What is your favorite Original Trilogy movie?

Early on, the original Star Wars was always my favorite. It had just the right balance of story and action, and let's face it... it was the movie that brought us this particular fantasy realm, and it did so completely out of the blue.

However, as I got a bit older and looked back at the Star Wars trilogy, I realized that it was Empire that I really liked best of all of them. The story has more depth to it, particularly with regard to the Force, and the tension and drama in that movie just don't quit. Plus, the action scenes are just astoundingly good. IMHO it's held up the best of all three of the OT films (though I would REALLY like to be able to see it and the other two films again someday without all of the Special Edition wankery...)

 

Aren't they releasing the unaltered versions on Blu-Ray? I still have the original trilogy laser discs sans Special Edition wankery.

 

I hope so! But there are always rumors about this. Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.

 

ESB was the first SW I was old enough to remember seeing so I have all the new-shiny feelings about that one that people a little older than me have for ANH...I really like the Luke/Yoda stuff in it (and I'm not opposed to all the chick-flick stuff in it though I'm glad Lucas cut it off where he did...presumably right before Kasdan had Han sing Dolly Parton in the carbonite chamber instead of Ford's improvised, "I know.")...

but

...I saw RotJ with just my dad when I was 8 so that's *always* going to be my favorite. That father atonement story in there is really the whole meaning of the franchise to me and the, "I'm proud of you, son" ending is pretty meaningful.

 

I go for Return of the Jedi. I like the Choir chanting haunting music while luke goes to town on vader, the emperor is truly disturbing, speeder bikes, jabba the hut, death star 2 run, "its a trap".

I totally understand why so many people prefer ESB. It probably is the technically better movie, but for me, it really comes down to that lightsaber duel in ROTJ.

 

JEDI was my favorite as a kid because of the Sarlacc pit duel and the battle on Endor but as an adult I moved on to EMPIRE because it's dark and twisty followed by ANH because it's a great introduction to a new universe.

 

I voted Star Wars, but I probably prefer Empire overall. You can't really compare the 2. But if I really had to, the few great stand-out scenes in SW are probably better than the few great stand-out scenes from Empire, but Empire has consistently great drama and action all the way through.

As for ROTJ, it serves it purpose, but as I got older I realized the first part of the movie with Jabba does nothing for me.. feels kinda awkward and unnecessary. But the space battle / light saber dual / conclusion make the movie worth the watch.

 

Star Wars; A New Hope is far & away the best of all the Star Wars series films so far.
It's not "perfect" & has many flaws but for it's era: 1970s, & what it meant/accomplished it's worth all the credit & praise.
TESB is a better film technically on a few levels BUT it's really an unfair comparison.
If Lucas & the prodco/ILM had the studio support & $$$ in the mid 1970s, what would Star Wars A New Hope looked or sounded like?
Star Wars has a simple plot, good story arcs & hits all the 4Q requirements(appeals to different ages/demos). The acting is: ehhh but the leads got much better in TESB & ROTJ.
Star Wars had ground-breaking SFX and great music/sound FX too. It led the way for 1000s of industry artists, model builders, crew, engineers, etc.
Lucas put a lot into A New Hope and had to overcome many obstacles.

 

While I have to go with Empire as my "favourite", I've got a lot of love for ROTJ.
I've always said that it is, in a way, like Star Wars distilled down to it's purest form. It's like all the elements from the first two films are kind of thrown into the mix and just cranked up to 11.
I don't think anything in a sci-fi/fantasy film has given me that same feeling as Jabba's Palace did when I firs saw it - that this is another world and it actually exists, because it is too weird and too complex for someone to have just made it up. For me, it's unique in that sense. And by complex, I mean it is so aesthetically pleasing and refined - and there are all these weird creatures lurking around, and they all have names. I can't think of any other movie where I have literally spent hours with the VHS paused, drawing the characters, or just trying to make out exactly "what that thing is in the corner there, behind that pillar..."
Maybe the Cantina in ANH comes a close second on that front.

I know it's a cop out, but I genuinely do love all three films equally, just in different ways.

 

Empire was my least favorite.

Now don't go hatin' on me until you read my reasoning.

I admit Empire was probably the best made OT movie, but that didn't make it the most enjoyable for me. The original Star Wars movie just blew my 10 year old mind. It was so unlike anything I'd ever seen before! And the last half hour of Jedi was probably the most fun I ever had in a movie theater, unless you count that time in the back row with that redhead I was dating

Perhaps it was my age. I was a little older when Empire came out and it just didn't convey that same sense of magic as the original. I didn't like Lando, probably because I was still too young to understand the line between good guy and bad guy isn't always clearly marked, or even stationary. Luke, my hero, crashed twice in the movie. Yoda just didn't do it for me, probably because he's introduced as a pilfering little thief who wouldn't give Luke a straight answer. And Threepio, who had seemed kinda cool in the first movie, turned into a prissy whine-bot who complains about everything.

I can see the wisdom in all that now, but at 13 it went over my head. I enjoyed Empire, but not as much as the other two OT movies.

The original Star Wars was my favorite. While it might not have been executed quite as well as Empire, it still came first. It's like your first car - certainly a clunker compared to the cars you own as you get more financially stable, but it will always be your favorite because it was your first. Your first taste of freedom, of adulthood. Or, in the case of Star Wars, my first taste of the Force, of X Wings and Tie Fighters, of lightsabers and stormtroopers.

 

i voted TESB. it's a comparison question.. so if were to be presented with a choice of which one to watch right now - ESB is the one i'd pick.

if the vote had been "what it the greatest film ever" and had a selection of all the big films of all time and included the 3 seperate OT films.... i'd probably pick ANH. weird huh? i prefer the second to watch but i'll always think of ANH as the best film ever.

 

I was seven when ANH hit cinemas. I never got to see it first time round (its just not what we did, kids went to cinemas on saturday mornings back then) I count myself very lucky to be just the right age at just the right time. Loved everything star wars until I saw ESB. In those days you could walk into a cinema at anytime and sit through the film over and over again until the cinema closed. Loved that my heros had a new story different yet familiar. Same with ROTJ. Looked forward to the prequels...... and HATED them. Lost heart when i heard Disney had taken over the franchaise, but looking forward to 7 and beyond, just as long as they realise that their are more middle aged star wars fans than kids now. And yes I voted ESB, like 'em on the dark side!

 

I love ALL the films but even though ESB is my favourite I would have to say ANH means more dear to me as it was the first film of the series I had seen and started my love for all things Star Wars.

 

"Star Wars" (Episode IV) is my favorite. It has a certain magic to it that never quite resurfaced in the two sequels. Don't get me wrong, V and VI have plenty of magic too. But IV has this grungy, almost indie vibe to it that I think stems from the fact that it was made before anyone dreamed of a blockbuster, let alone a franchise. I like that the movie is self-contained, too.

 

Hey guys, I wanted to make a thread and poll were people can discuss their favorite original trilogy movie. My personal favorite would have to be Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. I love that movie, and if The Force Awakens can be half as good as it I'll be very satisfied. That being said lets discuss✌

 

My favorite changes depending on my mood. I think A New Hope will always hold a special place in my heart though.

 

My favorite would have to be Empire with ANH in a very close second. Empire is of course the darker of the two but also it moves at a faster pace than ANH.

 

Empire.Best star Wars movie EVER.

 

Upon seeing this shot, my mind was made up, and has not changed-

 

Star Wars was my favorite as a kid, but now I have to give a slight nod to Empire. Empire has the advantage over Star Wars and Jedi that it doesn't have to introduce the characters, and doesn't need a resolution. I love all of the OT movies and hold them near and dear to my heart, but when I watch Empire these days I do marvel at how damn good the movie is.

Fixed!