TFA was a play-it-safe franchise reboot - and for all its "done better polish" it lacked a beginning, a middle, and end because its not written or intended to be a stand-alone film. Its a beginning leading to a middle. It is not a complete story. No one knew ESB and RoTJ would get made when ANH came out. As a result, ANH was written in such a way that you can watch it and say "I really liked that story." With TFA your left saying, "I really this part of a story whose overall quality can only be judged by what comes next." That's a flaw.

I don't know if it can be objectively said that that's a flaw. It worked alright for The Fellowship of the Ring.

It was a flaw for FotR too, it was just a good movie in spite of that flaw.

When a movie unlike A New Hope is made with the promises of a Trilogy, the idea that the first one is open ended is not a flaw but a tool to ensure that the audience returns to see what happens next.

Empire Strikes Back

Revenge of the Sith

Phantom Menace

A New Hope

The Force Awakens

Attack of the Clones

-- and 53 in case hydrospanner is wondering.

It's kind of hard to rank them, as all of them have some merits and demerits to me. About 1/4 of Return of the Jedi is top notch, but the Ewoks are too cute and the practical effects are terrible. Pod racer Anakin is somewhat annoying, but the pod race itself (sounds, editing, species) is awesome, plus...Coruscant! And other than the completely tortured firelight dinners, AotC has a lot of good stuff: Dex, Coruscant traffic, Kamino, Jango, shapeshifters, an arena filled with bugs. TFA was a good *movie*, but I don't know if I like where it's going.

Empire Strikes Back

Revenge of the Sith

Phantom Menace

A New Hope

The Force Awakens

Return of the Jedi

Attack of the Clones

-- and 53 in case hydrospanner is wondering.

It's kind of hard to rank them, as all of them have some merits and demerits to me. About 1/4 of Return of the Jedi is top notch, but the Ewoks are too cute and the practical effects are terrible. Pod racer Anakin is somewhat annoying, but the pod race itself (sounds, editing, species) is awesome, plus...Coruscant! And other than the completely tortured firelight dinners, AotC has a lot of good stuff: Dex, Coruscant traffic, Kamino, Jango, shapeshifters, an arena filled with bugs. TFA was a good *movie*, but I don't know if I like where it's going.

I think you're one of the first poster on this forum not mindlessly hating on the Prequels. I salute you, sir!

Coming back from my second viewing of Force Awakens, and having rewatched an anti-cheese fan edit of Episode I and II, I must now change my order:

1. Revenge of the Sith

2. Attack of the Clones

3. Empire Strikes Back

4. Force Awakens

5. A New Hope

6. Phantom Menace

7. Return of the Jedi

Some will say it's because I'm 23 and I grew up with the Prequels, and maybe that's true. Or maybe it means I don't see the OT with nostalgia glasses on. We'll never know!

I think you're one of the first poster on this forum not mindlessly hating on the Prequels. I salute you, sir!

I love the prequels for the world-building, byzantine plot, and society expansion. I was a SW fan from the first time I saw E4 in 1977, but I remain one because of rich, and frankly more adult, background of the prequels...terrible dialogue and immature foreground notwithstanding. And we would not have this fantastic RPG without them...

1- Revenge of the Sith

2- Empire Strike Back

I like movies that ended badly.

3- A New Hope

4- Phantom Menace

5- Return of the Jedi

6- Force Awaken

&- Attack of the Clone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xESiohGGP7g

Kinda fun

Empire Strikes Back

Revenge of the Sith

Phantom Menace

A New Hope

The Force Awakens

Return of the Jedi

Attack of the Clones

-- and 53 in case hydrospanner is wondering.

It's kind of hard to rank them, as all of them have some merits and demerits to me. About 1/4 of Return of the Jedi is top notch, but the Ewoks are too cute and the practical effects are terrible. Pod racer Anakin is somewhat annoying, but the pod race itself (sounds, editing, species) is awesome, plus...Coruscant! And other than the completely tortured firelight dinners, AotC has a lot of good stuff: Dex, Coruscant traffic, Kamino, Jango, shapeshifters, an arena filled with bugs. TFA was a good *movie*, but I don't know if I like where it's going.

I think you're one of the first poster on this forum not mindlessly hating on the Prequels. I salute you, sir!

Actually, in several ways I prefer the Prequels. I'm a sucker for politics, history and social epics. Some of my favourite episodes of TCW are those dealing with trade or banking agreements. There's some atrocious dialogue in them and I feel alternately pity and hilarity for actors like Ewan McGreggor and Natalie Portman trapped in them. But I rank them intermixed with the OT. What can I say - I like grand drama.

Purely on their own merit as movies, without looking at originality (in cinema, of all things...)

1. The Force Awakens

2. Empire Strikes Back

3. A New Hope

4. Return of the Jedi

5. The Phantom Gungan

6. Attack of the Clones

7. Return of the Sith

If we absolutely must take originality into account, Empire swaps with TFA...and The Phantom Menace slides in above Return of the Jedi. Case example of why 'new' isn't always 'good', really. RotS retains the lowest rank because its flaws are positively cringeworthy, where-as AotC is merely 'forgettable and bad'. RotJ loses to TPM because it is essentially a rehash of ANH and ESB combined with toy marketing, when you get to the meat of it, while TPM adds gutsy new things like a dance number in the grand finale and a NASCAR race. Watching the Darth Maul fight muted with Grease running on the stereo is strangely eye opening.