The Star Wars movies are, quite simply, my favorite films ever made. They are the great myths of our time. They are more imaginative and exciting than anything else that has come before or since. Nothing even comes close, except for maybe The Lord of Rings trilogy, but I could never watch those movies with the same vigor and passion that I do with the Star Wars saga. I have more of an emotional investment in them. In fact, I'm not sure if I would have loved The Lord of the Rings as much if I hadn't loved Star Wars first. No matter how many times I watch them (and that is a lot), I almost always discover (or rediscover) something new or interesting in them. To me, they exist on a totally different plane from other films.

Star Wars was made as a throwback to the old Saturday matinee serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Using timeless mythical stories and archetypes, creator George Lucas (the cinema's greatest storyteller) managed to elevate his material into a true art form. They have religious and philosophical relevance as well as visceral impact. Not only do I consider the Star Wars series to be the most visionary cinematic achievement of all time, but I also think it's the greatest work of fiction ever conceived. I know that such a broad statement is rather silly and preposterous, but that's how I feel. Do I think they're "perfect" movies? Well, no. But then, I don't really think any films, or anything from this world for that matter, are absolutely perfect. There is always something that could be changed, added, or removed to make a movie better. The Star Wars saga is no different.

All of my life, Star Wars has meant so much to me. I was born in 1984, about a year after the last film of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, came out into theaters. The original trilogy has been with me for as long as I can remember. I can't even recall what it was like seeing them for the first time. They may be among the first movies I ever saw. When the prequel movies eventually came out, I loved them just as much as the original films. They deepened and expanded the Star Wars universe in a significant and profound way, making it truly complete.

How would I rank all six movies? Personally, I don't like doing that because my opinions of the films consistently fluctuate over time. Sometimes my favorite is Attack of the Clones, sometimes it's The Empire Strikes Back, sometimes it's Return of the Jedi, etc. So, I place them all together. After all, George Lucas has said that they're all meant to form one gigantic epic: the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. The first three movies deal with Anakin's fall from grace and how the democratic Galactic Republic turns into the oppressive Galactic Empire. The last three films shift the focus to Anakin's son Luke (Mark Hamill) and how he redeems his father while the Rebel Alliance destroys the Empire, liberating the galaxy. The Star Wars saga is a great, glorious epic of mythological proportions that I will treasure forever. As Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) tells Luke near the end of A New Hope, "Remember, the Force will be with you...always."