“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." Watching the Star Wars films

[supermanfan]

The best thing about the empire strikes back is Yoda he is awesome!and my favorite character in the movie

 

[Ome]

I have no idea how many times I've seen the first trilogy. I was lucky to see all nine films in the cinema and the first trilogy again when it was re-released in the 90s with the extra special effects. I've also watched the nine films in cinema release order and then in order of the story itself. I enjoyed (very much) doing it in its chronological order, most of which I wasn't expecting.

My favourite film of the whole series is from the 00s while my least favourite is from the 90s. My favourite character is the stormtrooper, well, all and any of them. I'm obsessed with them. On a recent trip to Barcelona, we visited the Casa Mila, designed by Antoni Gaudí, where (apparently) George Lucas was inspired, and his Stormtrooper creations were born.

















I'm looking forward to watching the saga play out through your eyes, Mel, and I hope you get lost in all its wonderment.

As much as I love and will always keep watching STAR WARS, it will always come second place after the bloody brilliant STAR TREK.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I've also watched the nine films in cinema release order and then in order of the story itself. I enjoyed (very much) doing it in its chronological order, most of which I wasn't expecting.

I can imagine it looks very different depending which order you choose, and I have spotted a little addition or two that was clearly intended for those who'd already watched Episodes I-III.

My favourite film of the whole series is from the 00s while my least favourite is from the 90s.

Ooh, interesting. That means you have a love/hate relationship with the prequel trilogy. I wonder how I'll feel about them.

On a recent trip to Barcelona, we visited the Casa Mila, designed by Antoni Gaudí, where (apparently) George Lucas was inspired, and his Stormtrooper creations were born.

Oh my. That looks amazing. And I imagine it was extra special for you because of the connection.

I'm looking forward to watching the saga play out through your eyes, Mel, and I hope you get lost in all its wonderment.

Thanks Ome. So far, so good.

it will always come second place after the bloody brilliant STAR TREK.

Another one for my viewing bucket list, perhaps...

 

[Spells & Karma]

I prefer the obvious fakeness in these kind of stories simply because it all looks like something that can be touched.
I'm not sure if this is true or something I want to believe, but I also get the impression that the actors had to work a little harder to sell it.

I think you've nailed it, Willie. There's a very different physicality to what's onscreen when practical effects have been used. The actors are reacting to something real. We know they're reacting to something real. And that affects how we view it.

Sorry to keep coming back to killer sharks, but I remember one of the actors from Jaws 2 speaking about being nervous at times working with the shark model, not because it was a scary frightening shark, but because it was a machine weighing several tonnes moving towards him at speed with no guarantee that it would be able to move in the way the effects team hoped it would. Plus they were on the ocean with all its tides and currents and depths. And the thought of real sharks was at the forefront of their mind. And it all affected what they put into the performance.

There's no such thing as a fixed scenario for how we react to people or events, then why pretend it should exist in fiction?

Ooh. Yes!

thank God for WC's.

If those walls could talk I'm sure they've seen the gamut of emotions. Love and laughter. Tears and sadness...

The best thing about the empire strikes back is Yoda he is awesome!and my favorite character in the movie

I honestly never thought I'd say this, but he's a favourite of mine as well. I may attempt to rank my favourite characters of the first trilogy soon, and Yoda will definitely be on that list.

 

[Ome]

Ooh, interesting. That means you have a love/hate relationship with the prequel trilogy. I wonder how I'll feel about them.

Hopefully, if I remember, I will explain my thoughts/reasoning behind those choices when you reach them.

I think I'm sure that there is a love/hate relationship with the final two trilogies among all franchise fans. The great thing is every fan will find some greatness in each film.

Then there is the score throughout, and nothing is as great as the IMPERIAL MARCH.

Another one for my viewing bucket list, perhaps...

Oh my....

 

[Spells & Karma]

Hopefully, if I remember, I will explain my thoughts/reasoning behind those choices when you reach them.

Oh, brilliant.

I think I'm sure that there is a love/hate relationship with the final two trilogies among all franchise fans. The great thing is every fan will find some greatness in each film.

Yes, and that's what makes sharing views so much fun. It can enhance the way I look at it. Obviously, I'm coming at this without having been a longtime fan of the series, but at the same time I know how esteemed the original trilogy is and how some fans really didn't like some of the prequels. Now I'm looking forward to finding out why.

Then there is the score throughout, and nothing is as great as the IMPERIAL MARCH.

Oh yes indeed. I've been looking through my music collection and while I don't the full soundtrack album for any of the films, I do have a good number of different tracks on compilation albums. Some are covers by other orchestras (and I even have a cover of the Star Wars Main Title by John Williams himself) but still sound great.

Possibly my favourite track among them is Duel Of The Fates from The Phantom Menace, so however I end up feeling about the film at least I know the score will be great and I'm excited about hearing that one in context.

Oh my....

Ha ha. If and when I do watch, it's definitely going to be a long time off. Between Marvel and Star Wars I'm going to be all sci-fi'd out for quite some years after this. And I have an ever-growing and unwatched collection of terrible old British sitcoms demanding my attention.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Return Of The Jedi (1983)

​

And the original trilogy is complete.

Of all three films, I found Jedi the easiest to slip into. The revival of Han; the iconic (there’s that word again) scene with Leia in that bikini as Jabba’s slave; Vader’s visit to the new Death Star. All hit the right notes, and picked up the story in a way that was engaging.

Everything I wanted to know was revealed, and then some. Favourite characters are revisited and the new ones are mostly greatly enjoyable. This is a film which took no effort at all to enjoy.

It’s also a film in which - for the first two thirds, at least - the action was fun. Luke and Leia’s hover vehicle pursuit of the Stormtroopers through the forest is perhaps my favourite action sequence in the series so far. It’s one of those scenes I’d love to see on the big screen. And in 3D! But even on a TV screen, it really popped and had a dynamic sense of speed.

But you can have too much of a good thing and unfortunately the final act’s battle just didn’t do it for me. There were a lot of different things going on and it was clear an attempt had been made to make it as entertaining as possible, but while it was enjoyable for five minutes or so, it went on for a further twenty or more minutes and I found myself getting bored. The saving grace were the cuts back to Luke, Vader and The Emperor which took us back to character, but that final over-long battle sequence negatively affected my enjoyment of the film overall, which is a shame as I’d been loving it up to that point.

But, back to the greatness:

Yoda’s return was very welcome, and his death quite touching. He’s definitely become a favourite character of mine.

While Jabba isn’t a favourite character, his introduction (yes - I’m mentally removing that Star Wars added scene from my memory banks) was great, and the scene in which his pet monster graphically eats another creature was suitably gruesome and ugly.

The Ewoks are, of course familiar to me from merchandise, cartoons and word of mouth. Who could not know what an Ewok looks like? They didn’t disappoint and I enjoyed what they brought to the film. Clearly they’re intended to appeal to a young audience, but it did so in a way that has a universal appeal.

continued…​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Return Of The Jedi

continued
​

More soapy revelations with Leia revealed to be Luke’s sister (gasp! But of course this information was also out in the universe and so wasn’t news to me). I enjoyed how it was handled, with Luke and Leia now the John Palmer and Angela Hamilton of the Star Wars universe: twins separated at birth; she going on to a life of wealth and privilege, though also a rebel; he becoming part of a more earthy blue collar family who teach him good values; they meet two decades later and fall in love; he discovers that the person he despises most in the world - and who treats him with equal contempt - is the person who gave him life. There's even been an incestuous kiss along the way. So very Sons and Daughters is it all, I actually visualised a sepia freeze frame in the moment where Luke received the news about Leia. This sequel certainly lives up to the space opera name.

Han’s jealousy and misunderstanding over Luke and Leia’s cosy confab was also nicely soapy, and Harrison Ford did a wonderfully confused look on receiving the news that made me think he was about to say “But you’ve kissed him. With tongues” (sadly, the incest angle pretty much went unmentioned in Jedi). Ford also gave one of the funniest, most interesting kisses on the series when Leia kissed him as he was still processing everything he was told. The look in his open eyes spoke volumes. It's also nice that Han was willing to step aside when he thought Luke was on Leia's radar as a lover.

As previously mentioned, I felt Mark Hamill was perfect for Luke but didn’t feel he was a great actor. I’ve actually changed my mind on the latter. Of all characters, it’s Luke who’s changed and grown the most in the series. He’s grown from a boy to a man and from an innocent to one who truly understands. And he’s done it all with ease. His performance in Jedi is not only the best for him as an actor in this series, but it’s also arguably one of the best performances in this film and series. He’s retained the innocent sparkle to his eyes, and this works to great effect when he’s dealing with Yoda’s death and the news about his long-lost sister. But there’s a grown up economy to his performance. The scene in which he breaks the news to Leia is terrific. There’s a lot of dramatic development in this film, with the changing family dynamics and the deaths of tutor and his father. Appropriately, there’s a darkness and intensity to Luke at times - one can almost see Willem Dafoe in some scenes. He’s become nicely unpredictable.

While I was pretty sure Vader would die, the way in which it happened felt unexpected. The final scene between Luke and Vader was quite lovely, though I really wasn’t sure about the removal of the mask - or at least about we, the audience, seeing Vader’s real face. Part of me feels it would have been better to simply see Luke’s reaction to seeing his father. But there’s no denying it was a moment. And it worked.

As the end to the series, I’m very happy with this one. At this point, I question if the prequel and sequel trilogies are needed. I’d be happy for Episodes IV, V and VI to simply be part of a wider imaginary universe and let our imaginations run riot with possibilities. That same part of me could happily leave it here and draw a line in the Tatooine sand. But since the other six episodes (among other materials) are siting in my watch list, I feel it would be rude not to.

 

[Crimson]

As the end to the series, I’m very happy with this one. At this point, I question if the prequel and sequel trilogies are needed.

I'll go one step further. I think the original STAR WARS is about as perfect adventure film as one could hope for, but everything else in the STAR WARS franchise is superfluous or redundant. Despite deliberately being created to feel as a midpoint in an ongoing saga, the original film is a complete story: the Empire is defeated. What else was needed? Everything else has repeated or even undermined the original film.

Which isn't to say there's no entertainment value in the rest. I've enjoyed some of the other SW films although, as a whole, I think the franchise is messy and frustrating and, well, not that good.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I'll go one step further. I think the original STAR WARS is about as perfect adventure film as one could hope for, but everything else in the STAR WARS franchise is superfluous or redundant. Despite deliberately being created to feel as a midpoint in an ongoing saga, the original film is a complete story: the Empire is defeated. What else was needed? Everything else has repeated or even undermined the original film.

Which isn't to say there's no entertainment value in the rest.

Considering the love I've read for the original trilogy, I find this a refreshing opinion.

I suppose the same can be said for most if not all series of films. Even trilogies that are highly regarded invariably began as one complete film that told a story. Back To The Future had a deliberately open-ended final scene so that it felt the story would continue, but it was never intended for their to be a sequel. Its two sequels are decent enough and I enjoy them, but I'd have probably been just as happy if no more had been made.

although, as a whole, I think the franchise is messy and frustrating and, well, not that good.

I'm certainly expecting some peaks and troughs and varying quality as it changes eras and cast.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I think that a big reason that I prefer Empire to Return of the Jedi, is that I found the Ewok forest to be a little too childish.
I'm not saying that it was bad, just not to my taste.

I read that the original plan was to have a forest of Chewbacca's people, but the powers that be thought it was a little
too frightening for younger audiences.
Personally, I thought that a race of Chewbaca's instead of Ewoks would have made ROTJ a better film that might
have surpassed Empire, if done well.

 

[supermanfan]

I

Return Of The Jedi (1983)

​

And the original trilogy is complete.

Of all three films, I found Jedi the easiest to slip into. The revival of Han; the iconic (there’s that word again) scene with Leia in that bikini as Jabba’s slave; Vader’s visit to the new Death Star. All hit the right notes, and picked up the story in a way that was engaging.

Everything I wanted to know was revealed, and then some. Favourite characters are revisited and the new ones are mostly greatly enjoyable. This is a film which took no effort at all to enjoy.

It’s also a film in which - for the first two thirds, at least - the action was fun. Luke and Leia’s hover vehicle pursuit of the Stormtroopers through the forest is perhaps my favourite action sequence in the series so far. It’s one of those scenes I’d love to see on the big screen. And in 3D! But even on a TV screen, it really popped and had a dynamic sense of speed.

But you can have too much of a good thing and unfortunately the final act’s battle just didn’t do it for me. There were a lot of different things going on and it was clear an attempt had been made to make it as entertaining as possible, but while it was enjoyable for five minutes or so, it went on for a further twenty or more minutes and I found myself getting bored. The saving grace were the cuts back to Luke, Vader and The Emperor which took us back to character, but that final over-long battle sequence negatively affected my enjoyment of the film overall, which is a shame as I’d been loving it up to that point.

But, back to the greatness:

Yoda’s return was very welcome, and his death quite touching. He’s definitely become a favourite character of mine.

While Jabba isn’t a favourite character, his introduction (yes - I’m mentally removing that Star Wars added scene from my memory banks) was great, and the scene in which his pet monster graphically eats another creature was suitably gruesome and ugly.

The Ewoks are, of course familiar to me from merchandise, cartoons and word of mouth. Who could not know what an Ewok looks like? They didn’t disappoint and I enjoyed what they brought to the film. Clearly they’re intended to appeal to a young audience, but it did so in a way that has a universal appeal.

continued…I mently​

I mentally removed jar jar from my memory bank :hl:

 

[Spells & Karma]

THE PREQUEL TRILOGY




Episode I: The Phantom Menace * (1999)

​

Well… expectations were well and truly lowered for this one. This proved a great starting point as I actually surprised myself with how much I found to enjoy.

Let’s acknowledge the elephants in the room before moving onto pleasantries:

Yes - Jar Jar Binks is a pimple on the nose of this film. He’s there, and it’s difficult to pretend otherwise. It could be argued that he’s simply a natural evolution of the more puerile elements of the original trilogy, be it Ewoks, Wookies, Hutts or cutesy little droids. However, he does seem far more reminiscent of those exasperating Disney sidekicks that ruined otherwise great films (think Robin Williams’s Genie in Aladdin, or Eddie Murphy’s Mushu in Mulan, released while The Phantom Menace was in production). There’s no denying he’s a pain and the film would have been improved without him, but there are levels to this: I didn’t find Jar Jar as irritating in this film as I found Chewie** and Artoo in the original trilogy. Perhaps this is by virtue of the fact that Phantom was perhaps a little more overtly cartoon-like in its presentation, and so Jar Jar simply feels like a necessary evil that can be somewhat tuned out.

The cartoon-like aspect leads me on to the next downside of this film: there is an abundance of CGI. Almost every action scene is packed with it, with some scenes being very clearly entirely computer generated. A scene with hordes of robots breaking through a force field to attack defenders with electronic shields was probably the most glaring of these, but the most testing - by virtue of its endless length - was the pod racing scene which simply felt like watching a computer game: a very good computer game, but still obviously entirely fake. I’m still unsure how exactly Anakin won since I mentally tuned out midway through the sequence, as one does when being subjected to any kind of motor racing for prolonged periods.

Again, though, there are mitigating factors that make these scenes less problematic than they otherwise might have been. Firstly, I’ve already watched the revised versions of the original films which had their share. Phantom has far more CGI, but it also feels era appropriate here. I may not love it, but I can accept this is how a film made in 1999 would look. Yes, there is revisionism even here (with, for instance, a new CG Yoda replacing the puppet used in the 1999 release), but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as jarring as the 21st Century effects added to the original 1977 film. Finally, on this subject, the computer generated scenes - fake as they looked - were attractive to look at. At times this felt rather like watching a Pixar flick which I found rather easy to accept and appreciate. The overall tone is different from that of the original trilogy - with CGI unavoidably feeling less subjective and immersive - but it’s not as unpleasant as I would have expected.

As for Threepio and Artoo: I enjoyed them here. I find Threepio enjoyable anyway, but it’s worth noting that this is possibly the most I’ve enjoyed Artoo. I was pleased to see him, for heaven’s sake. Their first meeting taking place here did feel contrived and cheesy and somewhat unconvincing (with technology evolving, would they really still be doing their thing half a century later), but I understand that it was one of the few opportunities to have that familiar dynamic from the original.

continued…​

* It bothers my sense of uniformity that I’ve now begun adding the episode numbers to these titles, but it reflects the marketing of the series since this is when these seemed to be formally added to official posters.

** Oh - I’ve just realised that Chewbacca wasn’t in this film. Another selling point for Phantom.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episode I: The Phantom Menace

continued
​

With the live action cast, brand new characters and returnees fared better with me than younger recasts of those we know.

Liam Neeson was really good as Qui-Gon Jinn. Natalie Portman’s queen was worth the entry for her breathtaking series of elaborate costumes and outrageous hairpieces alone. I was dreading Darth Maul, with Ray Park being the worst thing about the first X-Men film (exacerbated by him being such a vapid interviewee in the DVD bonus features), but actually I really like the character of Maul. Visually he looks appropriately sinister, with Park himself hidden by the elaborate makeup and the (mercifully) dubbed dialogue. Turns out I really enjoyed what the character brought to this film.

On the other hand, while Ewan McGregor’s performance was probably fine, the the thing I couldn’t quite get past was that I know what a young Alec Guinness looks and sounds like, and McGregor isn’t it. His version of an RP accent was acceptable enough (the voiceless fricative on words like “with” gave away his Scottish origins, but it was pretty convincing other than that), but he still didn’t sound like Guinness. All through the film I’d simply look at him and see Ewan McGregor, which became distracting (Samuel L. Jackson’s presence had a similar effect because he’s still so glaringly Samuel L. Jackson).

As with Obi-Wan, I found it difficult to equate blonde, all-American kid Anakin with Darth Vader. And yes, I know that’s the point, since his arc will be the key one of this trilogy, and it also makes sense that he’s somewhat reminiscent of a younger Luke. Let’s say I’m on the fence having struggled to put the pieces together, but I’m keeping an open mind, and I know he’ll be recast with an older actor in future films anyway.

As mentioned, Anthony Daniels brings familiarity. There’s also Frank Oz as Yoda.

The very best of the film’s returnees is Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine/Darth Sidious (later to become Vader’s master, The Emperor. His familiar features really help tie things together, and he gives a terrific performance as the viper in the nest. He has a great look with his pronounced forehead and the widow’s peak billowing out to become a fearsome crown of wavy hair. The overall effect is slightly Hammer horror vampiric. Or perhaps Mom from Futurama. It’s very memorable.

McDiarmid is one of a number of British character actors who keep this film the right side of watchable. Terence Stamp and Oliver Ford Davies are just as riveting.

I can understand why true blue fans might dislike this film so much. In many ways it’s a different animal, even while hitting many of the same notes of the original (from the princess in peril to the Jedi training to the race to end all races to the obligatory lightsaber battle with the master perishing in battle). All the same, I’ve already mentioned my struggles with the original series and this, for me, wasn’t any more challenging a watch. In some ways it was a step up. But it undoubtedly helped that I was expecting a bit of a dud.

 

[Ome]

​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (2002)

​

Of course, I couldn’t not watch on Star Wars Day. And while Clones doesn’t feel to me like an appropriately heady moment in the saga for the occasion, it does mark the mid-way point of the series.

It’s probably not the middle point in terms of viewing hours, since the films getting longer and longer as they continue. This one in particular felt a little too long. It wasn’t painfully long, but any film nearing two and a half hours long needs to be darned good, otherwise it feels indulgent. And this was borderline.

Most of the Star Wars films thus far have had an imbalance. Star Wars and Empire took a while to get going. Jedi had an endless final battle. Clones manages the feat of achieving balance while still being problematic. Action sequences are placed at almost scientifically regular intervals, but this is where the film lost me. With each and every one of those action sequences, I found myself glazing over and tuning out, and each time it became more difficult to reinvest in the story afterwards. I noticed it happening with one particular sequence featuring Anakin, but couldn’t tell you which as they all started to feel interchangeable.

Not that this is a bad film. If every action sequence were to be cut by 50% (or presented in a way that keeps the attention) I’d have no real gripe. There is a sense that concessions were made in response to audience feedback. Most notably, Jar Jar’s screen time is significantly reduced compared with the previous film, and as an almost background character he’s fine.

There was once again a lot of CGI, and not all of it has dated well. However, I did like the lanky aliens that welcome Obi-Wan to Geonosis.

Last time round I was on the fence with Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. This time I’m more sure: it’s not doing it for me. I just can’t equate this character with the one played by Alec Guinness.

Hayden Christensen is… fine. I buy him as the kid from Episode I, but he does look generically Hollywood in a young Brad Pitt/90210/older sitcom brother kind of way. The story with Anakin finding his mother and her new family (in very familiar surroundings, right down to the blue milk) was nicely done and very touching, giving the film some great human moments.

It’s a treat to see Christopher Lee here. At the back of my mind I’d thought he was a returnee from the original trilogy, but I’ve realised I was mixing him up with Peter Cushing.

The climactic lightsaber battle was as enjoyable as always (I can never get enough of glowing sticks in darkened rooms). However, since we know all key characters - Obi-Wan, Anakin and Yoda - will go on to the original trilogy it lacks genuine threat. However, it’s good to see the story behind Vader’s prosthetic arm, and especially good to see Yoda getting in on the action. I absolutely love this character and he remains a favourite.

I am enjoying getting a sense of the overarching story at this point (as summarised by the opening crawls). The galactic politics with separatist movements leading to war feels very much a grander version of what we see on the news every day.

 

[Ome]

I think that a big reason that I prefer Empire to Return of the Jedi, is that I found the Ewok forest to be a little too childish.

I felt this too.



This is somewhat weird because I enjoyed Jar Jar Binks. I have questioned whether I might be the only adult who shares that opinion.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

Clones is a film that begins and ends with prolonged action sequences. The opening in particular, feels like it dives straight in and doesn’t let up for some time. Considering the style of action in this particular series hasn’t really done it for me, you’d think this would be a dealbreaker. And there is a lot of dated-looking CGI on display in the opening sequence. Miraculously, though, time felt as though it went quite quickly. I can’t say that the action thrilled me, but I found it engaging enough.

It helped that such scenes come from a place of substance. Balancing out the thrills and spills is a whole lot of angsty human drama at the heart of it all. It felt like much space was given to scenes of dialogue, exposition and exploration. More than I’d have expected, which was a nice surprise.

As mentioned in the previous instalment, what this trilogy has really done incredibly well is flesh out the “Wars” of the series title, with universal politics driving it, creating schisms and loyalties to certain philosophies, while some try to usurp or hold on to power. There’s a lot of spin going on, and a muddying of the waters by certain parties to discredit the enemy and make theirs a righteous war. This instalment in particular also focusses on corruption and radicalisation, with Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader bringing things full circle by film’s end.

While I don’t plan to revisit the series anytime soon, I do wonder how I’d view the original trilogy now, because things seem to make more sense to me having watched this prequel trilogy. While the original trilogy felt a bit “throw it at the wall” at times, I now feel I can see the big picture and better see how everything connects. I’ve found it difficult to most of the prequel trilogy I’ve felt it difficult to correlate the characters with those in the original trilogy. That’s still somewhat the case here, but it does make sense of everything and since it ends two decades before Star Wars I can buy this*. The classic Darth Vader mask did almost make me want to start again, so I can see this would work watching in timeline order.

As before, McDiarmid’s Sidious and Frank Oz’s Yoda were the best things in this for me. In fact at this stage I’m going to go out on a limb and say Yoda is my favourite character in the entire series.





* I know there’s an upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi mini series set a decade after this film and a decade before Star Wars, but since I struggled with McGregor’s portrayal I have absolutely no desire to watch it. However, I may consider watching the anthology films, the animated Clone Wars and even the Ewoks films.

 

[Crimson]

It's been said of the Prequels that they're good STAR WARS but bad movies. That sounds about right. The films do a decent enough job of expanding and filling in the lore, but they really are clumsy films. I'm always struck by how inconsistent they are in pacing and tone. They lurch from static to frantic, from silly slapstick to dead serious, with no beats in between. I think they playback better in memory than reality.

 

[Ome]

Revenge Of The Sith

You have now watched my least favourite (PHANTOM) and my favourite (REVENGE) movie. When I say least, I still enjoyed PHANTOM in its way and had a lot of fun both at the cinema and watching it on DVD when it was released. It slowly became my least favourite when re-watching the nine movies, and every time I have watched it in the past ten years, I have skipped the whole pod race. It's an excellent way to introduce the central characters and their story, and I loved Maul. His whole appearance is still one of my favourites. However, the pod race and too much concentration on a young Anakin were too much for me in the end.

REVENGE wasn't a favourite, to begin with, and that came again like PHANTOM, a favourite, after re-watching them all again. I loved the final journey from Anakin as he becomes Dart Vader; I also loved how he destroyed so much of the Jedi council. Overall, it felt more threatening than anything the Vader did in the first trilogy of movies.