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fandumbstuff · 3 years

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The Star Wars Saga, ranked best to worst.

1. The Empire Strikes Back Directed by Irvin Kershner

Upon close consideration, I’ve come to the shocking conclusion that Empire is the best Star Wars film. There’s a wealth of world-building and character development here that in many ways makes Star Wars the living breathing universe it is now. A richly complex melodrama lies at the heart of Empire, giving a whole new meaning to the term “space opera”. The performances here are some of the strongest in the entire franchise. Mark Hamill not only fleshes out Luke’s character, but in his training with Yoda and his duel with Vader he establishes the profound nature of the force, and how every future character interacts with it. As Han and Leia, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher create authenticity to their characters’ relationship. Often misinterpreted as playfully hostile or sassy, there’s a real and endearing sense of affection between them, particularly in the infamous “I love you”/”I know” line- shedding their previously petty flirtation and affirming their true feelings. The emotional crux of Empire lies not in the most memorable twist, but in the moments immediately following it - In Luke and Leia reaching out to each other, reconnecting a relationship that was lost, rekindling hope in the force after we thought it was lost.

2. A New Hope Directed by George Lucas

I’ll be the first in line to make fun of dorky George Lucas and his woeful attempts at writing dialogue or romance. However, it’s pretty damn impossible to ignore what he achieved with Star Wars in 1977. The sheer audacity of his vision and his determination in executing it despite the naysaying from producers and supposed friends. Lucas had the bold idea of using cinema for it’s absolute worth- more than just a storytelling medium but a theatrical one. A cacaphony of sight and sound that could draw mass audiences and create a lasting impression. It’s a formula that every Hollywood and Bollywood blockbuster strives and more often than not fails to follow. It’s hard to dissociate A New Hope from the cultural phenomenon it helped create, but when you do, it stands as an impressive film on it’s own. Groundbreaking in terms of it’s visual effects and nostalgic in the simplicity of it’s sci-fi serial story, Star Wars ticked all the right boxes for so many people. If I was to boil Star Wars down to an essence, i think it lies in 2 scenes: Luke looking out at the binary sunset on Tattooine, and Han Solo yahooing after the Falcon saves Luke in the Death Star trenches. Those two scenes, Wistfulness and Exuberance, are the two sides of one concept- Adventure. Star Wars ignited those emotions in every child’s imagination, and it’s a flame that’s likely to never go out.

3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Directed by Gareth Evans

Hard to believe this is a Disney movie. While the house of mouse may have a reputation for emotional gut punches in kids movies, it’s never felt quite so... permanent. Rogue One is an unrelenting emotional journey barelling towards surefire tragedy. We spend moments with characters that seem to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. The sense of desperation that permeates the movie almost overpowers any sense of heroism. It’s so unlike anything we’ve seen in a Star Wars movie. Their courage comes from a place that is wholly genuine and believable. We see the rebellion for the despondent group that they are. Sorely outnumbered by the Empire, their actions in this movie show a reckless, darker side to them and makes the morality of Star Wars so much more complex. The first time we meet Cassian Andor- the stand out performace of the film by Diego Luna- we see him kill another rebel to protect their secrets. It’s a movie that reframes the original Star Wars trilogy, making it a richer, complex universe and more intriguing as a result. Also, the last five minutes might be the best five minutes in any Star Wars movie.

4. Return of the Jedi Directed by Richard Marquand

The one sore spot in the original trilogy for me are the Ewoks. I realise it's ridiculous for me to complain about kid-friendly creatures in a kid's movie, but Star Wars has done this a lot more tolerably in the form of Porgs and Baby Yoda. Just something about these furry, Tibetan speaking monsters who somehow have the wherewithal to defeat an elite and well equipped empire rubs me the long way. Anyway, other than that, the movie's pretty fantastic. The culmination of Luke's journey comes to a head in an extremely emotional and effective climax. John Williams score crescendos to operatic heights and Mark Hamill's stellar performance sells Luke’s torment. It’s also worth noting that in those final moments of moral dilemma, Darth Vader is silent- it’s David Prowse’s performance entirely that sells this. His incredible presence throughout the trilogy builds to this moment and you can feel the weight of it in those closeups on Vader. Every other cast member rounds the story out perfectly- from Lando and Han’s playful rapport to Leia’s more militaristic side in planning the rebellions final moves. I still bemoan the fact that they changed the final song- an opinion that I’m apparently a minority on- but it’s a pretty incredible ending altogether and wonderfully cathartic to watch over and over again.

5. The Last Jedi Directed by Rian Johnson

With Last Jedi, Rian Johnson analyzed the universe Star Wars inhabits, and what drives it’s characters. The characters that we love are pushed to their limits, struggle against insurmountable odds and their own innate flaws. And we see all of them fail in turn. It is remarkably bleak, but not without purpose. It is out of this failure that the Resistance needs to recoup and come back stronger. The performances here, are arguably the best you’ll find in the entire franchise. Daisy Ridley has to break down Rey’s naivete and find a deeper sense of self actualization. Adam Driver hands in some of his best work, by swerving the audience into believing Kylo Ren and then creating a desperate plea in THAT throne room scene, and eventually turning him into a snivelling villain, all in the same movie. Mark Hamill’s performance here is heartbreaking- revealing the bleakest version of Luke, and struggling to find his redemption. Last Jedi is a bold deconstuction of these characters, of what they stand for, and what makes Star Wars beautiful.

6. The Force Awakens Directed by J. J. Abrams

In many ways, a safe movie to announce the return of Star Wars. But it’s hard to fault this. Disney’s decision making was shrewd here, bringing on J. J. Abrams to pay homage to George Lucas’ original vision, returning the franchise to it’s roots of practical effects and shooting on film. There was something truly special about experiencing this film in theatres, so much so that I did it eleven times. It captured a sense of wonder for fans new and old- hearing the scream of Tie Fighters, John Williams herald the return of the Millenium Falcon, and the look of awe on Rey’s face as she clutches her destiny in her hand. I’ll be honest, the film loses some of this magic without the shared experience of an audience, and it’s flaws are more noticeable. But being swept up in the excitement of adventure felt so darn good in 2015, and that’s so key to this franchise.

7. Revenge of the Sith Directed by George Lucas

This movie has risen so much in my opinion, entirely due to the animated Clone Wars series. Revenge of the Sith depicts the overwhelming tragedy that frames the original Star Wars. Watching Clone Wars explains explicitly what makes this film so tragic. But it’s more than that- it’s a catastrophic failure on behalf of the Jedi Order. Ignorance and pride allow evil to fester and grow. George Lucas took the simplicity of the moral struggle he established in 1977 and tried to give it depth and complexity with the prequels, and it pays off in Revenge of the Sith. It leads into the original trilogy quite brilliantly, with a promise of hope and resilience.

8. The Phantom Menace Directed by George Lucas

It has not aged well. While the advent of CGI I’m sure felt exciting at the time, and you almost can’t fault George Lucas for his insistence on staying at the forefront of VFX innovation as he has always done, it’s his reliance on so much of it that fails horribly. Like a kid in a candy store, Lucas stuffs the pockets of this film with so many bizarre effects for absolutely no reason. That sea monster scene is one of the worst displays I’ve ever seen and it’s absurd that it sits in a Star Wars film. Add to that the boring political plotline and ridiculous midichlorian dilemma and there’s very little redemptive about this film. However, it does have podracing, and Duel of the Fates, and it’s remarkable how much that salves the wound.

9. The Rise of Skywalker Directed by J. J. Abrams

Alright, well obviously this film has been problematic. However, I’m not about to bemoan the idea that Disney has ruined Star Wars and I have nothing left to live for. So let’s all just calm down. Ultimately J. J. Abrams was faced with the impossible task of wrapping up the Skywalker saga, with very few Skywalkers to work with. I firmly believe this would have been a very different film if Carrie Fisher was around to complete her performance. But left with nothing but the new cast, Abrams is caught between summing up the past while also looking to the future. It forces an awkward plotline with Palpatine- despite Ian McDiarmid's solid performance, the writing here seems wildly derivative of the franchise. There are some truly beautiful scenes, most notably the chemistry that Adam Driver gets to share with Harrison Ford, and Joonas Suotamo’s critically emotional outburst as Chewbacca. Some of the production design and score is so entirely different from the rest of the franchise it's inherently intriguing. But there’s very little here to save some of the poorer choices the film makes: the open plot hole with Finn, the derailing of Rey’s character development, and most crucially, the deeply perturbing culmination of Rey and Kylo’s relationship. The audience literally went “ew”.

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story Directed by Ron Howard

The biggest problem with Solo is that it operates under the presumption that people will be enamoured and invested in it. Not just in one movie, but in an entire series of movies. Solo clearly operates as a setup for further sequels. As a result, many plot lines remain unresolved, and Qi’ra winds up being a completely under-baked character. Her motivations make no sense, and a twist ending that I assume was supposed to be exciting is instead downright confusing. There’s a lot of unnecessary exposition into Han’s past too. As an origin story, I don’t need to know every aspect of Han’s past- especially not cute winks at inane things like “Why’s he called Solo?”. All this being said, The movie features some solid performances- Donald Glover is expectedly phenomenal as Lando, and Alden Ehrenreich excels as Solo, adding some welcome flavour to the character- particularly his friendship with Chewbacca, and a brilliantly executed final scene between him and Woody Harrelson’s Beckett.

11. Attack of the Clones Directed by George Lucas

How in the world this film made it all the way to production and into filming, with no one pulling Lucas aside and saying “Hey George, those kids have no chemistry” is beyond me. And I’m not going to blame Hayden Christensen or Natalie Portman on this one, because the whole damn love story makes no sense. Maybe falling for a dude who admits he murdered women and children isn’t such a great idea? Then there’s the increasingly convoluted political climate set up in Phantom Menace, and the machinations of the dark side that would take the entire Clone Wars series to fully explain. All this being said, Temuera Morrison, Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan MacGregor AND Christopher Lee are all in this movie. And they’re pretty damn fantastic.

12. The Clone Wars Directed by Dave Filoni

It’s inexplicable that Dave Filoni would go on to have a hand in some of the best Star Wars content ever made in Clone Wars, Rebels and the Mandalorian. And yet he got his start in the franchise by putting up this piece of junk. And junk is being a little generous. The humour is so juvenile it’s insulting to even the youngest of audiences it’s intended for. The plotline feels way to thin to warrant a feature film, and if this was in fact intended as a pilot for the TV series, they sure picked to most uninteresting story to pique our interest. Skip the movie, watch the show.

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anycontentposter · 4 years

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Even Rise of Skywalker's Cast Think Star Wars Should Take A Break

Even the cast of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker think Star Wars should take a break. The famed film franchise, which has existed for over 40 years now, has seemingly gone into hyper-drive ever since creator George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. In less than a decade, Star Wars fans have witnessed the arrival of two anthology films - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story - as well as a new sequel trilogy, which has now officially culminated with The Rise of Skywalker. Aside from these theatrical releases, Disney’s subscription streaming service Disney+ has also launched the successful new series The Mandalorian, and other series’ are on their way, centring around popular characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor.

All of these productions are just the tip of the Star Wars iceberg, however, with two brand new theme parks having already opened in both Disneyland and Disney World, as well as a multitude of toys, video games, animated entertainment and of course, more Star Wars movies arriving for years to come. And while all of this may be a dream come true for many Star Wars fans, others have expressed the concern that it is possible to experience too much of a good thing in too short of a time span.

Related: Disney Is Right: They Rushed Star Wars And Need To Slow Down

As a matter of fact, the demand for Disney to slow things down a little has become apparent enough for the Mouse House to get the hint. Earlier this year it was revealed by Disney CEO Bob Iger that Star Wars would be taking a hiatus after the release of Rise of Skywalker. This decision has been both applauded and criticized by fans, but now thanks to a video from Yahoo (via CBR), we have some insight into how the stars of the completed sequel trilogy feel. According to Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, a break is a good thing and all three agreed that it’s time to slow things down for the time being. Said Ridley on the issue:

"What I want, is a break. And everyone's discussed it, but I think we need to let The Rise of Skywalker have its moment and just take a breath."

Adding to Ridley’s comments, Boyega said:

"I think it's important for, like, the biggest movie of all time to make sure it has its place in the cinematic universe because that's how we love to see Star Wars."

Isaac added his own feelings on the issue by stating:

"I would like to see it slow down a little bit. I think you know, to make it special when the next one comes out and it doesn’t feel like it’s part of an assembly line but that it’s really particular, specially made stories that are really about something. And taking the time to find the right people to put those things together and developing it, you know, with a real clear arc in mind.”

Clearly, the idea of taking the time to create something that measures up to everything that’s come before is key to this new generation of Star Wars stars. Fans of Star Wars may sometimes be divided on this issue, but the one thing that all fans can likely agree on is they want the best possible film in theaters every single time. In order to do that, there has to be a certain level of respect for the immense process involved in bringing the Star Wars universe to life.

With a new trilogy already in the works from The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson, it’s unlikely that fans will have to wait any substantial amount of time before new films arrive. Certainly, Star Wars already has a release date set for December 2022. There was a 16-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, and with today’s content hungry fanbase, a wait even half that long would potentially be disastrous for Disney. For this reason, those who are opposed to a Star Wars break can take consolation in the fact that it likely won’t be a long one.

Next: Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie And Release Date

Source: Yahoo (via CBR)

Read more about this at screenrant.com

https://coolarticlespinner.com/even-rise-of-skywalkers-cast-think-star-wars-should-take-a-break/

#movienews #toys

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vermiculus-incipiens-prompts · 7 years

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PARTNERS

Lily Potter and Evan Rosier → Though less than pleased to be on a mission with Igor Karkaroff, Evan Rosier plays the role of menacing negotiator with finesse. He manages to separate Lily from her husband and once they’re out of sight, the game of wits and threats begins. He tells her how James is being tortured and how only her compliance will save him, so will she abandon the Order of the Phoenix and everything she’s fighting for to save the man she loves? Lily’s not ready to go down without a fight, though, and must face not only the Death Eater, but her own faith in James and his strength. In the midst of the confrontation, she casts a Patronus to send a message for help to Dumbledore.

James Potter and Igor Karkaroff → Playing a mirroring role to Evan in the Dark Lord’s plan, Igor confronts James Potter and, once Evan has Lily out of sight, proposes the same ultimatum: join the Dark Lord or Lily dies screaming. He adds insult to injury by smoothly suggesting that Lily could well be betraying him right that moment. People do terrible things to end torture, after all, don’t they? Can James trust enough in his wife to know that she would never back down? And what about the safety of his unborn child?

Severus Snape and Marlene McKinnon → Severus Snape must employ more vicious magic than he prefers when he winds up duelling a furious Marlene McKinnon, who is terrified for her friends. Doubt and resentfulness are plaguing Severus; he should be serving the Dark Lord with his wits and his talents, not as a faceless footsoldier. If he survives this unscathed, he decides, he’s going to suggest to the Dark Lord that he be allowed to exercise his talents in a different way, collecting intelligence, not blasting curses.

Alastor Moody and Dorcas Meadowes → Dorcas, acting on Dumbledore’s behest, rushes to the Auror Offices, where Alastor is working late, to let him know what’s happened. Together they head to the location Lily gave in her message for aid, but before they can face the Death Eaters, they come up against a barricade of devilish curses and jinxes meant to trap members of the rescue party. They have to work together to make it past the dangerous enchantments.

Alecto Carrow and Alastor Moody → Alecto Carrow is a skilled fighter, but she finds herself in more danger than she counted on when she is faced with Alastor Moody. She must use creativity and trickery to match wits and wands with the Head Auror. Yet she has more of an advantage than she realizes, as the whispering voices in Alastor’s mind are particularly loud that night, distracting him with their taunting. It’s a game of cat and mouse, but who is who?

Rodolphus Lestrange and Remus Lupin → Rodolphus, feeling unfairly sidelined in the mission, takes his frustration out on the first Order member who crosses his path, Remus Lupin. Remus, terrified for the fate of Lily and James, has anger to match the Death Eater’s, however.

Walden Macnair and Sirius Black → Sirius and James’ friendship has been on shaky ground recently, but this only spurs Sirius on as he rushes to his best friend’s aid. Nothing like mortal peril to remind you what’s important in life. Unfortunately, he finds his way blocked by a Death Eater, who is all too happy to stand in his way. Walden Macnair finds the young Black family outcast’s desperation amusing and takes pleasure in taunting him as they fight. It’s his birthday, after all, and what better present than a little violence?

Narcissa Malfoy and Tilden Toots → Tilden Toots finds himself unexpectedly left out of the action when Professor Dumbledore tells him that he isn’t needed for the rescue mission. Scared for his friends and worried that Dumbledore has found out about his memory problems, he is left to wait until the aftermath to see how he might help. While gathering up Healing potions from the apothecary’s where he works, intent on being useful somehow, he comes face to face with Narcissa Malfoy, who is there for her own reasons. Her reputation precedes her and it isn’t a good one -- at least amongst Order members -- but Tilden also can’t shake the hazy recollection of the ice queen he met at Halloween.

Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks → While the Order and many of the Death Eaters clash over the rescue of the Potters, Bellatrix Lestrange takes on a more personal mission of her own. Though she would adamantly deny having any contact with her estranged sister Andromeda, some things are hard to resist. She confronts Andromeda as the latter hurries from her home, having just received the news of the attack and desperate to see how she can help in the aftermath. Andromeda is far from an easy target, though, and stands her ground against her sister, before eventually getting past her in order to get to her friends.

Edgar Bones and Daisy Hookum → Daisy and Edgar are both left to battle their own demons rather than Death Eaters, as they are not among the Order members called to the rescue and Dumbledore instead asks them to prepare one of the safe houses in case anyone needs a safe place to stay if injured during the mission. As they set up wards and make sure supplies in the house are stocked up, they bond over not only their concern for their friends who are out fighting, but also the hardships they’ve suffered and the uncertainty of their place in the war. What can you do when the war has worn you to the bone, but there’s no choice but to keep fighting? An unexpected pixie infestation is cause for distraction.

#VI Prompts #prompt 40 #the broken olive branch #VI Prompt Partners

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anycontentposter · 4 years

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Even Rise of Skywalker's Cast Think Star Wars Should Take A Break

Related: Disney Is Right: They Rushed Star Wars And Need To Slow Down

"What I want, is a break. And everyone's discussed it, but I think we need to let The Rise of Skywalker have its moment and just take a breath."

Adding to Ridley’s comments, Boyega said:

"I think it's important for, like, the biggest movie of all time to make sure it has its place in the cinematic universe because that's how we love to see Star Wars."

Isaac added his own feelings on the issue by stating:

Next: Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie And Release Date

Source: Yahoo (via CBR)