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LTTP: Star Wars Saga [Updated as I watch]

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Oersted

Member
Eh what would you guys say are the 'redeeming' factors of the prequel trilogy? As is I don't plan on watching them in preparation for Force Awakens.

Redeeming factor would be the acting. Massive improvement over OT. Portman is leaps and bonds better than Fisher, Gregors "not giving a fuck" is more entertaining than Guiness "let me go home" and Diarmid delivers the by far greatest performance in all of the franchise. Mind you, its still not very good.
 
But if you cannot observe the distinction between cartoon violence and live-action violence perhaps I shouldn't bother engaging this debate.

Nah, maybe you shouldn't. That's a good call. Especially since the discussion had already basically run its course and whatever misunderstanding there was had already been resolved by the time you tripped over it.

Anyway, so far as "redeeming factors" of the Prequel Trilogy

1) the score
2) the fight choreography (granted, people still dislike this, but from a purely visual standpoint, it's fun)
3) Palpatine
4) The Podrace ("the podrace is pretty cool")
5) Order 66

Those are the main ones. They're not altogether "redeeming" I guess, but I don't regret having experienced that stuff.
 

sphagnum

Banned
OP, if you decide to watch TCW in chronological order rather than release order, remember that there are two episodes of the show that take place BEFORE the TCW movie. Also make sure to watch the unfinished episodes from the Crystal Crisis on Utapau arc and The Bad Batch arc, which take place after the final finished episodes of TCW, and are available to watch on starwars.com

edit: This is the official order http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-clone-wars-chronological-episodeorder?repeat=w3tc
 
Eh what would you guys say are the 'redeeming' factors of the prequel trilogy? As is I don't plan on watching them in preparation for Force Awakens.

Honestly, for me the best thing about the PT are the series that emerged from them, specifically the Clone Wars CGI show.
 

Cheebo

Banned
Nah, maybe you shouldn't. That's a good call. Especially since the discussion had already basically run its course and whatever misunderstanding there was had already been resolved by the time you tripped over it.

Anyway, so far as "redeeming factors" of the Prequel Trilogy

1) the score
2) the fight choreography (granted, people still dislike this, but from a purely visual standpoint, it's fun)
3) Palpatine
4) The Podrace ("the podrace is pretty cool")
5) Order 66

Those are the main ones. They're not altogether "redeeming" I guess, but I don't regret having experienced that stuff.
You forgot Jira.
20110917191644_margaret_towner1.jpg
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I'm trying not to read because it looks mighty spoilery in here, I seen a specific name written and pictures I don't recognize.

Is it still safe in here?
 

sphagnum

Banned
Also OP, when you watch TCW, there will be at least one character who comes out of nowhere regardless of if you watch it in release or chronological order, due to the fact that TCW was originally conceived of as a sort of sequel to the 2D Clone Wars microseries. That series had introduced this character and she went on to become a popular character in the old expanded universe, so when TCW starts, the characters all treat her as if they already are familiar with her despite her not having been mentioned at all in the movies. You'll move past it pretty quickly but don't feel like you missed something - it's just a product of the decanonization of the 2D microseries.

I'm trying not to read because it looks mighty spoilery in here, I seen a specific name written and pictures I don't recognize.

Is it still safe in here?

Extremely minor character and references to particular lines of dialogue that don't mean anything if you hadn't already seen it.
 

Cheebo

Banned
I'm trying not to read because it looks mighty spoilery in here, I seen a specific name written and pictures I don't recognize.

Is it still safe in here?

You are pretty much fucked if you know who Jira is, sorry. That basically ruins everything. Best to just give up now and not even watch Return of the Jedi. Star Trek is your savior now.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Extremely minor character and references to particular lines of dialogue that don't mean anything if you hadn't already seen it.
Ok, sick.

You are pretty much fucked if you know who Jira is, sorry. That basically ruins everything. Best to just give up now and not even watch Return of the Jedi. Star Trek is your savior now.

"NOOOOOOOO!"
*tosses PC like Vader*
 
I'd say Portman's a better actress overall but at least Carrie actually seemed to give a shit for at least two of the films.

True as that may be, Leia was infinitely more interesting as a character IMHO, at least for ANH and ESB. Padme was a monotone-sounding queen for most of episode 1, and nothing particularly special in the other films. Her character is pretty forgettable in the grand scheme.
 

Cheebo

Banned
I am thinking maybe we should abandon discussing the prequels till the OP sees them. Back to uh Empire Strikes Back.

It has John Ratzenberger!
55370.jpg
 

munchie64

Member
So people can like the Ewoks? I knew I wasn't alone!
Glad you liked Jedi! I think it gets a bad wrap sometimes.

Will be interested in knowing you're favourite prequel scenes as there are some great set pieces there.
 
True as that may be, Leia was infinitely more interesting as a character IMHO, at least for ANH and AOTC. Padme was a monotone-sounding queen for most of episode 1, and nothing particularly special in the other films. Her character is pretty forgettable in the grand scheme.
Oh definitely. The Clone Wars improved Padme but Leia's a better character.
 

CloudWolf

Member
I'm with you on the Ewoks, OP. They're great and it's always fun to imagine the Ewoks as one of the biggest threats in the universe. I mean, look at what they did: The Ewoks singlehandidly beat the Rebels and were planning to eat them until C3PO saved the lot. Then they defeated the Empire, which the Rebels couldn't do on their own, and ate them. At least, that's what I get from it, since in the end they're happily drumming on the empty helmets while the bodies of the Imperials are nowhere to be found.
 

GavinUK86

Member
Ray Wonder, I envy that you are so close to seeing the best SW movie for the first time.

Which one might that be?

Ep2.

Eff the haters.

Hahaha, That's the one I've heard the is hated the most. I like your gumption, and your sticktuitiveness sir.

HELL YEAH! I love Episode 2. I won't go into why, that's spoilery territory, but it's the best prequel film by far.
 
HELL YEAH! I love Episode 2. I won't go into why, that's spoilery territory, but it's the best prequel film by far.

I think Episode III is considerably better but I don't hate II. I like plenty about it but it has some of the weakest elements in the series at the same time.
 

GavinUK86

Member
I think Episode III is considerably better but I don't hate II. I like plenty about it but it has some of the weakest elements in the series at the same time.

Yeah, I love the whole clone wars focus of umm... The Clone Wars. The Phantom Menace is just horrid and Anakin is just insufferable in Revenge of the Sith.
 
Yeah, I love the whole clone wars focus of umm... The Clone Wars. The Phantom Menace is just horrid and Anakin is just insufferable in Revenge of the Sith.

I like Anakin a lot in 3, but I rarely find myself agreeing with people about that movie so it's okay :p
 
Nah, maybe you shouldn't. That's a good call. Especially since the discussion had already basically run its course and whatever misunderstanding there was had already been resolved by the time you tripped over it.

Ok, but only if you say so, since i saw no evidence the conversation had run its course (aside from the fact you banged your gavel three times and called it such).

Fwiw, the tone of the OT films was mostly inconsequential because like Akira Kurosawa’s films they swayon both sides of light/dark. The Hidden Fortress is littered with contrasting tone and situations and Lucas successfully adapted this in Star Wars. But this is a far cry from "obviously lighthearted".

Kurosawa used mixed tone to convey the fact the main characters were small fish in a large pond and their relative helplessness in a much larger world, sort of like the world Luke Skywalker finds himself after he leaves the farm.
 

Placiibo

Banned
Too late now, but why not watch in order? Episode 4 completely ruins episode 3. I would love to see someones reaction to the events of 3 who has not seen 4-6. Anyone who says watch 4-6 first is just being nostalgic.

Calling it now: curmudgeonly SW fans will say: 4-6, 7-9, 1-3 optional.
 

Window

Member
Ok, but only if you say so, since i saw no evidence the conversation had run its course (aside from the fact you banged your gavel three times and called it such).

Fwiw, the tone of the OT films was mostly inconsequential because like Akira Kurosawa’s films they swayon both sides of light/dark. The Hidden Fortress is littered with contrasting tone and situations and Lucas successfully adapted this in Star Wars. But this is a far cry from "obviously lighthearted".

Kurosawa used mixed tone to convey the fact the main characters were small fish in a large pond and their relative helplessness in a much larger world, sort of like the world Luke Skywalker finds himself after he leaves the farm.

Lighthearted is not a pejorative. I felt that was the case for about half of the first film. Then over the course of the rest of the that film and the series, they end up deciding the fate of the entire galaxy.
 
Too late now, but why not watch in order? Episode 4 completely ruins episode 3. I would love to see someones reaction to the events of 3 who has not seen 4-6. Anyone who says watch 4-6 first is just being nostalgic.

Calling it now: curmudgeonly SW fans will say: 4-6, 7-9, 1-3 optional.

suppose 7-9 turns out to be shit though WHAT THEN!?
 

sphagnum

Banned
Too late now, but why not watch in order? Episode 4 completely ruins episode 3. I would love to see someones reaction to the events of 3 who has not seen 4-6. Anyone who says watch 4-6 first is just being nostalgic.

Calling it now: curmudgeonly SW fans will say: 4-6, 7-9, 1-3 optional.

This has happened on occasion, but the problem is most people who are introduced to the franchise 1 - 6 STILL already know about Vader and Luke's relationship, so the prequels are already being watched with a sort of foreknowledge of what will happen.

I can't find the topic but someone on Reddit earlier this year (maybe late last year?) watched Star Wars for the first time and did it 1 - 6 and they enjoyed it. They didn't have preconceived notions about the prequels so they liked all of them, although they ended up liking them less than the OT. From what I remember (and I could be wrong) I think they gave TPM 7/10, AotC 6/10, RotS 8/10, ANH and ESB both 10/10 and RotJ 9/10. I also remember someone on TFN who came to the franchise prequels first and had no idea that Anakin would become Vader, thinking that all the foreshadowing of Anakin turning to the dark side was a red herring, and she was shocked by the twist in Episode III, but that topic was a few years ago.
 
Ok, but only if you say so.

Weird that there were two paragraphs after this, then.

Too late now, but why not watch in order? Episode 4 completely ruins episode 3..

Mostly due to the fact the prequels were not concieved, written, or executed to be enjoyed in full without previous knowledge gained from the original trilogy. There are things that simply don't work right in all the prequel films without you having some knowledge of what happened in the first three - which is part of why they don't work as well as those first three.

Not to say people can't still enjoy them, because obviously they can (and have) but it definitely leaves the viewer at a disadvantage as opposed to coming at it in release order, which is how everyone else, including the people who made the films, did it. There's a lot of shorthanding in the Prequels that I'm not even sure the people behind -the-scenes realized they were doing, simply because the original films had been so culturally absorbed at that point.
 

BFIB

Member
Has the OP started the prequels? Which version of the OT did he watch? If it was the DVD or Blu Ray version, I want his thoughts on Anakins ghost being a young Anakin.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Has the OP started the prequels? Which version of the OT did he watch? If it was the DVD or Blu Ray version, I want his thoughts on Anakins ghost being a young Anakin.

I noticed that, but I haven't seen the prequel. Did they add that in the Blu-Rays? I was wondering if they just found some guy back then to pretend to be Anakin. I'm guessing since you said that, that's the actor that plays in the prequel.That's pretty cool then. It would make things flow better for a first time watcher. I don't mind it.

I wanted it to be James Earl Jones behind that mask so bad. I knew it wasn't going to be though.
 

ZeroCDR

Member
I watched IV - V - I - II - III - VI order a while ago and I really enjoyed it that way. It helps the prequels feel relevant despite their varying quality, and the series ends much stronger especially if you're watching the post 2004 special editions.
 
I noticed that, but I haven't seen the prequel. Did they add that in the Blu-Rays? I was wondering if they just found some guy back then to pretend to be Anakin. I'm guessing since you said that, that's the actor that plays in the prequel.That's pretty cool then. It would make things flow better for a first time watcher. I don't mind it.

I wanted it to be James Earl Jones behind that mask so bad. I knew it wasn't going to be though.

Originally, it was the same guy who had just played unmasked Darth a few minutes earlier in the movie as the ghost, but looking way healthier:


What you saw was the updated version:


Unfortunately, the footage of the latter actor was taken from an early screen test where he's looking straight at the camera instead of off at an angle like Obi Wan and Yoda (and original Anakin). But c'est la vie. As you can see, they only replaced his head. The robe and body is the same in both pictures.
 
Weird that there were two paragraphs after this, then.
.
This may come as an infinite shock to you, but i don't post on this forum solely for your own personal pleasure, mon ami. There are another 160,000 members who may have found my commentary informative. I know, this may be a lot for you to take in. Give it time, it will pass.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Originally, it was the guy under the mask as the ghost, but looking way healthier:



What you saw was the updated version:

Yeah that doesn't bother me at all, I'm assuming that Anakin never looked that old? He would have been younger when he was converted to the dark side right? Yes or no would be OK there. Seems like it would be spoilery for the prequels.

EDIT: Nevermind. I actually don't really want to know. Sorry. lol
 
Leias homeplanet gets blown up, she gets tortured by her father, was hold as a sextoy by a giant snail, had a romantic crush on her brother etc etc I do not recall her to be even remotely phased by any of that.

You'd prefer her to die of a broken heart? Leia fights her way out of the Death Star, kills Jabba and is a strong character in the first two films, less so in Jedi.

Luke moves on after finding his Aunt and Uncle dead. The characters don't tend to dwell on events too long in Star Wars.
 
Yeah that doesn't bother me at all, I'm assuming that Anakin never looked that old? He would have been younger when he was converted to the dark side right? Yes or no would be OK there. Seems like it would be spoilery for the prequels.

Oh... I don't think we should answer that for now.

EDIT: Looks like you agree, lol
 

PBalfredo

Member
Glad you enjoyed Return of the Jedi, OP. That's my favorite.

I wanted it to be James Earl Jones behind that mask so bad. I knew it wasn't going to be though.

How did you feel about the way the unmasking scene was handled?

For me, that's the scene that makes RotJ great. It's perfect that after being such an intimedating force for the last three movies, Vader to reveled to be just a sad, broken old man in the end. For all the power the dark side affords, it comes at a terrible price.
 
Part of the fun of this thread is watching Ray wander up to the spoiler line, peek over, and then say "nope nope nope" and wander back to the couch.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Glad you enjoyed Return of the Jedi, OP. That's my favorite.



How did you feel about the way the unmasking scene was handled?

For me, that's the scene that makes RotJ great. It's perfect that after being such an intimedating force for the last three movies, Vader to reveled to be just a sad, broken old man in the end. For all the power the dark side affords, it comes at a terrible price.

I think he died too easy. I understand that he was on an electronic breather, but that little bit of electricity sends him on his way to dying didn't satisfy me too much.

Ignoring that, I did like the unmasking. Luke saying "I'm not leaving you here, I'm going to save you" Anakin replying "You already have saved me" gave me some chills.

Part of the fun of this thread is watching Ray wander up to the spoiler line, peek over, and then say "nope nope nope" and wander back to the couch.

It's really nerve wracking being in here because every time I see someone post a name or anything I've never heard of I instantly look away and ignore their comment. I've already had a couple things spoiled. They weren't huge, but still. It's scary. Someone could spoil the shit out of the movies in here. lol
 

Vicious

Member
I cannot stand that they changed the force ghost scene. Obviously it's not that big of an impact for someone who has never seen it before, but god damn... the first time I saw that it just completely ruined the ending of the trilogy for me.

Still not as bad as the CG alien music scene in Jabba's palace, however.
 
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