Star Wars advice

[dakotabear]

I've only ever seen the first Star Wars movie a month or so ago, and wouldn't mind watching the entire series. But I've been told that the Movies needs to be watched in a particular order to make sense of the story.

So guys what I am asking is, what is the correct order to watch the films in?

Or do I just watch the older films first in the order of release and then just watch the prequels after that?

[PorkChop]

4-5-6-1-2-3

Although afterwards, pretend 1, 2 and 3 never happened.

[Hanley!]

There's a bunch of weird sequences that fans have devised to watch the movies. I think my favourite is:

4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6

So you get to see the first two movies that were released first, ending with the Darth Vader is Luke's father revelation. Then the prequels are watched, showing how the story reached this point in flashback form. Then you finish with the real climax of the story.

This method is good because you'll understand the significance of each event in the prequels after watching just two of the original trilogy and you still get to finish with the actual ending. Plus the really bad movies are buried in the middle (1 & 2).

Of course, you could just watch the original trilogy and leave it at that. You'd probably be happier in the long run.

[SlightlyJames]

There's a bunch of weird sequences that fans have devised to watch the movies. I think my favourite is:

4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6

So you get to see the first two movies that were released first, ending with the Darth Vader is Luke's father revelation. Then the prequels are watched, showing how the story reached this point in flashback form. Then you finish with the real climax of the story.

This method is good because you'll understand the significance of each event in the prequels after watching just two of the original trilogy and you still get to finish with the actual ending. Plus the really bad movies are buried in the middle (1 & 2).

Of course, you could just watch the original trilogy and leave it at that. You'd probably be happier in the long run.

I've seen orders like this, honestly I prefer 4, 5, 2, 3, 6. Phantom Menace gets in the way really.

[Locke]

As a big Star Wars fan, I still prefer 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3. Even though 1-3 get a lot of bitchy mcguffins, I quite enjoy them.

[Hanley!]

That's a really strange use of McGuffin.

There are a lot of problems with the prequels, but the big one for me is they just changed the tone of the franchise entirely. They made things too dull and political and filled with sci-fi jargon. The original trilogy was really a fantasy story, just set in space. The new trilogy tried to be a sci-fi and it didn't work. It wasn't what people were looking for.

[Locke]

That's a really strange use of McGuffin.

I meant "grumblings" but was in a hurry because a customer was interrupting my free time.

There are a lot of problems with the prequels, but the big one for me is they just changed the tone of the franchise entirely. They made things too dull and political and filled with sci-fi jargon. The original trilogy was really a fantasy story, just set in space. The new trilogy tried to be a sci-fi and it didn't work. It wasn't what people were looking for.

You just paid it far more attention than I did. I just sort of watched it and enjoyed it, I went in with no expectations or preconceived thoughts or ideas about what it could or should be and ended up really enjoying them.

Of course, I was pretty young when they first came out and didn't notice how bad the acting was, either, until watching it later on after hearing people bitch about the bad acting for so long.

[Everlong]

I'd go 4-5-6-1-2-3 personally, although Hanley's suggest is definitely interesting. I'd never heard that before, but it makes sense. However, it'd just be weird for me to go from the old trilogy to the new trilogy and then back.

Don't necessarily consider the prequel trilogy being required viewing, though, especially if you love the original trilogy. Overuse of CGI, awful acting and writing (original trilogy isn't great with that, but infinitely better) and overly kiddy themes, as well as a lot of other issues I had problems with. I don't think the prequel trilogy is as bad as a lot of people make out, but it's certainly not good.

Funny you should post this topic, because I just watched the original trilogy over the last few days. Among my favorite movies to this day. Personally I'd rank them 5, 4, 6 in terms of my favorites, but I love em all.

Can't wait for the new trilogy so Disney can redeem the franchise after Lucas nearly destroyed it.

[UTK]

There's a bunch of weird sequences that fans have devised to watch the movies. I think my favourite is:

4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6

Well shit. Now I have to do this.

I've only ever watched them in the order that they were released in. My friends who hadn't watched Star Wars all watched them in numerical order. Which sucks because you're starting with the two worst ones.

How about 6-2-5-3-4-1? I have no reasoning, it'd just be hilariously confusing.

[Everlong]

I've only ever watched them in the order that they were released in. My friends who hadn't watched Star Wars all watched them in numerical order. Which sucks because you're starting with the two worst ones..

Yeah, I know a lot of people give The Phantom Menace crap for a lot of different reasons, but IMO the worst is Attack of the Clones and it's not even close. Hayden Christiansen is just so awful, and the writing for the love story between him and Padme is just cringeworthy. Then there's the relationship with Anakin and Obi Wan... how the fuck are we supposed to believe that they're best friends when Anakin is nothing but a petulant brat for the entire movie? Ugh.

However, the final half hour or so of that movie I marked for in the theater, so that was cool.

[Hanley!]

^^ Plus it had the whole Yoda light saber battle. Which kinda destroyed everything that was cool about Yoda in Empire Strikes Back.

[Everlong]

^^ Plus it had the whole Yoda light saber battle. Which kinda destroyed everything that was cool about Yoda in Empire Strikes Back.

Yeah although I thought the force-off with him and Dooku was sweet. But yeah the lightsaber stuff just seemed out of character.

[UTK]

I've only ever watched them in the order that they were released in. My friends who hadn't watched Star Wars all watched them in numerical order. Which sucks because you're starting with the two worst ones..

Yeah, I know a lot of people give The Phantom Menace crap for a lot of different reasons, but IMO the worst is Attack of the Clones and it's not even close. Hayden Christiansen is just so awful, and the writing for the love story between him and Padme is just cringeworthy.

[SortaCreative]

I've only ever watched them in the order that they were released in. My friends who hadn't watched Star Wars all watched them in numerical order. Which sucks because you're starting with the two worst ones..

Yeah, I know a lot of people give The Phantom Menace crap for a lot of different reasons, but IMO the worst is Attack of the Clones and it's not even close. Hayden Christiansen is just so awful, and the writing for the love story between him and Padme is just cringeworthy.

Why must you do this to me?

Just watch 4, 5 and 6.

Fuck 1, 2 and 3 (maybe watch the last half hour of 3) in the ass.... bitch!

[Everlong]

Fuck 1, 2 and 3 (maybe watch the last half hour of 3) in the ass.... bitch!

I'm so glad you're using that video in other contexts now

[VaderBomb]

A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi.

Then wait a couple years and watch the prequels. The reason being, you've never been able to appreciate the original trilogy and watching the prequels so soon afterwards might mess with that appreciation. It could also make your appreciation for the older ones stronger, but don't risk it.

[ShaneOfan]

4,5,6,1,2,3

Also all three of the prequels had their good moments as well. Yeah the scripts sucked and both Anikan actors were horrible but the end of ATOC and ROTS were both awesome.

[Locke]

I thought the portrayal of Anakin's rage during that certain Sand People scene was pretty decent, and I thought over all his acting was much improved in the third.

Truth be told, I think people just love to bitch.

[Hanley!]

Well his acting WAS much improved in the 3rd movie, no doubt about it. That was a big improvement in a short period of time. But then his performance in the 2nd movie was absolutely terrible, so I can't give him too much credit. Given that this should have been one of the most coveted roles in the world at the time, it's fascinating that they ended up picking someone who was so ill prepared for the role.

And people may love to bitch, but there's a reason that there are specific movies that tend to attract a lot of bitching: it's because those movies are the bad movies. The laws of probability tell us that not every movie can be great, after all. Those that aren't seem a fair target of consumers' bitching.

I actually saw the prequels before the original trilogy (and was somewhat amazed by how much I ended up liking 4 & 5 as a result). Phantom Menace was just a sterile, bland, terrible film even coming into it from a completely neutral point of view. The film does not make the characters engaging and it's hard really give a shit about what happens to them.

Attack of the Clones had a few redeeming moments, but not nearly enough to make it a memorable film and particularly not enough to make up for the Phantom Menace. Revenge of the Sith was the best by far, but it still had plenty of problems in terms of dodgy acting, clumsy plot structure and silly novelty scenes that cheapened the franchise overall.

Part of the reason people complain so much about these films is because they failed so hard at living up to people's expectations. There are a lot of movies out there that are worse than Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith. To say they're good would oversell them, but they're okay. But Phantom Menace is just bad.

[Everlong]

^^You saw the prequels first?!?!?