YOU DON'T FUCK WITH YODA
 

ANH: A New Hope
TEST: The Empire Strikes Back
ROTJ: Return of the Jedi

So, like in Clerks, this is a timetested argument. What should be the official order, from greatest to least, of quality for the three original Star Wars films? Comment and vote.

When I first got into the movies it was ROTJ, TESB, and ANH. Then it was TESB, ROTJ, and then ANH. Then I got the shit removed from my head and realized it was ANH, TESB, and ROTJ.

My choice: ROTJ, ANH, TESB.

I've had this feeling for a while, that TESB is being worshiped for similar reasons Matrix Reloaded is being bashed for. My point is, that Episode V can hardly stand on its own. The iconic revelation at the end brings up so many questions and we're left dying for the answers. It's that middle link in a chain and primarily serves the purpose of linking E-IV and E-VI together.
Of course, it does that more than well, it's an amazing motion picture. But if I have to compare the individual movies, my money will always be on those that leave you with a certain sense of closure.

Plus, I really liked the Ewoks. ;)

Empire
Jedi
Hope.

I could watch Empire endlessly. Over and over, never stopping. It's easily my favourite.

Jedi and ANH are close though. One day it's ROTJ, the next it's ANH. I'm going to say Jedi, simply because it has everything. The last battle, Vader redeeming himself, Death Star destruction, the best space battle in the trilogy, ewoks ruining the Empire's shit, speeder bikes, AT-ST's, and Yoda becoming one with the force.

ANH is good, don't get me wrong. But I think I like Jedi just a little more.

Jedi has the climactic battle, with 3 diverging storylines coming together in one grand explosion of sweet. Plus the father's redemption. I have to go with Jedi as my favorite.

Empire is good, but I guess I wasn't old enough to appreciate some of the subtleties about it when I first saw it (like age 4), and because it was practically a part of my life growing up, I can't have the same kind of fresh perspective on it.

Frankly A New Hope feels dated in a way the other two don't. I think part of it might be the limited budget Lucas had to work with, but it was also because I think Lucas was still operating off of the TV serials idea, and the whole thing felt a bit campy, almost like Flash Gordon.

Empire
A New Hope
Jedi

I like Empire best just because of how goddamn turbulent it is - one thing after another piling up on top of the good guys. I think the writing is stronger in Empire and Jedi than in ANH, but the whole Ewok sequence brings Jedi down for me a bit. Since I always love the beginning of an epic story, I'd put A New Hope in second place. New Hope is also pretty much a non-stop quotefest.

She's fast enough for you, old man.

Yeah, Flash Gordon was a major influence on Lucas.

I don´t know, it´s real close for me between Empire and Hope. I love the general feel all the way through Empire. Luke Training, The Battle at Hoth, Vader´s revelation, Leia and Han, etc. AND HOW YOU DOIN´CHEWBACCA? Hell, I´ll even look at a cute girl and say hello, what have we here? like Lando. Fucking geek.

A New Hope... Maybe it´s that campy feeling I like. The whole BOY THROWN INTO NEW AND EXCITING LIFE, the awesome fucking cantina, the intro to bad ass Vader.

Jedi has great battles, Luke as a blooming Jedi, the green saber! The great skiff battle which I love when Luke catches his saber R2 shoots out and starts stomping ass. It´s just the damned Ewoks that fucking piss me off and bring it down several notches for me. And those damn Special Edition Jaba´s Palace additions.

Double Post:
Oh, and Fett in Empire is awesome.

HE´S NO GOOD TO ME DEAD. Yeah, take that Vader.

GOD. Don't remind me. Worst fucking addition to anything in the history of the world. Even Anakin's ghost as angsty teenager pales in comparison to an honest-to-god alien funk music video.

I'd rather talk about the movies as if the special additions never happened. Soon enough we'll have our laserdisc rips and maybe that will be enough to tide us over until he decides to put them on blu-ray.

Since you seem to know about this shit, do you know if he´s released/going to release something with the MISSING FOOTAGE? Like our heroes looking for the Falcon after the skiff battle in ROTJ, or Luke and friends (Fixer, Cammie, Tank and maybe someone else) at Toshi station? Or Luke when he sees Biggs Darklighter in Tattooine?

Rumor has it that in 2007 we'll finally see a big 6 movie Ultimate Super Mega Boxed set with tons of never before seen special features. These deleted scenes are rumored to be part of that.

Oh god let it be so.

While we're on the subject of DVD releases, does anyone know if the re-rerelease of the original trilogy (next week I believe) is the ORIGINAL, or the Special Editions again? If it's the originals, I was thinking about picking it up, but after hearing news of that inevitable 6 piece box set, I may have to wait a while for that instead.

Original. Theatrical release that you would have seen in theaters in 1977. No updates, nothing.

Jedi is an incredibly badly paced film. It sticks out in the OT like a sore thumb or stupid step-brother. The simple recycling of the Death Star, the return to Tattooine (something that really irked me about the prequels, as well), the absolutely bored Harrison Ford acting and the "rabbit out of the hat" trick for Leia as Luke's sister.

ROTJ has one thing going for it - and thats the attack on the Death Star, which is spectacular.

Be very, very careful of fanscripts. There was an Episode III script floating around on the internet since the early 1990s that featured the Kaiburr Crystal and Fett serving Vader as some kind of offical right-hand man.

Chances are what you found was BS. However, if any of you are interested in SW history, T-Bone's website is really, really great. http://www.starwarz.com/

I have to go with Jedi, Hope, Empire. It's the order I saw them in. For a long time, maybe five or six years when I was a kid, I had only seen ROTJ, and I probably saw it a 150 times before I saw the other ones. So it's really more of a nostalgia thing, I suppose.

I watched these movies quite a long time ago....to me it was all one movie. But i chose it as the order I watched it. Jedi, Empire, Hope. I use to watch it over and over in beta-max. I don't think I can do the same thing with the newer ones (although the fighting scenes rock).

ANH
TESB
ROTJ

Retrospectively, A New Hope is the only movie of the series that remains *different*. It has an atmosphere and pace on it's own. It kind of remain unique.

The Empire Strikes Back is excellent, but loses some charm due to being so fucking effective, if you see what I mean.

Return of the Jedi is representative of what's wrong with the new trilogy. Chewbacca doing the Tarzan thing, the squeeking Ewoks, characters you liked turning into stupid asses ... The final battle do kinda make up for it, though.

ESB
ROTJ
ANH

But if we're going on which I think is the better films, then
ESB
ANH
ROTJ

I liked Jedi solely for the scenes between Luke, Vader and the Emperor.

Well, I did see various pictures. Not ABSOLUTELY sure about it being filmed. I read the books too and it´s mentioned in there. Cammie´s kind of a whore.

ROTJ & TESB are VERY close. They change places all the time. However, I'd honestly have to say ROTJ is my fav. I love how Luke's character has evolved, such as in Jabba's palace (and what guy can honestly say that Leia isn't HOT there :p), and ESPECIALLY the ending with the Father vs Son battle. The music is absolutely brilliant and I love all the emotions flying around.

ANH will always be good though. It's really hard to say what I like best. Maybe each is my favorite as I watch it, lol.

As far as which movies are better MADE, not which ones I enjoy watching the most -

TESB
ANH
ROTJ

ROTJ had a lot of slow points, and some stuff that is quite honestly embarassing. I've found myself popping in the DVD just to watch the ending FathervsSon battle.

regarding those scenes from ANH with Toshi station - I believe they are on the "Behind the magic" cd-rom, I know for sure I saw the scene where Luke talks to Biggs on Tatooine.

You sure you wanna critcize RotJ for that, man?

Return had the most action I can remember. It was non-stop just in your face with action, and you knew it was the last movie, so some shit was gonna go down. You can't top the Luke v.s. Vader battle.

A New Hope was just well... yeah. I mean, he was training the entire time, and there really wasn't much to it, but it served as a good filler.

Empire... now I didn't like that movie at all. I don't know why, but it always rubbed me the wrong way. From beginning to end.

The scene between Luke and Biggs is definitely filmed, although it's obviously not as polished as the rest of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aziOgYTGNmU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWEuTY7VJQo

Judging from that, I think Luke seeing Biggs and Toshi station may be the same thing. Dunno about the falcon in ROTJ, though.

Shit, I`ve never seen that in my life. Just magazine pictures. Thanks man.

Looks like Empire is by far the favorite. I can live with that.