Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Lucas is always at his best when dialogue is minimised or in this case non-existent. No better way then to connect the two trilogies - and that final shot on Tatooine is very moving.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" asks Emperor Palpatine. It serves as an ominous portent for things to come: the audible monotonous dark side drone sets the scene together with Lucas' use of on screen imagery and metaphor. Ian McDiarmid delivers very well and sets us up for what could play a far larger role for things yet to come in the Star Wars universe.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
The most memorable scene from the best Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, it explains not the Force, but "the way of the Force ... "
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
The entire saga can be condensed into Vader's thoughts as his son was slowly being killed by his master. The immense hold of the dark side juxtaposed against the inseparable connection between father and son, the revisiting of demons, memories of Padme and Obi-Wan Kenobi and of being a Jedi. Never has the interwoven rich tapestry of a saga been shown so well through the eyes of a black, expressionless mask.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
For so many years this is what we had all been waiting for: a bad-ass Sith with a cool-ass lightsaber. At the premiere in Newmarket some punter in the front row jumped up and yelled in delight when Maul did his thing. What a legend!
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Luke tentatively ventures through the corridors of Cloud City and out of nowhere Vader lunges at Luke, engaging in a quick brutal exchange. Director Irvin Kirschner's use of angles makes Vader appear so massive and intimidating next to Luke. Vader then demonstrates his mastery of the Force. Luke knows he is outmatched, but fights on. John Williams' epic score ramps up, Vader stands tall and Luke is sucked out the window. It's surely the entire saga's best fight scene.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
The tragedy of Episode II is that though it clearly sucks, George Lucas does deliver in a few (very few) scenes which are right up there with the best. The scene where Anakin leaves Padme and rides off in his land speeder into the binary sun set is one of them. It's John Williams' score that triggers the Star Wars feel, Anakin's riding off on his speeder engenders just the right amount of grace, potency and rage ... he finds the encampment and jumps from light into darkness (Go Lucas!) and then engages in slaughter ... Lucas cuts to Yoda who feels what is happening through the force while at the same time creating a channel into the netherworld ... the not-often-enough spiritual side of the force, brilliantly shown.
Episode IV: A New Hope
This is what stunned audiences back in 1977 as nothing like this had ever been seen before. A small rebel ship under heavy attack from an imperial star destroyer flies by. Lucas then takes us to an under-shot of the destroyer, using a massive wide-angle lens. The destroyer passes overhead and gets bigger and bigger and bigger. The scale and sense of power is enormous. Meanwhile Williams' unmistakable score increases in urgency which builds up to Vader's entrance - the greatest introduction of a villain ever seen on cinema.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Luke is propelled up into the carbonation chamber, and for a few seconds he senses but cannot see his adversary. Vader exhales, Luke turns around, "The force is with you, young Skywalker ... but you are not a Jedi yet." The anticipation and dialogue, both enhanced by moody lighting and camera angles, builds this encounter up to epic proportions.
Episode IV: A New Hope
This is about as iconic as it gets, and Williams' score is so majestic. This scene encapsulates all that Star Wars is about: destiny, a hero's journey, ghosts of the past ... it's perfect.
Compiled by Nathan Jones, Anthony Naganathan, David Rei Miller.
Grab your copy of the TimeOut Star Wars: The Force Awakens special today. Inside, we've got interviews with Harrison Ford, director JJ Abrams, new villains Adam Driver and Gwendoline Christie plus a look back at the ten best Star Wars scenes - so far. And who is the NZ telly star only too keen to don the Stormtrooper helmet on our cover?
The Australian site cited a 'heightened threat level' as the issue.