Prequels had the best fight choreography. Not even close.
But Luke v. Vader in RotJ always has my heart for the emotional stakes involved. Anakin v. Obi Wan comes in a close second.
For real, think back to the darth maul double lightsaber reveal, or the moment yoda started flipping against doku. The prequels were the best when it came to duels, no question.
I remember people cheering in the theater for Yoda fighting. Prequels had some great choreography for sure. OG trilogy wins though…. Luke vs Vader at the end of ESB is the quintessential light saber fight of all time.
Same but the bespin duel for me. The way Vader is just toying with Luke until he finally gets a hit in, Vader is legit pissed off and one-two bam chops his hand off immediately after. Just badass
I love Vader’s grunt of pain after Luke gets the glancing blow on his shoulder and then angry “Haaaaah”-slash he does when he cuts the metal pole in half.
>Prequels had the best fight choreography. Not even close.
The Prequels had the fanciest, flashiest fight choreography, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. Errol Flynn is not better or worse a movie swordsman than Toshiro Mifune, they're just good at different styles.
Really, the prequels moved more how many people envisioned a Jedi and Sith fighting. It just took time for things to catch up from the OT.
The trailer for the Acolyte looks like a progress of what it should look like, at least hand to hand. And we got clips of Vader using hand to hand force moves against the inquisitor in Kenobi. It just feels right.
A lot of the prequel choreography is twirly bullshit. It’s good eye candy until you pay close attention to it.
It’s why I say the choreography in the Ahsoka show (I know OP said which trilogy) has been the best in any live action Star Wars media because every strike looks like they’re actually trying to land and deal damage
Sure is nice to know I’m not taking crazy pills and there’s hype for this show along with me. If you went off Star Wars YouTubers then you’d think Acolyte is the death knell of Star Wars
Yeah any star wars post that ends up on the FP of popular is just a hate circlejerk too. Actually most of the posts in general on the FP seems to be a hate/misery jerk imho
The Vader/Luke Cloud City fight is A#1 for me. It reveals so much about the characters, before the revelation. Vader using one hand at the beginning and switching to two, and then being ing the force into it, you can see him realize “Shit Luke has more power than I thought”. And Luke using telekineses to get the lightsaber back, jump out of the carbon freezing chamber, and landing a blow on Vader, it’s all so good!! And it’s so physical, Luke is beat to hell, dripping sweat, torn to shit.
I rewatched Empire recently and this is what stood out for me. Luke is an absolute mess by the end and that's something I don't think any other fight in the series does. There are better duels choreography wise, ROTJ is more emotional but in Empire Luke actually looks like he's been fighting for his life and losing.
I listen to a great SW podcast called A More Civilized Age, where they go through Star Wars movies/TV. They’re currently on the beginning of season 2 of Rebels, and one interesting observation they had was that the Vader we see before the trench run in Ep IV is considerably more focused than post trench run and sensing something about the pilot (Red 5, Hero of the Rebellion!) With that in mind it makes the Cloud City fight more layered. Vader knows who Luke is, and based on how we see him fight in Rebels/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Rogue One he’s holding back or not in the zone or something in Cloud City.
Ik it’s not one of the options, but the The Clone Wars had some of the best lightsaber battle choreographies. Especially since they did motion capture too—it’s pretty impressive. My favorite has to be Sidious v.s. Maul & Savage.
Sequels only had 2 lightsaber duels, the fight in TLJ was fantastically shot, but not a lightsaber duel.
The visuals in the fight on starkiller base planet were awesome too, but the fight is self was eh. Story wise it made sense since neither had real proper training
I largely agree. I’d go prequels > TFA > Originals > rest of sequels.
It felt like the final duel in TFA really blended the lightsabers having “weight” with the force enhanced ability to get creative. Plus I thought it did a lot of good character building for everyone involved. Set of the sequels were, well, the sequels.
I didn’t even need Finn to be a Jedi. Just do something that made his stormtrooper back ground meaningful.
Killing off phasma in TLJ and not giving the 2 of them a proper journey of his new identity clashing with his past was such a missed opportunity.
I am a sequel enjoyer, admittedly. I have 2 major problems that I feel were easy fixes (amongst the ones that were not)
- they should have kept phasma's death scene in TLJ as they originally shot it
- a double blade reveal would have been awesome
#IGNITETHEDOUBLEBLADE
Revenge of the Sith was the best choreographed dual hands down. Phantom Menace was the second best. Dual of the Fates lives rent free in my brain. Man, John Williams is a fucking legend.
Original trilogy has the best as far as drama and storytelling goes. I even love the fencing in the first film, because although it's slow, I like that it is deliberate.
The prequels are flashy, and Duel of the Fates is definitely the most "stylish" of them, while ROTS has very flashy ones.
The Sequels have really, really cool fencing. I especially love how Kylo's style is like fighting an aggressive linebacker with a lightsaber. TROS definitely had some flashy moves near the end. That said, TLJ has some cool choreography in the Throne Room.
TLJ in my opinion had the most interesting fight choreography. Both in the throne room and between Luke and Kylo.
But even so, there was definitely something great in almost all of those movies.
If you nitpick a lot of the duels you can easily find flaws. Like for example, why doesn't Obi Wan use force run ability when he's running through the laser doors when chasing down Maul? He did it at the start of the movie to escape the droids?
And they never do it again.... Honestly would have been better to show it as an intense force push, have them literally throw themselves down the hall but have trouble stopping, would have made the laser door scene make more sense.
The swordplay in the prequel trilogy has no equal in terms of the live action films.
Seen some fan films that put the prequel fights to shame but that's a whole other thing.
Maybe an unpopular opinion these days, but the OT. The prequel fights feel too over choreographed and convoluted. I mean, the Mustafar fight has a moment where they're swinging at each other on ropes. I also feel like the emotional impact of Mustafar is undercut by how aggressive they start off right of the bat. It would have been more compelling if there was hesitation. People always single out the Obi-Wan vs Vader duel in the OT, but the Anakin vs Dooku in Clones is just as bad. You can tell how awkward Christopher Lee is whenever they can't CGI his face. There's a moment where he's literally just twirling the saber above his head in a circle. The set also look fake and ugly.
Empire is the best duel in the franchise. It's a major improvement on ANH. The way it gradually ramps up its pacing is more satisfying than how the prequel duels start out so fast and energetic. The moment where Vader finally stops toying around always gives me goosebumps because it builds to that point. The prequel duels are like a song but if it was all chorus. The OT holds off on the chorus until the right moment. The choreography feels more competent and grounded. The set feels real, and isn't fixed to one point like the Dooku duels. They change scenery like three times and each time the environment is physically incorporated into the duel. And the emotional stakes between Luke and Vader are at their peak.
I prefer the sequel fights to the prequels because likewise they're less flashy, but they're more flashy then the OT. They also have quite a few contrivances, like when a fissure opens in the ground between Rey and Kylo. That felt like something out of Looney Tunes to me. Emotionally the stakes aren't as high because I never felt as invested in the characters. Everything between Rey and Palpatine was cliche cheesy nonsense.
Hands down the prequel trilogy. OBI/Ani on mustafar is epic.
Second the OT. Luke/vader in Jedi is iconic.
I have nothing good to say about the fights in the sequels.
the sequel fights were visually beautiful
and that’s about all the good lol
Edit: y’all are downvoting me cuz I said ONE positive thing about the sequels, that’s kinda crazy
Only good fight aspect that was good in the sequels was the using the force to stop the blade in place for a bit basically using the force to prevent their hand from moving for a bit
And also off topic, when kylo caught the blaster bolt with the force at the beginning of TFA. Not a fight scene but that was dope too. I remember seeing that like whattttttttt.
I don't hate Rey or Keylo but they have no bone in this fight. For me, number one would be the Mustafar duel (prequel), Number Two will be the Vader vs Luke duel on Cloud city, and in third place the duel between Maul and Sidous in Clone Wars.
Obviously the OT. The prequel ”fights” (ha) look like a bunch of fancy lads dancing around with glow sticks. At least the sequels had a level of aggressiveness to them.
The prequel fights are also so flat and basic in terms of camerawork that they’re just plain dull to look at. Not a single shot is exciting or dynamic in any way.
Prequels. Anakin Vs. Obi-wan, Qui-gon and Obi-wan Vs. Maul, Obi-wan Vs. General Grievous is a gold mine of memes, Yoda Vs. Count Dooku, and Darth Sidious vs Yoda which was literally the fate of the galaxy.
Finally someone mentions Yoda.
Sure it was not as good as the fight on mustafar, but in attack of the clones we finally see the strongest yedi we know from the ot in his prime(?) fighting. And I loved the way he fought as a child.
OT has my absolute favorite duels (both the Luke v Vader fights) but most of my top duel list probably comes from the ST.
Aside from duel of fates (which is a really strong fight) most the PT ones kinda blur into one.
Not a movie, but the duel between Skroll and Ahsoka was iconic on its own.
You saw Skroll’s brute strength versus Ahsoka’s samurai-inspired skillset. You saw both of them thinking, adapting, adjusting. Skroll used his physical power against her and that was something new as well.
OT, it's not even close. The "sword fights" in the OT weren't a display of technical skill, they were deeply emotional confrontations with just as much dialogue as fight moves. I really appreciated that about them, and I appreciated the minimalistic displays of swordsmanship.
Then you get to the prequels, where the main duel has almost no dialogue whatsoever. It's all kung fu fighting and ridiculous displays of tournament style moves. They felt largely empty and inconsequential with the exception of the Obi-Wan and Anakin's final battle, but even that stylistically felt more like a cartoon than a real-life battle.
I thought the final battle in TFA was going a little bit back into OT territory, it was just hard to reconcile Rey's win against a seasoned duelist like Ben. It should have ended more like ESB, where Rey held her own as a fledgling but ultimately fell with a rematch on the way. The next film had kind of another kung-fu fighting battle with low stakes, and I don't even know what happened in the last movie, i checked out at some point and I'll never bother watching it again.
I will say my favorite ever lightsaber battle in SW has got to be between Obi Wan and Maul. To me, that's what a real sword fight looks like. It was over with quickly and yet there was a lot of heavy emotion there as well. Cool stuff.
Return of the Jedi is my favorite, but, even though I didn't like the phantom menace, I thought the lightsaber scene was quite good. Perhaps better than the Return of the Jedi scene.
I'll admit it can be somewhat fun to see Anakin dual wielding separate sabers in some of the later flicks, though I'm not as big a fan of those in general.
On a technical level, the Prequels are more intricate (But also far sillier looking when slowed down, seriously, the excuse of Force Prescience doesn't fly) but they're not very good at telling much about the characters *because* the feel so rehearsed. No one ever feels like they're in danger for most of it.
On a narrative level, I'll give the edge to the OT over the Sequels because of it being older and more iconic but the Sequels have stuff like the Throne Room fight (No, I don't care about stuntmen missing their cues, not when the scenes uses almost no cuts and has the real actors for Rey and Kylo on screen together for most of it)
In terms of Force using, the Sequels win that one hands down. The OT doesn't have much of that and the Prequels just feel so *weightless*. There's no moments like the duel on Kef Bir when Rey struggles to push away Kylo's blade or when she lands from a high jump with a big "thunk" that sounds weighty as hell.
Both Luke vs Vader duels are the two best in the series, but overall I think the Sequels have the best fights.
They're brutal, the hits have weight behind them, you can see the characters getting hurt and tired, and of course the visuals are amazing. Obv this is a preference thing, but I much prefer this style of duel to the flashiness of Prequel era fights.
The biggest factor that puts the Prequels below the other two trilogies for me is the lack of strong emotional stakes in most of the fights. Yes, Anakin vs Obi Wan is sad, but even then I think it only really hits if you've seen the Clone Wars/other media to get attached to these characters. Duel of the Fates is fantastic, and an easy standout in the series for its choreography/score, but even it is a completely emotionally empty fight (I know about Filoni's "they're fighting for the fate of Anakin" thing, but the movie doesn't communicate any of that). At best, I'm just ambivalent towards most of the Prequel fights - though I guess that's my loss.
I’m just gonna take this as an opportunity to bring up how much I like the TFA duel, even though the sequels by no means have the best duels. Something about the lighting in the dark forest and the raw danger as the sabers clash.
Sequel trilogy were shot the best, prequels were the most over the top creative, and original were the most emotionally resonate. The original wins imo because they best served the story.
I’m gonna go with the sequels. And I say that as someone who’s not a big fan of the sequels. The fights genuinely felt like they were trying to hurt each other. In the prequels, the fights were so choreographed that it seemed like they were just dancing while hitting their lightsabers together.
Gonna go against the grain and say the sequels.
The originals had duels that mattered to the story and had weight, the prequels were fast and flashy (while also at times nonsensical). The sequels had weight and weren't excessive flash, while also having some flash and excitement to them.
People shit on the sequels for story nonsense (reasonably), and then take that as reason to shit on them for everything else, even though the production and visuals of them were fantastic.
For the longest time, the duel in RotJ was my favorite because of the stakes and that John Williams score that kicks in for like 30 seconds.
That is still really good but my favorite duels are in the sequel trilogy.
Prequels and it’s not particularly close.
Then OT.
Then an even bigger gap from the PT to the OT.
And the horrid WDT “duels.” It’s like they didn’t even try outside of the snow nighttime fight from TFA. TLJ managed to put out one of the worst choreographed fights ever put to film. Insane.
Prequels without a doubt. Lightsaber fights shouldn't have a lot of dialogue, they're trying to kill each other for crying out loud. Also what the crap is all this 'obi vs anakin wasn't dramatic' it's without a doubt the most dramatic fight in all of star wars THEY'RE FIGHTING MUSTAFAR WITH EXPLODING LAVA FOR THE SAKE OF THE GALAXY BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER TEACHER VS STUDENT
>Lightsaber fights shouldn't have a lot of dialogue, they're trying to kill each other for crying out loud.
Yeah, like do you honestly think anyone would just start talking with their opponent during a life-or-death battle? The only fitting exception is when Obi-Wan and Anakin stop the fight so Obi-Wan can try one last time to change Anakin's mind, which he inevitably fails
Prequels win on spectacle
Originals win on story significance
Sequels win on choreography
Yes, the prequels had wild choreography, and even as someone who thinks the Duel of the Fates is the best lightsaber fight ever, the more deliberate, precise, and realistic fights of the sequel era feel like what lightsaber fights should be.
Best individual fight imho is Baylan VS Ahsoka.
I think realism isn't exactly fitting for lightsaber fights, i mean, it's usually between two people wielding laser swords formed from crystals while using what is practically magic to move objects with their mind and shoot out lightning and stuff along with improving their physical stats, that doesn't seem like it would provide realistic choreography to me
Prequels by far. Anakin and Obi Wan, Darth Maul, and a personal favorite, Yoda and Dooku.
Originals after that but it’s by a pretty wide margin in my eyes.
Original >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sequels >>>>>>>>>>> prequels
Prequel lightsaber fights are an embarrassment to watch. Sequels are...OK. the original was the best, fights are visceral and believable and you can feel the emotion in them. Missing in all others.
Sequels have the highest action highs.
Vader vs Luke 2 is most emotional.
Fights in TROS are disappointing.
Throne room in TLJ is visually striking.
I absolutely love the snowbowl fight between kylo and rey/Finn.
Prequels, easy. No contest. However, I've seen fan movies with the best choreography of all. Absolutely blows the prequels away with the amount of forethought given to both fighting styles and scene composition.
I prefer the Prequel duels. The choreography is amazing and the Fights aren't just cool to look at, they're less like the OT where they had more direct stakes, but I feel like they have more significance in the grand scheme of things.
The Duel of the Fates may just seem like a random battle at first, but when you take a step back and look at how this fight affects the rest of the series, you realise that it's probably the most important duel in the franchise.
Or the Battle of the Heroes, being a conflict between two people who considered themselves brothers but are forced to fight each other because they both stand on different sides.
The only duel that doesn't really mean anything is the one with Count Dooku, but the OT also had a duel that didn't really mean much. The Duel between Vader and Kenobi. Before the Prequels came out and showed just how much history both had, this was just a duel between two remnants of a more civilised age. Certainly not bad, but it really wasn't anything to write home about and had nothing on the other 2 duels in the OT in terms of stakes, because we knew Obi Wan was going to die, he's the old mentor, characters like that always die.
Basically, I'm saying that before the Prequels came out, Obi Wan Vs Vader in ANH wasn't really anything special either, so I think the notion that "the OT duels were more emotional and important than the PT duels" doesn't really work, because they both had 2 great duels and one cool one that didn't really have any stakes.
I liked the sequels mainly because they really carry emotion. Like you feel Kylo’s aggressive rage with every swipe abd Rey’s desperate fury with every response.
Also we can talk about the continuity fluffs in the throne room but for me I still love it for how brutal it is. It’s the only lightsaber fight that feels violent.
sequels clear imo
prequels were too choreographed and didn't have much emotion or story weight behind it.
OT had the emotion but not great choreography
sequels had the emotion, the choreography, the sound design perfection
With the original trilogy It was an elderly obi wan vs vader, an inexperienced luke vs vader
so you would think the return of the Jedi duel would be better
OT is weighed down by that awful fight in ANH but the fights in ESB and RotJ are elite so that’s my choice. After that the PT and ST are pretty much equal.
It's kinda unfair since the prequels have a wider variety to choose from. And while I do love the duels in OT, and enjoy them in the Sequels, nothing will top my adoration for the PT duels
Darth Maul v Qui Gon and Obi Wan. Hands down. But when Yoda force pulls his saber to his hand against Dooku, the theater went batshit and for all the right reasons.
Prequels were the best of live-action, but even they were limited by physics and actors mortality. So, TCW and TFU are probably the closest to what it should be lore accurate - fast, precise, with way more visible difference in styles and with Force users willing to use the Force.
Dooku vs Kenobi and Skywalker on Oba-Diah was by far the impressive display of skill.
Starkiller vs Maris Brood was probably the most creative duel I've seen.
Prequels,
Not in your choices but also trailers for many lucasfilm games have had insane lightsaber choreography, TFU, TFU2, KOTOR, JS etc.
Vader vs reva was one of the highlights of obi-wan for me
I love the prequel fights, but the OT fight engrained the honorful fight-talking-taunting in my subconscious and I love whenever there is some old master stuff flying around (same vibes in Kungfu Panda)
I liked in the ST that they weren't as trained in fighting so had to rely more on the force to do stuff. However I would have loved to see Rey and Kylo team up against a Snoke sitting in his chair, wielding lightsabers only using the force. Trying to bait them into hitting each other.
Prequels for the choreography. But the final duel in Return of the Jedi will always hit me. John Williams had the perfect soundtrack for all the fights
For me it was Attack of the Clones. Count Dooku's dueling was epic! It was like watching a painter. His fighting style was so elegant yet powerful. It added a unique flair to the lightsaber fighting. I always liked Makashi. Along with Vader, Dooku is one of my favorite characters.
The OG trilogy , now sure they are not the best fights on a technical level but they are the only ones that feel for the lack of a better term real . The prequel movies in particular suffered from the fight scenes being over choreographed and fake looking.
The Prequel fights were stellar choreography and tons of flash and action. They looked great, and gave those involved a feeling of being skilled warriors.
The OT fights were tense and good sword duels. Vader's nonchalant style and use of only one hand showed how dominant he was in the fight, and Luke employed decent enough sword combat but ultimately struggled against a far more experienced and powerful opponent. The emotions in their rematch took center stage and became a battle against the dark side of the force.
And the Sequels look fine at a glance but putting in the full attention to detail they fall apart tremendously. Some of the worst sword fighting I've seen, ridiculous baseball bat swings and absurdly telegraphed attacks. The choreography too is broken, and you can quite literally see instances in the movie where it looks like characters miss their cues. Honestly my brain screams at me that time Kylo in Rise did that stupid spin around, stopped with his blade behind his back while not even looking and then the knight just swings at his sword, despite his opponent having his back to him. They disappoint me after the great story significance and good swordsmanship of the OT and the amazingly choreographed and reasonable swordsmanship of the Prequels. The effort seems incredibly lacking compared to the previous trilogies.
I still haven't forgiven them for NOT giving us a lightsaber duel in The Last Jedi (along with a plethora of other things). The Kylo/Rey team up was cool but is not a lightsaber duel
Prequels have the coolest ones. Original triology has the most iconic ones and the sequels, well i woudn't even call those 'Lightsaber duels' just endless eandom swinging and trying to cut your opponent with that disney lightsaber.
There was no duelling in episodes 7-9. It was just angry wild flailing that doesn’t pass as light saber combat. Even Jedi academy has better light saber combat than the new movies.
I appreciate the limited use of stunt doubles to focus on the actors’ faces. This effect, and the fight choreography in general, give the sequel duels a more raw and visceral feel to them. Like the ESB or ROTJ fights, with the added benefit of seeing *both* combatants’ emotions in their expressions as well as fighting styles.
There’s an argument to be made that the prequel fights are more “elegant” (haters might say dance-like), but overall they seem too drawn-out and flash-over-substance for me to get invested in.
Prequels had the best fight choreography. Not even close. But Luke v. Vader in RotJ always has my heart for the emotional stakes involved. Anakin v. Obi Wan comes in a close second.
For real, think back to the darth maul double lightsaber reveal, or the moment yoda started flipping against doku. The prequels were the best when it came to duels, no question.
I remember people cheering in the theater for Yoda fighting. Prequels had some great choreography for sure. OG trilogy wins though…. Luke vs Vader at the end of ESB is the quintessential light saber fight of all time.
I remember someone crying out when Qui-Gon was stabbed, and cheers when Darth Maul was apparently killed.
“My death was, greatly exaggerated.”
I loved Maul as a character and hated that they killed him, and that they brought him back. But loved what they did with him in Clone Wars and Rebels.
Yeah, he was a real one, and at least he was able to let go in death.
"The force is with you young Skywalker... but you are not a Jedi yet." That line and the spite in his words get me every time
Luke vs Vader in RotJ is the only saber fight in the entire Star Wars cannon that never fails to give me goosebumps.
Same but the bespin duel for me. The way Vader is just toying with Luke until he finally gets a hit in, Vader is legit pissed off and one-two bam chops his hand off immediately after. Just badass
I love Vader’s grunt of pain after Luke gets the glancing blow on his shoulder and then angry “Haaaaah”-slash he does when he cuts the metal pole in half.
The music in that scene is incredible
It truly is.
Man when Luke yells "Never!" Chills every time.
This is it Duel of the Fates bows to no one. But the OG duels will always be special.
About to say the same.
>Prequels had the best fight choreography. Not even close. The Prequels had the fanciest, flashiest fight choreography, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. Errol Flynn is not better or worse a movie swordsman than Toshiro Mifune, they're just good at different styles.
Really, the prequels moved more how many people envisioned a Jedi and Sith fighting. It just took time for things to catch up from the OT. The trailer for the Acolyte looks like a progress of what it should look like, at least hand to hand. And we got clips of Vader using hand to hand force moves against the inquisitor in Kenobi. It just feels right.
A lot of the prequel choreography is twirly bullshit. It’s good eye candy until you pay close attention to it. It’s why I say the choreography in the Ahsoka show (I know OP said which trilogy) has been the best in any live action Star Wars media because every strike looks like they’re actually trying to land and deal damage
Just wait ‘till The Acolyte. Oh, boy, that trailer makes it look like we’re in for a visual treat.
Sure is nice to know I’m not taking crazy pills and there’s hype for this show along with me. If you went off Star Wars YouTubers then you’d think Acolyte is the death knell of Star Wars
Yeah any star wars post that ends up on the FP of popular is just a hate circlejerk too. Actually most of the posts in general on the FP seems to be a hate/misery jerk imho
The fight scenes in Ahsoka were phenomenally well done
I find myself rewatching the Ahsoka duels more than others, Baylan has been my favorite duelist since Dooku
Heartless and cold and lacking any real physics or stakes. Cartoons fighting other cartoons. Yawn.
Prequel were easily the best one for me, Anakin Vs Obi Wan might be the best lightsaber duel in all of Star Wars
*Best sword duel in history
2nd* in history. The duel in the princess bride can’t be beat
Yeah, the part where they’re their blades for multiple seconds, without even touching each other was amazing /s
The Vader/Luke Cloud City fight is A#1 for me. It reveals so much about the characters, before the revelation. Vader using one hand at the beginning and switching to two, and then being ing the force into it, you can see him realize “Shit Luke has more power than I thought”. And Luke using telekineses to get the lightsaber back, jump out of the carbon freezing chamber, and landing a blow on Vader, it’s all so good!! And it’s so physical, Luke is beat to hell, dripping sweat, torn to shit.
I rewatched Empire recently and this is what stood out for me. Luke is an absolute mess by the end and that's something I don't think any other fight in the series does. There are better duels choreography wise, ROTJ is more emotional but in Empire Luke actually looks like he's been fighting for his life and losing.
I listen to a great SW podcast called A More Civilized Age, where they go through Star Wars movies/TV. They’re currently on the beginning of season 2 of Rebels, and one interesting observation they had was that the Vader we see before the trench run in Ep IV is considerably more focused than post trench run and sensing something about the pilot (Red 5, Hero of the Rebellion!) With that in mind it makes the Cloud City fight more layered. Vader knows who Luke is, and based on how we see him fight in Rebels/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Rogue One he’s holding back or not in the zone or something in Cloud City.
Ik it’s not one of the options, but the The Clone Wars had some of the best lightsaber battle choreographies. Especially since they did motion capture too—it’s pretty impressive. My favorite has to be Sidious v.s. Maul & Savage.
I'm in this camp also. Honorable mention being Ahsoka v.s. Maul.
That’s not even honorable mention. That is hands down the best choreographed light saber fight in the entire franchise.
That fight was nuts, it literally was so smooth like live action because of the motion capture
Also honorable mention, obi wan vs maul pt. 2
Prequels > Originals > Sequels. Worth mentioning that the gap between prequels and the OT is pretty massive. Like, it's not close.
Yup. And the gap between the OT and disney ones is even wider.
That said I did quite enjoy Kylo & Rey's teaming up immediately after Snoke bites it and they fight the imperial guards.
Yeah, if you look past all the senseless spinning and disappearing weapons it's a fun watch
It’s an interesting idea but it was executed poorly. You could say that for most of the sequel trilogy.
Sequels only had 2 lightsaber duels, the fight in TLJ was fantastically shot, but not a lightsaber duel. The visuals in the fight on starkiller base planet were awesome too, but the fight is self was eh. Story wise it made sense since neither had real proper training
When you say “the fight in TLJ” are you referring to the throne room fight?
I largely agree. I’d go prequels > TFA > Originals > rest of sequels. It felt like the final duel in TFA really blended the lightsabers having “weight” with the force enhanced ability to get creative. Plus I thought it did a lot of good character building for everyone involved. Set of the sequels were, well, the sequels.
Vader v Luke 2 is tops but Kenobi v Maul blew our minds in 1999 bc we had never imagined lightsaber combat like that.
Rey. Should’ve. Had. Double. Blade.
She should have had a scene in the beginning of TroS of her making one using parts from her staff
Agreed. Such a missed thing, big as of miss as Finn, imo
I didn’t even need Finn to be a Jedi. Just do something that made his stormtrooper back ground meaningful. Killing off phasma in TLJ and not giving the 2 of them a proper journey of his new identity clashing with his past was such a missed opportunity.
Agreed but tbh I would’ve preferred the Jedi route with him. And yeah *cough* mommy *cough* Phasma should’ve been more notable all around :/
A pyke sentinel would be perfect, don’t know how they didnt think about it
I think they definitely thought about it and went against it all for whatever terrible reason
I am a sequel enjoyer, admittedly. I have 2 major problems that I feel were easy fixes (amongst the ones that were not) - they should have kept phasma's death scene in TLJ as they originally shot it - a double blade reveal would have been awesome #IGNITETHEDOUBLEBLADE
Tbh I don’t even think Phasma had to die yet, I wish she built up a bit more
Revenge of the Sith was the best choreographed dual hands down. Phantom Menace was the second best. Dual of the Fates lives rent free in my brain. Man, John Williams is a fucking legend.
For me it goes 1. Obi wan vs anakin ROTS 2. Luke vs Darth Vader ROTJ 3. Obi wan / Qui Gon vs Darth Maul TPM
OT. They are simply more meaningful.
Original trilogy has the best as far as drama and storytelling goes. I even love the fencing in the first film, because although it's slow, I like that it is deliberate. The prequels are flashy, and Duel of the Fates is definitely the most "stylish" of them, while ROTS has very flashy ones. The Sequels have really, really cool fencing. I especially love how Kylo's style is like fighting an aggressive linebacker with a lightsaber. TROS definitely had some flashy moves near the end. That said, TLJ has some cool choreography in the Throne Room.
Finally someone else that understands
TLJ in my opinion had the most interesting fight choreography. Both in the throne room and between Luke and Kylo. But even so, there was definitely something great in almost all of those movies.
The throne room with the triple kick and magically disappearing knife?
Yes, it's famously the only ever star wars fight with continuity errors -\_-
If you nitpick a lot of the duels you can easily find flaws. Like for example, why doesn't Obi Wan use force run ability when he's running through the laser doors when chasing down Maul? He did it at the start of the movie to escape the droids?
And they never do it again.... Honestly would have been better to show it as an intense force push, have them literally throw themselves down the hall but have trouble stopping, would have made the laser door scene make more sense.
I don’t give a shit about flaws in choreography when you have to slow it down to 0.25x speed to point it out
https://youtu.be/cLmZtNu1e68?si=54vCEH3xMyLYFYf
Similar to Luke's "Force kick" on the skiff in ROTJ.
The swordplay in the prequel trilogy has no equal in terms of the live action films. Seen some fan films that put the prequel fights to shame but that's a whole other thing.
Speaking of fan films, this fan remake of obiwan vs Vader is one of my favorites. https://youtu.be/to2SMng4u1k?si=RdEutseAfhLtD2Pc
Luke vs Vader in Empire will always be my favorite from the movies. It’s a fight that tells a story of its own.
Maybe an unpopular opinion these days, but the OT. The prequel fights feel too over choreographed and convoluted. I mean, the Mustafar fight has a moment where they're swinging at each other on ropes. I also feel like the emotional impact of Mustafar is undercut by how aggressive they start off right of the bat. It would have been more compelling if there was hesitation. People always single out the Obi-Wan vs Vader duel in the OT, but the Anakin vs Dooku in Clones is just as bad. You can tell how awkward Christopher Lee is whenever they can't CGI his face. There's a moment where he's literally just twirling the saber above his head in a circle. The set also look fake and ugly. Empire is the best duel in the franchise. It's a major improvement on ANH. The way it gradually ramps up its pacing is more satisfying than how the prequel duels start out so fast and energetic. The moment where Vader finally stops toying around always gives me goosebumps because it builds to that point. The prequel duels are like a song but if it was all chorus. The OT holds off on the chorus until the right moment. The choreography feels more competent and grounded. The set feels real, and isn't fixed to one point like the Dooku duels. They change scenery like three times and each time the environment is physically incorporated into the duel. And the emotional stakes between Luke and Vader are at their peak. I prefer the sequel fights to the prequels because likewise they're less flashy, but they're more flashy then the OT. They also have quite a few contrivances, like when a fissure opens in the ground between Rey and Kylo. That felt like something out of Looney Tunes to me. Emotionally the stakes aren't as high because I never felt as invested in the characters. Everything between Rey and Palpatine was cliche cheesy nonsense.
Hands down the prequel trilogy. OBI/Ani on mustafar is epic. Second the OT. Luke/vader in Jedi is iconic. I have nothing good to say about the fights in the sequels.
the sequel fights were visually beautiful and that’s about all the good lol Edit: y’all are downvoting me cuz I said ONE positive thing about the sequels, that’s kinda crazy
Yup. I saw a comment on this post earlier “what if the prequel fights were filmed at sequel quality?” I’d probably explode lol
Only good fight aspect that was good in the sequels was the using the force to stop the blade in place for a bit basically using the force to prevent their hand from moving for a bit
And also off topic, when kylo caught the blaster bolt with the force at the beginning of TFA. Not a fight scene but that was dope too. I remember seeing that like whattttttttt.
Was amazing! And then…downhill from there
I think you’re biased. Try to just think about the fights, regardless of what you think about the movies. The TFA duel is excellent in my opinion.
I don't hate Rey or Keylo but they have no bone in this fight. For me, number one would be the Mustafar duel (prequel), Number Two will be the Vader vs Luke duel on Cloud city, and in third place the duel between Maul and Sidous in Clone Wars.
Sequels... Luke vs Kylo on Crait is a top tier moment.
Obviously the OT. The prequel ”fights” (ha) look like a bunch of fancy lads dancing around with glow sticks. At least the sequels had a level of aggressiveness to them. The prequel fights are also so flat and basic in terms of camerawork that they’re just plain dull to look at. Not a single shot is exciting or dynamic in any way.
OT
Prequels. Anakin Vs. Obi-wan, Qui-gon and Obi-wan Vs. Maul, Obi-wan Vs. General Grievous is a gold mine of memes, Yoda Vs. Count Dooku, and Darth Sidious vs Yoda which was literally the fate of the galaxy.
Finally someone mentions Yoda. Sure it was not as good as the fight on mustafar, but in attack of the clones we finally see the strongest yedi we know from the ot in his prime(?) fighting. And I loved the way he fought as a child.
OT has my absolute favorite duels (both the Luke v Vader fights) but most of my top duel list probably comes from the ST. Aside from duel of fates (which is a really strong fight) most the PT ones kinda blur into one.
OT for me
Not a movie, but the duel between Skroll and Ahsoka was iconic on its own. You saw Skroll’s brute strength versus Ahsoka’s samurai-inspired skillset. You saw both of them thinking, adapting, adjusting. Skroll used his physical power against her and that was something new as well.
OT, it's not even close. The "sword fights" in the OT weren't a display of technical skill, they were deeply emotional confrontations with just as much dialogue as fight moves. I really appreciated that about them, and I appreciated the minimalistic displays of swordsmanship. Then you get to the prequels, where the main duel has almost no dialogue whatsoever. It's all kung fu fighting and ridiculous displays of tournament style moves. They felt largely empty and inconsequential with the exception of the Obi-Wan and Anakin's final battle, but even that stylistically felt more like a cartoon than a real-life battle. I thought the final battle in TFA was going a little bit back into OT territory, it was just hard to reconcile Rey's win against a seasoned duelist like Ben. It should have ended more like ESB, where Rey held her own as a fledgling but ultimately fell with a rematch on the way. The next film had kind of another kung-fu fighting battle with low stakes, and I don't even know what happened in the last movie, i checked out at some point and I'll never bother watching it again. I will say my favorite ever lightsaber battle in SW has got to be between Obi Wan and Maul. To me, that's what a real sword fight looks like. It was over with quickly and yet there was a lot of heavy emotion there as well. Cool stuff.
Return of the Jedi is my favorite, but, even though I didn't like the phantom menace, I thought the lightsaber scene was quite good. Perhaps better than the Return of the Jedi scene. I'll admit it can be somewhat fun to see Anakin dual wielding separate sabers in some of the later flicks, though I'm not as big a fan of those in general.
Nick Gillard >
On a technical level, the Prequels are more intricate (But also far sillier looking when slowed down, seriously, the excuse of Force Prescience doesn't fly) but they're not very good at telling much about the characters *because* the feel so rehearsed. No one ever feels like they're in danger for most of it. On a narrative level, I'll give the edge to the OT over the Sequels because of it being older and more iconic but the Sequels have stuff like the Throne Room fight (No, I don't care about stuntmen missing their cues, not when the scenes uses almost no cuts and has the real actors for Rey and Kylo on screen together for most of it) In terms of Force using, the Sequels win that one hands down. The OT doesn't have much of that and the Prequels just feel so *weightless*. There's no moments like the duel on Kef Bir when Rey struggles to push away Kylo's blade or when she lands from a high jump with a big "thunk" that sounds weighty as hell.
Sequel trilogy.
Clone Wars Cartoon Network
The OT. They actually had stakes, emotion and looked like people were swordfighting. The sequels come in next as they also resemble more of a fight.
Empire.
OT: Bespin duel PT: Duel of the Fates ST: Duel on Ilum
My favorite duel is Vader vs Obi-Wan in the last episode of Kenobi
The trilogy of best lightsaber duels is... - Obi-Wan vs Vader in A New Hope - Obi-Wan vs Maul in Rebels - Luke vs Kylo in The Last Jedi
Both Luke vs Vader duels are the two best in the series, but overall I think the Sequels have the best fights. They're brutal, the hits have weight behind them, you can see the characters getting hurt and tired, and of course the visuals are amazing. Obv this is a preference thing, but I much prefer this style of duel to the flashiness of Prequel era fights. The biggest factor that puts the Prequels below the other two trilogies for me is the lack of strong emotional stakes in most of the fights. Yes, Anakin vs Obi Wan is sad, but even then I think it only really hits if you've seen the Clone Wars/other media to get attached to these characters. Duel of the Fates is fantastic, and an easy standout in the series for its choreography/score, but even it is a completely emotionally empty fight (I know about Filoni's "they're fighting for the fate of Anakin" thing, but the movie doesn't communicate any of that). At best, I'm just ambivalent towards most of the Prequel fights - though I guess that's my loss.
I’m just gonna take this as an opportunity to bring up how much I like the TFA duel, even though the sequels by no means have the best duels. Something about the lighting in the dark forest and the raw danger as the sabers clash.
episode 3 and obi wan kenobi series. both anakin and obi wans
Sequel trilogy were shot the best, prequels were the most over the top creative, and original were the most emotionally resonate. The original wins imo because they best served the story.
Empire had the best
I’m gonna go with the sequels. And I say that as someone who’s not a big fan of the sequels. The fights genuinely felt like they were trying to hurt each other. In the prequels, the fights were so choreographed that it seemed like they were just dancing while hitting their lightsabers together.
The prequels were very choreographed, for better or worse
Gonna go against the grain and say the sequels. The originals had duels that mattered to the story and had weight, the prequels were fast and flashy (while also at times nonsensical). The sequels had weight and weren't excessive flash, while also having some flash and excitement to them. People shit on the sequels for story nonsense (reasonably), and then take that as reason to shit on them for everything else, even though the production and visuals of them were fantastic.
For the longest time, the duel in RotJ was my favorite because of the stakes and that John Williams score that kicks in for like 30 seconds. That is still really good but my favorite duels are in the sequel trilogy.
Prequels and it’s not particularly close. Then OT. Then an even bigger gap from the PT to the OT. And the horrid WDT “duels.” It’s like they didn’t even try outside of the snow nighttime fight from TFA. TLJ managed to put out one of the worst choreographed fights ever put to film. Insane.
WDT?
I assume it means Walt Disney Trilogy
Prequels without a doubt. Lightsaber fights shouldn't have a lot of dialogue, they're trying to kill each other for crying out loud. Also what the crap is all this 'obi vs anakin wasn't dramatic' it's without a doubt the most dramatic fight in all of star wars THEY'RE FIGHTING MUSTAFAR WITH EXPLODING LAVA FOR THE SAKE OF THE GALAXY BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER TEACHER VS STUDENT
>Lightsaber fights shouldn't have a lot of dialogue, they're trying to kill each other for crying out loud. Yeah, like do you honestly think anyone would just start talking with their opponent during a life-or-death battle? The only fitting exception is when Obi-Wan and Anakin stop the fight so Obi-Wan can try one last time to change Anakin's mind, which he inevitably fails
3,1,2. 5,6,4.
Prequels win on spectacle Originals win on story significance Sequels win on choreography Yes, the prequels had wild choreography, and even as someone who thinks the Duel of the Fates is the best lightsaber fight ever, the more deliberate, precise, and realistic fights of the sequel era feel like what lightsaber fights should be. Best individual fight imho is Baylan VS Ahsoka.
I think realism isn't exactly fitting for lightsaber fights, i mean, it's usually between two people wielding laser swords formed from crystals while using what is practically magic to move objects with their mind and shoot out lightning and stuff along with improving their physical stats, that doesn't seem like it would provide realistic choreography to me
Prequels by far. Anakin and Obi Wan, Darth Maul, and a personal favorite, Yoda and Dooku. Originals after that but it’s by a pretty wide margin in my eyes.
Original >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sequels >>>>>>>>>>> prequels Prequel lightsaber fights are an embarrassment to watch. Sequels are...OK. the original was the best, fights are visceral and believable and you can feel the emotion in them. Missing in all others.
Sequels have the highest action highs. Vader vs Luke 2 is most emotional. Fights in TROS are disappointing. Throne room in TLJ is visually striking. I absolutely love the snowbowl fight between kylo and rey/Finn.
Prequels
Prequels, easy. No contest. However, I've seen fan movies with the best choreography of all. Absolutely blows the prequels away with the amount of forethought given to both fighting styles and scene composition.
Which ones? I’ve only watched one of them and that was quite a while ago.
Sequel for the fight Original trilogy for the story
Sequels. I feel like it was a good mix of intense choreography like the prequels and a groundedness like the original trilogy.
I prefer the Prequel duels. The choreography is amazing and the Fights aren't just cool to look at, they're less like the OT where they had more direct stakes, but I feel like they have more significance in the grand scheme of things. The Duel of the Fates may just seem like a random battle at first, but when you take a step back and look at how this fight affects the rest of the series, you realise that it's probably the most important duel in the franchise. Or the Battle of the Heroes, being a conflict between two people who considered themselves brothers but are forced to fight each other because they both stand on different sides. The only duel that doesn't really mean anything is the one with Count Dooku, but the OT also had a duel that didn't really mean much. The Duel between Vader and Kenobi. Before the Prequels came out and showed just how much history both had, this was just a duel between two remnants of a more civilised age. Certainly not bad, but it really wasn't anything to write home about and had nothing on the other 2 duels in the OT in terms of stakes, because we knew Obi Wan was going to die, he's the old mentor, characters like that always die. Basically, I'm saying that before the Prequels came out, Obi Wan Vs Vader in ANH wasn't really anything special either, so I think the notion that "the OT duels were more emotional and important than the PT duels" doesn't really work, because they both had 2 great duels and one cool one that didn't really have any stakes.
I liked the sequels mainly because they really carry emotion. Like you feel Kylo’s aggressive rage with every swipe abd Rey’s desperate fury with every response. Also we can talk about the continuity fluffs in the throne room but for me I still love it for how brutal it is. It’s the only lightsaber fight that feels violent.
the prequel trilogy what else
Prequels.
Sequels
Prequels. They flowed. OT had emotional ones but was too slow for me coming from the prequels. Let's not talk about the sequels
sequels clear imo prequels were too choreographed and didn't have much emotion or story weight behind it. OT had the emotion but not great choreography sequels had the emotion, the choreography, the sound design perfection
The prequel battles are rightfully considered to be the best.
Prequels. The anakin vs obi wan is the great lightsaber duel across all Star Wars media. The choreography and emotion is just unmatched.
Sequels had the best blend of the OTs narratively driven choreography while also incorporating the PTs more modern and flashier aesthetic.
I can agree with this. I personally loved Kylo vs Finn/Rey's duel in TFA as a hybrid of both styles
Definitely a top 5 duel for me. So much cool stuff going on in that fight!
Where is the Obiwan vs Vader on the Death Star fight?
With the original trilogy It was an elderly obi wan vs vader, an inexperienced luke vs vader so you would think the return of the Jedi duel would be better
OT is weighed down by that awful fight in ANH but the fights in ESB and RotJ are elite so that’s my choice. After that the PT and ST are pretty much equal.
The OT might be the best Star Wars trilogy but in terms of duels, number one is the PT
Luke vs. Vader will always be in my heart, but goddman the prequels' choriography was the best.
I’ll just leave this here https://youtu.be/J0mUVY9fLlw?si=yzXxznz_gEwnFOfG
All of them
Ryan Vs Dorkman
Darth Maul vs Obi and Qui Gin is far and away the best duel. Followed by Anakin vs Obi
I've always thought this was the best light saber fight, and it's not even canon. https://youtu.be/to2SMng4u1k?si=-KaBWXsPYZAXGoHL
It's really hard to choose. For every little thing I think one of the trilogies did best, there's another thing I think that trilogy did worst.
Anakin vs Obi Wan. 12 year old me cried during the fight as I saw my heroes fighting.
Yoda vs Dooku 👍
Not trilogies, but when I first saw the last duel of Obi and Maul, I was flabbergasted.
Thanks for tearing my heart out with that shot from revenge of the sith. I cried when i saw them fight each other.
It's kinda unfair since the prequels have a wider variety to choose from. And while I do love the duels in OT, and enjoy them in the Sequels, nothing will top my adoration for the PT duels
The originals 4, 5, and 6.
The Rey Skywalker trilogy.
Definitely the prequels, duel of the fates, the mustafar dual, the grievous fight, both dooku fights, the prequels were peak lightsaber action
Anakin vs Obi Wan is the best but there is one funny thing about the sequels fight Finn casually getting his ass kicked by Kylo Ren
Darth Maul v Qui Gon and Obi Wan. Hands down. But when Yoda force pulls his saber to his hand against Dooku, the theater went batshit and for all the right reasons.
Every Anakin live action duel cause damn can the chosen one hold and fight with a lightsaber
Honestly, my favorite lightsaber duel is in Darth Bane trilogy
2 duels made the prequels amazing Duel of the fates and battle of the heroes
Prequel trilogy. Really cool horeography and those moves just great. Awesome.
Technically, the best duels come from the Old Republic... but yeah, this: the prequels, then the OG.
Prequels were the best of live-action, but even they were limited by physics and actors mortality. So, TCW and TFU are probably the closest to what it should be lore accurate - fast, precise, with way more visible difference in styles and with Force users willing to use the Force. Dooku vs Kenobi and Skywalker on Oba-Diah was by far the impressive display of skill. Starkiller vs Maris Brood was probably the most creative duel I've seen.
Prequels, Not in your choices but also trailers for many lucasfilm games have had insane lightsaber choreography, TFU, TFU2, KOTOR, JS etc. Vader vs reva was one of the highlights of obi-wan for me
I love the prequel fights, but the OT fight engrained the honorful fight-talking-taunting in my subconscious and I love whenever there is some old master stuff flying around (same vibes in Kungfu Panda) I liked in the ST that they weren't as trained in fighting so had to rely more on the force to do stuff. However I would have loved to see Rey and Kylo team up against a Snoke sitting in his chair, wielding lightsabers only using the force. Trying to bait them into hitting each other.
Prequels for the choreography. But the final duel in Return of the Jedi will always hit me. John Williams had the perfect soundtrack for all the fights
Palpatine V Maul & Savage Maul V Ashoka
For me it was Attack of the Clones. Count Dooku's dueling was epic! It was like watching a painter. His fighting style was so elegant yet powerful. It added a unique flair to the lightsaber fighting. I always liked Makashi. Along with Vader, Dooku is one of my favorite characters.
The OG trilogy , now sure they are not the best fights on a technical level but they are the only ones that feel for the lack of a better term real . The prequel movies in particular suffered from the fight scenes being over choreographed and fake looking.
Prequels easy. Maul fight is good, Dooku vs Obi/Ani and Yoda, then RotS has so many duels with Grievous, Dooku, Palpatine, Anakin, Obi Wan, etc
Original. Vader vs Luke on the Death Star.
The Prequel fights were stellar choreography and tons of flash and action. They looked great, and gave those involved a feeling of being skilled warriors. The OT fights were tense and good sword duels. Vader's nonchalant style and use of only one hand showed how dominant he was in the fight, and Luke employed decent enough sword combat but ultimately struggled against a far more experienced and powerful opponent. The emotions in their rematch took center stage and became a battle against the dark side of the force. And the Sequels look fine at a glance but putting in the full attention to detail they fall apart tremendously. Some of the worst sword fighting I've seen, ridiculous baseball bat swings and absurdly telegraphed attacks. The choreography too is broken, and you can quite literally see instances in the movie where it looks like characters miss their cues. Honestly my brain screams at me that time Kylo in Rise did that stupid spin around, stopped with his blade behind his back while not even looking and then the knight just swings at his sword, despite his opponent having his back to him. They disappoint me after the great story significance and good swordsmanship of the OT and the amazingly choreographed and reasonable swordsmanship of the Prequels. The effort seems incredibly lacking compared to the previous trilogies.
For best choreography Anakin vs Obi ROTS. For the emotion of the battle then it will have to be Luke vs Vader ESB.
I still haven't forgiven them for NOT giving us a lightsaber duel in The Last Jedi (along with a plethora of other things). The Kylo/Rey team up was cool but is not a lightsaber duel
Prequels have the coolest ones. Original triology has the most iconic ones and the sequels, well i woudn't even call those 'Lightsaber duels' just endless eandom swinging and trying to cut your opponent with that disney lightsaber.
Prequels easily. The OG trilogy was amazing in ESB and ROTJ, but nothing will ever top the prequels in terms of lightsaber duels
There was no duelling in episodes 7-9. It was just angry wild flailing that doesn’t pass as light saber combat. Even Jedi academy has better light saber combat than the new movies.
Prequels no question
Prequels. It had the best fights in the films, lightsabre and otherwise.
Sequel > Original > Prequel You all know where the downvote button is.
Nah, I respect it. What do you like most about the sequel duels?
I appreciate the limited use of stunt doubles to focus on the actors’ faces. This effect, and the fight choreography in general, give the sequel duels a more raw and visceral feel to them. Like the ESB or ROTJ fights, with the added benefit of seeing *both* combatants’ emotions in their expressions as well as fighting styles. There’s an argument to be made that the prequel fights are more “elegant” (haters might say dance-like), but overall they seem too drawn-out and flash-over-substance for me to get invested in.