Jens Scherer (ironclad1609)

Long before the Lord of the Rings films, George Lucas decided to create a "Star Wars in Fantasy", if you will. The result is a childhood favorite with many marvelous ideas, lovable characters and a really pretty production design. Some of the editing and special effects seem dated today, the charm of the film lingers on, though. Especially Val Kilmer as the Han Solo of fantasy, sword fighter Madmartigan, adds a great sense of humor to the film. The action is great, the soundtrack lovely, an all around enjoyable film for those who still are kids at heart.

Not having heard more about Andy Kaufman than the wonderful REM song of the same name this movie totally took me by surprise. What an insane but hilarious approach to humor this man had. Jim Carrey gives one of his best performances, bringing Kaufman back to life, together with some of the actual actors and persons he dealt with. Funny, sad, sometimes wonderfully wrong and always entertaining. Wonderful film that makes me wish I would have known Kaufman, the comedian, in his heydays.

The end of the series and my personal highlight of the Star Wars series, this is the most racy puppet theater of the Universe. It easily shows that you don't need CGI effects, because not only do matte paintings, puppets and masks still work excellently 25 years later, they are also part of the charm. It also shows, that what the prequels were lacking was mostly a character like Harrison Ford's Han Solo, delivering snotty lines by the minute, being the coolest asshole in space. The set-up, the action, the effects, the flow, everything here is perfect and leads to the biggest showdown cinemas ever saw. The tripartite conference scene with the space battle over Endor, the hilarious and imaginative Ewok warfare on Endor and the Emperor on the Death Star, being the most evil villain of all times, tempting Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side, (and knowing each step of the good guys in advance) is just fantastic. The final lightsaber battle Vader vs. Skywalker is easily the most emotional and therefore best of the whole series. And then the ending: Vader's redemption and final celebration, which makes the audience just as happy as the surviving rebels: Perfect. All threads are tied, everyone gets what they deserve (yes, fans of the Extended Universe know Boba Fett made it out of the Sarlacc). The ultimate fairy tale ending. After 25 years this easily remains my favorite movie of all times.

It actually has the weakest beginning of the three, if you wanna use that word, because it's still pretty good, just not as mind-blowing as FOTR and TTT. What follows in the last two hours of the extended version is movie making to dream of, though. A lot has been said about the Oscar nominated effects, props, camera work, music and of course Jackson's flawless directing. But few mentioned how much fine acting is happening here as well: it's the small gestures, facial expressions and lines especially Wood, Mortensen, McKellen and Astin deliver that make this movie unforgettable just as much as the stunning visuals. The lighting of the beacons, the ride of the Rohirrim, Legolas taking out the war elephant, Eowyn and Merry taking on the Witch King, Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom and this unbelievably beautiful ending (not one minute too long) - all perfect, memorable scenes and going down in movie history. One of the best movies of our time. "You bow to no one".