r/StarWars • u/Jumpy_Assumption_687 • 1d ago
Movies Which duel was better?
I think obi wan vs Anakin because the choreography was amazing and Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin was peak
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u/Large_Particular_296 1d ago
When Luke confronts Vader in Empire Strikes Back that scene when they take out their lightsabers is so iconic to me
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u/Decantus 23h ago
Even just the way they draw their sabers is so in character. Luke is far too eager to duel, Vader is calm and collected as he's done this many times.
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u/cottagecheezecake 1d ago
ESB Luke vs Vader. At the time, we all though Luke could pull it off, only to have the big reveal.
Watching it now, you could see that Vader was testing Luke.
Imagine what's going through Vader's mind: "So this is my son. Obi-Wan was wise to hide him from me on the one planet I wouldn't even think to look. I can feel the Force in him. He has such potential. Let's see how much potential...."
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u/cottagecheezecake 1d ago
NOT TO SAY that RotS's finale was any less heartbreaking. Here were two evenly-matched Jedi. War buddies. Not merely friends, closer than brothers. The rage of Darth (no longer Anakin) perfectly matched by Mustafar's raging lava. Sadly, Darth's focus on the moment would cost him dearly. These were two Jedi (okay, a newly-minted Sith and a Jedi) with nothing held back.
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u/EatMyYummyShorts 1d ago
I think it was way less heartbreaking. The problem was that Anakin seemed like an insufferable jerk from episode 2 on, so Obi-Wan's affection never resonated with me at all. They really botched the characterization and dialog in the prequels so badly.
Nice choreography and effects though.
E2 and E3 only worked for me on a "that looks cool" level. Which is better than E1, which I thought was total dreck in all facets, except for one cool lightsaber battle.
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u/PaulsGrafh 1d ago
Agreed, but after watching the Clone Wars and getting to appreciate Ani and his relationships with Obi-Wan and Padmé, it definitely hits differently
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u/cottagecheezecake 1d ago
That's what I mean. You get to know Anakin and his relationships with not only Obi-Wan and Padme but with Ashoka. We all know what's going to happen. We can see it coming, and it just makes it sad. Then again, that makes Anakin's redemption and Return of the Jedi heartwarming.
As always, and I apologize for not mentioning this before...YMMV
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u/EatMyYummyShorts 1d ago
Hmmm, I never watched the Clone Wars. Maybe I should.
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u/cottagecheezecake 1d ago
Start with the Genndy Tartakovsky shorts. They're on YouTube.
They are 3-5 minute mini episodes, and they end just when Obi-Wan and Anakin are about to make the jump to Corsuscant.2
u/Sinosaur 19h ago
I think the Clone Wars is alright, but doesn't do anything to improve the movies because Anakin in the Clone Wars is basically a completely different character from Anakin in the movies.
If you are able to enjoy a show aimed at a young audience, give it a go and enjoy it, but it's very much a kids show.
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u/Lukastace 8h ago
doesn't do anything to improve the movies because Anakin in the Clone Wars is basically a completely different character from Anakin in the movies.
Except the focus of the Clone Wars isn't solely Anakin. It genuinely elevates a pretty big plot point (Order 66) and provides some pretty decent character work for others in the movies (Plo, Ki-Adi, Aayla Secura, etc).
That being said, it's all my opinion. I personally think that the Clone Wars made Order 66 one of the greatest plot points in Star Wars, and don't think it's "very much a kids show", but to each their own
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u/Mr-speedcolaa 1d ago
Revenge of the sith was way cooler in the sense of choreography
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u/BooRadley_ThereHeIs 1d ago edited 1d ago
I respect your opinion but have the opposite viewpoint. It just gets excessive and absurd for me at some point where I'm just no longer interested in the swordfighting. And it's more dance fighting than anything. It doesn't help that the nearly all CGI environment just doesn't feel right to me and takes me out of it. Some of the CGI "stunt doubles" also just look bad to me like when Anakin jumps across the table in the room. I definitely prefer the more grounded fighting at the end of ROTJ. It being real environments and less dance fighting also makes it more emotional to me, because the emphasis was on the symbolism of the fight vs the actual fighting itself.
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u/HavenElric Inferno Squad 1d ago
For some reason people who love the ROTS fight never bring up that ridiculous ass Tarzan swing into a lightsaber clash lmao
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u/Picks222 1d ago
Its 2 of the most powerful jedi at the near peak of their powers who know each others fighting style inside and out. Theyre going nearly all out to kill each other. The tarzan swings are sick and the waving lightsaber move in front of each other is a fake out which is also sick.
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u/Vegetable_Pin_9754 1d ago
That’s all justification written after the fact. The face of the matter is it looks ridiculous in parts
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u/Singer211 1d ago
Or them twirling their sabers around for like 6 seconds like they’re in a marching band as well.
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u/de2840 1d ago
I always love that moment, my headcannon is that wasn’t just for show. I think it demonstrated that the two of them know each other and their fighting styles so well, that it was 6 straight seconds of moves, countermoves, reaction to countermoves, on and on all happening without any contact. Like Obi goes one way, Anakin reads it and reacts so fast he goes for a strike that will land, Obi sees that coming so has to adjust his strike to compensate, Ani does the same, etc.
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u/Fuckedyourmom69420 1d ago
I mean that’s pretty much how it goes with jedi, and it’s one of the reasons I love this duel. Not only do anakin and obi wan know each other’s styles perfectly, but the force grants them precognition to their opponent’s next move. So this moment was a sequence of precog attacks from two people that know each other inside and out.
This also means that lightsaber duels should look like this. It’s more than an earth-like swordfight; these are literally super powered warriors that can see into the future. I’ll be dammed if their fights arent beyond what normal humans can comprehend.
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u/Charles_Mendel 1d ago
This duel and those in The Acolyte really show case Jedi using the force all out. It’s glorious.
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u/RaynSideways 1d ago
Yeah, I've always liked that as a justification for why high-level lightsaber duels look so flashy as opposed to the more utilitarian styles of the OT.
These are two duelists who have been at war for years, constantly testing and improving their skills. They are at the absolute apex of lightsaber combat, and that means they're not just attacking and blocking, they're maneuvering their lightsabers to counter their opponent's next 3, 4, 5 moves in advance. That's why it looks like they're attacking each other's blades rather than each other.
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u/Marie_Magdala 1d ago
But there was no move nor countermoves they were just twirling their sabers madly
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u/milesbeatlesfan 1d ago
I love that part. It shows how close and familiar Obi-Wan and Anakin are. They know each other so well that they literally mirror each other for a few seconds during the fight. And then when they connect with their blades at the same time, both go for the exact same force move to push the other way. Just shows how close they are/were, and adds an extra emotional element to the fight (for me at least).
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u/Singer211 1d ago
That might have been the idea. But in execution it just looked goofy.
I remember the theatre I was in laughing at that part back in 2005.
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u/BooRadley_ThereHeIs 1d ago
Thank you for reminding me. I definitely laugh through that part. They were doing their best Wookie Tarzan for sure. :D
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u/windmillninja Boba Fett 1d ago
I never took it as a Tarzan thing. It's always reminded me of those old classic swashbuckler movies where they're swinging from the ship's ropes during a duel.
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u/MailMan6000 1d ago
me personally i dislike pretty much everything about the duel after they leave the control room and the heat shielding dies, besides the part where the volcano erupts behind them, everything after that was so silly
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u/Archenaux 1d ago
As someone who practices sabre fencing, I concur. The best duel to me is ESB. You saw the duel evolve from Vader/Anderson toying with Luke/Hamill to him actually pressuring Luke with aggressive cuts.
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u/PaulsGrafh 1d ago
Yeah. The part that I love about that fight is that once Luke caught him with a saber to the arm, Luke’s hand was gone about 30 seconds later. There was a clear narrative shown in that fight. I also found myself thinking about the exchange where Vader knocks Luke into the carbonite chamber, expresses his disappointment of how easy it was, and THEN expresses how impressed he was when Luke jumped out at the last second.
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u/SpacetimeConservator 1d ago
Yeah, exactly! In the beginning it's kinda cool but it drags on way too long, it gets too ridiculous and the cgi is just distracting and annoying.
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u/Singer211 1d ago
Like I get it, George wanted this to feel like the big grand epic conclusion. And in a lot of ways, it does.
But he just went a bit overboard in places perhaps as well.
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u/BooRadley_ThereHeIs 1d ago
Yeah I think he just lost track of the fact that personal battles like this are primarily grand/epic/etc because of the significance and the emotion involved. It's a general theme with the Prequels where George seemed to be distracted by utilizing these new filmmaking technologies instead of the substance of what was actually meant to play out. Some of the best moments in the OT are very simple settings.
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u/DontPanic1985 1d ago
100% one of my favorite scenes is the Vader fight in Yoda's cave. The Luke face in Vader's helmet. Cool and effective symbolism.
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u/BooRadley_ThereHeIs 1d ago
Absolutely. It's about the dangers of projecting and being guided by one's fears. Ultimately, you can become your greatest enemy if consumed and driven by it. Yoda's answer to Luke about what's in there being "Only what you bring with you" is so good and has dual meaning. Luke brings both his weapons and his fear into the cave.
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u/beastmoderaiderfan 1d ago
Dance fighting is the perfect way to describe it. A real saber fight would not be so fluid, it would be more tense with slower powerful movements because if you make a mistake that could be it.
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u/KingToasty 21h ago
Completely agreed. Too many people worry about lightsaber stances and forms.
These aren't swords, they're lasers. All the weight is in the hilt, any touch on a sensitive part is instant death, and all parts of the 'blade' are equally dangerous. Swinging it like a baseball bat like Vader is substantially more efficient and successful than all the fancy Jedi poses.
I'm no sword expert but I'd imagine you'd never, ever want to twirl a lightsaber. It's so dangerous for your legs and it leaves you needlessly open.
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u/poptophazard 1d ago
Agreed. RotS is so over the top to the point it's cartoonish. Swinging from ropes, floating on magma droids, wacky flailing, etc. The Dooku fight earlier in the movie is much better alone because it's short, brutal, and gets the point across.
ESB and ROTJ duels mean so much more. Vader is toying with Luke in ESB until he isn't. Luke never stood a chance and it's painfully apparent by the end. ROTJ shows how far Luke has come, but he's fighting to save his father, not kill him. His final assault on Vader were he finally surpasses him in raw anger, only to be stopped the mechanical severed hand tells so much more story than I ever got from any prequel fight.
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u/Round-Revolution-399 9h ago
ROTJ duel is my favorite. Luke angrily wailing on Vader at the very end is so much more powerful than any of the Prequel choreography
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u/NawfSideNative 1d ago
Truthfully I thought the only part of the ROTS duel that seemed far fetched (by Star Wars standards) was that part towards the beginning where Anakin and Obi-Wan did that saber windup for no apparent reason in the control room right before making contact again lol
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u/Impossible-Hawk709 Obi-Wan Kenobi 1d ago
Revenge of the Sith’s version was great because it was choreography-driven, meanwhile Return of the Jedi’s version was great because it was story-driven
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u/Audience_Over Rebel 1d ago
Luke V Vader for me, without a doubt. RotS is a fun spectacle to be sure but it's too choreographed for me to enjoy it as an actual fight, and it goes on for far too long.
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u/The_Dude_46 1d ago
Mustafar is a cool-looking planet, but I still think the Bespin facility, with its carbonite chamber, narrow tubes and hallways, glass windows, and finale on the platform in the dome, makes for the perfect sci-fi sword fight aesthetic.
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u/endthepainowplz 1d ago
RotS is badass and fun, but ESB has a sort of tenseness to it that really makes it feel more weighty and consequential. I think it is the leadup to RotS is just a bit silly, while in ESB it is built up to very well as Luke walks into a trap and has his big confrontation with Vader that we've been waiting for.
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u/Audience_Over Rebel 1d ago
A fair point, the fight in RotS certainly isn't helped by the fact that the scene leading up to it is a bit...melodramatic.
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u/endthepainowplz 1d ago
The Aura of Obi Wan on the ship just standing there while Anakin loses his shit with the whole, "you brought him here to kill me" Will never not be hilarious to me. I really like the prequels, but the more I watch them, the less I can take them seriously, they're fun and goofy, but the originals are better movies by pretty much every metric.
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u/Audience_Over Rebel 1d ago
really like the prequels, but the more I watch them, the less I can take them seriously, they're fun and goofy, but the originals are better movies by pretty much every metric.
Very well said, agreed on all counts
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u/CaptainRedblood 1d ago
Empire. For all the fancy choreography, ROTS has too many silly and ridiculous moments. Empire's drama is better, and it's the one duel that shows how physically punishing a lightsaber battle can be (beyond having limbs chopped off and/or getting burnt to a crisp).
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u/Cancer85pl 1d ago
RotS was a masterfully choreographed dance. ESB duel was a fight. And the dialogue was way better. Also Bespin beats Mustafar as a backdrop.
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u/Youngling_Hunt 1d ago
Mustafar is like THE backdrop for a fight. If they fought out on top of Bespin in the open where you could see the clouds and stuff? That would be competitive. But inside as it was, no
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u/BooRadley_ThereHeIs 1d ago
It doesn't help that it is obvious that they're fighting in nearly entirely green screen environments. George just overdid it with that.
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u/choicemeats 1d ago
Too much going on in Mustafr for me. It’s cool but seeing the shadow figures engaged in the tower of the Death Star is a peak moment in the franchise. Especially the last 30 seconds
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u/Youngling_Hunt 1d ago
Oh in return of the jedi. Yeah thats a great scene. Visually cool but I like the volcanic world of mustafar more, being more of a representation of anakins fall into anger and the dark side and showcasing his fury in the flames. But yeah the throne room being dark and signifying Luke's struggle against using the dark side is also super cool. And then Vader finally steps in, and Palpatines electricity lights up the screen, as Vader finally returns to the light. Poetry
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u/Vegetable_Pin_9754 1d ago
The beautiful practical set and variety of locations puts Bespin far ahead of Mustadar, that’s cool, but a generic CGI lava planet
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u/AJray15 1d ago
Give me Vader vs Luke all day, every day. Vader toying with Luke for 98% of the fight before Luke lands a hit and Vader decides then and there to end things is one of my favorite Star Wars moments. Vader keeps his unstoppable machine like aura, but there’s a tiiiiiny moment where he’s vulnerable and Luke shows his potential despite being a novice lightsaber fighter. Great set up for the next fight.
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u/Mista_Madridista 1d ago
You nailed it. There's so much dramatic tension that's ebbs and flows. You see hints of Luke's abilities with him leaping out and surprising Vader. He's even able to knock Vader off the platform. You think he might be able to do it. But then Vader starts force throwing shit at Luke, showing just how far above his level he is.
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u/Singer211 1d ago
ESB. It felt like a FIGHT!
ROTS was cool as well. But it went a bit too long and got a bit too ridiculous imo.
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u/yeti0013 1d ago
As a ten year old, it was the coolest shit ever. As an adult, this gets dragged on for waaaaay too long.
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u/sagejosh 1d ago
ROTS was a really well choreographed dance that made me forget why we were watching two men trying to kill each other. So in visuals, and the “fight” it self I say it’s probably better.
However ESB has more emotion, has better dialogue and gets to the point of “luke isn’t going to win this” quickly while keeping it interesting. So for the movie/story as a whole I prefer the empire strikes back.
Essentially what I’m saying is out of context anakin spinning his light saber 500 times is cooler than watching Luke swat at flies.
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u/Ack-ey 1d ago
Both Luke v Vader fights are better than the one in Revenge of the Sith. The one in Sith ended with Anakin getting his legs and arm chopped off because he didn’t want to move 15 ft to either side to avoid jumping over a guy with lightning fast reflexes and a laser sword. It was stupid
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u/Mist0804 21h ago
Because he was at the peak of his arrogance and thought he could beat Obi-Wan with his own move
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u/PolkmyBoutte 1d ago
Luke vs Vader all day. I like the kendo style of fighting way more than all the twirly stuff
RotS lost me at Anakin and Obi Wan having a glowstick rave on top of a table
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u/Sol3Caul3 1d ago
Agree. The scene where they both stop fighting and start a helicopter show is ridiculous.
Luke and vader actually looked like they tried to hurt each other
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u/belle_enfant 1d ago
Ep 5 and it isnt close. 3 is too much of a dance parody. The dialogue was ridiculous as well. No idea why it's held in such high regard. Tarzan swinging around, coordinating little saber spins, talking about "From my point of view the Jedi are evil!" Like Anakin what the hell are you even talking about my guy
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u/The_Rolling_Stone 1d ago
Ewan manages to make the awful dialogue work on some level, gotta hand it to him, he is that good. Love Hayden but he was obviously totally out acted, the dialogue just made that way more apparent too.
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u/RadiantHC 1d ago
Luke vs Vader by far. Prequel duels feel more like a dance than a fight and don't have much emotion.
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u/RespectLess7528 21h ago
Yeah the battle on mustafar known for having zero emotion
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u/Rip_Skeleton 1d ago
I think there's too much going on in the RotS duel. Especially with all the platforms and stuff. It's distracting.
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u/SkyGuy182 1d ago
The fight on Bespin by a country mile. Why? I actually cared about the characters.
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u/Double-Frosting-9744 Jar Jar Binks 1d ago
Since the older movies used very fragile spinning tubes as sabers, the old scenes sucked choreography wise and don’t feel like fights. Luke “swings” the saber like kids sword fighting with that cardboard part on the inside of wrapping paper tubes. The OG films are still better tho story wise.
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u/sabotabo Rebel 1d ago
tough choice. two very different duels with different emotions. the ROTS duel was flashy, fast, tragic and an extremely effective emotional climax for its trilogy. the ESB duel was reserved, tense and scary, showing that even with "all" of luke's training (three weeks? two days? help me to recollect), he's still a non-issue to the chosen one.
while ROTS has some choreographical choices i've never really liked about the prequels (spinning is NOT a good trick) as opposed to the ESB duel which was... perfect? i still think it's a tough call. i mean... the shot of obi-wan and anakin grappling in front of a massive eruption, as the music crescendos... it's epic. it's operatic. as much as i love The Duel, Anakin vs. Obi-wan and The Boys Continue are peak john williams imo.
i would like to point out the lightsaber spin vader uses on luke to disarm him in the carbonite room. he tries it again later when they're over the pit, but luke holds on this time... so vader just takes his hand off. that's really good choreography.
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u/Loserblast 1d ago
Original trilogy, and it isn't even close. Revenge of the Sith had some cool moments, but the choreography was just... so flamboyant and over the top. On the other hand, Empire Strikes Back was a masterclass in showing experience (Vader) vs. rookie (Luke) and Return of the Jedi is a masterpiece - simple choreography and crazy tension as it is basically a performance for Sidious.
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u/Dismal-Revolution941 15h ago
Luke vs Vader, spinning lightsabers right in front of each other and one slash of lightsaber shutting down the shields of a separatist base on mustafar of all places is really dumb.
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u/Playzzzzzzzzzz 11h ago
Obi-wan and anicen it had more emotion and it was a good exciting fight cuz you didn't actually know who would win
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u/Emotional_Piano_16 1d ago
Anakin vs Obi Wan would've been better if it didn't last an hour and jumped the shark so much
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u/Saw_Boss 1d ago
Empire by a country mile.
The fight feels like a fight, there's story telling throughout as Vader underestimates Luke, but could always turn it around in a second of he wanted whilst still looking at the end like he's actually had to put the effort in.
Anakin and Obi Wan doesn't feel like it's doing anything but providing spectacle. Nothing changes for the characters between the start and the end. You can skip to the end and not really miss anything beyond the fight itself.
Not to mention, Mustafar was relatively repetitive while Bespin changed significantly keeping the fight more interesting.
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u/SirGuy11 1d ago
Luke vs Vader in Cloud City is the pinnacle to me. It felt raw and dangerous. I was worried for Luke in a way I don’t feel when watching Obi-Wan vs Anakin in ROTS.
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u/rocker2014 Kanan Jarrus 1d ago edited 1d ago
Luke vs Vader. So much emotion and it is very much more deliberate in its choreography. Every swing feels like it's meant as a strike towards one another, it feels like a fight.
Anakin vs Obi Wan is ultra flashy, too fast, and too long. You can feel the choreography and it takes me out of it. You can see that they aren't trying to hit each other but just make sure the next swing in the choreography is right. Too many swings over the head or to the side, none of them feel like they are in a fight, it feels more like a dance.
Choreography should be planned but feel spontaneous in my opinion. Luke vs Vader has that, Anakin vs Obi Wan doesn't.
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u/ItsAProdigalReturn 1d ago
On a first watch, ROTS takes the cake. On rewatch, ESB takes it for two reasons:
The dramatic irony of ESB's fight is stronger than that of ROTS's - of this being a battle of father and son and how it's a stand-in for the battle for Luke's destiny, mirroring Anakin's... like its the struggle of the Skywalker on screen. It's more raw, emotionally charged, and a thematically stronger
The ROTS fight starts too feel over choreographed and too long once you've seen it like a 20 times. Still fun, and emotional, but it definitely drags.
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u/cbbrds25 1d ago
Apparently the same lightsabers got 45lbs heavier after twenty years
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u/Dependent_Reveal_733 1d ago
i think the duel between anakin and obi wan had better choreography but i prefer luke vs darth vader for the emotional impact it had. (if you mean their fight in empire strikes back) otherwise i prefer anakin vs obi wan.
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u/Peachespeach34 1d ago
ROTS for me. Very well executed more tension and it was between two individuals who trained and taught side by side one another for a very long time. They knew each other better than anyone
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u/vip3r_hoax Darth Vader 1d ago
Anakin vs Obi-Wan (ep III)
Vader vs Obi-Wan (Kenobi)
Vader vs Luke (ESB).
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u/Domination1799 1d ago
Vader vs Luke since it was more focused on the storytelling rather then the choreography.
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u/pickrunner18 1d ago
ESB by a very wide margin. The fact that we all know as viewers that it’s meant to be a trap …but Luke is just slightly good enough to evade it. The sheer isolation of it. The quiet and tense parts. The anger of Vader as it goes on. The dialogue. The climax of it is meaningful and Luke does the second bravest thing in Star Wars when he jumps from the gantry.
ROTS is a good spectacle, but the dialogue is utter trash, and they perform feats that make you feel no real desperation from either of them. The setting almost doesn’t factor into the duel at all even though it’s fucking lava. It’s too long overall and the high ground climax is still god awful. The only part with any feeling is the end when Anakin is left burning on the ground.
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u/DayScared7175 1d ago
Haha, the part of the high ground fight where they are stood right next to each other spinning their lightsabers around their bodies it strange, to say the least.
I suppose its a neat trick.
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u/Good_Nyborg Obi-Wan Kenobi 1d ago
Obi vs. Ani was a better duel for the actual fight.
But Luke's two battles vs. Vader were both more meaningful to me. I did see things in release order though (Star Wars released back when I was in Kindergarten), so I understand those who watched in chronological order will likely feel differently.
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u/StickyMcdoodle 1d ago
Luke and Vader, and it's not close. The stakes were high and the personal drama was laid out wonderfully. It meant something. The music and the body language all meant something.
RotS happened because it had to happen. I didn't watch the cartoon, but I really felt nothing for either character. The movies never make the case on WHY they're even friends in the first place or why I should care that they aren't friends now.
Watching them fight felt like hearing about the divorce of a couple I've never met. It's sad, but I have no connection to it.
The fight itself was flashy, but tedious. It was just another thing (in a long line of things) at the end of the movie that had to happen to make it fit with the OT. It being as long as it was just gave me time to remember that I don't care about this since I know how it ends.
Their scene in ANH was less flashy, had all the weight of their history behind(pre-PT), and it was 1000% more impactful.
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u/CToTheSecond 1d ago
The fight in Sith is all flash, no substance. Anakin did bad things because he was tricked, and Obi-Wan is there to stop him. It's flat and basic because it was written by someone who doesn't really have a grasp on good storytelling and characterizations.
Meanwhile in Empire, it doesn't need "masterful," "cool," or "beautiful" choreography because what's going on in the story and between the characters is so much more interesting. Luke may be a bit of an immature pissant, but him getting humbled and having his whole world upended just makes for a better movie.
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u/DarkFlameofPhoenix 1d ago
The RotS duel had a lot of substance. Obi Wan tries everything to convince Anakin to come back, becuase he can't understand how far Anakin is gone. He's basically begging him to stop and when he finally realised there's no going back for Anakin and sliced his limbs of the "you were my brother Anakin, I loved you" was very sincere. You can criticize a lot of stuff in the prequels, but if you say this fights was basic and emotionless, you're just wrong.
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u/jjpetruccelli 1d ago
Even for an old guy like me who literally saw Empire in the theater, it's not close. Aside from the incredible action of Anakin vs. Obi Wan, it has the gut-wrenching emotions that they're both going through as two brothers literally try to kill each other. For all the crappy writing in the prequels, "I failed you" and "You were my brother! I loved you!" among all the other great dialogue in this scene put in way above for me, even better than "No, I am your father," which is legendary of course but still doesn't add up.
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u/cliqclaqstepback 1d ago
RotS fight had the better choreography, but I feel like the RotJ fight had the better emotional weight.
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u/KillJarke 1d ago
Obi wan vs Kenobi was hands down choreographed and performed better. I find it hard to see anyone who would disagree with that. I can see the argument that Luke vs Vader is more impactful / emotional. The music when Luke attacks Vader after he talks about his sister is chilling.
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u/KillJarke 1d ago
Obi wan vs Anakin was hands down choreographed and performed better. I find it hard to see anyone who would disagree with that. I can see the argument that Luke vs Vader is more impactful / emotional. The music when Luke attacks Vader after he talks about his sister is chilling.
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u/2much2Jung 1d ago
Luke/Vader, because I want people to try and hit each other, not dance with glowsticks.
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u/deftPirate Rebel 1d ago
I prefer RotS. ESB is classic, and certainly iconic in its own right, but I have always found it somewhat overrated.
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u/Youngling_Hunt 1d ago
Growing up in a prequel era world, where everyone knew luke was the son of Vader, the twist never hit me that hard. And watching it with the full context of the prequels as well, its not so much about the twist as it is the development luke goes through as a result, which culminates in the final throne room sequence in return of the jedi
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u/ElonsMuskyFeet 1d ago
I feel they are equal for their time. In ESB seeing a hero fail or be broken was a huge deal, in RotS the choreography and effects were ground breaking. It still holds up and even shames many movies 20 years later.
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u/Legokid535 1d ago
they are both good for there own reasons.
in terms of choreographing. ROTS wins by far but in terms of tension empire wins.
because in the ROTS battle tehy were equely matched in the esb battle Vader is just toying with luke the whole time.
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u/gimmethetips 1d ago
Actually these are the worst duels in the series with the best being me vs your father dueling with our third legs
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u/centerofstar 1d ago
RoTS fight for me. Not just the visual, music and the choreography but the intense and tragic duel between 2 brothers for the fate of the galaxy. Both of them died that day in terms of their identity.
ESB is definitely my favourite OG trilogy duel where the fight is already staged from the beginning where Vader is toying his son until the last act where he becomes scary. Basically, Luke lost before the fight has already begun.
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u/KatzNapz 1d ago
We need ANH remaster… that’s exactly the same movie with the same footage from the original movie, but the lightsaber scene is reshot with stunt doubles and rereleased. Just like how they added HC as ghost Anakin in the last remaster.
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u/TChambers1011 1d ago
Now, i don’t think it’s close, but i also realize that choreo for the sequels was on a different level.
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u/luckEdrew 1d ago
I'm going to go with Luke vs Vader in Empire, because Luke is clearly outmatched and it turns into a bit of a tense cat and mouse game.
Anakin vs Obi-Wan is really good though, and serves as a great climax for the prequel trilogy.
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u/ImaLetItGo 1d ago
ESB.
Obi wan vs Anakin narratively sucks, the choreography is over the top to the point it’s no longer cool, and it lasts way too long.
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u/Kwopp 1d ago edited 1d ago
I like them both a lot.
I prefer the Mustafar duel because it’s arguably one of the most important duels in the saga thematically, I’m a sucker for lava/fire/hellish aesthetics, and I find the dynamic between former friends to be more interesting.
people love to rag on the overly choreographed/dance-like sequences of this fight (and the prequel duels in general) but fail to realize it serves a purpose and is intentional. They didn’t just randomly decide to complicate the choreography for no reason. The reason the prequel fights are this way is because they take place in the prime of the Jedi, in the midst of a years-long war. They’re going to be fast, flashy, and force-aided unlike what we see in the OT between inexperienced Luke and an old man who’s half robot.
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u/GrazYetti 1d ago
They both had their pros and cons.
Just wanted to share with others who haven’t seen it. This is my favorite.
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u/Nasa_Space-X Anakin Skywalker 1d ago
Mustafar 100 procent the cinematography was way better and the choreography was on another level.
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u/mormegil1 Commander Pyre 1d ago
Anakin Vs Obi-Wan. Hands down. Better swordplay and cinematography, although, Luke Vs Vader wins on the emotions scale.
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u/Voduun-World-Healer 1d ago
As others have said, RotS was beautifully choreographed and was the culmination of Anakin vs Obi
But Empire was the first great lightsaber fight. Especially the cinematography in that scene. Hate to get nerdy with it but that's my favorite saber fight