I saw the original release of Star Wars back when I was about 10 years old. I didn’t remember much, so when it was re-released for it’s 20th anniversary, I went to see it in the theater again. Still didn’t stick.
I haven’t seen any of the other movies in the series at all.
So…if I were to go on a Star Wars watching spree, should I watch the movies in the order they were released, or should I watch starting with Episode 1?
What do y’all think?
Release order. If you watch them in story order, you’ll either not get why Episode 1 and 2 are so bad, or you’ll stop watching in the middle of Episode 1 and never get to the good bits.
Release order, sorta. Watch **A New Hope ** and The Empire Strikes Back, and stop. The rest of the movies are garbage.
YMMV.
Star Wars geek here (I actually enjoyed Eps. I and II) - I say watch them in the order that God intended…
The order they were released in. It’s the only way you’ll enjoy them. There’s a lot to like or not like in the more recent movies, while the original trilogy is a classic that stands by itself. View the prequels for what they are - an attempt to “flesh out” the storyline done years after the originals. IMHO, they succeed on some levels, and fail on others, but they should not be viewed as your introduction to Star Wars.
Go with the story order, if only to be different from the rabid 20- and 30-something fans. You will bring something new to any debate about the films if you watch them in that order; they’re so much a part of geek culture that the discussion is sure to come up, and your perspective will be of interest to at least some of the fans. You may be branded a heretic, but you’ll definitely have something original to say.
There will almost certainly be some (jar-) jarring inconsistencies between Episodes III and IV. I would not be surprised if Episode III features a scene in which Obi-Wan witnesses Darth Vader (or Darth someone) betraying and murdering Anakin Skywalker, or perhaps even vowing to “destroy any trace that Anakin ever existed,” which would paint the initial scenes of Episode IV in a very different light than the one we’ve all come to know and love. Better? Nobody knows yet!
Go ahead and watch them in story order. Realize that the first three are being made in the tradition of Episode VI, which is to say they are stained by the director’s realization that a movie can be a blockbuster and a vehicle for toys without being well-directed or well-acted. Episode VI stands on the inertia of the characters introduced in IV and V, and Episodes I and II also lean heavily on what will be revealed later.
If you do watch them in story order, at least wait until Episode 3 is released.
If there were a God, Ep. I&II would never have happened, and the Empire would have made slippers and handbags out of the Ewoks.
Watch them in release order, absolutely.
Otherwise, there are some “surprises” that will be wrecked. … Like Yoda
Oh yeah… didn’t think of that. I can’t even remember not knowing about that. In fact, I think odds are Jadis already knows. She should still watch them in release order, though.
If you guys are talking about
kickass ninja Yoda
then yes…I already know about it. 
I think that just from general pop culture immersion, it’s hard to have missed the major plot points of the Star Wars movies in general…I’m not expecting any big surprises here, I just feel like I’m missing out having not actually seen them for myself.
Plus, the scene in Phantom Menace- …where Qi Gon utterly fails to mesmerize Watto has no point or humor unless you’re familiar with the “Jedi mind trick” first seen in A New Hope
Release order. Anyone who says otherwise is likely a communist who whishes you ill.
Anyone who says otherwise is ill and wishes communism upon you.
This ill-wishin’ commie says skip them all & count yourself lucky to have escaped the hype & waste o’ time.
Skipping them all makes you a moonie.
I don’t know why, that is just they way the system works.
Tis the Gospel of Jar Jar Binks.
Thank god I’m not the ONLY ONE who likes the prequels. If only due to one Ewan McGregor. (mmmmm…)
Watching them in release order makes sense-otherwise the climax of Empire is utterly ruined.
Spoilers, just in case:
Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s FATHER!!! 
Does anyone alive not know this, though?
I mean, it’d be like trying to ruin the climax of “Soylent Green” at this point. Harder, even. “Wait…Soylent Green is WHAT? Get out!”
I have to know. Does knowing what Soylent Green is mean the movie is spoiled and I shouldn’t even try watching it?
I’m in the process right now of watching the original trilogy with my kids. It’s a lot of fun because although they’re familiar with the Lego toys and the basic characters, they don’t know the STORY at all. So every time there’s a big revelation or plot twist they’re like “WHOA!” and I get to experience the feeling of watching the movies for the first time vicariously.
The look on my son’s face when Darth Vader chopped Luke’s hand off was priceless. His jaw practically hit the floor. And then when Darth said he was Luke’s father … .
So, yes, watch them in release order. The two new ones are hackwork anyway – all they’ll do is spoil the best plot twists and leave a sour taste in your mouth.