I’ve recently started watching all the Star Wars movies. These movies are not my favorite movies ever, that spot is reserved for Titanic, however I have been thinking. Why is it that the original Star Wars movies are way better than the newer Star Wars movies? To not get this opinion piece confusing I will refer to them in order of episodes. The first 3 episodes (which would be the ones that were recently made) and then the later 3 episodes (which would be the ones that were made in the 70’s and 80’s, the classics)

I think it comes down to a few things.

1. The characters were un-relatable in the first 3 episodes. This is attributed to either poor acting or how the characters were meant to be portrayed. My example is with Queen Amidalla. Whenever she was speaking in the Queen’s uniform she was so monotone and boring I cringed. This, I’m assuming was due to the idea that it would make her appear strong like Princess Leia. However when Princess Leia tried to appear strong it was realistic and not overly acted. When Princess Leia stood up to Darth Vader in the opening scene’s of episode 4 you knew she was a tough cookie, you bought into her attitude. With Queen Amidalla it was unbelievable. Now, the Queen was more humanistic when she pretended to be a maid or whatever, but still, when she was the Queen it was ridiculous. However in episodes 2 and 3 they made Amidalla a pussy. She hardly fought for anything and was so in love that she lost all of her powerful (yet overly acted) presence that she had in episode 1. It is like she morphed into a different person because of love. Yet Princess Leia never did that when she fell for Hon Solo.

2. They included Jar-Jar-Binks as comic relief…kind of like C3PO and R2D2. However Jar Jar was annoying, not funny and a huge distraction. He, in many ways ruined the first episode for me. What I didn’t understand was why they didn’t decide to just make C3P0 and R2D2 apart of the story more when they were introduced so early on. They could have easily done that. Anyway, they quickly got rid of Jar Jar in episodes 2 and 3…but starting off the first episodes in that way made it hard to revive the magic in episodes 2 and 3.

3. Sometimes it felt they tried to hard with the alien costumes and people. The older ones seemed more human.

4. They didn’t have someone like Hon-Solo to contrast between the Jedi ideals and the greedy ideals of many in space. I mean they do in some spots, but not someone who is actually a GOOD guy and who is alongside everyone in every adventure.

5. The computer generated special affects were horrid and overly done.

6. They didn’t includ all the archetypes that made the later episodes so magical.

7. They didn't go into as much depth with each character it seemed and only focused on a few.

Overall I’m happy that I got to find out what happens exactly, but the first episodes really sucked IMO. The only good thing about them was finding out the rest of the story, some cool light saber scene's and watching a few hotties on screen.

Overall I’m happy that I got to find out what happens exactly, but the first episodes really sucked IMO. The only good thing about them was finding out the rest of the story, some cool light saber scene's and watching a few hotties on screen.
This would make an interesting discussion, if it were not with you. After watching the events in the "Madonna" thread, it'd be better to just let you win.

Have some flowers. :flowers:

I think the main thing is that the series lost its sense of humor along the way. Han Solo was funny, and the interaction between him and everyone else was funny, which made it seem far more realistic (inasmuch as something like Star Wars can be realistic). The later ones were just characters speaking dialogue in order to move the story forward. The humor element evolved (starting in Return of the Jedi, IMHO) into aliens burping and robots falling over. Ho ho.

I agree with Lionel--the first three movies were fun and lighthearted and contained several genuinely funny scenes--"Laugh it up, fuzzball"---"Will someone please get this walking carpet out of my way?"...."Yes, your Worshipfulness"...the fight between Yoda and R2, and of course, the several scenes with my all time favorite character, Jabba's little pet, who gets zapped by R2 on the party barge.

The last 3 movies are much darker, much more serious--simply because they are telling a darker tale--the fall of the Jedi.

I agree with almost everything OD said... somebody slap me lol

I have had this discussion MANY times... and my overall feeling is that even though episodes 1 2 and 3 were probably 50 times over the budget of the originals.. the originals felt realer. Again, all of the Computer Animation just RUINED the "star wars" feel. If the first 3 movies were made with puppets and such.. then the new ones should have too. If you watch all of them together, the difference is so obvious between them. The camera work is different, and it also seems that the technology was SUPERIOR in the PREQUELS... how is that possible? The characters WERE boring.. and it was probably because they didn't want risk giving up on the "epic" feel, but that turned out to be a horrid mistake.

Oh and Jar Jar Binks and all of his kind DID ruin the first movie. He was only in there to be relatable to kids. The Pod Racing was cool and Darth Maul was also very Cool... but blah so much crap.

The third episode i thought slightly approached Lucas's earlier work... but nothing beats Return of the Jedi.

The third episode i thought slightly approached Lucas's earlier work... but nothing beats Return of the Jedi.
Except Empire.

Except Empire.

Naw, RotJ was better in my opinion.

I guess I will be the one to fight for the prequels. But I will first admit that the Original Trilogy movies were better made. For me though I base my decision to prefer the prequels on the story that is told. The Old Republic is more interesting to me than the Empire. The Clone Wars are more interesting than the Empire vs. the Rebel Alliance.

Sure the characters aren't as fleshed out in the prequels but I have read some of the books set in the time period and that helps to fill in what the movies don't cover.

My big beef with the prequels is the dialogue and acting. All the blame there rests with Lucas. I don't think anyone would say that Hayden Christenson, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, or Ewan McGregor are bad actors but in many scenes they came across that way. I do local community theatre and i can see how difficult some of those scenes would be to act well in simply because the dialogue was horrible. Lucas should have done what he did with the originals which was to have a dialogue coach help him with the scripts.

I love the Original Trilogy but have to give the edge to the prequels because I find the story more entertaining, though not necessarily how it was presented.

Titanic?

WTF?
:confused: :mad:

OK, back to the topic.
Comparing Episode's 1,2, and 3 to Episode's 4, 5 and 6 are like comparing Chinatown to Two Jakes.
You can't do it. It's apples and oranges, really.

Just enjoy the films, appreciate the charm and scope of Lucas's work, and let history be the judge.

Sparq

PS I loved THX1138 more than American Graffiti.
But they are both good flicks.
:rolleyes: :cool:

I just got the feeling that Lucas got too caught up in computer animation and BIG PICTURE stuff... while he had the budget it hurt his movies in the long run.. in my opinion...

the clone wars WERE cool.. but alot of things seemed forced in the prequels.. like the Bobba Fett asteroid field fight or the chase scene in the third episode where the jedi Knight is chasing the robotic guy with 4 arms(man im so bad with names LOL)

While i half agree with sparky and just say F it, enjoy the films.. i say NO lets pick em apart. Lets DISECT them...

PLUS we could have an Empire vs. ROTJ argument LOL

My only argument i need for ROTJ is the 3 different battles at once for a HUGE ending... Vader vs. Luke, Solo's forces vs. the empire ground forces at Endor, and the Rebel attack fleet vs. the Death Star and the Empirial Fleet.

The whole tunnel thing with Lando taking the Falcon into the Deathstar was sooo freakin sweet.

thats 3 huge battles at the end.. which made it such a climactic ending...

and i KNOW empire has the battle at Hoth.. which IS freakin sweet... and it has Vader-Luke 1... but Vader-Luke ll was better... and i KNOW its not all about action scenes.. but im just starting the argument there..

and it has Vader-Luke 1... but Vader-Luke ll was better... and i KNOW its not all about action scenes.. but im just starting the argument there..
I liked Vader-Luke fight #1 better.

It has the "Luke I am your father!" line and it seemed like a more drawn-out fight with better scene's. Like when Vader breaks the window and they have to go outside, plus Vader knocks all those things into Luke by using the force. I dunno. I just liked that setting better.

Off topic: anyone ever notice how dangerous it is in Star Wars land? All of those bottomless pits with no railings or anything. Where's OSHA to bust Darth Vader's ass?

I'd like to see a 'black' Star Wars. Black actors playing the 'white' roles and so forth. Hip dialogue replete with ghetto witticisms. Darth Vader would look awesome if his get-up was all white. He could have pink eyes.

LOL, that reminds me of a suggestion made a few years ago, how someone should make an all- black, musical version of the history of the Third Reich.

It could be called--
"Mein Kampf, My Man.".

I'd like to see a 'black' Star Wars. Black actors playing the 'white' roles and so forth. Hip dialogue replete with ghetto witticisms. Darth Vader would look awesome if his get-up was all white. He could have pink eyes.

Gary Coleman or Emmanuel Lewis could play Yoda.