A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..

[tailz]

right! at this moment I am currently halfway through my marathon of star wars, I just put A new hope in, and am waiting for my dinner to be ready, after that on to the next 3 movies.

things I have noticed up to now.

I still enjoy 'the phantom menace' it was one of my favorite movies as a kid and i still enjoy most of it, sure i'm annoyed by jar jar but still.
although there are some good actors playing in the prequels, good acting is less common.
although still nothing to write home about, Hayden his acting improves greatly between attack of the clones and revenge of the sith. this is of course my opinion.

So,anything in particular I need to look out for in 'A new hope'? questions regarding my sanity ( wich is slowly fading ) or just commenting on how nerdy I am. lets hear it.

oh and of course discuss anything star wars related.

[Araciel]

Watching all six movies in sequence warps my brain due to the way he ret-conned a few things when he penned episodes 1-3..

I prefer 4-6 just as movies - the first three are okay but not on the same level - could just be fanboyism/old coot talking but they just seem to be a much better example of storytelling and though they feature groundbreaking effects, those aren't the focus of the movies, whereas with the new trilogy they seem to be.

See Mr Plinkett - he basically speaks for me.

[tailz]

I agree, the story telling in the prequels isn't that spectaculair.

I just noticed the jawa make the exact same sound as the ewoks.

[Del Murder]

I agree with a lot of your points. The prequels have some good actors but not a lot of good acting. I blame the script. Hayden was definitely better in Revenge of the Sith and his portrayal of Anakin in Attack of the Clones still goes down as one of the worst things about the prequels. Again, I can't fault him entirely for this because in other movies he is not as big a douchebag (though he's not a great actor) and Lucas either signed off on or, worse, encouraged that godawful accent and spoiled brat behavior that dominated half that movie.

Of the three prequels, I liked Attack of the Clones the best if only for the reason that I thought the clone plot was intriguing. It definitely could have been on par with the earlier films if Anakin was handled better and the love story wasn't so contrived. Two things that I feel would have been easy to do in the framework of the film.

The thing you have to remember about watching A New Hope is that none of the other five movies were even conceived at the time of that movie's filming. It's the one with the most plot holes simply for that reason, and, being the oldest, it's also the most dated effects-wise. However, it's still a great adventure.

[Araciel]

I also don't like the tacked on R2D2 and C3P0 in the prequels - I understand why they're in there but I just think they kind of distracted more than helped the main plot

They were enjoyable movies in their own continuity and I liked Phantom Menace above the other two, in fact it goes ep 1, then 2 then 3 in my mind - just seems like things kept getting more over the top which fits with the epic idea but for some reason leaves me shaking my head.

Anyway just love Empire - it's my favourite (in standard fanboy style).

[tailz]

I personally find attack of the clones to be the weakest of the 6, the dialogue and the romance subplot kill it for me.

I dont mind the droids being in the prequels, C-3po could have been left out, although it makes his "thank the maker" catchphrase a bit more ironic.

well, part 5 up now,

I must say I had more trouble with getting through 'a new hope' than I had thought. a bit heavy on the repeated footage, but the pacing is what really gets me, I gues its modern high speed movies that are to blame, but i'm used too those.

[theundeadhero]

I recently rewatched all six of them. When I was watching them as a kid I never noticed how much Solo feels up Lea..eaeaeaeaea (that's how it's spelled) in the original three. It's pretty funny.

[Breine]

The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie there is, I think. It goes without saying that the original trilogy is the best one. Out of the prequels, Revenge of the Sith is definitely the best, then Attack of the Clones and then Phantom Menace. Phantom Menace is just way too long and a little too conceited - more so than the other two. I remember really being taken by it when it came out, though. I was 11 at the time and the special effects blew my mind. It was a good-looking movie in those days. Still is, I suppose. But yeah, bad writing just hampered what the prequels could have been.

Oh, and Anakin is more annoying than Jar Jar in Phantom Menace.

[Rabbits on the Run]

Star wars.

Honestly, I like the prequels better than the old films, maybe just because I saw them first. I always get funny looks when I say that, not that I expect to get those here since you can't see me.

Though I definitely think acting wasn't top notch in any of the films, I really like Padme and the way she was in the first movie. They put way too much sexual interest into her in the second one, and she was back to her old self more so in the third.

And I love Padme's clothes for some inexplicable reason. She is my favorite character of all.

Favorite movie would have to be Phantom or Sith. I do think that Phantom drags on too long, and is a bit dull so it'd probably be Sith.

The old movies, I liked New Hope the best.

[JeganRX]

I don't think I've ever seen such love for the prequels.... ever.



(SPOILER)(WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!)

[BG-57]

The Phantom Menace was visually impressive but rather flat storytelling. Also I get what Lucas was going for with Jar Jar, but he made better movies when he didn't have complete control.

The Attack of the Clones was excellent when it focused on Obi-Wan and Jango Fett and painful when it focused on Anakin and Padme. It was neat to see the calvary arrive.

Revenge of the Sith has some unerwhelming villains (what happaned to Dooku and Greivous in this film?), but it had great pacing and drama. I really accepted Obi-Wan and Anakin as the characters that would continue into the rest of the series. There's one ending scene that I do not want.

A New Hope is rooted firmly in Flash Gordon and other movie serials, so it's best approached in that spirit. It's notable that Dark Vader and Governor Tarkin and are nearly equal in power, while in the later movies, Vader seems to outrank everyone else in the Empire.

I feel that the Empire Strikes Back is the best of bunch, mainly because since it can't resolve much of the plot threads, it focuses on character interaction. You should remember this is the first movie that Yoda appeared in chronologically. Frankly he worked better as a puppet.

The Return of the Jedi is a satisfying conclusion to the series. The Emperor is a great villain and the resolution between Vader and Luke is heartbreaking. The Ewoks are silly and cute.

[Chris]

I am not shy to admit the fact that I really enjoy the prequels. I think all three of them are great thrills, although I do have a couple of issues.

Hayden Christensen is forever associated with the characters Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker. Really. I wonder why mister Spielberg just couldn't see just how terrible of an actor he is. Granted, he's was not given the best dialogue to work with, but that is a poor excuse. He has no charisma and he is the most wooden actor I have ever witnessed. He had no chemistry with Kiera Knightley, who frankly, seemed a bit annoyed by how little she got from him.

That is my biggest complain, when it comes to the prequels. Sure, none of them will ever be considered great artistic achievements, but that is certainly not for a lack of great special effects and great musical scores.

My personal favorite movie in the entire franchise is The Empire Strikes Back. No fantasy movie, with the possible exception of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, have ever come close to this one in terms of...well, everything.

Also, shoot me, if you will, but I actually prefer the 'special editions' to the original versions.

[NorthernChaosGod]

[Dreddz]

The original trilogy is certainly one of the better space epics your going to find. I used to like them but not obsess over them. I rewatched them years later and noticed just how great the set designs were. Outside of the Alien movies I think Star Wars had one of the most fully realized sci-fi settings out there. Plus the story was also well done although the dialogue and acting in general weren't anything special (with the exception of Harison Ford). I think it was the premise that made everything so fun to watch.

The prequels on the other hand were inferior in almost all areas. Questionable character designs. Abysmal acting. Too much green screen and an over-reliance on action, which wasn't pulled off that well to begin with. I have watched all of them once and that was enough for me.

[Madame Adequate]

Episodes I and II are... best left unmentioned. I like III a great deal though, it's not up to the standard of the original trilogy but it is a fairly decent movie imho.

This is what happens when George Lucas becomes a big name and stops listening to advice from his actors and stuff.