How Do You Rank The New Trilogy Star Wars Films?

[Si Hunt]

I'm currently about to finish my journey through all six Star Wars films with "Revenge of the Sith". I won't reveal my revised thoughts on the first two of the newest trilogy yet, but I'd be very interested to know what other people think of "The Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith".

Please provide votes and opinions! Do you love them? Hate them? Have you changed your mind about any or all of them since release?

Si.

[SiHart]

They're wretched. All of them.

Especially so Sith which is just awful. Lets consider it- there's a chase scene at the start with so many ships on screen at a time that it becomes difficult to follow to the point of inconsistency. There's the previously feisty Amadala reduced to a simpering, weak character because she's pregnant (what this says about George Lucas' attitude to women I don't even want to think about). There's the stinking, horrid dialogue. The way Count Duckula is killed off quickly and easily now that he's not important to the story... the "NOOOOOOOOO!" moment. Haydn Christianssen being the most inspid and talentless actor in the whole of the Star Wars films.... I could go on all day, but I'll spare you. Basically I don't think this is the saving grace of the new trilogy. I don't think it was good at all.

The other two are a bit better. I quite like Clones.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Are you a big fan of the original three films Si?

Si.

[SiHart]

Not a huge fan. I enjoyed them, but they're not huge favourites of mine. Although I was just at the right age for them at the time they came out I never really got into them in the same way a lot of my friends did at the time. I remember watching Star Wars on the telly when it was premiered and liking it, but I never really fell in love with the films.

Si xx

[Dino]

I think the problem was George Lucas took too much control of writing, producing and directing.

Attack of the Clones was the only one he didn't direct, and it shows as it's the "best" of the three.
Lucasfilm employees were probably too frightened of being sacked and blacklisted to take George to one side and say "Come on George, this is crap!" (Colin Mochare was unavailable to deliver this verdict in person sadly...)

Even another writer being on board for Clones and Sith couldn't save them.
I missed The Phantom Menace when it first came out, but I had great fun playing the Playstation game which everyone says is one of the worst games ever made!

The last half hour of Clones is fantastic. But it's too little too late as the Sports pundits put it.

Not a case of "Never Seen Star Wars", more a case of "Wish I'd Never Seen The Three Prequels."

I used to love Star Wars as well. I hope it's as simple as I just grew old. I really do.

Haven't voted as there's no "Clones Er.. That's it" option.

[Paul Monk]

I agree with Si, they're all terrible. Correction, the first 2 were so terrible that I didn't bother with Sith. And I'm a huge fan of the originals.

there's a chase scene at the start with so many ships on screen at a time that it becomes difficult to follow to the point of inconsistency

That was a huge problem with Clones as well. Its like Lucas has to fill the screen with as much as possible. Its like HUGE is everything (that may explain his attitude towards women that Si mentioned.)
I could list all the things wrong with them but I really can't be bothered.

[Dirk Gently]

Sith, Clones, Phantom for me. But it is close.

I'm a fan of the original & I think if you're not a big fan of the originals then you're more likely to dislike the latest 3.


As a related question: Am I the only person who watches these films in Chronological* order rather than the order they were made?


*I.E TPM, AotC, RotS, ANH, ESB, RotJ.

[Llordllama]

Ditto what Dirk said about the order - Sith worked for me on so many levels; though i've gotta agree PadThai was better in Clones. I just liked the mythic elements coming together in Sith more.

Oh and shouting (as Count Duckula - thanks Sim - and Anakin duel) "He think's it's all over *head comes off* It is now!" made me laugh like a drain. Maybe I'm enjoying these on all the wrong levels.

Wouldn't "Chronological" order be TPM->AotC->RotS->ANH>SWCS->SBTMP->ESB->RotJ?Dirk?

[Si Hunt]

I hated "The Phantom Menace" when it first came out - it just felt too long, and computery, like the technology wasn't quite there yet. The big droids battle feels very unatmospheric, and unmoody. Jar Jar Binks didn't work at all - he wasn't funny, and again he looked very fake and CGI. But on re-watching, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film. It FEELS very "Star Wars" - when you start with the two lone Jedi cutting down droids, and with the Emporer controlling everything, you wonder what else you can ask for? The pod race and the destruction of the droid control station are both excellently done. Even Anakin ("Yippee!") isn't as bad as it feels he should be. I lack others adoration of Ewan McGregor (he's just a little dull really) but Liam Neeson and Samuel Jackson made good Jedi. The underwater chase is brilliant too. It's not bad, just a bit experimental and unsure of itself.

By contrast I thought "Attack of the Clones" was brilliant. I remembered it from the cinema as being (i) buttock-grindingly long and (ii) quite soppy, but aside from the silly meadow scene, it's not really a love story at all - it's a story about the transformation through anger of a man from good to evil. And this film really does have a lot going for it - the chase through the city is well down and atmospheric; the sequence where Anakin slaughters the Tuscan Village is extremely powerful; the droid factory scene is breathtaking, as is the water planet. I didn't feel as wowed by the Clone Wars scenes as the makers felt I should be on the documentary, but seeing all the Jedi fighting in the arena was another "wow, what a good idea" moment, and I loved how you saw the different strands coming together, like the birth of the storm troopers.

So aside from some ropey acting (McGreggor is a little better, but Natalie Portman is still flat; Christenson has his moments as Anakin), I thought it was excellent. Much better made than the first film, it joins all the dots and feels very exciting. Yes, I really did enjoy this one. I'm wondering now what I'll think of "Revenge of the Sith" when I see that next week.

Si.

[Perry Vale]

I haven't seen them for a while, but went for Clones, Phantom, Sith.

Sith is definitely my least favourite. When watching it at the cinema I remember feeling bored quite soon in to it, and realised why. I knew how it was going to end!

I'm surprised at the new ones being criticised for having too many ships on screen at once, haven't you seen Return Of The Jedi?

Haydn Christianssen being the most inspid and talentless actor in the whole of the Star Wars films....

Hard to disagree with that, and it reminds me of my other thoughts whilst watching 'Sith', and why it's my least favourite. He's just so bad, and the wrong choice. When you're hanging (basically) three films on a central character, make sure you get someone who can act!

[Llordllama]

I love the meadow scene in Clones - why? Because it has giant space-llamas in it. The characters are peripheral to it. Clones is all about the space-llamas, and they deserve their own spin off series.

Not featuring Jar-Jar.

[Si Hunt]

I always thought they knew they went too far with Jar Jar, because he's in the whole of the first film, then gets relegated to a cameo appearance in "Clones".

Si.

[Llordllama]

Come on, the Clone Wars are all Jar Jar's fault - he's the one that makes the vote that gets Palpatine elected.

[Dirk Gently]

Wouldn't "Chronological" order be TPM->AotC->RotS->ANH>SWCS->SBTMP->ESB->RotJ?Dirk?

Thanks, but what are SWCS & SBTMP?

[Llordllama]

Star Wars Christmas Special and of course Space Balls the Motion Picture

[Dirk Gently]

I love Space Balls. Haven't seen it ages as my brother had it on video & i used to watch that.

[Llordllama]

I've always fancied watching the animated series. Nearest we'll get to Space Balls 3: The Search for Space Balls 2

[Llordllama]

No hang on, just read some of the reviews of it - now I never want to see it!

[Dirk Gently]

Nearest we'll get to Space Balls 3: The Search for Space Balls 2

Followed by the sequel: Space Balls 2: Ah, there it is!

[Wayne]

Sith, Clones, Phantom.

Sith is a no-brainer, but it's still more enjoyable by a mile than the other two. But then there's a lot of my favourite character, the emperor, who's by far the most deliciously evil Star Wars character by a mile. I love Vader, but even he's a bit of a pussycat by comparison.

Clones - Fairly unremarkable film, but not the worst film ever, either. Tipped just above average for me by the presence of Christopher Lee.

Phantom - Can't think of anything good to say about it. I think it's wank.

[Llordllama]

Phantom - 90 minutes of waiting for that fight with Darth Maul to begin. Other than that there's not much I ever remember about it (and only one of the 6 I've never bought on DVD!)

[Rob McCow]

I'm surprised at the new ones being criticised for having too many ships on screen at once, haven't you seen Return Of The Jedi?

Interesting point that - of course, Jedi doesn't have as many ships as Sith, but it does have about 10 times as many as the previous films. However, it's far better choreographed than any of the prequels. The ships move in patterns and formations, rather than everyone breaking away to do their own thing. And the bit where the Super Star Destroyer crashes into the Death Star is awesome and beautiful. Brings a tear to my eye every time.

Although what really makes it work is that there are characters on board the ships in Jedi that the audience can care about. Yes, even Admiral Ackbar!

[Si Hunt]

Phantom - 90 minutes of waiting for that fight with Darth Maul to begin.

See, I think that's the sort of comment that people dash out based on a half-memory of the film. Surely you've got to admit that's not true?

There's the journey to Tattooine to meet Young Anakin, the pod race and the appearance of Jabba, the first chronological appearance of 3PO, the underwater chase... you might not personally think these are favourite Star Wars moments, but they're all either as visually impressive/exciting as set pieces in the original films or key to the plot.

Yes, even Admiral Ackbar!

I like Admiral Ackbar! I had him as a figure. My sister got a dolls house for her birthday, so to make sure I didn't feel left out, I got Admiral Ackbar!

Why hasn't Martin Penny posted his comments yet?

Si.

[Llordllama]

Nah, I sat through Phantom a few weeks back again. It wasn't quite as painful as I remembered - and I still love the Mk1 robot warriors "Roger roger"; though the best bit with them is in Sith when they deliver the jedi to Gen Grevious' bridge and wander off with a beautiful passive agressive "You're welcome..."

Plus in Phantom there's all the time Liam Gon Jin spends talking into a Phillips Lady Shave sprayed silver. A moment as suspension of disbelief puncturing as Cybermen in cricket gloves...sprayed silver. All that time with a razer and he's still got a beard mind you; maybe he lends it to Obi Wan McGregor to keep his baby soft looks? Explains the beard he's sporting in Clones and Sith.

And Steve - that bit with the SSD crashing into the Death Star II (the ReDeadening)- the sizes look all wrong - shouldn't the Death Star II look a little curved and not a flat plane?

Oh and just recalled the single worst bit of Phantom - they save the planet and Brian Frog gives them all a sparkly globe of pointlessness +1. Wow, that's just so like...meh.

[Paul Monk]

In the interest of fairness, I'd more than welcome the chance to watch them again. It might be good to see them without the level of expectation or disappointment I had when I first watched them.