Top 10 Moments from the Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy

I am Groot!

In honor of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise culminating with its third instalment this spring, I'm ranking the 10 greatest moments from the franchise (this topic was suggested by my friend Jonne, who was part of our merry company who went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the cinema earlier this month!). With so many groovy scenes to choose from, I decided to make things slightly easier for myself by limiting myself to the three main feature films in the franchise - therefore scenes from other Marvel films that feature the Guardians of the Galaxy characters, as well as scenes from the silly-but-worthwhile Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), will be excluded. These are the greatest scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).

And a spoiler alert is in order for all three films!

Here are my honorable mentions: "A bunch of assholes, standing in a circle" from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Howard the Duck post-credit scene from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Yondu's Arrow mayhem sequence from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Ego's villainous reveal from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the Emotional Disbanding from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).

10. Meeting Thanos from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

The build-up towards Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the big bad of the MCU was just so well done! Amidst the end credits of the first Avengers movie (2012), we see him for the first time, in an appearance so sinister and badass that it just screams "this guy is the real deal / main villain / true endgame". After that, people were dying to find out more about the mysterious villain, and finally the first Guardians of the Galaxy film delivered.

There's immediately a scene-stealing presence to Thanos, when we finally see him speaking dialogue and interacting with other characters. While this is a very worthwhile introduction, I do appreciate that his role in the film ends up being very minor as his motivations and backstory are left very shrouded in mystery, so that they could be more properly explored in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). A classic example of "show them what they want to see, but leave them wanting more".

9. Star-Lord at his most emotionally charged and badass from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Towards the tail end of the newest instalment in the franchise, the big bad has been defeated and the climax is starting to wrap up as the main characters, as well as the children and animals they rescued, rush towards the safety of Knowhere from aboard the crashing High Evolutionary ship. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) himself is almost left behind, after he sentimentally rushes back to retrieve his beloved cassette tape. This leads to a sequence of pure, emotionally charged adrenaline, as our protagonist runs, jumps and ducks various obstacles while navigating his way off the mid-destruction ship, with the visuals and soundtrack being massively dramatic.

Sure, the slightly out-of-place character Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) saving him in a moment of redemption wasn't quite as powerful as it would've been if his character arch had been more fully fleshed-out, but still, the sequence as a whole is an absolute winner, because emotions were running so high in the adrenaline rush of Quill making his way out.

8. The Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Once again, we return to how intricately connected and well-built the MCU's Infinity Saga was, as much of this worldbuilding was integrated into the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. One moment that had the long-game full-experience fans like myself all riled up and intrigued, was the meeting between the main group of rag-tag heroes and The Collector (Benicio Del Toro), where the concept of the Infinity Stones was finally explained to the audience.

We had seen many of the Stones neatly sprinkled into various interconnected MCU films - the Space Stone / Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the Reality Stone / Aether in Thor: The Dark World (2013), the Power Stone / Orb in this film, et cetera. Here we learn the lore and context behind the stones, while getting a pretty good picture of where things were headed - Thanos' plan to obtain all six stones in order to become unstoppable. Fantastic long-term storytelling right there.

7. "I'm done running" from Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (2023)

When Peter Quill uttered the words "A trap isn't a trap if you know you're being trapped, it's a face-off", I was positive that this was going to be the best and most hard-hitting line of the franchise's first instalment. However, a later line had an arguably even bigger impact, and it came from the focal point and true hero of the third film - Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). While today's #9 moment was in the aftermath of the film's climactic fight, then this is the moment that lead up to it (funnily enough, both moments were more impactful than the actual fight).

The group is all ready to flee the scene of disaster, but Rocket has justice on his mind - the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), perhaps the most downright evil and hate-worthy villain in the entire MCU, is still at large. Much of the film's runtime was devoted to Rocket's heartbreaking origin story, truly capturing just how spiteful the villain was and how much suffering Rocket and so many others had to endure due to him - and this context makes it so damn powerful when Rocket utters the words "I'm done running", and turns back in order to fight. Chills, man.

6. 'We Are Groot' from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Self-sacrifice to save others has been somewhat of a theme throughout the franchise, although the permanence of one's death has varied a bit in true MCU fashion. While this memorable scene wasn't the end of Groot (Vin Diesel) for good (and thank God that it wasn't, as his character contributed so much fantastic content to many subsequent films), it still manages to be a highly emotional scene.

With the Guardians about to crash-land onto the planet Xandar, Groot quite literally branches out his powers, shielding the others from damage while speaking "We are Groot", a line that feels 17 per cent delightfully silly and 83 per cent heart-melting, in the tradition of Schwarzenegger's "I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do" in Terminator II: Judgement Day (1991).

5. "I'm Mary Poppins, Y'all!" from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Continuing on the themes of self-sacrifice, this one is even more of a gut-punch because in defiance of MCU tradition, Yondu (Michael Rooker) actually stayed dead.

While the second Guardians instalment is my least favorite out of the bunch, it is still a thoroughly decent MCU film - yet only one moment from it made it onto the top 10, despite many more being close. In this moment, Peter Quill has been more or less left for dead in the aftermath of the fight against Ego (Kurt Russell) - until, with one hell of a character-defining entrance, Yondu floats onto the scene and sacrifices himself in order to help Quill to safety.

With the film's themes centering on fatherhood, this moment is heavy - Quill's biological father has turned out to be a full-scale villain whose actions very nearly kill Quill, until the symbolic father-figure shows up to save him, at the cost of his own life. The most impressive element of this franchise might just be how the silly and comedic misadventures of Chris Pratt, a green alien, a violent blue dude, a talking raccoon and a one-sentence tree can have such a hard-hitting emotional core.

4. The One-Take Action Extravaganza from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

The two last films I saw in the cinema were, interestingly enough, two different films where Chris Pratt plays the lead role and at some point there's an action sequence to the backdrop of the Beastie Boys classic No Sleep Till Brooklyn. In the more recent out of the two, we see our unlikely heroes charging into battle as the song starts to play - and the sequence is a majestic one-take feat of cinematography and stunt coordination. The end result is as wildly entertaining as it is sharp and technically impressive, with the perfect choice of soundtrack being the icing on the cake.

3. The Grand Escape from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

If you had to pin-point one moment where they stopped being five weirdo individuals and became the Guardians of the Galaxy, it would have to be this massively thrilling escape sequence from the first (and, let's face it, best) film. After Quill, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket, Groot and Drax (Dave Bautista) have all been imprisoned in the Kyln prison, they manage to pull off one hell of an escape sequence, with just so much sci-fi fun going on - the zero gravity stunt, Star-Lord's clever Orb switcharoo, and the inevitable 'Quill puts everything on the line in order to go back and retrieve his goddamn mixtape' moment.

2. Ain't No Mountain High Enough from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

After blasting us with non-stop fun for two hours and solidifying itself as one of the most downright likable and entertaining films in modern cinema, Guardians of the Galaxy gets all mushy and heartfelt for a second - before giving us one more blast of ultimate feel-good vibes.

After the climax of the film is settled, Peter Quill / Star-Lord sits down to read an old letter by his mother, written before her death while he was just a child. It's enough to choke one up, just as Quill finishes reading, opens up the Awesome Mix cassette tape his mother left for him, and with tears in his eyes, plugs it in as Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's Ain't No Mountain High Enough starts to play. This is the perfect transition from touching and sweet back to good-time fun, as the impact that Quill's mother's favorite music had on him as a motif throughout the film suddenly carries a lot more weight while still feeling like a neat gimmick at heart.

To the backdrop of this all-time great Motown song, we see a perfect ending montage - Quill's love interest Gamora appears just as the lyrics go "If you need me call me, no matter where you are I'll be there in a hurry", we check in with the Ravagers to see how Yondu finds out that Quill tricked him with the fake Orb (I love it how Yondu isn't even mad, but rather reacts with a snarky "that's my boy" smile), and we see the Guardians blasting off into new adventures. An amazing wrap-up, sure to leave the viewer smiling.

1. Saving Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

I just had to go with this at first place - while the ending of the first film feels like the franchise in its truest form and would've been a worthy #1 in many ways, there's just no getting around how insanely emotional this moment was. People in the cinema were not just crying but audibly gasping, and understandably so - this sequence really gets deep into your heart. Each Guardians of the Galaxy film is more emotional by nature than the last, with Vol. 2 finding new depths that the first film didn't reach and Vol. 3 going even further, and that all comes to a head in this moment.

After spending much of the film's runtime on a mission to save their beloved Rocket Raccoon, the Guardians are faced with the possibility of losing him as time seems to run out. The mounting intensity and drastic, panic-fueled desparation is off the charts as Rocket starts to flatline, with the group fighting against time - and all of this feels a thousand times more gripping due to the flashbacks seen throughout the film, with the viewers now having the context of what Rocket has already endured and how he'd deserve to just catch a break after the grim events of his origin story. As his near-death experience escalates, he has visions of his old friends, telling him that it's not his time yet, and while this may sound like the world's biggest Hollywood cliché on paper, the film just makes it work. The scene is so intense and emotionally driven the viewer will forget all about "this is Marvel, of course he's going to make it" for a while, and it will feel like the beloved Rocket is dying.

And this sense of reality makes it into one sledgehammer of a payoff when Peter Quill disables the kill switch and saves Rocket's life. Like I said, people in the audience were audibly gasping, and I was one of them. The third instalment of the franchise made the audience invested in this already-beloved character on a whole new level, tricked us into actually believing he'd be killed off, and then pulled off a majestic moment of relief as he gets saved, which is enough to bring any MCU fan to tears of joy. The Guardians of the Galaxy films may be silly and obscure adventure flicks that play fun with sci-fi tropes and goof off with pop culture references and dance sequences, but dammit if they don't have more heart than most of the films out there.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I rank the top 10 greatest movies and television shows written by my all-time favorite screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin.

Top 10 A24 Movies

Greetings, reader!

There has been some good hype around the movie production company A24 recently - their film Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the momentum has continued with the newly released Beau is Afraid (2023), which I sadly didn't get a chance to see yet. But, with all the hype around the studio, I figured that this would be a good time to rank my favorite A24 movies.

Here are my honorable mentions: Enemy (2013), Hereditary (2018), Under the Skin (2013).

10. The Vvitch (2015)

The debut feature film of horror mastermind Robert Eggers is classic A24 - a sharp focus on production values without feeling grandiose or 'Hollywood', an indie feel despite the big-name cast and decent critical acclaim, and an overall end product that has its own unique personality.

The Vvitch takes its time introducing us to the characters and setting, before creeping up with the well-timed horror elements. The escalating intensity throughout the story gets the viewer all invested and riled up, all the way to the suspenseful climax. 

9. Midsommar (2019)

From one maestro of new horror who has emerged in the last decade to another, Ari Aster has had a similar career trajectory to Robert Eggers, although their directorial styles are very distinctive and different from one another. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen Aster's newest film Beau Is Afraid yet, but out of the two hit feature films he made before that, Midsommar is the one I prefer.

The horror genre tends to lean a lot on darkness and shadows, so making a truly and authentically scary horror flick largely set in broad daylight is one hell of a challenge. Aster pulled it off with this creepy and disturbing film, that gets extra horror points for utilizing the fantastic trope of twisting old folk traditions into unsettling horror lore - the rituals of the Scandinavian Midsummer festival are a beautiful thing, but in the right context, this film finds something seriously spooky out of those roots.

8. La La Land (2016)

Wait, this can't be right! La La Land is a Lionsgate production, not A24! Oh, wait a minute, I got the wrong envelope again. Let's see...

8. Moonlight (2016)

Ah, there we go. People were making such a big deal out of an A24 film winning the Best Picture Oscar this year, that I totally forgot that it had happened once before. And quite deservedly so - while Moonlight wasn't quite my favorite film of the year 2016, it's hard to deny that it has the makings of a Best Picture winner. The film deals with issues of race, sexuality and poverty with nuance and subtlety, without feeling as Oscar-bait as one might imagine based on the synopsis.

Also, Mahershala Ali's Oscar-winning supporting performance in the film's first act just can't be praised enough. Powerful, powerful stuff.

7. Eighth Grade (2018)

While A24 has moved on to more large-scale and mainstream material throughout their dynamic rise, they still produce many films with the same indie spirit that helped the studio break through in the first place. One such film is multi-talent Bo Burnham's directorial debut, Eighth Grade. This coming-of-age film was very illuminating for me; while most films in this genre focus on youths who I can easily to relate to (the protagonist seems to almost always be a skinny, insecure and bullied young boy - it's almost like our kind always ends up becoming screenwriters and processing their trauma through writing...), this was not one of those films.

This film dives deep into a type of person who I would've found annoying and difficult when growing up, and shows how much humanity there is beneath the behavior that can come across as shallow and generic. I wish this film would've existed when I was in eighth grade myself, as it would've been a nice reminder not to judge people who you don't understand, as there's always a story behind everyone. It's like Walt Whitman said: be curious, not judgemental. In any case, Eighth Grade is as well-acted and deeply moving as it is eye-opening.

6. The Whale (2022)

2022 was a great year for A24 films getting the critical acclaim they deserve - in addition to a certain Big One (which we'll get to later) sweeping the Oscars, the studio had another film in the same year that landed three Oscar nominations, and won two of them. The movie in question is Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, which especially gained attention for Brendan Fraser's heartwarming Oscar win for Best Actor in a Leading Role - between Fraser's dramatic career trajectory, gripping life story, lovable personality, underdog status and humble speech, this was a beautiful narrative on just so many levels.

Furthermore, the Oscar was beyond deserved, as Fraser truly acts his heart out in this majestic lead role, supported with excellence by Sadie Sink and Hong Chau's gripping performances. The Whale is one of the least fun movies you'll see, with only the occasional sprinkles of humor helping the viewer get through the grim subject matters. It is still very much worth watching, both as a masterclass in acting and as a well-written, heavy-hitting emotional gut punch.

5. Lady Bird (2017)

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, modern Hollywood's gift that just keeps giving, Lady Bird is one hell of a coming-of-age film. The whole vibe throughout the film is immaculately crafted and unique, to a point that years after seeing the movie for the first and so-far only time, just thinking about it immediately causes an almost physical reaction in remembering quite strongly what watching the film felt like and what the atmosphere was like.

Lady Bird is a film of contrast - the artistic ambitions of protagonist Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and the dragging-one-down brand of parenting from her mother (Laurie Metcalf); the contrast between gripping drama and heartfelt moments of comedy; and most striking of all, the contrast between the lively and passionate worldview of the main character and her bleak, uninspiring surroundings (I've never been to Sacramento, and because of its depiction in this film, I think I'd rather travel to Chernobyl).

4. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Ah, the big one. Having won seven Academy Awards in the most recent Oscars, including casual feats like Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role, this critical darling by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert is quite something. In a case similar to Moonlight, this wasn't the #1 best film of 2022 in my view (team The Banshees of Inisherin forever!), but it was most definitely close enough that I was very happy to see it win.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a wildly creative film, and not just on the mere 'this plot is quite imaginative' level - the very essence of this film feels like big middle finger to traditional genre barriers, and the whole "this type of film has to fill certain criteria whereas that type of film has to fit into that category" school of thought. I've never really gotten how some people criticize films that combine genres or atmospheres by saying "this part didn't really fit in in this type of movie" - I mean, what kind of narrow-minded society has decided that a concept as full-of-possibilities as cinema should be strictly divided into archetypes that follow certain rules?

Therefore, it felt almost therapeutic to see a film that just goes "Hey, let's tell this gripping and tear-jerking story about generational trauma, but let's make it sci-fi in order to be wildly creative with it, and despite all the drama let's also have some outrageous comedy in the mix, and how about one sequence where the main characters are literally just rocks", et cetera. More of this, please, Hollywood!

3. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

To the backdrop of spectacular black-and-white cinematography and properly eerie set design, Joel Coen brought to the life one of the most faithful and stylistic Shakespeare adaptations on the big screen. The Tragedy of Macbeth looks cool, feels atmospherically creepy and keeps its dialogue delightfully loyal to the source material.

And then there's the cast. While Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson and Corey Hawkins provide excellent supporting performances as Lady Macbeth, King Duncan and Macduff respectively, the star of the show is without a doubt Mr. Denzel Washington as big M himself. I've seen icons like Sir Patrick Stewart and Michael Fassbender playing the role of Macbeth, and while I still haven't decided whose take was the overall best, I will say that no other has portrayed the character's gradual corruption from hero to villain in quite as gripping of a fashion as Denzel.

2. The Disaster Artist (2017)

Yeah, I know that most people wouldn't rank the good movie about the famous bad movie quite this highly - the thing is, I just really, really like The Disaster Artist. As someone who has seen The Room (2003), often referred to as the Citizen Kane (1941) of bad movies, not once but twice, I'm very invested in the wild cult following and widespread culture around Tommy Wiseau's disasterpiece. Therefore, my expectations were high for the biopic about just how it came to be that such an ambitious artistic project turned out so terrible - and those expectations were met.

With plenty of humor and heart mixed in with all the illuminating storytelling, The Disaster Artist is every bit as good as The Room is bad. The casting of the Franco brothers as the two main culprits was a golden decision, and while Dave Franco's take on Greg Sestero is a thoroughly decent performance, James Franco's Tommy Wiseau is one of my favorite acting performances in Hollywood, with his skilful acting truly capturing the notoriously terrible acting of Mr. Wiseau in a startling manner.

1. The Lighthouse (2019)

Until an even better film comes along, if such a thing ever happens, The Lighthouse will be the ultimate A24 film for me. Like the previous entry, this is a film for which my expectations were sky-high - seeing the trailer for the first time, while in the cinema, was a jaw-dropping "this film is going to be something big" experience. Yet the end result managed to even exceed these expectations, with The Lighthouse finding its way into my heart as a true masterpiece of modern horror.

Along with elements such as Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe's sledgehammer performances, the perfect mixture of unsettling elements and seafaring humor in the dialogue and Jarin Blaschke's ridiculously amazing cinematography, the film's perhaps strongest suit is the ambiguous nature of its story.

You can view it as a supernatural horror tale, where two lighthouse keepers suddenly realize that the rock they live on is cursed amidst various sea monsters rearing their heads while something strange goes on with the light in the lighthouse and the very concept of time seems to work differently in this milieu. Or, you can view it as a symbolism-heavy psychological thriller, with the two men slowly going insane in their isolation, and the various elements of fantasy and lore being mere metaphors for their corrupting mental state. Both takes are equally valid, and the ending leaves everything so open that the film begs to be seen again and again and again.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a post requested by my friend Jonne - the top 10 moments from the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, in honor of the franchise concluding with the recently released third instalment.

Top 10 Scenes from the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Let's-a-go!

My dear friend Emma requested this post sometimes before the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). Now, having seen and processed this fantastic blast of childhood nostalgia, I have completed the assignment. These were the very best moments from my favorite film of 2023 so far.

A spoiler alert is in order, as I discuss the film's events in detail!

Here are my honorable mentions: Mario and Donkey Kong work together to escape underwater; Mario and Luigi explore the way between worlds; Princess Peach's origin story flashback sequence; The Bowser mid-credits sequence; The plumbing commercial introduction.

10. The Big Wedding

Leading up to the film's climax, we follow this tense sequence as Bowser (Jack Black) is about to marry Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) before all chaos breaks loose. There are many fun details and easter eggs throughout the film, but one of my favorites is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where one of the wedding guests accidentally pushes a Koopa shell, which subsequently starts to bounce back and forth, as they are known to do.

9. Mario Arrives in Mushroom Kingdom

In a film full of semi-magical moments, this is one of the purest. After being transported into another world, our protagonist Mario (Chris Pratt) takes a while to marvel at his new surroundings, before he meets Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and finds out just where he is. The animation department did a brilliant job making Mushroom Kingdom look appropriately majestic, and the soundtrack takes the curious atmosphere of discovering a whole other world even further.

8. Towards the Plumbing Gig

During the first act of the film, as Mario and Luigi (Charlie Day) are still working as plumbers in New York, we follow the brothers on their way to work. This is the film's first moment that really leans into the video game aesthetic: the brothers' movement on their way to the job is heavily influenced by how the characters move in the Super Mario games and other platform-based video games, and as someone who absolutely loved platform games growing up, seeing this type of movement on the big screen was a simple yet extremely effective way of making my inner child squeal with joy.

7. Peach Teaches Mario

Before they set out on their mission together, Princess Peach has to make sure that Mario is up for the job. Therefore, we get a delightful Training Course sequence, which once again translates the delightful action of the platform genre onto the big screen with aplomb. First, we see a badass sequence of the experienced Peach absolutely acing the course, after which we follow poor Mario trying his best, in a moment that will resonate with anyone who has spent a while getting the hang of a new video game and keeps dying (we've all been there, right?).

6. The Kong Arena Fight

Yet another spectacularly fun action sequence, this set-piece is set in the Great Ring of Kong, in the very heart of the Jungle Kingdom, and it's just so refreshing and exciting to see this location as a part of the film's tapestry. The fight itself, between Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), is a classic take on those Super Mario moments when you're overpowered in a boss fight, and have to rely on your wit. The sequence is eventful and entertaining, and when all is said and done, quite the feel-good underdog story.

5. Bowser's Entrance

The Super Mario Bros. Movie had my undivided attention from the very first scene, because damn, what an opening it was. To an appropriately exhilerating soundtrack and with creative and explosive animation, we see the grand visual of Bowser's troops descending on Snow Kingdom, after which the antagonist himself makes his grand entrance, making it crystal clear from the beginning that casting Jack Black as Bowser was one of the better decisions in Hollywood history. As an introduction to the villain, an introduction to the Mario world and a general mood-setter, this opening sequence does not f**k around, and leaves the viewer hungry for more.

4. Luigi Reminisces

In one of the more touching sequences, an imprisoned Luigi looks back on his bond with Mario, and their shared childhood. We see a flashback of Mario defending Luigi from a bully, and I for one was choking up like it was The Green Mile or something. The bond between the brothers was captured very authentically and powerfully into the film, and this short and sweet scene makes it all the more touching. Even when he's being held in a terrible prison, Luigi just knows that his brother is out there, and that somehow everything will be alright again.

3. Bowser sings 'Peaches'

Did I mention that Jack Black as Bowser was an amazing casting decision? Because Jack Black as Bowser was a f**king AMAZING casting decision. As the end credits were rolling, my friend Tuukka turned to me and made a very valid point: he wouldn't be surprised if he found out that Jack Black himself had the idea that Bowser should be written as a desparate romantic who just wants to marry Princess Peach, just so he could belt out some power ballad thunder. Ah, what a song.

2. Rainbow Road

I'm gonna tell my kids this was Fast & Furious. Of course they were going to incorporate the insanely popular Mario Kart spin-off games into this film, and the results were everything one could hope for. Set in the most iconic milieu of them all, Rainbow Road, we follow one nail-biting adrenaline rush of a sequence, as Bowser and his crew chase down the Kong army, with Mario, Toad and Peach leading the pack and heavily involved in the action. This is, without a doubt, the greatest car chase sequence I've seen in an animated film.

1. The Final Fight

It's a bit cliché to choose the big climax as the film's best sequence, but I couldn't help it - everything comes together with such perfection, making the final fight into one hell of a climax. Our characters are transported back to our 'real world', as the final showdown between Mario and Bowser takes place on the streets of Brooklyn. So much that had been built up finally happens - we get to see the Super Star power-up in action (complete with an epic arrangement of the familiar Super Star theme), Mario and Luigi finally being hailed as heroes by the folks at home, and best of all, the touching bond between the brothers reaching a new high in the tear-jerking moment where Luigi finds his courage and saves Mario from Bowser's fire breath, using a manhole cover. Ah, what a fitting final act for what was an expectation-defying, inner-child-resonating, massively fun nostalgia overload.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I rank the top 10 films by the studio A24.

International Star Wars Day: Ranking (Nearly) Every Star Wars Movie AND Television Series

May the 4th be with you, reader!

Now that International Star Wars Day is once again on a Thursday, I felt a great urge to celebrate in this blog of mine. Since I've already ranked the Star Wars movies a few years ago, I figured that this time I'd add the television shows to the mix. I really wanted to do a ranking of EVERY movie and series in the franchise, but alas - I have yet to watch the Clone Wars, Rebels and Bad Batch shows (one day, I intend to). But having been a fan of the franchise from childhood and having seen a vast majority of it, here is my ranking of (nearly) every movie and TV show in the franchise.

17. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

"The desert is merciless. It takes everything from you"

Based on the little that I have seen of the Clone Wars series, it's pretty decent (and I've heard it gets really good towards the end). The Clone Wars movie, on the other hand, is not decent. It is, in fact, quite bad. I saw it in the theaters when I was nine years old, and I still found the humor annoyingly childish. The plot didn't do much, and all in all, there just wasn't much anything to like. When ranking, comparing and analyzing the intriguing tapestry of the Star Wars franchise, I often like to forget of this one's existence, as it just doesn't seem to fit in.

16. Tales of the Jedi (2022-Present)

I have a bad feeling about this - "this" meaning the reaction of fellow Star Wars fans to some of my unpopular opinions. And here comes the perhaps hottest take of them all: of this 17-point ranking, my #17 pick was the only iteration of the movies and TV shows in this franchise that I consider to be downright bad. Now, I know, the internet tells us that true fans should show their love for the franchise by hating about 90 per cent of it, with the logic that everything that doesn't reach the golden standard of the original trilogy is automatically terrible and childhood-ruining.

Now, I do admit that there are many subpar and disappointing-in-relation-to-expectations instalments in the franchise. But in general, Star Wars tends to be enjoyable more often than not. For example, let's look at Tales of the Jedi, the 6-episode animated series released on Disney Plus last year. The structure is a bit incoherent and there's nothing mind-blowing, but it's a fun and entertaining addition to the universe - we get to see intriguing material such as Count Dooku's (Corey Burton) journey to villainhood, Ashoka Tano's (Ashley Eckstein) origin story and a prelude to the Clone Wars.

15. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

"I have a bad feeling about this"

By the standards of Star Wars episodes, the six 'classics' that existed already in my childhood, the earliest of the prequels is quite poor. The silly and childish humor often goes way beyond good measure, and some of the plotlines are quite boring. However, there's a lot that the film does right, and its reputation is way over-tarnished by the fans whose expectations were way too high after decades of anticipation.

The presence of exhilerating sequences like the Pod Race, soundtrack pieces like John Williams' Duel of the Fates, and the Oscar-nominated visuals make it sure that there's a lot to like in this deeply flawed yet quite re-watchable prequel.

14. Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

This series from last year was never going to be a massive game-changer, but it succeeded in what it was very likely meant to be: a solid franchise addition, letting Ewan McGregor return to the role of Obi-Wan while building a bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy. Some of the plotlines were weak and a tad pointless, but the highlights made it worth it: in addition to McGregor's triumphant return, these include child actress Vivien Lyra Blair's fantastic performance as a young Princess Leia, as well as the emotionally gut-punching dialogue moments of the final episode.

13. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere"

While it retains many of Episode I's flaws, I do see the second prequel as a semi-significant step into a better direction. Many aspects are improved upon while some things remain the same, and this contrast is clear when looking at the two main storylines; Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Padme's (Natalie Portman) plotline is filled with cliché writing and a woeful lack of chemistry between the actors, while Obi-Wan's adventurous storyline feels like pure Star Wars in a fashion that was somewhat missing from Episode I's atmosphere. Get some, take some, I suppose.

12. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

"I have a really good feeling about this!"

There's not too much substance to this Han Solo origin story - a testament to this is the lack of memorability in the side characters who weren't familiar from previous films. When you think of how memorable the major characters in most Star Wars projects are, it's quite startling when you start to think of how little you remember of the characters in this one. I remember that there was a maybe-good-guy / maybe-bad-guy played by Woody Harrelson, a generic femme fatale -type played by Emilia Clarke, et cetera - no idea on what their names were.

However, as an easter-egg-filled extravaganza, it's very fun. Alden Ehrenreich is a decent Han Solo, while Donald Glover is nothing short of magnificent as a young Lando Calrissian. When you don't take the film too seriously, it works wonders as a connection-filled backstory, with excellent fan service like finding out how Han Solo got his signature vest, how he met Chewbacca (played here by Finland's own Joonas Suotamo!), and why he's called 'Solo' in the first place.

11. The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

I actually ended up enjoying this opinion-splitting Disney Plus series quite a bit. It starts out a bit slow and the last episode is a bit quite anti-climactic, but the juicy middle section got so much better than I would've expected. Many have criticized the series for crossing over and essentially becoming season 2.5 of The Mandalorian halfway through, but I for one deeply enjoyed this structural playfulness: when you have multiple TV shows taking place in the same universe, why not have some fun with it?

The episodes that cross over with The Mandalorian are an absolute blast, especially the epic tie-ins to larger Star Wars lore in the penultimate episode. The Book of Boba Fett was far from perfect, but a delightful surprise for a series that I didn't expect much from.

10. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

"I got a bad feeling about this"

I know, this is a controversially high ranking for this generally-disliked film. While I agree with much of the criticism that the final instalment of the Skywalker Saga got, and I see it as the easily weakest chapter in the sequel trilogy, it still has to be noted that there's a lot that the film does right, and the sheer scale of events and overall Return of the Jedi-esque dramatic scope have to put it above more forgettable and optional franchise additions like Solo: A Star Wars Story or The Book of Boba Fett.

Yes, the film's atmosphere is a playing-it-too-safe blend of nostalgia and tropes, but more than anyone, I blame the toxic hate group known as the Star Wars fandom on the internet for this. After Episode VII was crucified for being too similar to the original trilogy and Episode VIII was criticized for not feeling like Star Wars due to its more experimental direction, what could've they possibly done? After the Star Wars fans made it clear that they will mercilessly hate anything that isn't the original trilogy, I can't really blame the filmmakers for taking a compromise-route with the trilogy's culmination.

But, like I said, there's still a lot to like here. Many of the character archs conclude with a neat bow, some of the moments of closure for the original cast are truly touching, and there is some serious fist-pump-worthy adrenaline to the film's large-scale climax, even if it is a tad predictable. It may be among the lesser iterations of the nine 'Episodes', but that's a high standard to be compared on to begin with.

9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

"I have a bad feeling about th..."

I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship to Rogue One; it's a thoroughly decent film, but I don't like the way in which it gets overrated by those ever-so-lovely Star Wars fans. The same people who hate the prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, the Disney Plus shows and pretty much everything with a ridiculous amount, always lift this up as an "actually&rarely good" Star Wars film, because of its down-to-earth and semi-realistic storytelling. Realism and down-to-earth was never the #1 thing I looked for in my STAR WARS films (you know, the franchise about heroes on epic space adventures), so I never really got why taking no risks and having a smaller scope somehow makes this into an A-tier Star Wars film.

That being said, it is an all-in-all decent one, with solid action sequences and nice tie-ins to the events of the original trilogy. The main bunch of heroes isn't as memorable as the main cast of the Skywalker Saga, but still infinitely more interesting than the generic ensemble of Solo, for example. For me, Rogue One is nothing mind-blowing, but a very worthwhile addition to the Star Wars world all the same.

8. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this"

Ah, the last and easily best instalment of the prequel trilogy. A part of me would like to rank Revenge of the Sith even higher, because its highlights are among some of the highlights in all of Star Wars. Still, I have to give some minus points for the inescapable fact that many of the prequel trilogy's imperfections do carry on to this film, even if they are less present here. Acting and dialogue aren't the biggest priorities in Star Wars films, but when they are downright poor as is often the case in this film, it does take its toll.

But, the positives - oh Lord. Anakin's journey to the Dark Side and the fall of the Jedi Order are the most intriguing aspects of the prequel trilogy, and they come to life in a truly gripping and haunting fashion. The Shakespearean lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan is one for the ages.

7. Andor (2022-Present)

Speaking of Star Wars successfully showing off its darker side, this series that had its debut on Disney Plus last year was infinitely better than I expected. With its storytelling divided into interesting few-episode segments, the themes finally nailing the 'war' part of 'Star Wars', and elements like visual effects and soundtrack being just as remarkable as the franchise deserves, there's quite simply a lot to love here.

Also, the season 1 finale tugged my heartstrings to a major degree - after multiple episodes of dark themes and a full-scope look at the evils of the empire, we get an emotionally charged climax that truly makes one appreciate the idea of the Rebel Alliance, making the events of the original trilogy feel even more heroic than they already were.

6. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

"I have a bad feeling about this" (spoken by BB-8 in binary)

Another opinion-dividing instalment that I will always get behind, the reception to The Last Jedi was terribly muddled by internet fans (with the hate boosted by Russian bots and other campaigns to wear the film's reputation down due to culture wars). With all of that left behind, what you get is a damn good Star Wars movie. Not perfect, but among the better ones for sure.

The storyline with Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Luke (Mark Hamill) is powerful and impactful in its slow, character-driven pace. Adam Driver knocks it out of the park in his complex villain role of Kylo Ren. Many of the film's plotlines and themes show a new and even experimental direction for the franchise, while still feeling like true Star Wars at its core (the ending scene will always give me goosebumps, as it hits the very core of what the franchise is all about).

5. The Mandalorian (2019-Present)

Ah, the best of the Star Wars TV shows. I do have to admit that I haven't yet seen the newly released third season of The Mandalorian, because my student budget wouldn't enjoy paying for Disney Plus throughout the calendar year - I'll get around to it eventually. But based on the first two seasons, The Mandalorian is a fantastic addition to the franchise, sticking out of the crowd with the oddball dynamic of its main characters and the video-game-style storytelling.

The debut season was decent, but the second season exceeded all expectations. The feel of adventure, which has always been a cornerstone of Star Wars, was on full overdrive throughout the season, with the journey of the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu going into so many interesting directions. Interesting villains, neat visuals, memorable side characters, connections to the larger Star Wars canon, a strong emotional core amidst the cynical beginnings - it's all there.

4. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

"I got a a bad feeling about this"

When teenage Veikko Hoffman heard that they're making a new Star Wars trilogy, he was hesitant. Right up until the teaser trailer was released, and it blew him away - the film looked so good, that skepticism turned into excitement. Some time later, he went to see Episode VII in the cinema, which was a downright magical experience - he had spent so much time watching the six pre-existing Star Wars films, thinking that that would always be it, that it was cathartic to sit in the movie theater, watching the yellow text crawl to the backdrop of John Williams' legendary score.

Thankfully, the movie itself was magnificent. While I do see why some people criticized it for being too close-to-home and similar to the original trilogy, I don't personally see it as being so close that it would be a problem. It plays with nostalgia in a warm and cozy way, while simultaneously introducing a new generation of heroes and villains, tastefully mixing old and new while retaining the franchise's atmosphere. And that ending scene is one for the ages.

3. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

"I have a bad feeling about this"

I just keep having an endless supply of unpopular Star Wars opinions, and here's one of the biggest ones. I want to make it clear that while almost no one would put the beloved Episode V this low (most rankings have it at #1, or at the very least, #2), this does not mean that I consider the film overrated or especially flawed. The Empire Strikes Back is a great sequel, a great science fiction flick, and a great adventure film. I simply like the other two instalments of the original trilogy even a tad better.

But that doesn't take away from Episode V's awesomeness. There's romance, there's lore, there are exciting battle sequences and a multitude of cliffhangers leading up to the trilogy's climax. There are legendary lines of dialogue, insane plot twists, and fascinating instances of worldbuilding. The film is just darker-than-the-original enough to feel edgy and more mature, while still retaining the not-too-serious atmosphere. A beloved classic for good reason.

2. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

"R2, I have a bad feeling about this"

Not many would put Return of the Jedi ahead of The Empire Strikes Back, although I'm not completely alone with this take - my mother has always listed this as her favorite Star Wars, which goes to show how good movie taste is engrained in our family. But, yeah. The reasons why Episode VI is often seen as the weakest instalment of the original trilogy are reasons that I see but don't mind too much, because once again, Star Wars is a fun and entertaining adventure trilogy that really shouldn't be judged on the standards of Oscar-winning dramas.

And that is why I love Return of the Jedi so much - it hits pretty much all of the franchise's core strengths, or the elements that I consider to be the most important cornerstones of Star Wars, with perfection. The large-scale good-versus-evil heroics, the compelling sense of adventure, the 'awww yiss' payoffs and moments of epicness, the poetic power dynamics - this fun and climactic instalment is pure Star Wars.

1. Star Wars (1977)

"I have a very bad feeling about this"

It's funny when you think about it - in a franchise that has spawned into multiple film trilogies, spin-off stories and television shows, spanning a massive timeline, the very best instalment is the sweet and simple debut work. While I appreciate the deeper themes and complex worldbuilding seen in various other Star Wars projects, nothing in the franchise is quite as good as just how perfect of a neat adventure film the original Star Wars (also known as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) is.

This imaginative masterpiece created a world so interesting that people keep wanting more and more decades later, and even when thinking of it outside the franchise and as a film of its own, Star Wars makes it into my top 10 favorite movies of all time, because it is the perfect adventure flick in my books. The pacing is just right, the course of events has no boring points, and the entertainment levels ensure infinite re-watch value. Add to that recipe one banger of a cast, and an all-timer score by the one and only John Williams, and you have a true icon of cinema on your hands.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a post requested by my friend Emma - the top 10 scenes from The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).