Posted 28 May 2005 - 01:57 PM
1)Empire Strkes Back - Works on so many levels. An excellent film, not just an excellent Star Wars film. This film has a verisimilitude that the others just do not. It feels so real, even though it takes place in another world.
2)Star Wars (I won't call it A New Hope, mainly b/c Lucas wants me to.) Just a classic film. A beautiful told story from beginning to end. It just flows and makes you believe in something amazing.
3)Return of the Jedi - Has some problems, but still and excellent movie and a superb wrapping up of the story. Watching Luke walk unarmed into Jabba's palace and take them down is brilliant, so is the Death Star battle, so is the plot device of the Emperor setting a trap, so is the idea that the Emperor failed to consider the furry animals on the planet below (yes, my friends, I'm giving a shout out to the Ewoks, however, I will say that the Ewoks should have been played less for laughs). Overall, a film with a few flaws but excellent none the less.
4) The Phantom Menace - Extremely flawed and juvenile. However, it has a semblance of a story, albeit not a good one, but a story nontheless. It also has Qui-Gon Jinn. He seems to have walked out of the classic trilogy and into this mess. It has several, not many, but several wonderful moments that feel like you are in the wonderful world that you remembered as a kid. (Pretty much any moment that Qui-Gonn opens his mouth is great). The film also has the feel of something big. But overall, a pretty lousy movie.
5) Revenge of the Sith - A loud, obnoxious, illogical mess. However, it is fast paced and some of it works in spite of itself. But the fact that some of it works is a testament to the classic films, not this film. Seeing some moments unfold is very exciting and satisying, even though in the context of this film, they make no sense. Anakin's turn to the dark side is laughable and makes no sense. And unfortunately, this film contradicts one the most important elements of the backstory. Obi-Wan told Luke, "Vader helped the Emperor hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights". No, he didn't. Vader killed a couple of childrend while the lame clone troopers killed the Jedi. Overall, a lousy movie that is very entertaining, but it is a damn shame that Lucas doesn't care anymore.
6) Attack of the Clones - Awful, awful movie. Quite possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen, not just a bad Star Wars movie. Nothing in the movie makes sense, the Jedi are portrayed as complete morons. This movie does nothing for the saga. Just a complete and utter wast of time. This was the movie that did in the series. After AOTC, there was no chance to save the saga. Lucas dug too big a hole after this one and thus, ROTS could only be so good. Just a godawful film.
That's my two cents. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and in time I will probably learn to pretend that the prequels don't exist, just like I pretend Rocky V, Godfather III, Supermand 3 & 4, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, and the Matrix sequels dont' exist.