Two questions:
1)Why is it called “machete order”?
2)Would TPM still reek of suckitude without JarJar (the most reviled character in the saga, IMPO)?
To be fair, I think babies emerge into the world knowing this fact these days.
It’s in their midichlorians.
I’m a 26 year old guy who has seen all 6 movies, so here’s my 2 cents. I watched the original trilogy as a kid when they came on TV. I thought they were long and boring movies. Eventually I came to appreciate them as I grew up, but even to this day I am not wowed by them. I was pretty young when phantom menace and the others came out. I saw episode 1 and 3 in theaters, caught episode 2 on dvd. I ended up really liking 2. I thought 1 was entertaining, and 3 was mostly garbage.
I say watch them all at a rate you feel comfortable with, in whatever order makes the most sense for you.
The prequels are not that much worse than the original trilogy overall, though they aren’t nearly as much “fun.” I cared as much about the characters in the original as I did in the prequels.
I’m not one who cares much for “big reveals” or plot twists, so maybe that’s why the original trilogy never made such a big impression on me.
Anyhow, you’re in for an overall enjoyable movie experience, but I don’t think it’s going to blow your mind, or leave you feeling like you’ve wasted your time either. Taken as a whole, the six movies are entertaining and pretty engrossing. Episode 5 is by far my favorite (but not for the reveals, it just had the best pacing I felt like), followed by 2. YMMV.
Random.org came up with: 5, 3, 2, 6, 4, 1
But seriously, though, you should just watch them in the order they came out (like everyone did).
Because it was originally proposed by a [del]guy[/del] vain asshole who writes a blog called Absolutely No Machete Juggling.
Like we all did? How is that a more interesting option for the rare occasion of an adult Star Wars virgin? I’ve always thought the episode ordering was an interesting artistic choice and wondered how the story would play chronologically to a fresh mind. Lucas claims that chronologically is his intended order and indicates that is how he would like it to be viewed in the future. Now maybe he is full of shit and it doesn’t work that way at all, but I for one would like some more data before I just make the knee jerk reaction that most of the internet does about it.
When you’re done with the theatrical releases, dig up the Lego Star Wars videos (may still be on YouTube), then watch the Robot Chicken Star Wars parodies, then watch the Family Guy Star Wars Parodies. The casting in the FG parodies will make you re-think the series, once you sides stop hurting from the laughter.
Oddly enough, my two boys actually grew up watching the Clone Wars cartoon series more than the movies. To them, Anakin was a total hero, not the annoying kid in Phantom Menace, nor the annoying teenager in the other two prequels or the menacing Darth Vader in the original movies. They were completely non-plussed when they finally watched the Revenge of the Sith and saw Anakin turn into Darth Vader, and their beloved Clone Troopers like Captain Rex turn into the Stormtroopers.
Someone made a good point - there are actually spoilers in the original 4,5,6 that are revealed by 1,2,3 - more than just the big one.
EDIT: You want to watch these because they are a part of the culture, right? Then watch them in the order everyone else did - 4,5,6,1,2,3. I don’t see any reason to skip 1 if you are going to watch 2 and 3 anyway.
I’d advise you to at least check out some episodes of The Clone Wars CGI show, they address two of your points.
Anakin interacts with and befriends a young authoritarian republic captain named Tarkin, they get along swimmingly:D Fan wanking further I always assumed Vader had no real authority, he was just the Emporer’s pitbull, also Tarkin was the captain and a grand moff. Everyone else who mouthes off to Vader learns not to.
Second the show depicts Anakin more like a young husband in his late twenties, rather than the petulant teenager the films show. Obiwan also seems a bit more mature(done through the voice acting and models).
While I understand machete order, I’m still disappointed that it does nothing to increase the amount of screen time Danny Trejo has.
CMC fnord!
I’d watch them in numerical order, 1 to 6. The prequels aren’t as bad as they say, IMHO, 1+3 are better than 6.
That being said, you’d probably find the original version of Episode I a bit childish and significantly different in tone from the rest of the films, so you might want to check out one of the fan edits for it, the “Phantom edit” is the most famous.
Episode 2: Attack of the clones is the worst of the six, but has some key character development, so you can’t skip it so easily. Again, I prefer the fan edits.
I saw “Phantom Edit” and I thought it was significantly more watchable than the original.
I swear to OG, that Jar-Jar character was the most offensive irritating creature to ever ooze from a screen.
I saw the films in the order that Lucas released them.
The ‘machete order’ (thanks for the origin story, KneadToKnow) seems quite reasonable to me, but I might add episode 1 to the order somewhere IF it were the previously mentioned ‘Phantom Edit’ version. Perhaps even 1(a), 4, 5, 2, 3, 6.
And then go read Darths and Droids from the beginning. Which actually manages to make Jar-Jar a sympathetic character, while making you want to smack R2D2.
Misas was typecast!
Need it be said…? “Artistic choice” had nothing to do with it. Lucas wanted to make the first movie, but he had enough material for (as I originally heard back in '77) four flicks. To get financing, he had to trim his script to what he thought were the most interesting bits (and what he thought would sell). NO ONE, INCLUDING LUCAS, expected the first movie to be a megahit (JEJ didn’t even want his name put on it, and he was not credited in the film’s original release), and when it came time for sequels, he had to start working backwards, filling in gaps. From that point on, he was basically flying blind (in the original story, Vader WAS NOT Luke’s father, and Luke and Leia WERE NOT brother and sister). Along the way, he made some horrible decisions in plotting his back story; hence, IMHO, the awful quality of the prequels.
As originally announced (back in the early '80s), there were going to be three sequels to the original trilogy as well, documenting the restoration of the Republic, as seen through the eyes of R2D2 and C3PO. Plans for these seem to have fallen by the wayside (and mercifully so).
I always thought the best parody was TROOPS.
Episode I is the only prequel that is kiddy-orientated
Okay, in Episode VI, the Rebel Alliance are saved by teddybears, a nonsensical instant win button and cartoonish stupidity.
In Episode II The hero massacres a village in a vengeful rage
In Episode III, Whilst the Jedi are being exterminated, Anakin/Vader finds some children hiding “Master Anakin there are too many of them, what are we going to do?” He then snarls and ignites his lightsabre and it is soon revealed that he slaughtered them all.
The commonest gripe about EpI are Jar-Jar and little Anakin, things not present in Episode II or III
Okay, here’s an idea. Watch them in reverse order – 6,5,4,3,2,1.
That way, you can finish every one of them saying “Aha! NOW I get it!”:smack:
