I see what you're saying regarding Star Wars and Empire, and I could actually agree with that ... except that I think that with as great as Star Wars was at the time, and remains to this day, Empire took all of that and added so much, solidified the impact of Star Wars to the point that we now argue over whether entries like The Phantom Menace are among the worst movies ever made. Simply because TPM simply is not as good as Star Wars or Empire, on probably anyone's list. Yet TPM is a far, far better movie than a whole lot of absolute rot gut garbage that has been released since the invention of the movie projector.Zombie Jon Snow said:
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I certainly allow for those that put ESB ahead of ANH....I know I'm biased.
I often think or find that those that were old enough (like me) to see and appreciate SW (you may call it ANH, I only use that to differentiate it in things like lists) in theaters in 1977 will have a natural bias towards it.
to me:
ESB - better overall film, darker
SW (ANH) - originality and nostalgia and it's impact
And I just personally give SW (ANH) the edge for that reason. I recognize it's not "better" but it gets 1st place in my book by the narrowest of margins.
You would have to truly understand what movies and particularly Sci-Fi was before 1977 to know what it was like to have your world rocked like that. It changed EVERYTHING.
I am old enough to know what sci-fi was prior to May 1977. It was mostly a joke. A movie like 2001 was not really intended for a < 10-yr-old. Would anyone suggest that 2001 is junk? Probably not. So that left us youngsters with movies like the Planet of the Apes series, Godzilla, King Kong, Land of the Lost, etc. With the exception of the original POTA, none of that would register as "serious". It was seen as kiddie fare with very few, if any, redeeming values.
I was not even much of a sci-fi fan prior to Star Wars. Godzilla was awesome but that was about it. I had seen many of these kind of movies, all of the Godzilla and POTA flicks. When I saw the first previews for Star Wars, I did not want to see it. Looked stupid to me, even at age 9. I didn't see it until I had turned 10 in early June, and then only because my dad wanted to take my sister and I to a movie and that was what was showing. Like most everyone else, I was blown away.
Star Wars was a big part of my life. I remember being called "Mr. Star Wars" in 6th grade because I wouldn't shut up about it. I had a bunch of the toys, I built all of the original MPC model kits, I even had some Fisher Price thing that was a manual movie projector that came with a short reel of film containing a highlight reel of the first movie.
I am apparently one of the few willing to admit that I love every Star Wars cinematic movie (I saw the Star Wars Holiday Special and both of those Ewok movies, and they were all hot garbage). I think a movie like TPM is better than, say, Godzilla vs. Megalon. Maybe that's not much of a stretch. Yet TPM has flaws, but then again, I'd say the same of Return of the Jedi. Empire has no flaws IMO. It is a perfect movie, and it is my all-time favorite overall. Star Wars is flawless as well, and also ranks highly with me (alongside Raiders of the Lost Ark, Patton, and Alien).
Rogue One is incredible. I was actually surprised at just how awesome it was. Yes, it was a bit herky-jerky at the beginning, but once all that settled down and they focused on the actual plot of getting the Death Star plans, that movie actually challenges Empire. It falls short of that lofty goal, but still, R1 is so damn entertaining and enjoyable. I expect to watch the heck out of the BR in the next week or so.
I enjoyed TFA but I think it may suffer the same fate with me that the prequels did, in that it will not withstand multiple viewings over time. Some really awesome work in that movie, particularly with Han and Chewie and Rey, but come on, can we have a bit of originality? Why do we need X-Wings zooming down a trench yet again?
So my ranking of the series ... Empire, SW, R1, Sith, Jedi, TFA, AOTC, TPM
