Saga In which order should you be watching (or are you watching) the Star Wars movies? (Poll)

I actually disagree about first timers (especially kids) are better off watching ANH as their introduction into the universe.

I have a friend that tried to show his 5 year old daughter the saga, but started with ANH. Apparently they only made it about 25 minutes into the movie and she was bored. The part in the desert where it slows way down can be hard for youngsters to get through because of their short attention spans (unfortunate but true). On the other hand, starting with TPM may make the introduction for the child into the Star Wars universe a bit easier. The movie is newer, so it hops along a bit quicker, has more modern effects and modern feel. I just think it would be easier for them to get through and hook them on the story and that world.

Once they are into it, then they will be fine. Eventually you get around to showing them ANH, they are already invested in the story and to what happened to Anakin that they will be glued to the TV at that point.

BINGO

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Interesting point! ANH won't necessarily bore all kids - and watching Star Wars at five years of age might be a tad ambitious - but forcing the release order on kids could certainly do the potential Star Wars fan within them a disservice. ANH might be a bit too old school for their taste and jumping back in time after Episode VI to watch I-III might confuse them a bit. Characters and events can easily get mixed up that way if one doesn't pay close attention.

 

The fact that small kids might be bored with the opening half hour of ANH reinforces a key lesson from the films: patience.

 

The same key lesson should also be applied for The Phantom Menace.

 

It all varies from child to child. I was about two years younger, I think, when I first saw ANH and from what I've been told, didn't have trouble with the slow pacing. The children of Drew McWeeny didn't have trouble with ANH and were roughly the same age as Luukeskywalker's friend's child. So you really have to take that into consideration for all children. Patience is important, but some kids might not be interested from the get go, regardless of that.

TPM has a quick pace during Act I. So that should keep a child like that interested until Act II. What happens after that will vary.

 

Wait, you watch ANH, ROTS, and then you're done?

 

Well sure, why not? Going by Klimo's ring theory, they're each other's inversions, so you could keep that going forever

 

I like the so-called Full Machete: IV, V, I, II, III, VI. Inserting the PT between ESB and ROTJ handily answers the question of Luke's parentage, and makes the final scene on the DS2 resonant with emotion. The only real problem with this order is stylistic: that is, going from the lush romanticism of ESB to the busy kid's movie of TPM is kind of a (jar)jarring transition. Other than that it's quite perfect.

 

I've always done I - II - III - IV - V - VI, except for my one I - IV - II - V - III - VI viewing which was actually quite the experience. But chronological order is where my heart really lies, and I expect that to continue with the new trilogy. Saga viewings for me will likely span I - IX in that order, upon completion of the ST. Perhaps I will watch with the Star Wars Stories/Anthology films included in chronological order during some viewings, though to be honest I expect those to be more "individual viewings," where I can just pop whichever one in whenever I feel like watching it. On the flip side, I very, very rarely just pop in an individual episodic film. If I'm going to watch one of them, I'm typically going to commit to watching them all (not in a single day, of course), which is why I generally don't watch the Saga more than twice a year. I did make an exception and watch ANH on its own with my dad when the second TFA trailer hit, but that's a rare incident.

 

IV, V, I, II, III, VI. Lucas said this is the story of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. So I see I-III as him reflecting on his life between V-VI.

 

I'm the same, though I watch them even more rarely.

I think that ANH is actually the only one that can stand on its own quite comfortably. And maybe TPM to a degree.


Anyway, I usually go with 4-5-6-1-2-3 if I don't watch them alone, which is in 90% of the cases. If I'm alone, I go with the chronological order.

 

4,5,6,1,2,3,7,8,9 (just in case we make a new thread).

I firmly believe the movies should be watched in the original order for a first time viewer because Lucas kept revising the story, and atleast they get to experience each movie in the context it was made. ANH was a standalone movie where nobody was related so it should be watched 1st, as it has a totally different context and somewhat confusing context if you watch it 4th. If they enjoyed that, then show them ESB and ROTJ, as they were all filmed with Luke Skywalker as the protagonist and the subplot in ROTJ was the him saving Darth Vader. If they enjoyed that, then show them the PT, where it was the backstory of the events of the OT, and the rise and fall of Darth Vader. If they like that, then can see 7,8,9 in the theaters, and who knows where the story goes from here.....

You can watch the movies 1,2,3,4,5,6 or 4,5,1,2,3,6, etc, but because SW was an evolving story and sometimes contradicts the one before it, its best to let them watch them in the order made, so they can follow Lucas's story as originally told.

 

Wait, you watch ANH, ROTS, and then you're done?

I mean, as in, Episode IV-V-IV-I-II-III
Explanation, just incase it wasn't sarcasm. But, I feel just watching ANH and ROTS one night would be a cool experience, maybe.

 

I've heard that the machete order actually makes the prequels better. I've never tried it myself.

 

Give it a shot! An alternate (for those who dislike Ep. I) is to skip TPM altogether or put it at the end as an afterthought.

 

Uhhh, I always watch them chronologically, the way they're designed.

 

if i was introducing someone to the saga i would go release order. anh is the easiest intro.

 

They were designed by release order. E4 was made first and before Anakin and Vader were the same person and the most stand alone, ESB made Vader and Anakin the same person and things evolved from there.

 

They were designed that way, but they also can work in chronological order.

 

If they work for people, good for them. But with plot points created in the PT and weren't present in the OT, the shift of the Saga after the release of ESB, etc, that way doesn't work for me as fully as it does for others.

 

Release order works best. The prequels bank on you knowing certain things explained in the Classic Trilogy. You don't want to show someone the worst things first: TPM, AOTC. Start with the strengths, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.

 

To play Devil's Advocate, start with the worst, end with the best. Though making people stay for all 6 movies would be interesting.

 

Then you end up with people who suffer through Phantom Menace and won't watch anymore. I knew someone who went with a group to see a PT movie (I think it was AOTC) and he hated it so much that he avoided the series for years. It took me forever to get him to watch Star Wars '77 (which he ended up really liking) because his first experience left a bad taste in his mouth.

 

That likelihood is why I think it best to have the viewing order to the newbie's inclinations. Besides 'strong' and 'weak' films are not givens as tastes vary widely.

 

I've watched The Phantom Menace about two weeks ago for the first time in 8 years in order to do a marathon before the release of Episode VII and I'm still alive, just sayin'. You can read my review about it: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...after-many-years-thoughts-and-views.50033269/