Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[CinemaBlu]

Originally Posted by youngtiffani

I'd never heard of this, but would probably exclude Episode I as suggested by this blogger.

http://static.nomachetejuggling.com/machete_order.html

I love the idea of watching V, II, III, VI makes perfect sense.

I guess I'm one of the few people who actually likes Episode I. But it might just be for nostalgic reasons. Or OCD in wanting to watch ALL the films.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

I guess I'm one of the few people who actually likes Episode I. But it might just be for nostalgic reasons. Or OCD in wanting to watch ALL the films.

The only thing I like about episode I is that Qui-Gon Jinn gets killed. Didn't like him anyway...

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by youngtiffani

I'd never heard of this, but would probably exclude Episode I as suggested by this blogger.

http://static.nomachetejuggling.com/machete_order.html

I love the idea of watching V, II, III, VI makes perfect sense.

I could not skip Episode I. I would never say "I'm in the mood for Star Wars" and then not watch all six films. Maybe it's because I actually like the prequels, and I think Episode I is a fine movie.

[HeavyHitter]

I think Episode I has improved with age.

[RayCRP]

I absolutely hate the machete order, and even the similar alternative with TPM included. Why would I want to break apart the OT with the PT? I like the PT, but they're such different trilogies visually, thematically, tonally, etc. and I want to enjoy the OT for what it is, then enjoy the PT for what it is.

And even though the explanation was cut/unfinished from ROTS, the Jedi (specifically Yoda) have distinctly different philosophies in the OT and PT. The machete/detour/etc orders screw that up. Qui-Gon Jinn is the key to that difference, and so I would never recommend anyone skip Episode I.

When I introduce the series to friends and eventually to my future kids, it will be in the order of IV, V, VI... I, II, III... VII, VIII, IX.

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by RayCRP

I absolutely hate the machete order, and even the similar alternative with TPM included. Why would I want to break apart the OT with the PT? I like the PT, but they're such different trilogies visually, thematically, tonally, etc. and I want to enjoy the OT for what it is, then enjoy the PT for what it is.

And even though the explanation was cut/unfinished from ROTS, the Jedi (specifically Yoda) have distinctly different philosophies in the OT and PT. The machete/detour/etc orders screw that up. Qui-Gon Jinn is the key to that difference, and so I would never recommend anyone skip Episode I.

When I introduce the series to friends and eventually to my future kids, it will be in the order of IV, V, VI... I, II, III... VII, VIII, IX.

I agree. Right now I'm watching them in chronological order, but my preferred way of watching is release order. I find I enjoy them more that way.

[RayCRP]

Yeah. I have no problem with watching in chronological order, since I'm familiar with them all by now. I just prefer to use release order when introducing the series to newcomers.

[mayday72]

Originally Posted by RayCRP

Yeah. I have no problem with watching in chronological order, since I'm familiar with them all by now. I just prefer to use release order when introducing the series to newcomers.

Lifelong fan here. The flashback order is a decent way to watch the saga IV, V, I, II, III, VI. Personally I find them difficult to watch in anyway other than chronologically. When I watch them the in release order it's such a downer ending.

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

I guess I'm one of the few people who actually likes Episode I. But it might just be for nostalgic reasons. Or OCD in wanting to watch ALL the films.

It's probably my second or third favorite Star Wars film. I love it.

[RayCRP]

Is it really a "flashback" when the entire prequel trilogy is longer than the two movies that precede it? Actually, it's longer than the entirety of the OT. My understanding is that the flashback order was devised to make the prequels more bearable while reverting the focus back to the OT. If anything, I feel like this rips apart the OT (reducing it to a mere framing device), and puts the PT on a pedestal. I tried the order before and it pissed me off to no end, even after trying to legitimize it in my head.

[cb1]

When I do a marathon, it is in episode order. It works for me.

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by cb1

When I do a marathon, it is in episode order. It works for me.

Same here. The 4,5,1,2,3,6 order is an interesting idea, but I don't think it works neccessarily. I just go in order.

[srinivas1015]

Originally Posted by RayCRP

Yeah. I have no problem with watching in chronological order, since I'm familiar with them all by now. I just prefer to use release order when introducing the series to newcomers.

Why is there so much hate for the prequels? People often complain that they don't feel like the Originals but the they were never supposed to. The prequels tell a much more serious story about how a character as pure as Anakin falls to the dark side. Anakin is more or less my favorite character of all time and his character arc is one of most well executed in the entire saga.

I don't understand the liking for the Machete order. The Phantom Menace lays the groundwork for the entire trilogy and it is extremely important to see Anakin as a kid. The need to fix things, attachment issues, fear of change and fear of losing the people he loves is what drives him in ROTS. Losing Qui-Gon, his only father figure, is the first domino that triggers a chain reaction.

Attack Of The Clones is something that always fascinated me as it plays out like a noir mystery thriller, something which we haven't seen before in the Saga. This is the happiest period in Anakin's life and seeing him lose all of this makes his fall that much more tragic. AOTC further breaks down Anakin bit by bit all the while making him more and more fearful. Obi-Wan does his best to guide Anakin through his period of loneliness and fear of losing his mother but what we have to remember is that a Jedi like Obi-Wan doesn't truly understand the attachment that Anakin feels. It reminded me of Jonathan Kent trying to raise Clark in MOS. Anakin's failure in AOTC is what drives him to do whatever it takes to save Padme in ROTS. It's kinda like Spock never ever wanting to feel the way he felt when Vulcan was destroyed.

Sure, the prequels aren't perfect. The clone 'war' in the end of AOTC is quite boring to watch and some scenes like the pod race bog down the movie but apart from these small issues, I feel they're really good movies that get a lot of unnecessary hate. The dialogue and dialogue delivery isn't bad when you see it as a Shakesperian play being acted out on stage.

One last thing, after Anakin being driven mad by his visions and not listening to Yoda, it's truly fascinating to see Luke do the same thing in ESB.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by srinivas1015

Why is there so much hate for the prequels? People often complain that they don't feel like the Originals but the they were never supposed to. The prequels tell a much more serious story about how a character as pure as Anakin falls to the dark side. Anakin is more or less my favorite character of all time and his character arc is one of most well executed in the entire saga.

I don't understand the liking for the Machete order. The Phantom Menace lays the groundwork for the entire trilogy and it is extremely important to see Anakin as a kid. The need to fix things, attachment issues, fear of change and fear of losing the people he loves is what drives him in ROTS. Losing Qui-Gon, his only father figure, is the first domino that triggers a chain reaction.

Attack Of The Clones is something that always fascinated me as it plays out like a noir mystery thriller, something which we haven't seen before in the Saga. This is the happiest period in Anakin's life and seeing him lose all of this makes his fall that much more tragic. AOTC further breaks down Anakin bit by bit all the while making him more and more fearful. Obi-Wan does his best to guide Anakin through his period of loneliness and fear of losing his mother but what we have to remember is that a Jedi like Obi-Wan doesn't truly understand the attachment that Anakin feels. It reminded me of Jonathan Kent trying to raise Clark in MOS. Anakin's failure in AOTC is what drives him to do whatever it takes to save Padme in ROTS. It's kinda like Spock never ever wanting to feel the way he felt when Vulcan was destroyed.

Sure, the prequels aren't perfect. The clone 'war' in the end of AOTC is quite boring to watch and some scenes like the pod race bog down the movie but apart from these small issues, I feel they're really good movies that get a lot of unnecessary hate. The dialogue and dialogue delivery isn't bad when you see it as a Shakesperian play being acted out on stage.

One last thing, after Anakin being driven mad by his visions and not listening to Yoda, it's truly fascinating to see Luke do the same thing in ESB.

because they're horrible horrible stories.. even as films today they are soooooooooooooooo bad. I can't even finish TPM anymore. it's just nauseating. Jake Loyd was Edward Furlong level of bad and Hayden "wooden" Christianson is almost that bad... I felt like stabbing him in the throat every time he opens his mouth...

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by srinivas1015

Why is there so much hate for the prequels? People often complain that they don't feel like the Originals but the they were never supposed to. The prequels tell a much more serious story about how a character as pure as Anakin falls to the dark side. Anakin is more or less my favorite character of all time and his character arc is one of most well executed in the entire saga.

I don't understand the liking for the Machete order. The Phantom Menace lays the groundwork for the entire trilogy and it is extremely important to see Anakin as a kid. The need to fix things, attachment issues, fear of change and fear of losing the people he loves is what drives him in ROTS. Losing Qui-Gon, his only father figure, is the first domino that triggers a chain reaction.

I think you answered your own question here, inadvertently.

Personally, I think the heart of the entire matter is - no one ever asked "Gee, I wonder how Darth Vader grew up?" That was never a playground discussion when I was a kid. Everyone was pretty satisfied with the few lines about it from Obi Wan in the original trilogy. He summed up what was stretched out to three films pretty nicely in almost as many sentences. I never needed to know more. And seeing it in all it's detail really just kind of ruined Darth Vader as one of the great villains of the 20th century.

Folks are so critical because it was all very unnecessary, really. There was nothing we didn't get the first time around that needed three films to explain. Even Lucas has admitted that a lot of the prequels was filler, because it really was a simple story he had to make more complicated to fill up three entire films.

He basically admitted that most of Phantom Meanace was "just because he could" - he just felt like playing around in the universe, treading water until the next films when stuff actually happened. He also didn't write them all at once - in fact, he was quite late with the script to Episode III - because he had spent so much time stretching it out, when he got to the last film he suddenly had to rush to make Anakin turn evil as well as tie up all the new plot lines he had come up with (why did Amidala die on that table? Because he didn't have time for her to survive and make it to Alderaan to be with Leia a few years as would have made sense with the OT and was originally intended).

You should check out "The Secret History of Star Wars" - you can skip through a lot of the book (it's very repetitive) but there is some really interesting documentation about the making of the prequels in there - how "seat of your pants" it all was as they made it, and how the "grand plan" never really existed.

I don't hate the prequels, but they could have easily been condensed into one film and still said the same things, if it needed to be said, at all. While it's true the OT has almost as many issues, and lack of direction (the official making of books that have recently come out - the big coffee table ones - spell this out quite clearly, as you can read all the various notes from the story sessions), it was a story we cared about which is why it is so highly valued.

The same can't be said for the prequels, and the fact that both actors that played Anakin were the most irritating characters in their respective films (though I'd say in Episode I Jar Jar and Anakin were equal). In Episode II and III Anakin was just obnoxious and a man-child, he did very little to make you actually like him and care about him enough to make his transformation anything one would be emotionally invested in. I cannot figure what the heck Padme saw in him - he must have had one nice lightsaber under his robes.

Just my take on it.

[rickah88]

I like all 6 films, for what each has to offer...but that's just me.

[Geoff D]

Same here. Well, apart from the first hour and a half of AOTC.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Same here. Well, apart from the first hour and a half of AOTC.

Yep, that is easily the worst portion in the saga,

[mport5150]

Originally Posted by RayCRP

I absolutely hate the machete order, and even the similar alternative with TPM included. Why would I want to break apart the OT with the PT? I like the PT, but they're such different trilogies visually, thematically, tonally, etc. and I want to enjoy the OT for what it is, then enjoy the PT for what it is.

And even though the explanation was cut/unfinished from ROTS, the Jedi (specifically Yoda) have distinctly different philosophies in the OT and PT. The machete/detour/etc orders screw that up. Qui-Gon Jinn is the key to that difference, and so I would never recommend anyone skip Episode I.

When I introduce the series to friends and eventually to my future kids, it will be in the order of IV, V, VI... I, II, III... VII, VIII, IX.

Agreed...I like to watch them in release order....

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

He basically admitted that most of Phantom Meanace was "just because he could" - he just felt like playing around in the universe, treading water until the next films when stuff actually happened.

So speculation passes as fact here?

You should check out "The Secret History of Star Wars" - you can skip through a lot of the book (it's very repetitive) but there is some really interesting documentation about the making of the prequels in there - how "seat of your pants" it all was as they made it, and how the "grand plan" never really existed.

Published speculation.