Star Wars EPS 1-3 reappraised

C

ComeClarity

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Hello, having nothing else to watch recently, I decided to rewatch the new Star Wars films again, and guess what? -I enjoyed all 3 IMMENSELY.
Theyre not nearly as bad as first thought,
and in hind sight, I think they suffered unfair harsh criticism on release (a lot like Star Trek: Generations did ) from the fan base expecting TOO MUCH.
That said-Ido think that Ian Mc Diarmid (Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious/The Emporer) contributed a LOT to the storyand finished product.
Thoughts anyone??
 
You're probably right...at least to a certain extent. I think all fans had their idea of how the PT would work out, and I think that, for most people, the pacing was off.

I think most people would have chosen to have more adult Anakin, rather than a whiny kid and teenager, and more of him being 'dark' and more Vader on screen...

Episode 1 seems a bit too distinct from the rest of the trilogy, with all the pod-racing stuff which is really just filler

Add to that Jar-Jar Binks and the guff about midiclorians....well you get why people were dissapointed.

As Tim Bisley said 'Jar Jar Binks makes the Ewoks look like ***ing Shaft....'
 
I don't have the time and space for this one. It's been a source of much discussion of the last 8 years of my life. The basic principle is that GL seemed to fundamentally misunderstand what it was that made his own films so popular in the first in stance. He also lacked his then wife, Gary Kurtz, and Lawrence Kasdan - all of whom added the finesse and understanding that GL lacks when surrounded by yes-men like Ric McCallum.
 
Don't get me started on this!

It basically boils down to age and expectation. As a member of the original Trilogy generation, how could I possibly have expected to see the prequels 20 years after the first, with near enough a life-time's worth of experience and history behind me, and expect them to recapture the magic? Madness. The truth is they were made for a different generation, not for me.

Have you talked to people for who the prequels were their first expereince of SW. Trust me, they loved the films and were wowed as much as I was first time around. Try and sit them down in front of Ep IV and most will lose interest within the first 30 mins. It's sad, but in particular Ep IV has not aged well, even in the SE guise.

Looking back at Eps I - III, I agree that they are better than first thought. In particular Ep I is much better. Even Jar Jar is not that annoying now.
 
I have. That really isn't my experience, on the wholeDon't agree at all. My partner first experienced the OT as an adult, and loves them. She did the same with the PT, and hates them. The problem with the tonal pitch seems to be that the OT did appeal cross generationally, and to my experience it still does. The PT doesn't. By the same token, my former partner's 9 year old much preferred SW and Jedi to any of the prequelsInteresting... Having re-watched them recently, the only thing - to my mind - that hasn't aged well is the dated looking CGI that was added in the SE versions - especially in ROTJ. It's odd how quickly that dates compared to rubber masks/puppets (used in the OT and PT) in my experience.
Having done all three prequels recently, the cartoony/slapstick CGI aside, TPM it is by far the least bad of the prequels. The acting is far better than the other two, and the plot more coherent. While Sith has many redeeming features, AOTC - in retrospect - seems to have none - the dialogue, acting and interminable plot make it virtually unwatchable.

So, tackling the OP, TPM - much better in retrospect, ROTS same as ever (although the clunky dialogue become more apparent), and AOTC just collapses under the weight of its plodding dullness.
 
I thought all 3 of the newer films where good action films. Attack Of The Clones for me is the easiest to watch with the great action scenes in it.
 
Being the OP Id just like to add that i saw the first Star wars at the cinema in 1977 as well as the 2 sequels 1980 and 83 (all on their original release) Im 38 not 13. ta!
 
I saw the original SW at the cinema when they were reissued in around 97.

I saw Eps I, II and III first time round at the cinema. I liked Ep I at the time, but I was only 8 or so.

IMO the new SWs are kid-friendly family entertainment.
 
Figured that from your post. No-one under 25 feels the need to be a prequel apologist. ;)

BTW, I'm 32, and saw Empire and Jedi at the cinema, and Star Wars on a 17 minute home Cine film when I was 4, where I thought Ben was talking directly to me when he turned to camera and said "Hello there. Come here my little friend. Don't be afraid" at Artoo.

True story
 
Exactly. I didn't enjoy the films as much as the originals, but you can't get rose tinted. My nephew loves the new films as much as i loved the orginals at his age. In fact I tried to sit him down to watch A New hope and he was bored
 
I've actually sold my 1 to 3 DVRAB and kept the new ones.

There was an article in today's Guardian (one of the sub-sections) about the proposed TV Star Wars TV series and there was a picture of Jar Jar with the caption "Star Wars favourite Jar Jar Binks".

Someone on the editorial staff must had had a laugh or not seen Phantom Menace.

The only reason for watching the first 3 is to marvel at the technological advances - Yoda vs Dooku for example.

GL should have given directorial reigns to other directors although I understand he did quite a bit of work on ROTJ as the director didn't have much experience working with SFX at the time.
 
hmm what to say without reopening old wounRAB

my problem with I-III is that the basic storyline isn't 'fun'

imo Episode I can be ignored and they basic storyline wouldn't be altered in any way.

Meaning if they'd started with ATOC, then had some lead up to the Clone Wars which lead into ROTS, the story would have worked just as well.

Jar Jar Binks is a semi funny character and I can see he appeals to younger SW fans of present day. It's just that C3-PO, R2D2, Chewie and Han Solo provided better light relief for me

ROTS suffered badly in my eyes with awful '5 minute lets-tie everything up' at the end (best avoid Vadar's "Noooooooo" moment)

The one win that the recent films win over the originals are the lightsaber battles. Which is mainly due to Lucas being rich enough to put his 'artistic' vision on screen.

Unfortunately it seems that Lucas was more interested in the technological advances for the recent films and forgot about crafting a storyline that worked
 
Well i'm apart of the prequel generation, but all in all i much prefer the originals. They have something that the others don't. I also find them a hell of alot more realistic and viable.
 
They ruined Star Wars way before the prequels by releasing the "Special" Editions. I have heard them called the "Special NeeRAB" Editions as they are so, so bad. Particularly Jedi, with that awful, awful song sequence in Jabba's Palace. Cleaning up the print would have sufficed, but no... Lucas had to mess about with them. I was gutted at the time, as I'd grown up being a massive SW fan. Phantom Menace was fairly enjoyable but had too many cringeworthy moments; AotC was okay, and RotS was acceptable but also had moments of utter stupidity- like Amadala's death scene, and the infamous "NOOOOOOO!" moment.

Basically, Lucas has got fat, old and lazy and should never be allowed anywhere near his own franchise. Sad, but true.

For my Sci-Fi fix, I stuck to FarScape, which shamed the Star Wars SE prints with great special effects, rounded characters and overall a fantastic story. There was the odd dodgy episode, but pound for pound I found it to be much more exciting than Star Wars. Crazy but true.
 
Ep 1 - 3 are just different Sci-Fi movies for me. Yes they are fun to watch and they are entertaining. But they aren't "Star Wars" movies to me. I was struggling to figure out myself why I couldn't / wouldn't want to make the connection between the two three-part episodes. Histeria's explanation actually comes as close as to what I feel.
 
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