Every young boy watched Star Wars when he was growing up. Fathers everywhere would show A New Hope to their boys to engage them in George Lucas’ magical world just like they, years before. The memorable characters, the unique aliens and all this new terminology swept boys (and some girls) everywhere off their feet. George Lucas’ creation was something to be absorbed by, to engage with and love for as many years as you wanted, for the characters and mythology would always be there.
The original trilogy became a staple in pop culture as the world went mad for Star Wars at the birth of blockbuster cinema. And for good reasons. The original trilogy was unlike anything seen before, technically or narratively. There was a whole universe to lose yourself in, full of precisely drawn characters.
The prequel trilogy allowed a new generation of fans to engage with Star Wars if they weren’t familiar already. The prequels rejuvenated mainstream interest in the original trilogy as The Phantom Menace broke box-office records despite its failure as a piece of cinema. The Star Wars movies will always hold a place in my, and many others’ hearts as they were a large part of growing up and so many hours were spent examining the tiniest of details within the universe.
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4 Comments
Great read. Nicely constructed. The order I have the films in really only changes between Revenge of the Sith & Return of the Jedi, depending on mood. Revenge of the Sith really did show that Lucas had it in him to do something good with the prequels. Wasted opportunity.
Having been around long enough to see the impact that both trilogys had I think you are overly critical of the prequels and you are overly kind with the original trilogy.
Yes, the prequels did present a sub-plot about the Trade Federation etc but it had to put in place a set of events that shaped the destiny of the main characters. Was love going to do that?
When I watch the early Star Wars films back I can often get bored. I realise that the love for Star Wars is more a case of sentiment than quality.
Nobody likes remakes, re-workings or prequels. As culture/society shows, we have a habit of looking back fondly “back in those days” etc. anything new is always measured and is never good enough.
Is the action better in the new films – undoubtedly yes.
You also criticise the acting in the prequels but I can assure you that if Natalie Portman was given Princess L’s lines then it would have come across as silly. Acting has changed so much over the last 30 years so whilst the dialogue is even, it comes across as disjointed in an era where internet warriors will dissect anything and that was an easy target.
As for Darth Vaders “Nooooooooooo” – well……. um….. I’ll give you that one. Just painful viewing (albeit laughably painful)
I agree with this list, the prequel trilogy needed a better actor to play Anakin Skywalker, he brought the last two down in my opinion. I don’t think that we need to talk about the Gungan who pretty much set the bar on stupidest character ever.
This is the exact same way I’d rank the series. They are all good movies and I agree with many of the points you made here. I personally think Mark Hamill’s performance of Luke in Jedi is his best performance as Luke in the original trilogy. There’s a great amount of growth from A New Hope to ROTJ in him from being this whiny farm boy to being the guy that saves the Jedi.