Saga The Prequels, Episode VII and Audience Reception

Because they forgot all about ROTJ? I guess when fans think in the equivalent of sound bites it's tempting to look at the OT as one monolithic pillar of quality instead of three separate movies.

 

I wasn't around then so I can't speak for those fans exactly, but, from people I have spoken to, I get the sense that there was always a recognition that Jedi wasn't as good as ANH or Empire. But, that didn't mean people thought it was bad. It just wasn't as good as what came before.

 

I was around and you are totally right! It was still revered for the Vader/Luke story conclusion, but not so much for the ewoks.

 

Yeah, and that's my key point in saying that people thought George Lucas could do no wrong. Jedi may not have been great, but it was still fun, enjoyable, and a good movie. So for those fans to get to Episode I and realize pretty early into the movie that it just wasn't working, it was a huge bummer.

 

Even the red flags in the 1997 Special Editions were overlooked. Sure people thought certain scenes were dumb, but there wasn't much of a backlash then as there is about it now. George Lucas was still revered by many as a divine force. I remember my friends and I being excited to go see TPM opening week. It was during the Boss Nass throne scene when it hit me that this movie was gonna be a ruff ride. One of my buddies, who was a big OT fan, actually fell asleep in the theatre!

 

The sequels will be much improved over the prequels in all areas, but Episodes I and II left a sour taste in most peoples mouth. Once feedback starts to trickle out, it'll get some of those people curious. It'll do good at the Box Office, but unfortunately it won't bring in all of those movie goers it would've if the Prequels hadn't been soo goofy.

 

I actually disagree that it won't bring in all those moviegoers. I think Episode VII is going to do phenomenally well and be the most financially successful Star Wars movie of all time. I think Episode VII is more or less guaranteed to be a huge success. It's Episode VIII and beyond where negative reviews could start to hurt. I see Episode VII as the last chance. Everyone will go see Episode VII because it'll seem like a return to form for Star Wars, but if it's bad then there's going to be a much smaller audience for the rest of the films. It's not like the prequels where it brought with them the promise of seeing Darth Vader for the "first" time. Episode VII has to be good or else Lucasfilm's plans for spinoffs and what not will start to fall apart.

It would be like if Iron Man was bad. If that movie was terrible then people wouldn't have cared about the Marvel movie universe.

 

I am going to try my best to put the prequels out of my mind and give the new sequels an unbiased shot.

Generally, I would expect there to be more excitement ... approximating the level of excitement going into Episode I. That being said, I'm sure there won't be any trouble filling seats. The key is whether the movies are any good ... That will determine whether or not they've got legs from a box office perspective.

 

Some don't see RotJ as poor quality. What everyone considers strength or weakness within the films differs. For me, ESB is the dullest and poorest of the OT. Prior experiences with the other films will likely inform the reception of the ST. It's very likely to be a pretty mixed bag just as it's predecessors are, particularly given that many were disappointed in the PT. Personally, I hope they learn from some of the old mistakes and make new ones. Rather than repeating the same paths yet again. All the films have issues and all have strengths. That will be for ST as well. Whether that translates to better reception over all from those that see it is the question.

 

You're wrong. You can't really compare the two.... yet. The Marvel universe is much more vast when it comes to separate movie franchises like Avengers and Captain America, etc. While Star Wars, as of right now, is seen as one single string of 6 movies. Even if the Iron Man spinoff was bad, Captain America has his own fanbase. It's much different going from a superhero franchise to another superhero franchise than it is going from Star Wars Episodes I and II.

 

It depends on the person. Not everyone has the same standards or operating style. It doesn't make them 'wrong' simply different.

 

The prequels won't affect much of anything, except that most reviews will briefly reference them in a negative manner and exclaim some variation of Abrams "saving" the series. If anything is going to stop this new film/trilogy from total box office domination, I'd wager it will be the simple fact of today's overly crowded blockbuster landscape more so than the existence of three Star Wars films released between '99 and '05. Star Wars will likely be "loved again," albeit in the same manner that superheroes, hip Starfleet officers, Hobbits, young wizards, and attractive vampires are likewise loved.

 

Why did I even open this thread...

 

Last fall we had a Science Fiction week at the County Library here. I setup the Star Wars display with all of my vintage memorabilia. It was open to the public and Episode 7 became my most talked about subject. The most common reaction from everyday people was "Eh I gave up on Star Wars after the new ones" or "They've gotten too silly". Columbus is just one city and I'm sure it's not the only one with that perception. To think that the reputation of the Prequels will have no impact on the casual moviegoer deciding to go see Episode 7 in the theater or not means that you are living in a bubble.

 

I'm talking more about the interconnected MCU, rather than the individual franchises. An unsuccessful Iron Man movie would have likely torpedoed the plans for The Avengers and a film series that we now know is somewhat plotted out until 2028. That doesn't mean individual franchises, like Captain America, would have necessarily been affected. It just would have likely changed a lot of Marvel's plans, just like how a bad Episode VII could cast a significant amount of doubt, and audience reluctance, on - say- a Boba Fett movie.

 

Im excited as ever !

 

Actually, as others rightly pointed out, ROTJ was still highly regarded among fans. Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that, especially here, there was a perception that ROTJ's problems were more the fault of the director than Lucas. Often these posters are the same sort who keep spouting on about all the "good" parts of ROTJ were directed by George. Conversely, there were those who were saying that Lucas'd learned from his mistakes back in '83 and how he wouldn't let us down. What a naive time it was in the fandom.

Also, "thinking in soundbites?" LMAO. Adorable. Your side will think of anything, won't they?

 

The way things are today with people being able to rant every day on the internet (9 years since the last prequel and every day there are people who live to get online and bash them) this is something really interesting to see. I anticipate no in between on the sequel series. There is no in between on sequels anymore. It's always love it or hate it. There's going to be people that going into them will have it in their mind "it's going to suck!" and others that will be thinking "Lucas isn't directing it so it will be awesome!"

 

As far as how much of the PT will be mentioned, that depends. Certainly Coruscant and the Jedi temple will make an appearance. However, I'd hope we never see Naboo or Gungans ever again. I'd prefer we see new worlds for the ST to explore. I also doubt we'll here much from such unpopular ideas as midichlorians. The Chosen One Malarky? Eh, depends on what they do with it, but I'd just as soon just never bring up that nonsense again.

 

The PT was about the downfall of Anakin, the Jedi and the Republic. Why would you expect it to be just as "fun" as the OT?

 

ROTJ may be praised every day on the internet now, but at the time of its release it was seen by many as inferior to its predecessors. Of course, as they say, history is written by the victors, so...

"My side"? What side is that? The side that continues to see the OT as three distinct films of differing quality, despite the retcon of history that was imposed with the advent of the prequels?