene in which Anakin and Padme are alone, it makes it more bearable. The love story could have been done much better, but on the flip side, I really enjoy the Obi-wan/Jango/Kamino/Geonosis arc, I love the clones (especially with the expansions given outside the movies), and I'm also a Count Dooku fan. This movie has some really great parts, but it also has some parts that are very, very rough.

Episode VII: I might be judging this a little bit too harshly. I enjoy watching this movie (as I do with all the Star Wars movies), but this movies fell far short of what I was hoping it would be. Kylo Ren wasn't quite what I'd hoped, and the story itself was unoriginal (regardless of what others may say, I feel it was a carbon copy of ANH). That being said, I really like the new characters introduced and have very high hopes for TLJ.

Episode V: I know people will probably be shocked that this isn't higher, but I have just never been that big of a fan of this one. I grew up knowing that Luke was Vader's son (like I'm sure many of you did) and I can't help but wonder what that big reveal would have been like had I remembered it. This is an objectively quality movies, but there are just a number of parts of it that I don't personally enjoy and find to drag on a bit. Luke's confrontation with Vader is definitely great, but I am not that big of a fan of the rest of the movie.

Episode I: Yes, this brings up the rear. This one is certainly my least favorite Star Wars movie, though it's not without some redeeming qualities. Qui-Gon and Obi-wan are still great characters, but for me, they're pretty much the only redeeming qualities in this movie. If they are not on screen, then the rest of this movies is "meh" at best.

 

[Topher Ridge]

Gotta say that ESB will always be my number one choice. Not just because it's a great Star Wars movie, it's just a great movie in general (not that the others aren't as well mind you). It makes you laugh, it fills you with wonder, and it most importantly of all leaves you wanting so much more thanks to the ending!

My overall list would probably look something like this.

1. ESB - For the reasons I explained above

2.ANH - The first Star Wars movie that I saw when I was maybe 5 on VHS! Then I got to experience it in theaters for the special edition re-release and was hooked ever since. Han definitely shot first BTW

3.TFA - Ended up really loving this the first time I saw it, it brought Star Wars back from the damage of the prequels (I don't hate the movies, but good lord are they flawed as all hell). Loved the new cast that joined our old favorites (Rey is not a Mary Sue and I will fight you to the death about this). Honestly only reason it doesn't beat out A New Hope is simply because it kinda tells the story of A New Hope over again.

4.RotJ - I mean come on it's the end to the epic saga, we see Vader's redemption, Luke remaining true to and completing his hero's path, and the rebels save the galaxy! Maybe could have done without the ewoks, who I didn't even like that much as a kid.

5. TPM - I will say that even though this is movie that introduced us to *shudders* Jar Jar Binks, it was probably the best executed of the prequels. The plot was a bit too convoluted, but for some reason even though he's not that great of a character I felt a true kinship with Qui-gon Jin. He always stuck out to me as the best character of the prequels and I wish they hadn't killed him off in the first movie.

6. Rouge One - Unpopular opinion time! I didn't love Rouge One. I like it, it's a fine movie; I just believe it get's a bit blown out of proportion about how good it is, as a movie at least. I didn't really like any of the characters, save for K-2SO. Like even sitting here having only watched it maybe a month ago I can't remember any of the characters names. They all just seemed forgettable to me, which isn't what you wanted to happen judging from the end of the movie and how things go down. Had some cool action scenes, but that just wasn't enough for me to raise it higher on my list. I come to Star Wars for cool space adventures featuring fun memorable characters, something Rough One just didn't have for me.

7. RotS - This one is alright. It has some fun action scenes, but by this point you can honestly kinda tell that George was just ready to be done with the franchise based on how lackluster all the character interactions and dialogue is played out. What do you mean she lost the will to live!! Man dunk that chick in a bacta bath and call it a day!

8.AotC - Ok so I have to say that I think Attack of the Clones is the only Star Wars movie that I kinda....hate. There I said it, I kinda hate this movie. Between Hayden Christianson's terrible acting and delivery, and the just god awful forbidden love plot; this movie just turns me completely off. I generally only ever watch this one if it happens to be on TV somewhere randomly and there's nothing else on worth watching.

 

[Kallenvad]

I would have to say Empire is my favorite movie. More so with sentimental value I was 7 when my dad took me to see it in the theater as well as it ties so much together for the trilogy amazing movie and the collectors cards for the trilogy were awesome

 

[Dmitri]

The Last Jedi has won my heart as one of my favorites.

 

[SlipLihte]

While I'll happily admit that both Empire and ANH are better, RotJ is my favourite. As long as it isn't the special version with young Anakin's ghost in it, which needs to die in a fire.

While RotJ has plenty wrong with it, and a big part of the movie is wasted on Ewoks, the sheer villainous genius of the Emperor, the sincerity of Vader's redemption, and the joy of the victory over the Empire has always made it my personal number one, and probably one of my favourite films ever.