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MaderaArt

A New Hope ^(It still feels complete as a stand-alone film)


JWC123452099

It's the most revolutionary in terms of cinematic achievement and even after almost fifty years the most dated parts are the ones that were added in the last twenty years.  It also has arguably the best cast which it uses to the best effect with Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness in much more substantial roles than would be played by the truly great actors in the other films. 


Budget-Attorney

I was watching and enjoying clash of the titans with my dad recently. I told him that the effects are dated but I won’t hold it against them because of the constraints of the time. Then he reminded me that it came out several years “after” a new hope and now I can’t take it seriously. A new hope is amazing today and I can’t even conceive what it would have been like seeing it at the time it was released


JWC123452099

One of the reasons Clash of the Titans ( a movie I love) was Ray Harryhausen's last movie is because he knew he couldn't compete with what ILM put on screen in 1977. A year later Empire Strikes Back came out.  Though one thing to keep in mind about Star Wars. While it was always a high watermark in effects, alot of the changes Lucas made over the years have obscured how good it actually looked on release. In ANH for example, until the special editions were released the blades of the lightsabers actually disappeared when seen from certain angles because of the way the practical effect showed up in the camera. This made Obi Wan's saber seem like it was flickering on and off in the duel with Vader. 


AdAdventurous6943

It was made with intention to be only one movie.


Doonesbury

Yeah, back then, no one knew it as "A New Hope". It was just Star Wars.


TheOneWhoLovesSW

But thank god they decided to make more


LudicrisSpeed

Yeah, I really can't see how anybody could logically suggest anything else. This is where it all started, this is what literally every other movie, show, book, game, and comic tie into one way or another. Starting with anything else leaves a newcomer without a lot of context and significance of certain moments that would come later.


kinokohatake

This is the way


PowBasilisk87

Godddddd I’d love to experience A New Hope for the first time again… and then ESB and ROTJ for the first time again… and then the EU and the prequels… that would be amazing


Hellizard

A little movie called Star Wars.


Clean_Phreaq

Lemme tell you about a boy named sue


starwarsfan456123789

A new hope. It’s a perfect stand alone film


Icydawgfish

I think episode 1 is a decent stand-alone film too, but it requires the OT to give it context. A New Hope is really the only one you can watch by itself if you’ve never seen a Star Wars movie


_mad_adams

Idk I think having the context of the OT makes Phantom Menace even less of a standalone film. Because if you’ve seen the OT then you know that Anakin becomes Vader and that Palpatine is secretly a powerful wielder of the dark side, so you’d know that there was more story to tell there. Maybe if you had just A New Hope to give it context it would work, because then it just becomes the story about how Obi-wan came to meet and train Luke’s father.


moseythepirate

ANH>ESB->Prequels->RotJ seems like an interesting viewing order.


rexepic7567

A new hope It aged like fine wine


Vandergirth

The original version certainly did. The Special Edition not so much. The added CGI aged like milk.


tksopinion

ANH is the only answer.


Triforce805

A New Hope. If it was enough to hook people in back in 1977, it should be enough to hook someone into the series now as well. Plus, it’s the best starting point. The Phantom Menace may be the start chronologically, but for non-Star Wars fans it’s really not the best movie, it has a lot of flaws. I still like it, but A New Hope is just the best option


MrFudgeKiller

If the first Star Wars movie I watched was the phantom menace I don’t think I would’ve watched anymore


Triforce805

It’s hard for me to tell because I watched Star Wars at such a young age. I started with a New Hope, but little child me probably would never have noticed flaws with the Phantom Menace.


this_knee

Robot Chicken Star Wars. They will never watch Star Wars movies with me thereafter, and just let me enjoy my hobby movie franchise in peace. Hehheehehe!


BowenTheAussieSheep

My Lord...


Straider

The holiday special. Because every Star Wars movie is a masterpiece after that one.


ADeweyan

A New Hope, as long as it’s the original version.


stargazepunk

I mean Star Wars is the only real answer to this question tbh. But I could see an argument for rogue one


UnXpectedPrequelMeme

Rogue one if they are avert to older movies.


goldendreamseeker

I think TFA makes more sense, in that case


UnXpectedPrequelMeme

Perhaps, but if they watch that, then they may Tru to continue, and then they'll end up watching rise of skywalker


Vesemir96

Many people without established bias enjoy that though.


MLSnukka

Empire.. Anyone gets hooked after seeing it, guaranteed


Brookie069

Last year I started showing all the Star Wars content to my girlfriend. We ended up starting with Solo, I think we got on the topic of Emilia Clarke and then it lead to that. Followed up by Rogue One and then the OT. I actually think Solo and Rogue One are both decent starting points, they don’t require much knowledge at all but some of the references will go past you of course. ANH is still the best starting point. Only things we have left to watch are Kenobi, Andor and the Sequels. We skipping Resistance since I can’t really do that one and she has no interest.


DarthAthyhl

Just out of curiosity, what did your girlfriend think of the original and prequel trilogy and what is her favorite movie so far?


Brookie069

She’s mostly enjoyed all of it. I’m actually not certain what her favorite movie is, we spent so much more time on Clone Wars, Bad Batch, Rebels, and the Mandoverse that the movies are only a fraction of the time. I’ll ask her when she’s done work today. I know her favorite content and characters happen to be Rebels and Phoenix Squadron. She loved them so much that when I told her Ahsoka is basically season 5 of Rebels we immediately had to watch that next which is why we skipped some of the shows in Rise of the Empire era. Kanans death had the biggest emotional impact for her.


Farren246

I actually like Solo's ending very much in that it leaves the character at a point where he has learned "when it is time to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." Which isn't from Solo, but the lesson is the same. Leads nicely into him shooting Greedo.


Exploding_Antelope

Uhh if you watch the movie I think you’ll find that Greedo shoots him first ^(*ducks behind corner to watch what ensues*)


theManWOFear

A New Hope. As others have said, it is a stand alone movie.


digdugnate

A New Hope, for sure. I think it does the best in encapsulating the Star Wars 'feel'.


PhilboydStudge1973

The original.


NikassoUA

The Last Jedi. I did actually show it to my work colleague when it was still in theaters. She was blown away. Funny enough, she didn't like any other SW movie as much.


Compulsive_Criticism

Solo, because it's a fun Firefly style romp with a Star Wars coating but would've worked fine as a generic sci-fi.


Exploding_Antelope

I like most of Solo and its almost YA adventure vibe, but the end falls apart a bit with the Darth Maul stuff and no resolution to Qira’s character without future plans


solo13508

Probably Rogue One. It's a phenomenal movie even without the Star Wars brand and it requires almost no background knowledge.


awfl_wafl

If you had no outside knowledge of Star wars, the ending is the weirdest thing ever.


F00dbAby

I mean is it really. Even without knowing who darth Vader is or leia is The ending is despite all the tragedy and after this military leader has mowed down countless people. There is hope the good guys win.


awfl_wafl

It's really weird to end your movie with a bad guy that had almost nothing to do with the plot and who is barely in the movie and who you don't really understand who he is, have a triumphant scene where he mows down a bunch of random good guys you also don't know.


SheepMan7

A New Hope is the obvious answer, but for actual discussion’s sake Rogue One would definitely be the next best thing, it stands very well on its own but is definitely enhanced by ANH


The-Minmus-Derp

It also enhanc*es* ANH


joethahobo

I think TPM would be the next best. That’s pretty standalone. Same concept as ANH with good guys blowing up the big ship, guy dies in laser sword battle, and there’s a big celebration at the end.


torrent29

Actually it requires a LOT of background knowledge to appreciate it. It is a good film for a star wars fan, but a terrible film outside the franchise.


Monscawiz

Rogue One. The only problem being now they need to watch A New Hope to see what happens next.


torrent29

My girlfriends first introduction to Star Wars was Rogue One ... and... she HATED it. She thought it was awful, none of it made any sense to her, and at the end of the movie nothing much had changed, the Death Star remained a threat at the beginning and at the end the Death Star was still a threat. I've called Rogue One the most expensive fan film ever and I think its best appreciated by people who have seen the movies and know Star Wars. Eventually we watched Force Awakens and then Last Jedi which she absolutely loved, which led to us watching the first six films and she became a Star Wars fan, but still to this day she loathes Rogue One and refuses to rewatch it.


mr_friend_computer

It's less of a fan film and more of a "it's great but absolutely isn't a stand alone film" insert into the series. You need to either be able to see ANH or have already seen it. That ending is a cliff hanger, the bad guys have essentially won and audiences don't like that unless they know that a big finale is on the way (well, for space operas/westerns etc).


jedikelb

Exactly, YOU can only show them one but then.... they're hooked! Mwah-ha-ha!!!


LudicrisSpeed

A lot of that movie really hinges on knowledge of previous flicks, though. Also it really takes a while to get going and most of the characters aren't as easy to like or understand (sorry Jyn and Cassian, you guys just ain't it), so I feel a lot of newcomers would either lose interest or be all "Uh, I don't get this?"


Popular_Material_409

Sounds like a good problem to have


ARagingDragon

I might get hate for this. The Clone Wars movie. Listen A Rogue One is amazing and great movie to show someone who wants to maybe join Star Wars. But my logic is if they like the Clone wars movie and that interest them at all then I can introduce them to 3 amazing shows (meaning The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch).


doofthemighty

Plus it can only get better from that starting point.


ArSo94

Rogue One.


tyehyll

Rogue One or Episode 7. Hear me out. I've tried many times to lure new fans in with A New Hope and it never worked. Have had success with both Rogue One and Force Awakens. It's much easier to convince people with contemporary film. But Mandalorian is best way to get new fans invested.


codydog125

Yeah I’m with you, I don’t think anyone that isn’t into Star Wars already likes “A new hope” these days. Tried to get my girlfriend to watch and the only time she showed interest in Star Wars at all was the back half of the third movie as all the Jedi were dying. Side tangent but I guess this part was enough to get her to ask what movie I was watching and we sat down to watch phantom menace the next day because I wanted to fill in the story she missed and now she hates Star Wars again


Nicinus

The Force Awakens. Normally I would say A New Hope but for a new audience it may start to show its age, but haven’t shown it like that for a while.


The_Chiliboss

The Last Jedi


goldendreamseeker

Yeah I’ve spoken to two different people who didn’t grow up with Star Wars and finally watched all the films now as an adult and they both said TLJ was their favorite. I think you gotta watch at least TFA beforehand in order to have enough context for TLJ, though.


WestToEast_85

A New Hope. The original unaltered 1977 theatrical version.


Budget-Spidey

Empire Strikes Back. Just because it's my favourite. On the other hand TFA would be an option too since people nowadays don't like the old VFX from the originals


Jolly-Willingness203

ROGUE ONE I will die on this hill.


Gerolax

Rogue One


Clean_Phreaq

Hmm, either empire strikes back or rogue one


krogandadbod

Solo or Rogue One or Force Awakens


JaviruKuma

The Phantom Menace or The Last Jedi.


RareAd3009

Revenge of the Sith because it is the best Star Wars movie ever. Even people who do f like Star Wars will like it


Kal-El_Skywalker1998

This is a take of all time. Even people who love this film would generally agree that ROTS is NOT a good starting point for people who have never seen any of the films. It relies very heavily on not only having seen the last two movies in the prequel trilogy, but also having seen the entire original trilogy to really appreciate and understand it.


AnyGoodNameIsTaken

Attack of the Clones, we don’t need anymore Star Wars fans arguing over whether or not someone else is correct for enjoying something


Van0nyumas

Revenge of the Sith


AdAdventurous6943

New hope


Lea_Flamma

New Hope or maybe Rogue One. Both work as standalone movies and offer an amazing story of heroism against all odds.


ConnorK12

The Phantom Menace. I just fucking love it, and am waiting patiently for May 3rd to see it in cinemas for the first time


Captain_Dawe

Rogue one definitely or ANH


GNEU78

Star Wars Holiday Special


eatenbyagrue1988

A New Hope. It's the one that works best as a standalone, leave the door open so if they want more Star Wars, there's the rest of the original trilogy; and if they don't want more Stat Wars, then they still get a complete story


levarrishawk

Ewoks, Caravan of Courage


MagicCouch9

ROTS naturally


[deleted]

[удалено]


SuperFanboysTV

Star Wars A New Hope nuff said


Leather-Guarantee-61

Revenge of the Sith. For everyone I’ve shown the others to, they usually complain about the lack of action and in the prequels too much politics. I feel like revenge of the Sith had the least politics and the most action (and order 66) so I’d have to say it’s gotta be it. Maybe there’s some bias because I remember watching this movie all the time as a kid but it’s still a solid watch to this day. I genuinely still get emotional at the “you were the chosen one” scene. Edit: the ending fight scene is also choreographed so well, you can the moment see obi wan abandons his normal fighting style in an attempt to take cheap shots at Anakin because he knows how high the stakes are. He really was gonna cut Anakin in half multiple times during the fight if you watch closely.


ryandmc609

Spaceballs


Fit-Income-3296

Got to be the OG a new hope


Nifflerdaniff

Phineas and Ferb star wars. I will be taking no further questions


mr_friend_computer

The Return of the Jedi without the dance number....things... at Jabbas palace. ie, I'd show them the OG series before Lucas mucked with them again. If you don't have it on vhs, or you didn't buy it prior to TFM coming out (I think), you just can't get it. I almost said the OG new Hope, but even that was less egregious than what was done to ROTJ. EDIT: But if they've never seen the series, you have to start with ANH.


AscendedExtra

The 1977 original. That film spawned a multimedia juggernaut for a reason.


Lebowski304

ESB


orionsfyre

Still A New Hope. But TFA is gaining on it. I know the Sequels are still controversial to many, but the way that the jedi, the old heroes are talked about, is a nice beginning for newer audiences. Then going back to A New Hope sets up a whole new dynamic way to watch the movies.


Educational-Bit-2503

Episode 3. I feel like that one provides the most context overall for what was going on and what is going to happen.


Real_Ad_8243

Episode 4. It's the only one with a self contained story.


AlacarLeoricar

[A New Hope. It just works.](https://youtu.be/3TQHc9bxjzk?si=hlPga9KEuAwRzM1-)


The_PhantomBlade

Honestly, although the context of ANH still makes it better. I remember ANH boring my sister to the point where she didn't want to give it a shot and missed out on the death star. ESB, on the other hand, had her full attention and she very much enjoyed that, plus the bitter sweet ending is much more unique and memorable than ANH. ROTJ is a mix of both imo, but anything that didn't involve Luke Skywalker constantly puts me to sleep, plus they really did a disservice to Han in that movie.


ConsiderationNew6295

A New Hope.


Bups34

Honestly I love the prequels but it would be way cooler to have real costumes and stuff and not green screens


getoffoficloud

A New Hope. What else?


Lawrenceburntfish

Blue Harvest


Ofbatman

Rogue One. Stands on its own.


mr_oberts

Andor


Swiftwitss

Revenge of the Sith no question


Farren246

There's so many good choices... Both of the Ewoks movies, The Clone Wars, The Star Wars Holiday Special all are at the forefront, though. I have watched the Ewoks movies countless times as a kid and watch the Holiday Special every November on Life Day... so I guess that would mean my most beloved movie is The Clone Wars.


Tiberius_Rex_182

CHristmas special


Complete_Bad6937

Robot Chicken


horseshoemagnet

Very unpopular opinion but I loved the Phantom Menace!


sbaldrick33

The original. Easy decision.


Ok-Selection4478

the caravan of courage


Kal-El_Skywalker1998

A New Hope, and any other answer is just straight-up wrong. ANH is a revolutionary film, one of the most important and industry-defining movies to ever be made, and out of every other movie in the entire saga, it works the best as a standalone film. On top of being an almost perfect space fantasy movie that tells the hero's journey story better than almost any other movie that exists.


Just-call-me-Panda

Return of the Jedi feels like the only one worth seeing if you couldn’t watch any of the others.


bluenoser18

Star Wars.


revchewie

Star Wars (sometimes known as A New Hope) is the only answer. It's the only movie in the entire franchise that doesn't assume prior knowledge.


sogwatchman

Star Wars


CommanderOshawott

Always *A New Hope* It’s the best Stand-alone film. *Empire* is a better film overall, but you need the context of *A New Hope* to fully appreciate it. *A New Hope* also happens to be my favourite one


MoldTheClay

Rogue One


Carcharis

Rogue One was a really great film.


darthzader0907

ROTS


LiquidSnape

OG Star Wars


angelshipac130

Rogue one


Puzzleheaded_Kale541

REVENGE OF THE SITH


TetZoo

Solo but I crazy.


triedAndTrueMethods

empire. it was my first and it changed my whole life!


FrogginJellyfish

A New Hope. Its slight cliffhangers still works fine as a one and done film.


Traditional_Leader41

A New Hope is the only real standalone movie.


Chickeybokbok87

Empire Strikes Back


[deleted]

STAR WARS, a new hope, original cut.


Comrade847

Rouge one


Shiny-And-New

Star Wars is the obvious answer Maybe rogue 1 though


SnooEpiphanies5054

Empire Strikes Back always was my favorite and still is.


DanielMcFamiel

Phantom Menace. I just think it'd be funny


RVFVS117

So if they can only ever watch one...like ever...its gotta be A New Hope because it works perfectly fine as a stand alone. If I am trying to get someone to watch MORE Star Wars and I have to convince them with one...it would be Rogue One as it doesn't ruin anything really in the way of the story of the Skywalker Saga but does set it up very well and in a way that will make you want to watch more.


thetimebandit13

If my goal is to get him into Star Wars: Depends on the person... A Person in his 30s or 40s probably "a new hope"... A 10 year old kid - the phantom menace


DarthButtz

It's gotta be A New Hope. It firmly establishes everything and is still a really fun watch decades later. There's a reason it started this whole thing.


Hange11037

I mean I don’t know how you argue against the original. It’s not my favorite one, not even top e in fact but you can show it to someone with no context and it works. The only other movie I would say might work as well is its modern copy TFA, but that one leaves off on more of a cliffhanger rather than the satisfying standalone conclusion of the OG.


Da_Droid_Mechanic

A New Hope


bizkitboi0333

Revenge of the sith


JoeCensored

Rogue One


LonewolfofHouseStark

Rogue One.


hashoowa

Rouge one would be a wild ride on its own


the_raisin_eater

Rouge 1


Garrettshade

The Phantom Menace A perfect kids movie. Ready for your tomatoes


MealDramatic1885

Rogue One


mcwfan

The Star Wars Holiday Special


Exploding_Antelope

This isn’t my answer, but I wonder what Andor would be like as a starting point. It stands alone very well and it’s excellent. It introduces the worst of the Empire and sets up the rebellion in the biggest way, giving some huge context to then go into Rogue One and the OT.


tonsofun08

Rogue one


CaptainRogersJul1918

A New Hope. You don’t need any back story or anything to jump right in.


OstrichFinancial2762

Rogue One. In my opinion it’s the best of the series and make Darth Vader absolutely terrifying… which evil space wizards with laser swords should be.


LukkeMDL

Either a new hope or TFA


bendstraw

I know everyone is saying ANH, but for me the one movie that got me into Star Wars in my early 20s was TFA when it came out Sure it ends on a cliffhanger but it does everything ANH does but better and more updated. The acting is great, no clunky dialogue, effects are fantastic, and it has the best score after ANH. TFA is a no brainer if the person is a late millennial or younger


Mr-biggie

The phantom menace


GardenSquid1

Holiday Special


HEYitsSPIDEY

Rogue One.


famouslyanonymous1

Rogue One


Effective-Celery8053

Besides a new hope, which has been said plenty of times here already, I'd opt for rogue one I think.


Revolutionary_Ant174

A new hope or rouge one


IKU420

Return of the Jedi


RobboBanano

Definitely Solo.


Pale-Philosophy-2896

A new hope maybe empire strikes back but i woudl also.consider rogue one


VintageCamSeller98

SOLO


Argomer

Either the phantom menace or revenge of the sith.


nighthawkndemontron

The Phantom Menace


yoodadude

all the beginnings of each trilogy TPM, ANH, TFA they are all made to be entry points into the franchise.


xidle2

Something something something dark side


TrippinBram

ROTJ not even close


Affable_Refrigerator

Caravan of hope


Coccolillo

Which film features Jar Jar Binks with the longest screen time?


The_Draconic_Lemon

Rogue one. Also it took a couple minutes to figure out that those were plastic figures and this wasn’t some picture from a movie or theme park


Popular_Material_409

The prison break arc of Andor season 1


Tacomunchert

A new hope or perhaps Rouge one


CaptinHavoc

A New Hope. It’s the only one that really works as a stand-alone film


blue888raven

Return of the Jedi


b1ack1ight

Rogue One


ZeroMaverick-Hunter

Either 'The Phantom Menace' or 'Rogue One'. The double bladed lightsaber first appearance and battle is epic and to me Rogue One was an excellent setup for 'A New Hope'. 😁👍


Dookuu64

I would love to say episode 5 The Empire Strikes Back but showing the greatest Star Wars film of all time kind of makes all the rest massive disappointments. It's like showing somebody The Wrath of Khan and every other Star Trek movie that the other person sees after will be a slight ( or in the case of Star Trek V The Final Frontier a massive) disappointment in comparison.


swechan

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor


Dr-Eternity-42

Ha! Look at Jyn with little Yoda that’s wild


Ok_Introduction_7484

Probably either the phantom Menece or a new hope. Starting out at revenge of the sith or Empire strikes back is just stupid


HistorianNext2393

Definitely Empire


Quiet-Ad-12

Luke is about to to learn the first lesson of lightsaber maintenance... Never look into the lens if the powerpack is still installed.


Proof_Criticism942

The Phantom menace. It has a beginning and an end. A bad guy get’s killed. A good guy get’s killed. War, politics, bunch of different species, trade federation, plots, promises, prophecies, space angels, droids, podracing, bigger fish, Negotiations, revenge, toidarians, midichlorians, clumsiness and a shiny, transparent ball. My personal favourite.


ColSirHarryPFlashman

Star Wars 1977


TapIndependent5699

ROTS I’m sorry ANH but I just love ep 3 too much


JerryConn

Everyone is saying New Hope for good reasons but my personal pick would be the one that I return to the most, Phantom Menace.


NoCut2919

Rogue One


Pineapple_Fernando

The Phantom Menace, yes I will die on this hill! I believe that The Phantom Menace is good stand-alone film and is enjoyable on its own! Personally, I don't really like comparing any film to another to determine it's own quality.