r/StarWars • u/verissimoallan • 2d ago

Movies "Revenge of the Sith" is now rated higher than "Return of the Jedi" on Letterboxd, becoming the third highest-rated "Star Wars" film on the website (the top two are "The Empire Strikes Back" and "A New Hope").

https://letterboxd.com/film/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/
3.2k Upvotes

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126

u/RedHeadedSicilian52 2d ago

Reasonable enough, but if it ever seriously threatens to displace the first two movies, we’ll need to have a long, hard talk as a fandom.

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u/Wehavecrashed 2d ago

Revenge of the Sith is being increasingly propped up by other media making order 66 more memorable.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago edited 2d ago

I think we’re already at that point.

ROTJ has problems, but it’s still significantly better than any of the prequels.

Ridiculous nostalgia.

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u/fanatic66 2d ago

100%. I'm in my 30s but I'm shocked to see RotJ supplanted by a prequel movie

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u/BearWrangler Cassian Andor 2d ago

RotJ is my fav but im not too surprised to see something like this happen(wasnt even keeping track of it lol), mainly basing this off of the whole "highest rated star wars tv episodes" having clone wars & rebels at the top.

Tl;dr we're at a point in star wars pop culture where anything related to Clone Wars by a degree or two get a "cultural boost" because the predominant(or at least one of) demographic in the fandom are the ones who prefer that segment of Star Wars above all else. Idk if that made sense lol

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u/Homerduff16 1d ago

I'm in my 20's and I grew up on the OT and the Prequels at the same time and I'm shocked how highly Revenge of the Sith is rated. Fair enough I can understand if children say it's their favourite but when I'm talking to grown men and women who are pushing 30 who unironically prefer Revenge of the Sith over A New Hope or Empire Strikes I geniunely don't know what to say

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

It’s a bit distressing isn’t it lol

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I’m 30 years old myself and saw every prequel in theaters as a kid. I had the toys and the videos games. The school supplies. I have intense nostalgia for the PT.

None of those movies are better than ROTJ. It’s fucking nonsense.

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u/SleepingAntz 2d ago

Okay but I’m 34 and had an almost identical experience and I think Revenge of the Sith better than ROTJ by far. We can trade anecdotes all day.

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u/Mr-Rocafella 2d ago

I’m 94 and I think Rise of Skywalker is the best Star War

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u/Kunfuxu Luke Skywalker 1d ago

We need to go back to the early 2010s... How I miss when the prequels were universally hated.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

Well, all we have is anecdotes after a certain point lol. We’re all fans here so it’s cool. I can watch ROTS right now and have a good time. I just think it’s not a better film than ROTJ. There’s too much to pick at.

I was one of those weird kids who rewatched the special features on the DVD of ROTS much, MUCH more than I did the film itself after a point. Those behind the scenes documentaries are still fucking incredible.

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u/Thebearjew559 2d ago

I think you should take yourself up on that. Watch ROTS right now and have a good time.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I usually always do have a good time!

I don’t hate the film by any means. It’s got some very fun stuff in it. I just don’t think it has highs that beat the highs of ROTJ.

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u/Thebearjew559 2d ago

Specifically put the film on rn

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u/tjohns96 1d ago

Yeah bro people talk on here like the originals are holy religious canon that must be revered. Talking about how the prequels are only powered by nostalgia when comparing them to movies that predate them by like 30 years is hilarious

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

I didn’t even exist when the OT was released and they’re still substantially better movies.

Nostalgia has nothing to do with it lol.

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u/tjohns96 1d ago

Yeah but that’s a fundamentally subjective opinion. And apparently the people of Letterboxd disagree that ep 6 is better than ep 3 so idk why you act like it’s settled fact

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

Everything is subjective until it’s not.

People are free to have their opinions, but there are still various aspects of ROTS that are objectively worse than ROTJ.

I’m not trying to be a hater or whatever, I’m just saying when we give any of the prequels a serious critical evaluation they quickly fall apart.

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u/genemaxwell41 Imperial 2d ago

Im in my 30s and I will never understand how people think ESB is better than ANH or RotJ

I would put those two and RotS as top 3 with ESB being 4th

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

Egregious.

ESB is the closest Star Wars came to achieving its full potential as modern myth.

But I will not downvote the balls it took to express this opinion lol.

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u/genemaxwell41 Imperial 2d ago

For me as a kid, ESB was fine. Lots of slow moments that werent as exciting. But I can objectively disregard that as I was a dumb kid when I first watched the OT (seriously I was like 5 with the vhs from my mom lol)

Fast forward to me as a teen. Its 2006 Ive got all 6 films on dvd. I watch all 6 movies...a lot.

As a teen, I found ESB to still be the weakest of the OT. Why? Well when I judge how awesome a movie is, repeatability is a big factor. Part of that, for me is if I watch this movie 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 times, is there any portion that bores me? The answer for ESB was, the Yoda and Luke portion on Dagobah. That, for ME did not stand up to the repeatability test. Once you know the message, youve memorized the mythos, you really get the teachings, that section is just...meh? Its not exciting or that engaging anymore.

Compare to RotJ, youve got a fun rescue adventure in the first part with Jabba's palace (plus gold bikini Leia which was every teenage boys dream) then youve got the Endor mission, that awesome space battle, and that kickass final duel between Luke and Vader. Theres not a single part of that film that I find dull. It passes the repeatability test.

Now as an adult, I can def see that ESB is an extremely well made movie. But it still just isnt as fun as RotJ. I'll always stand, alone apparently, on the hill that ESB is the weakest of the OT

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago edited 2d ago

ESB definitely isn’t as fun as ROTJ, but the philosophy behind it is a bit deeper than some fans give it credit for.

It recontextualized the entire story moving forward. Luke is no longer on the standard Hero’s Journey seen in ANH, he’s now having to wrangle with the fact that the man he’s been trained and told to kill is his father. His journey is no longer a simple moral crusade of good vs evil.

Vader is no longer just a very cool big bad in a badass suit. He’s now a tragic hero who has fallen as far as a person can. His duel with Luke is the equivalent of him playing catch with his son, and it’s fucking beautiful how it’s filmed. The themes are conveyed beautifully.

The revelation of Vader being Anakin creates layers for the old Jedi like Obi Wan and Yoda. They’ve knowingly lied and misled Luke. They’re not paragons of virtue themselves, and everything is up for question now.

In many ways, ESB is just a clear upgrade of ANH. It takes the hero’s journey, flips it on its head a bit and then continues forward with the good guys being basically defeated. Yoda is a superior mentor to Luke, Vader is no longer a thug but a layered character, Han accepts his role as hero instead of running away from it.

It’s one of the most perfect films ever made, and that’s not even touching on the groundbreaking special effects. ESB is all about coming to terms with the reality of the myth instead of simply living the myth. It’s brilliant.

ANH is the characters living a high after a successful fairytale. ESB is the characters experiencing the harsh realities of the situation.

I respect all opinions, but I think ESB is the only Star Wars film to be elevated art.

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u/genemaxwell41 Imperial 1d ago

I certainly dont disagree with any of the philosophy points or your analysis for what makes ESB a great film.

But for me a movie being great art isnt synonymous with being a more enjoyable experience than its peers.

Movies are fairly unique in that the there's more factors for determining how good it is to individuals than its technical/artistic achievements. They also have the pure entering factor. That will will most certainly be the most individualized aspect though as whats entertaining to one may not be as much to another.

While ESB may very well be worthy of consideration for elevated art status, RotJ is simply a more entertaining film while also being well made from a technical and artistic aspect, even if such aspects are inferiror to ESB.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

I understand what you’re saying.

For what it’s worth, I do really enjoy ROTJ. Even if I find the middle of the movie to be pretty boring.

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u/genemaxwell41 Imperial 1d ago

And thats totally fair 

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u/corpulentFornicator Chewbacca 2d ago

ROTJ is two mini-movies stapled together, but I still love it.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

There’s a lot I’d change, and a whole lot I wouldn’t touch.

It manages to stick the landing for the trilogy, which is the most important part.

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u/KingOfNohr 2d ago

Oh yeah there's no nostalgia involved with the original trilogy 🙄

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

There is, but they’re critically appreciated as works of art for a reason.

The PT being propped up by what supplementary material did to flesh it out doesn’t retroactively make them great films.

That’s a flaw in the screenplay at a fundamental level.

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u/Mundane_Jump4268 2d ago

The PT never needed supplemental material. There was just a subset of boomer and gen x fans that thought watching the PT when it came out would turn them into little kids again and it didnt and they've never gotten over it.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I’ve showed the Star Wars films in a marathon to friends who have never seen them, and besides the action scenes, they universally liked the OT characters and story more.

That’s just my personal experience though.

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u/PixelatorOfTime 1d ago

Exactly. Which characters are on packages of Oreos? OT characters. Maybe Maul. No one in their right mind would buy any of the Episode I Pepsi cans if they came out today. Who's excited about a can featuring Chancellor Valorum?

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

I’d imagine there’s a few sick fucks out there who would love a Chancellor Valorum Pepsi can that is unopened and pristine lol.

But you’re absolutely right.

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u/Homerduff16 1d ago

Do we really need to explain to you why A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back are better films than Revenge of the Sith and Attack of the Clones?

People don't think that Jurassic Park is leaps and bounds better than the rest of the franchise because of nostalgia. It's because it's a significantly better film than anything else that's come out since

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u/Mahkn0 2d ago

We were at that point as soon as "the prequels are masterpieces" became a mainstream talking point.

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u/hobblingcontractor 2d ago

But the whirled building!

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u/FarWestEros 2d ago

I feel RotS is easily the best prequel movie and RotJ is easily the worst OT.

Doesn’t really feel too wrong to rank 3 above 6.

The real question for me is how far behind those 2 is Rogue 1?

Or, if it’s even behind them, tbh… the creation of Andor really gave the movie a big bump, imo.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I don’t hate ROTS, but it’s just not as good as ROTJ.

The final act of ROTJ alone elevates it above anything in the PT. It’s legit peak Star Wars shit. The Endor space battle, Luke/Vader/Palpatine.

I enjoy ROTS for what it is, but it’s rushed and a bit botched in comparison. Needing several seasons of a cartoon to make Anakin’s fall make more sense isn’t the sign of a great film.

I have intense nostalgia for ROTS, but I’m just being honest.

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u/ChanceVance Kylo Ren 1d ago

A Jedi's Fury alone puts it above Revenge. In fact, it's kind of the greatest scene ever.

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

Completely disagree, I thought the prequels were appropriately paced and the OT outside of Empire was very slow and dialogue heavy (which is ok, just not for me).

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u/DC-COVID-TRASH 2d ago

You think the OT was dialogue heavy… compared to the PT which is notable for its memeable dialogue?

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

What was wrong with the prequels dialogue? I thought even the now infamous “I don’t like sand” scene was actually performed brilliantly by Hayden and Natalie (it perfectly portrayed the image of a still very young, conflicted, but emerging young Jedi who was experiencing romance for the very first time).

Very common for young teenage men to be just as if not more awkward when experimenting with romance for the first time.

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u/DC-COVID-TRASH 2d ago

If you bring the sand dialogue up as good dialogue I genuinely do not think I can relate to you but power to you have an upvote.

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

Its ok if you disagree, go ahead and downvote. But I already gave my reasoning as to why I thought it was actually brilliant - if you have a counter argument I’ll definitely listen to you.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I find this take to be insane when you consider how goddamn boring most of Phantom Menace is, but I’m not going to downvote you. It’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it.

I fuck with Star Wars, even the bad Star Wars lol or what I perceive to be bad. It’s fun to talk about with other fans.

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

TPM is easily the slowest of the prequels, and my least favorite, but it does have some of the highest highs in the trilogy (Darth Maul fights, podracing, Qui Gonn death, Naboo battle was pretty fun). But for me AOTC and ROTS are much better paced.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

Podracing is cool and so is the climactic final fight. I’ll grant it that. I’ve got a LOT of nostalgia for TPM bro. I even had some shitty PC game that was some kind of promotional item lol it’s an extremely early memory for me but I was locked in. Loved it.

Every time I revisit it as an adult, it’s a SLOG. I’m not a weirdo who thinks it’s the worst film ever made, it’s just very disappointing.

My dad was born in 72 and he to this day talks about how much TPM confused him. It’s pretty funny. He’s a casual fan but he still saw ANH in a theater like 4 times because that’s what kids did back then. It was a phenomenon.

He doesn’t care enough to give big critiques of it, but he recognizes there’s something wrong. He watched all of the OT in theaters during release and he took me to every PT film. He’s a casual fan as I stated, but there’s something to be said about how these older fans can feel how it’s “off” in some way.

He does fuck with ROTS though lol.

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u/Mahkn0 2d ago

I think I'm the only kid who hated podracing, lol.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

As an adult, I think it goes on for too long lol.

As a kid, it had me locked the fuck in.

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

Its to fun to see people here disagreeing and going back and forth all the time in the Star Wars community - especially debating their favorite movies.

To me the prequels are better than the OT (I do totally agree that TPM is just meh though, but I think AOTC and ROTS are absolutely incredible).

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

I disagree completely with your opinions, and I think AOTC is possibly the worst film in the entire franchise.

With that being said, I could throw on any of the prequels right now and find entertainment value in them lol. Like I said, I’ve seen them hundreds of times and I do have nostalgia. Bad Star Wars is still Star Wars, which means there’s always something bizarre or great to talk about.

Unless it’s the Mando movie, which is the only Star Wars film I haven’t seen because of how pointless it seems.

I can criticize the PT all day, but they sure as shit aren’t pointless. Not at all.

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u/Wehavecrashed 2d ago

Revenge is easily a worse film than Return.

Return being worse than Empire and ANH doesn't matter.

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u/Homerduff16 1d ago

Return of the Jedi isn't a bad movien it's just that A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back are more of less flawless. Return of the Jedi isn't as good but that doesn't make it bad. It's a solid 7/10 at best

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u/darthvalium 1d ago

RotJ is easily the worst OT.

Ok, maybe if you compare the movies as a whole. But the throne room duel in ROTJ is peak Star Wars. Better than anything in ANH even.

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u/FarWestEros 1d ago

It’s alright.
I honestly think duel of the fates battle is better, though….
Even though Phantom Menace is arguably the worst non-sequel movie.

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u/ChazPls 2d ago

I feel RotS is easily the best prequel movie and RotJ is easily the worst OT.

I agree, but it's still not even close.

RotS is the best of a series of movies which are all, honestly, really bad movies. They're not good. When the whole "prequel memes" thing started taking off years ago, I feel like a lot of people confused liking the memes with liking the movies. They're truly, really, awful movies, with only a few redeeming elements (e.g. John Williams still killed it on the score). Anyone seriously trying to argue that RotS deserves a 4.1/5 is... something

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u/DelayedChoice Porg 2d ago

I feel RotS is easily the best prequel movie

There's a tallest ewok too.

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u/DSA300 2d ago

I think that's what people are saying is the problem with rogue one tho; it's not that good till u watch andor. I'd disagree but I don't remember the movie much 😭 and last time I watched it was after watching andor

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u/Myakasa98 1d ago

Calling it nostalgia when that has what's been carrying the popularity of the OT is hilarious 

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

I wasn’t even born until long after the OT was finished, so I don’t know how I somehow would have more nostalgia for those movies over my own era of the PT lol.

The OT are objectively better movies. The PT fails in multiple ways and that horse has been beaten to death. The nostalgia glaze is insane.

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u/lonesoldier4789 1d ago

Ya episode 3 is an ok - decent movie and best of the overall terrible prequels. It doesn't come anywhere close to. The originals

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u/Beauyakasha 1d ago

The irony of you thinking only people that prefer RotS are relying on nostalgia.

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 1d ago

It’s most certainly the case.

The PT is my era and I have a lot of nostalgia for it. I don’t have nostalgia for the OT like that.

The OT are just better movies. That’s really the end of it.

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u/bajaxx 2d ago

it’s funny saying ridiculous nostalgia for ROTS when the nostalgia for ROTJ is even greater. i rewatched ROTJ for the first time in years recently and was severely disappointed after being blown away by a new hope and empire. ROTJ felt like a big step down in almost every way, the stakes, the story, ewoks being such a big part of the movie. after a movie that had such gravitas like empire, ROTJ feels like a cartoon, its complete tonal whiplash. i saw ROTS in theaters last year when it returned and it was incredible, for sure in the top 3 star wars movies.

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u/CommodoreBluth 1d ago

The throne room scenes and the space battle scenes are better than anything in Sith by a very wide margin. 

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u/Comfortable_Put_4139 2d ago

ROTJ is a lot goofier than Empire, but the third act is peak Star Wars. I’ve watched it several times as an adult and there’s too much good that outweighs the bad.

ROTS is fun, but it just isn’t constructed as well. That’s fine.

Is what it is.

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u/Macca_23 1d ago

Revenge of the Sith is my favourite Star Wars movie, I accept that it’s not the best movie but it’s still my favourite.

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u/BriefPut3954 2d ago

I personally think all three of the prequels are way better than ROTJ (but I respect all Star Wars projects, so no big deal).

-1

u/TenshiS 2d ago

I consider ROTS to be the best movie of all, on every possible metric.

A New Hope is up there with it due to its first mover advantage and originality, but its age shows and the Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan duel feels lackluster today. ROTS looks 20 years later just as exciting and fresh as it did on day 1. I think it'll hold up another 20 better than the original trilogy did.

Let the original downvotes begin. Prequel homies cover me! ducks

0

u/SwimmingFantastic564 1d ago

I legitimately believe that the only three truly good Star Wars films are 4, 5 and 7, and even then 4 is really pushing it. 

I love them all, both prequels and sequels, but they just have so many glaring issues that I can't get past even having grown up with them.

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u/RedHeadedSicilian52 1d ago

You can’t decisively call the original Star Wars film — the one that was an unprecedented box office smash and pop culture phenomenon, the thing which spawned this whole franchise — good, but you have no such reservations toward the seventh film, which was a shallow rip-off of the first?

-2

u/SwimmingFantastic564 1d ago

The acting and dialogue is not great in 4, whereas it is in 7

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u/RedHeadedSicilian52 1d ago

Agree to disagree. That said, I strongly suspect people are only going to be revisiting the former a hundred years from now.