exactly what i came in to say. a new hope does drag at times (R2 and C3PO wandering around tatooine comes to mind), but the payoff of the third act is well worth it. empire, though, becomes a much more character driven story and as a result is more engaging. i’ve always found empire to be the best of all 6 films.
i’m kind of surprised at the lack of hate for episode 2. i think it’s even worse than 1. ep 1 is not what i would call good, but the final lightsaber battle is great and darth maul is the coolest villain of that particular trilogy.
as far as the OP my recommendation is another vote to watch in the original release order- that is to say, 4,5,6,1,2,3. i’ve read up on machete order and it’s an interesting idea but i think it’s ultimately better suited for someone who is already familiar with the series. the plot lines of the prequels can be confusing enough for established fans, and i just can’t see being subjected to a 4.5 hour flashback that barely makes sense and then still coming back to watch jedi.
I’m only half-joking, here. Yeah, there’s a guy on screen in makeup who’s labeled “Darth Maul” in the credits, but there really isn’t any character there. He’s an obstacle for the heroes, certainly, but he’s not a villain.
And Episode II had its flaws, certainly, but I will say this to its credit: It didn’t have any of the same flaws as Episode I. Lucas apparently did learn from his mistakes, even if he didn’t learn enough.
Oh I realize that most of it was made up on the fly after the first one was such a hit. This doesn’t change the fact though that he could have just kept making sequels in the traditional way. He didn’t have to label the first as episode four, it was and is still pretty unique.
Star Wars Episode 4, Star Wars Episode 5, at least the first 20 minutes of *Chasing Amy *because there’s a funny joke about Darth Vader and the dark side being a metaphor for a racist agenda, Star Wars Episode 6, Spaceballs since it’s a great parody of sci-fi films especially Star Wars with a little Alien thrown in. Then watch Episodes 2 and 3 only if you were ecstatic about the original trilogy. People aren’t kidding about Episode 1: it really is an abomination particularly with the constant presence of the annoying Jar Jar character. You may want to watch it (last) just for context to understand why people hate it so much.
That’s my advice as a non-Star Wars fan with a luke warm opinion of Episodes 4 and 5 and far lower opinion toward the rest. All are great visual films with varying degrees of super cheesy plots.
The Star Wars films are basically children’s science fiction films, Ep 5 is the least childish and Ep 1 is the most childish just ahead of 2 & 3. I’ve seen each Star Wars film only once…all in theaters. That’s enough for me. I prefer to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and crank up some Pink Floyd during the quiet parts.
episode 3 is definitely my favorite of the prequels, and the last 20ish minutes of it almost redeems lucas for the rest of it. i guess i’ll spoiler box it for the OP just in case:
the imagery of vader’s helmet locking into place and hearing his first breath, seeing the organas cradling leia on alderaan, ditto for young owen and beru lars with luke on tatooine (and knowing what happens to both families later makes it even more poignant), that last shot of ewan mcgregor where he really channels alec guinness…all great stuff. lucas is crap at writing dialogue so i really love that he wrapped things up with very little of it.
I would watch 456123. I do think think theprequels are bad and spoil a lot of what made the originals fun. The only thing that makes those worth watching to me is Rifftrax.
I think Episode II is the worst of the six and the prequels.
Some of the dialogue is painfully bad, and they seemed to put a toy/game commercial in the middle. When I watch it, I skip from after Dooku interogates Kenobi, to the emergence of the jedi in the crowd.
The plot important parts of the film are.
[ul]
[li]Padme is almost assassinated.[/li][li]Anakin is assigned to protect her, and they fall in love.[/li][li] Anakin violently avenges his mother, and wants to have the power to prevent this happening again.. [/li][li]The secret army is found.[/li][li]Palp gets support from the senate to step up the war[/li][li]The army is effective.[/li][/ul]
Every thing else seems to be added in just because it is cool/sellable.
Oh! and they put an American roadside diner in the film for some reason only Lucas knows.
The “Memento Order”!
The problem with this thread is that it’s very hard to recommend a a order for somebody who hasn’t seen the movies. But to anybody that asks, I would probably just recommend to watch the original trilogy and stay away from the prequels entirely. Episode IV and V has heart, entertainment and iconic pop culture status. Episode VI is less fun but wraps it all up. The prequels are just… Poorer experiences. Ewan McGregor is good, I suppose.
It was somewhat entertaining when it first came out, mostly from the anticipation. I found it entertaining in the theater, but a real mess as part of the saga.
Chief other suckatudes besides Jar Jar:
Anakin as a little kid. I’m not one to observe that someone’s acting is good or bad apparently, so I don’t hate Jake Lloyd, it just is awkward looking at happy-go-lucky Anakin boy and think “This is Darth Vader”.
1.a. Anakin the little kid as a badass - he’s an awesome pilot (at 9), he flies a space-motorcycle that he maintains himself, and
1.b. he friggin’ built C3PO. HOW FUCKING UNNECESSARY WAS THAT?
1.c. He saves the day. And you thought Wesley Crusher was annoying.
Battle droids. Clumsy, flimsy, and overthrown by interrupting the bandwidth. And you thought Stormtroopers were the epitome of lousy shots.
A 17 year old Queen, that is elected by the populace. Who is not just a figurehead, but plays a strong central role in the governance of the planet. SERIOUSLY?
Traveling through the planet underwater.
4.a. The “bigger fish” escape. And again, and again. Because that never gets old. :rolleyes:
Midichlorians. A computer device measuring them to determine who has the most Force.
The acting is stiff and stilted. You’ve got Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman getting described as “wooden”. Even Liam Neeson is only somewhat dynamic.
The Gungans, trying to do for TPM what the Ewoks did for Ep VI.
There’s probably plenty more, but that’s enough to make the case.
If it’s possible to spoil a movie that’s been out for almost thirty years.