Star Wars rankings by series: part two
Contains Spoilers
This week we return to the official ranking of the Star Wars saga. Last week, I determined that in third place of the Star Wars trilogies is the sequel trilogy, and this week you get to see what deserves the second place spot in this line-up. Be forewarned, the following ratings do include some spoilers!
2. The original trilogy
1977’s Star Wars is one of the most iconic films of all time. From the story, to the characters, to the visual effects, to the world-building, writer and director George Lucas knocked it out of the park with the original installment of this franchise. The idea of a perfectly cast young farmer in the most seemingly insignificant corner of the galaxy meeting an old wizard just before being sent on a mission to save a princess and the rest of the universe from devastation was a reimagining of the hero’s journey like no other at the time of the film’s release. Every plot point along the way, though, was related to popular tropes and allowed audiences to connect with the story and the characters in a familiar way.
The film isn’t without its pitfalls as components like a lack of energy during big moments by the actors, some poorly-aged CGI, and a very weird relationship between Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (that was obviously not thought out very well), work against the overall product.
The vast majority of positives outweigh those negatives, however, as aspects such as Lucas’ ability to lay down small talking points that would later lead to entire sequels as well as the updated CGI added in later years (which is controversial, but definitely should not be).
After making such a powerhouse of a film like Star Wars, it would have been understandable for Lucas and the series as a whole to have declined in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. That couldn’t have been further from the truth as the second installment wasn’t only as good as the original—it was better. And on top of that, it is quite possibly the greatest sequel film in any movie franchise ever.
One of the best things about the film is that it did so much for the entire series while also acting as a great installment all on its own. The story progressed and matured from Star Wars, and gave us some of the most iconic lines of dialogue and plot twists in all of cinema. It also introduced two of the coolest and most mysterious characters in the whole series, Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett. The sets and world-building also evolved, with Hoth and Cloud City being some of the most beautiful backgrounds in all nine of the films in the series. After about one hour and 45 minutes of constant perfection, Empire ended in the exact same fashion, as the final scenes gave the audience little closure and led them to eagerly anticipate the final installment in the impeccable original trilogy.
That final installment was eventually released three long years later in 1983 with Return of the Jedi. The third film may be the largest reason for the original trilogy coming in second place on this ranking. Jedi did so many things correctly, especially when looking at it in the larger scope of the entire series. It gave Luke Skywalker and the rest of the rebels a fitting ending while returning the greatest cinematic antagonist of all time, Darth Vader, into the compassionate, caring, and loving Anakin Skywalker.
Unlike in the original film, these positives don’t outweigh the glaring negatives, though. First of all, the opening scene in Return of the Jedi is possibly the best in any of the three films. It gave us Luke Skywalker showing off his new green lightsaber, along with Princess Leia trying to save Han Solo all within the brooding palace of Jabba the Hut. The scene is almost completely ruined though, as Boba Fett is killed off and all hope for more of a story with the newly beloved character went with it.
After the opening scene, my primary issue with the film is the Ewoks. Now, I am often on the side of defending hated Star Wars characters used for comedic relief (i.e. JarJar Binks). I cannot, however, defend the use of Ewoks and the storyline surrounding them. To think that the first two films worked to display Darth Vader, the Emperor, and the entire Empire as a whole as the most powerful group of people in the universe, just to have them crumble at the hands of the Rebels who were successful largely due to the help of some small random tribe of baby-bear-like-creatures was and still remains absurd. Had this trilogy ended in a more fitting and worthwhile way, it could have topped this list.
Look for this trilogy’s thrilling conclusion to this lineup in next week’s edition of The Lamron.
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