# Has the poor quality of the last few SW movies reduced the fan base significantly?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 25, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743 "2004-07-25T00:25:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/1 "2004-07-25T00:25:45Z")
Just curious if anyone was a big fan of the Star Wars universe, but has given up on it due the last few Lucas movies?
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/2 "2004-07-25T00:50:45Z")
I’m too young to be a big fan of the star wars universe based on 4,5 and 6 but I agree that 1 and 2 have been pants so far. I have only really watched them for the sfx and Natalie Portman. The dialogue has been particularly bad.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/3 "2004-07-25T00:56:36Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> 1 and 2 have been **pants** so far.
_Pants_? Could you elaborate on the use of that word? Is it perhaps unique to the Isle of Man, or GB as a whole? Or is it in vogue with young whippersnappers everywhere?
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/4 "2004-07-25T00:58:04Z")
Oh, and just to keep on topic, I lost interest in the SW experience after PM came out. And I saw the original SW in the theater at least a dozen times. I even pirated a video copy back when newly released videos were going for $79 a tape.
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### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/5 "2004-07-25T00:58:41Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> I’m too young to be a big fan of the star wars universe based on 4,5 and 6 but I agree that 1 and 2 have been pants so far.
I don’t know about pants, but they certainly have been huge, steaming piles of shirt!
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/6 "2004-07-25T01:01:10Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> _Pants_? Could you elaborate on the use of that word? Is it perhaps unique to the Isle of Man, or GB as a whole? Or is it in vogue with young whippersnappers everywhere?
[Possible source](http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wrader/slang/p.html)
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/7 "2004-07-25T01:04:20Z")
Yes, ‘pants’ is British, and has been used to mean poor quality, rubbish, crap, for as long as I can remember.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/8 "2004-07-25T01:04:46Z")
Only among online movie fans, I suspect, a negligible percentage of the total audience.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/9 "2004-07-25T01:10:18Z")
Thank you, **Mr. Blue Sky** and **Lobsang**. They really call “underwear” pants in GB?
To elaborate even further on the OP, I saw the first 3 SW movies (4 thru 6) dozens of times, in theaters and on video. I saw PM twice (once in the theater, once on DVD) and that clone thingy (ep 2) once.
The series died for me when reality was altered and Greedo shot first.
I’ll still see ep 3 when it comes out, but that’s just for closure.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/10 "2004-07-25T01:18:39Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> They really call “underwear” pants in GB?
Actually underwear was called ‘underpants’ but got shortened to ‘pants’ in the usual style of lazy humanity.
I prefer the alternate (probably equally british) shortening - ‘undies’.
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### Author:  [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/11 "2004-07-25T01:22:41Z")
The recent movies have totally lost me as a fan. I was 9 when the Stars Wars came out, the ideal age to be a life-long fan. But I saw Phantom Menance and was so bored I never even bothered to see the Clones one. I’m still a huge sci-fi fan and the Clones one was playing on HBO last month and I still couldn’t bring myself to waste two hours on it. I’d rather watch reruns of Stargate or even the excrutiating Enterprise (don’t get me stared on my disenchantment with Star Trek). Unless the new one has phenomenal reviews, I’m not gonna bother…
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/12 "2004-07-25T01:26:01Z")
If you’re collecting individual data:
Peaked with “Empire”, saw “Menace” in the theater and regretted paying money. Started watching “Clones” on TV and gave up on in a short time.
So yah, I’m been completely turned off from the whole thing.
Since I see the same general view (with some differences over which of 4/5/6 is best) all over the place, I doubt I am alone. “Simpsons”, “South Park”, etc. also have had episodes about this. It’s just flat out generally viewed this way by a lot of people. Lucas can’t miss it, but he doesn’t care. Hence the problem.
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/13 "2004-07-25T01:48:19Z")
Wow nice to see a thread about how rotten the new Star Wars movies are. I thought I was in the minority (even here on the SDMB).
Yes 4, 5 and 6 are THE best. (Personally, 6 is my favorite but no sense getting into that debate now).
I did not see Star Wars I in the theater (first time I did not do that). When it came to cable I found it unwatchable. _ **Liam Neeson** _ in a “Star Wars” movie ??? It doesn’t work George !!!
No doubt Episode 2 is now on cable and I haven’t bothered even to see that.
One problem is that Lukas said he would make 1 film every 3 years. But after Episode 6 (1983) he “swore off” the whole thing. Still I (and a great many people) were hoping for a new episode. But let’s face it, when you wait almost _ **20 years** _ for another episode, you are too frustrated and disinterested even to care anymore. So, you’d think that George Lukas should have given us something really spectacular. But what do we get ? Liam Neeson ???
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### Author:  [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/14 "2004-07-25T01:51:21Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> The series died for me when reality was altered and Greedo shot first.
This is why I treasure my old VHS copies of 4/5/6.
_Phantom Menace_ was such a piece of garbage. Did Lucas even have an actual script or did he just make it up as he went along? I watched some of _Attack of the Clowns_ at a friend’s house, but it wasn’t any better. I doubt I’ll even bother watching that much of “Episode III”.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/15 "2004-07-25T01:55:04Z")
Reduced the fan base? Yes, I’m one of those who’s checked out even though I’ll likely see the next one. (I swore not to see Attack of the Clones, and I should’ve stuck to it.) Reduced the _audience_? Doesn’t seem to have had much effect; both of the new movies made a crapload of money just because they’re Star Wars and, I suspect, because people who normally wouldn’t have gone were hoping things would improve.
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### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/16 "2004-07-25T02:49:11Z")
I saw the first (A New Hope) as a wee 'un. I was quiet coming out of the theatre so my folks thought that maybe it all went over my head, until I loudly exclaimed “Luke won!”
Then, like all my friends I spent days weilding a stick and we pretended to fight Storm Troopers, waving our sticks and going “zing pshshsht! nyeer pshshk!” for sound effects.
I even saw all three movies _together_ in a theatre that had a rare triple feature before I was even in highschool.
I was bored to tears during PM, and came out pissed off that I didn’t give a rat’s ass about _any_ of the characters. And extra mad that Obi Wan was just the Boy Wonder and even used his utility belt to dig out his Bat Underwater Breather for the scene where he and Batman had to swim with Jar Jar.
Most unforgivingly, they _ruined_ the Force with the Mitochondria (yeah, I know that’s not what they’re called.) That destroyed so much of the appeal for me. My friends and I grew up believing that we too could be Jedi, if we had the discipline of the average Zen master…
I rented Clones to see Yoda kick butt. Watched it on VHS, started fast forwarding during the “love montage” (that I’ve heard is referred to as “the douche commercial”). Kept fast forwarding until Yoda’s fight.
Probably won’t see the last one.
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### Author:  [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/17 "2004-07-25T03:04:46Z")
I love the original trilogy, but not as much as some outspoken sci-fi “fanboys.” Sure, I have all my old, badly-beaten action figures from the '80s and a few of the newer ones, but I’m definitely not an obsessive Star Wars fan. However, like many other fans, I was let down by Episodes I and II. I’ll still see Episode III in the theater, but I’m not looking forward to it in the way I’m eagerly anticipating next summer’s Batman Begins (or Spider-Man 3 and X-Men 3, both of which are further off).
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/18 "2004-07-25T03:11:37Z")
Oh, a data point I should have mentioned: “Clones” was the first SW movie that wasn’t the #1 film at the [box office for the year](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2002&p=.htm). Finished #3 behind two similar-ish genre films, and a full $100M behind the leader. Still made an obscene (and I mean it!) amount of money, but not the box office blaster of previous films.
But it did beat out “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” That has to comfort Lucas unless he knows how to work a calculator and figure the return-on-investment ratio.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/19 "2004-07-25T04:12:33Z")
Depends what you mean by “big fan,” i guess.
I loved the first three movies, although i was never obsessed with them.
Went and saw _Phantom Menace_ and thought it was a pile of crap. Didn’t bother after that, not even on DVD.
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### Author:  [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-poor-quality-of-the-last-few-sw-movies-reduced-the-fan-base-significantly/256743/20 "2004-07-25T04:48:40Z")
‘Poor Quality’ ?
**I have no idea what you people are talking about**. You must have some seriuously high expectations. Remember that these are sci-fi films - not some Oscar caliber films.
Everyone loves to HATE… 😕
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