But both films are muddled in Jedi internal nonsense, video game level special effects, and a 'love' story between two people with zero chemistry. Neither of these movies are 'good' on their own, but between the two of them is one decent movie about the Clone War period and the fall of Anakin Skywalker.
Tie: Attack of the Clones/Revenge of the Sith: These two movies are two sides of the same coin for me. Callbacks to the prequels abound, but the only required viewing is the original film, if that.ĥ. Rogue One works nicely as a prequel by expanding on the rebellion while filling in details leading up to the first film. It has a few missteps, especially in the special edition material, but it's a satisfying conclusion that is both far grittier than, and a return to form to, the original.
Tie: Return of the Jedi/Rogue One: Jedi is a worthy ending to what was at the time a three part saga. And it properly 'subverts expectations', which doesn't hurt either.ģ.
It's got a level of sophistication that is rarely reached in anything that after. The Empire Strikes Back: This sequel that cemented the cinematic and visual style the entire saga will follow from 1980 forward. Star Wars: Ok, Star Wars, or A New Hope, or Episode IV, or whichever special edition you may have takes the top spot simply because of the genre defining impact it had and the fact it set up an entire cinematic universe.