Star Wars - "The Skywalker Saga" Ranked

Since it is May 4th, Star Wars day, it feels like the perfect day to do this. Also I finally got around to watching "Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker", as I missed it at the cinema due to a family issue. 

Please note that there are some spoilers ahead, in case you haven't seen all of the movies. Here is my personal ranking based on story, execution and how well it fits into the story as a whole: 

9. Attack of the Clones
Sadly this is an easy one. Attack of the Clones is by far the worst Star Wars movie in my opinion. Almost everything is wrong with it, from cringe worth dialogue, to bad performances. I am a huge fan of Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee and Nathalie Portman but sadly not even their talent could safe the bad lines they were given. Add to that the lack of direction by George Lucas and you get scenes that are painful to watch. The love story seemed forced and didn't develop organically, one got the feeling on occasion that Padme simply pitied the love struck Anakin. Although the visuals are well done, there is not way of saving this movie. 

8. The Last Jedi 
While I like the J.J. Abrams' new movies, I dislike this one mainly because Rian Johnson choose to largely ignore the established canon and rules of the Star Wars universe. He said in fact as much in interviews. In my point of view, this has nothing to do with artistic freedom but is a sign of disrespect to the story his movie is a part of. If you choose to be part of a nine movie saga you need to respect the rest of the story otherwise the complete piece of art won|t be homogeneous. An example of this  issue is when Leia, while floating in empty space, manages to get back to the ship. It was never established, that the Jedi possessed such powers and it simply looked silly. 

7. The Phantom Menace 
The movie received a lot of hate from Star Wars fans over the years. Jar Jar Bings was always a main issue and an attempt at a comic relief. While in the original trilogy this was mainly achieved through Han Solo's banter with the rest of the characters the comic relief fails in this case. A major redeeming quality for the movie is however the establishing of the Jedi at the height of the power. The council  scenes and especially the light saber fighting scenes at the end safe the movie for me. 

6. The Force Awakens 
This was a close one, as the movies that are ranked 4-6 are all close in quality for me. I completely enjoyed The Force Awakens. The story and introduction of the new characters was solid and engaging. Of course the return of Han Solo and Chewbacca was a major highlight, with Harrison Ford being at witty as ever. The new characters are not just mere copies but manage to stand on their own. 
To me this movie has only two downsides. The first one is that the story is too close to A New Hope. The second one is that Kyle Ren is not convincing as villain, although we see him kill his father on screen, he seems more like a toddler having tantrum. Of course that might have been the intention, but after villains like Palpatine and Vader he just seems pale. 

5. Revenge of the Sith  
This movie saves the prequels largely. Although it is flawed for sure it largely wraps up nicely all the events that lead to the original trilogy. Sadly again the dialogues are often badly written and the actors seem often lost due to the lack of direction by George Lucas. It proved that while George Lucas is a great story teller, he is not a director. Being a director means you need to be able to transmit your vision to others and to motivate actors. 
Ian McDiarmid gets a real chance to shine in this one and makes for a fantastic villain. His Palpatine is terrifying and one can sense the power he wields. We also see finally what a truly powerful Jedi Obi Wan is. 
Despite Anakin's transition to Darth Vader being plausible he appears to be extremely stupid as he is very easily manipulated to the point where the audience rolls their eyes. 

4. A New Hope 
The classic, the first Star Wars movie made. The story is fantastic and it was something completely new to combine Fantasy and Science Fiction in such way. The characters were well developed and their chemistry palpable. A relatively unknown but very talented cast was supported by the great Alec Guiness. The visual effects were simply groundbreaking not just because of the results but also because of the invention of several new techniques. George Lucas simply wouldn't accept defeat and overcame all obstacles to make his vision reality. If anybody doubts George Lucas creative genius just look at this movie. 

3. Rise of Skywalker
The final installment of the saga is mostly a home run. It is exciting, it is tragic, it is funny and it is dramatic. To see all three original leads, even briefly in one movie was a delight and it was done in a way that it didn't take the spotlight from the new leads. I particularly enjoyed Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron. At first glance he might be a Han Solo rip off, but he had some beautiful scenes in this one, especially when talking to the deceased Leia, that proved that there is more to him than just snarky comments. 
The idea with the dyad was genius in my point of view and a perfect addition to the whole concept of the Force. The only downside for me was somehow Finn's character and his fixation on Rey. Whatever his character wanted to tell her, it seems unnecessary and it was slightly annoying the way he obsessed over her. 
It was definitely a fitting end to the Skywalker Saga. 

2. Return of the Jedi
The final installment of the original trilogy. The story is plausible, as are the characters' choices. The leads have all evolved, most noticeably Luke and Han. Leia is revealed to be Luke's twin sister. There is a bit of comic relief with the Ewoks. I particularly liked how Darth Vader's return to the light side was shown. It was quite a feat David Prowse achieve, as he was not able to use facial expression. Basically he showed the transition only by the way he held his shoulders and moved his head.  
It was a close call between places one and two to be honest. 

1. The Empire Strikes Back 
This is by many considered the best Star Wars movie and rightly so! From the greatest revelation in movies ever (Sorry, 6th Sense but it is still better!), to a love story, that manages to be sweet, without being cheesy. In addition it was a bold move to end the movie with a loss for the good guys. I can't remember anything that I didn't like. The movie is close to perfect. 

So this is my ranking of the movies belonging to the Skywalker Saga. Do you agree? Leave your opinion in the comments. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Character Analysis - Hayley Marshall-Kenner (The Originals & The Vampire Diaries)

Since some people have told me, that I always write these about characters that I like I have decided to change that and pick a character I don't like: Hayley Marshall-Kenner. Before getting into the character in details, let's clear something up: While I dislike the character, I find it is very well crafted and Phoebe Tonkin portrays her excellently. She is a stunningly beautiful woman yet manages to believably pull off the tomboy and though girl. She also does justice to the emotional range of Hayley. But let's take a closer look at the character itself.  When we meet Hayley in "The Vampire Diaries" we learn that she has helped Tyler break the sire bond, meaning that although she grew up outside of the werewolf community she has learnt about the supernatural world. Not much is known about the family that adopted her only that when she turned into a wolf her parents kicked her out.  Hayley is what can be called street smart, which makes sense since she spend time...
Read more

Science Fiction & Fantasy - Escaping Reality

When talking to people I often get the question: "Why do you write Science Fiction and Fantasy?" This is usually followed by a tirade that they don't like it, because it is so unrealistic. What they don't get: That is the point! With these two genres the fact is that the only limit to your writing is your own mind. While in reality we are limited by physics, biology or simply life. This became very evident to me when my mother, who loved those genres probably even more than I do, fell severly ill. At one point it became evident that there was nothing the doctors could do for her. My reaction was the same one as for everybody who is loosing a loved one: I tried to find a solution and went through the five stages of grief. I spent hours on the internet researching her illness and looking for the latest breakthroughs only to come to the conclusion that medicine was not yet ready to safe her. The feeling of helpnessless was overpowering especially since my writer...
Read more

The 10 most badass female characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Many people still think of women as the weaker sex. Science Fiction and Fantasy however have already given us some memorable badass women. The fight with strength, intelligence and charm. But it is not only their skills that make them badass but their will never to give up.  These are my top 10 most badass female characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy: 10. Zoe Washburn from "Firefly"       If a tv series, a movie or a book features a female badass character it is usually the lead and she is often passionate and a natural born leader. Joss Wedon's Zoe Washburn is very different. She is the second in command and the embodyment of a level headed, cool soldier. You wouldn't want to mess with her. At the same time she manages to be a dignified woman, who is deeply in love with her husband, although he is not a fighter.  9. Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games" Jennifer Lawrence brought her to life in a brilliant way. What made Katniss ...
Read more