Filmexperte rankt alle Filme zu Star Wars, und ein besonders kontroverser Teil ist weit oben

Marco Risch from the YouTube channel Nerdkultur has dealt multiple times with Star Wars in the past. In a current video, he ranks the 12 live-action movies for the first time and explains what strengths even the weaker films have.

Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has been publishing videos on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur where he discusses various films and series through reviews, analyses, news, or interviews.

In addition, he talks with his colleague Yves Arievich once a week in the Podcast Nerd & Kultur about various topics related to pop culture.

Both the YouTube channel and the podcast are part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.

Already in some previous videos, he dealt with Star Wars, but for the first time he ranks the 12 live-action films. However, he does not focus on the negative aspects of the films; he makes perhaps the most positive Star Wars ranking on all of YouTube.

You can watch the video from Nerdkultur here:

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Marco from Nerdkultur ranks 12 Star Wars movies in a new video

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Even the worst episode has good aspects

How does Marco rank the various Star Wars films? He begins his 12th place with a film that many fans would probably put there. Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker is for him the last among the major films, but he still highlights positive aspects, especially the arrangement of visual elements and the editing that emerged under director J.J. Abrams. The pacing and scene transitions are top-notch; only the script, according to Marco, should have been entrusted to someone else.

In 11th place is Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. Here, Marco criticizes the dialogues but praises the premise, especially regarding the Jedi Order, which is shown as a unit for the first time in this film – fighting against the droid army. Unlike the original trilogy, George Lucas draws on the aesthetics of Vietnam films in this one.

The latest film of the saga is in Marco’s 10th place. Mandalorian and Grogu is praised by Marco primarily for its use of animatronic puppets, which make the film in parts a creature feature: stuffed with homage to the unsung heroes of the star saga.

In 9th place is Solo, another film that stands on its own. Although the film itself, according to Marco, is constantly about identity finding, Han Solo’s colleague is the true star of the film: Lando Calrissian, played by Donald Glover. He embodies the typical lightness of Star Wars, and there is currently even a standalone film in the works about him. At least the script was submitted this year.

The rest of the prequels

How does the ranking continue? In 8th place, Marco places Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and describes the film with the term love-hate. Unlike Episode 2 and 3, the first film of the new trilogy, according to Marco, was almost exclusively shot with analog cameras. Therefore, problems of the sequels, such as a blurry resolution, are absent. A different look is created that, for Marco, remains fairy-tale magical.

Episode 7: The Force Awakens is in 7th place. Here, Marco’s praise is particularly focused on Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. J.J. Abrams creates a mask that does not impose any interpretation, but still crumbles. Even if that was somewhat ruined in Episode 9, Marco is fascinated primarily by the thought that there is no going back for him, even though one feels sympathy.

For many, the placement is probably too low, but Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith achieves 6th place in Marco’s ranking. The climax of the prequels is, according to Marco, the most tragic low point of an entire world. The prequels show tangibly and understandably how a democracy fails.

Rogue One, the bridge between Episodes 3 and 4, is placed by Marco in 5th place. Stylistically, the film is also a bridge. Marco explains that director Gareth Edwards staged the aerial battles like the original trilogy (World War aesthetic) and the ground battles like the prequels (Vietnam War aesthetic). The sacrifices of the rebellion are shown, but also the hope that arises from them.

The controversial 4th place

Which films are at the top of Marco’s ranking? By contrast, Marco likely has the most controversial pick for many fans, according to the discrepancy on the platform Rotten Tomatoes: Episode 8: The Last Jedi. Apart from the controversies, Marco makes it clear: The Last Jedi looks phenomenal at times!

According to Marco, there is the camera, which is oriented towards World War films, and the use of colors and panoramas like those of the legendary director Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, Marco brings up the music of John Williams. As a result, he claims, a truly operatic, almost theatrical overall experience is created.

In addition, he explicitly mentions the fight in the throne room. As a one-take, the choreography appears even more powerful and is designed to prioritize the feeling while watching over consistency.

3rd place goes to Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. According to Marco, the film achieves something that no other film in the series can: three storylines are merged, and both the fate of the galaxy and the fate of the heroes are told in parallel.

Episode 4: A New Hope is in 2nd place. Marco explains that George Lucas drew on the genre of propaganda films, but from blind hatred and blind hero worship arises a hopeful high.

Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back is not only one of the best sequels of all time for Marco; it is his number 1 in the ranking. The film turned the hopeful note of its predecessor on its head and confronted the heroes with evil. According to Marco, this caused a backlash from fans at the time, but that’s what made it so good because Star Wars has always been best when it was also brave.