Saga Watching the Star Wars Saga Eps I-VI for the first time

There will be a bit of a delay to her Ep.2 reaction as she got home late last night and didn't have time to watch it. The good news is that we are both coming to work tomorrow and she's looking forward to AOTC tonight, so I should have her reaction tomorrow! If she indeed watches it tonight, I will give her Sith tomorrow, and if not, I will give her an anagram of the same.

 

good stuff.

 

After seeing Anakin try so hard to save Shmi and turn to save Padme, it's shocking when he cuts off his own son's hand. He's destroying precisely what he set out to protect.

 

I always felt that Anakin was trying to save her because of what she did for HIM, how she made HIM feel. "I can't live without her." It was all about him. It didn't matter so much what she wanted except that by giving it to her, she'd be more likely to remain with HIM. He wanted her to stay in his world and if she ever fell in love with someone else, I firmly believe that he would have been the vengeful-stalker ex-boyfriend type. I think trying to turn Luke to the Dark Side was a continuation of this tendency. He wants to unite with his son, but on HIS terms. Cutting off the hand was just a way to show Luke how powerful the Dark Side is and how weak the light side was making Luke. Vader didn't want to have to kill Luke. Luke actually senses this. "You couldn't bring yourself to destroy me before, and I don't believe you'll do so now"

 

Sorry for the double post, but I figured her Episode 2 reaction post will be easier to find if it has it's own post.

OK, so she literally said "I LOVED IT" before I could finish the sentence "What did you think?" And also "This one! Much, much better!" Before I could finish the question "which did you like better, the first one or this one?" Because of her enthusiasm, I'm reluctant use the word negative, so I will divide the categories into Less Great and Great:

THE LESS GREAT

-Anakin slaughtering the Tuscan village, which she said was excessive. Of course it was excessive, but I think in part because she's not aware of where the character is headed, and because these movies are made in the old fashion corny matinee serial style, she probably feels the movie expected her to root for him doing that, even though he feels bad about it later.

-the chase through the city. She just thought it was a little over-corny with the dialogue basically

-the droid-building machines fight sequence she thought was a little too kiddy. I actually explained to her that it was a reshoot sequence that was added on because there wasn't enough action in that section.

THE GREAT

Pretty much everything else, including the romance!! She said she loves laughing at all the cheesy dialogue and had a great time watching it.

-The massive lightsaber fight on Geonosis. Literally the first thing she praised and was incredibly excited to praise it.

-She LOVED how little old Yoda kicked so much ass in the saber fight and then just moseyed on over to the others with his cane again.

-She LOVED seeing all the clones on Kamino (she couldn't think of the name, so she called it "that ocean planet Cornelious or whatever"). I ask of she liked the Jango fight and she said "YEAH! When he's hanging there on the thing..."

-Watto again. She just thinks he's so funny. I did the perfect impression of his line "she's a not mine a no more" and she was cracking up. She REALLY liked the vehicle that Anakin and Padme were being escorted on in Mos Espa.

-Mace Windu. Whereas she felt he was a little out of place in TPM, she was happy to see him be a bad MF in this one

Still doesn't have a clue that Palpatine is Sidious, but when I asked what she thinks will happen next, she said she wasn't sure, but she thinks maybe at some point Anakin and Padme will have "a Darth Vader baby". Later on, she thought about and said "either that or they'll have Luke and Anakin will turn to the dark side".

So there you have it. I think she has no idea how heavy and sad the next movie will be, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how she reacts to that one! Update to come on Tuesday! (Monday is a holiday)

 

That's pretty cool. I personally prefer TPM, but it's good to hear about her enthusiasm for the films so far. Hopefully ROTS blows her mind

 

One thing these chronological marathon experiments are teaching me is just how much expectations set by the OT can affect some people's enjoyment of the PT. If you have no fixed idea of what Star Wars is "supposed to be" you are much more free to enjoy that very well done aspects of the PT. For those who haven't seen the OT, TPM sets the standard by which the others are then judged. For many, this is a set up for increased engagement over the course of the series.

 

Great work Darth_Articulate ! I definitely think she's going to find the next movie to be pretty surprising.

I remember reading these when they came out. Really, really great reads.

I definitely am beginning to think that chronological is the way to go. It's hard, because I really think that ANH was built from the ground up to be an introduction to the universe in a way that the others we'rent, but at the same time there's so many story benefits to be gained from watching 1-6. You really get to see the impact of the story as George intended.

 

In a way, I'm glad it will now be a 9 part saga (at least). This way, old Obi-Wan's expository speech will be closer to the beginning than the end of a chronological marathon experience. I've always felt that even though the prequels were 3 movies, they still felt like a prologue to the main event, rather than additions to it. With a 9 part saga, that will feel more proportional, I think.

 

Me too. I used to think either chronological or release order, either way is fine. However now that we have a Sequel Trilogy coming out, release order just sounds confusing.

 

This is precisely why I've long said that letting the new generations of viewers have their own experiences can be just as rewarding as what the earlier generations had. It may not be universal for everyone, but it can work.

 

Yeah, I've never understood why some non-prequel fans get irritated when someone from a new generation loves the prequels. As much as I can see how the PT is flawed in certain ways, I love it when others see past that or don't see them as flaws, because it's how I always wanted to feel about the prequels myself. So if it's working for someone else, that's great!

 

Lol...here is a literal copy & paste of the text she just sent me: "Ermagherd! If 4 is as good 3 i don' t think i can handle it! Whoa..." More on this Tuesday

 

I've shown my wife the movies in chronological order a few years ago. She likes Ep2 the best (because Anakin is older), and Ep1 second best. She doesn't like Ep3 that much because of all the bad stuff that happens, and doesn't like 4-6 as much because they are older and don't have the characters from the prequels.

I also started showing them all in order to my brother in law (19). I've only gotten through Ep1-3 so far. He said of those three he likes 2 & 3 equally for the best so far. He likes 2 for the action, and 3 for the plot.

 

I think it bothers some people because they don't understand how someone else can like it, or at the very least, are afraid it would somehow take away from the OT's impact because of how they experienced it. They see the OT as a holy thing that has been tainted by the PT's existence and fear that if someone were to start with TPM, they wouldn't like ANH and the rest because they see TPM as a ****** film and thus no one would want to view the rest. It is also possible that they fear that it might be like icqfreak's wife, who isn't too keen on the OT, because of the age of those films and the different characters. That they would prefer the PT to the OT and that would be a crime in their view.

 

It's the usual human tendency to set up camp and not want to concede ground. It's not unlike what's going on now with the ST and some PT fans.

 

She's enjoying it great. However I still think statements like '1-6 is the way Lucas intended' are rather assuming. Order perhaps but that's no guarantee the viewer will glean what Lucas did from it nor does it mean OT first doesn't have equal merit.

 

Right, but I truly believe that watching a story from beginning to end the way an author intends it to be watched is, I think, more important than most people realize. I'm part of a group of fans that will never be able to do that with fresh eyes, since we've seen the ending before the beginning and we can't change that. The next best thing is to experience it vicariously through others that aren't part of that group. Ideally, you'd want this avatar to engage with the OT *at least* as much as the PT, if not more so, or the experience for them would be anti climactic. It would be like watching a movie that starts with a bang and then deflates. Not the ideal experience. So even though I've "set up camp" with the OT, so to speak, I'm thrilled when someone new to SW likes the PT enough to want to see the OT! The bottom line is it's more fun when people aren't disappointed. If they like the OT as much as the PT or better, there's no room for disappointment in a chronological viewing.

How is it assuming when that's what Lucas himself has stated?

 

Glad you think so but your last statement is not fact simply an assumption. He didn't *originally* have them numbered. That was forcibly inserted years later. I still say it should be up to the Newbie and the established Fan shouldn't deliberately force biases.

Lucas is a mass of contradictions. You want to go by what he says on this, great. I said my piece in my prior post.

 

4-6 and then 1-3 is the way the Saga was made and evolved. Many concepts from the PT are not in the OT. Kind of bad imo to try to fit the OT into the confines of the PT when the OT came first.
Saying that 1-6 is what Lucas wants is pretty biased too.
I know I gleamed different things from the Saga than what Lucas probably intended and I offer no apology. You take out of SW what you want.
Can we get someone to do a 4-6, 1-3 watch through sometime?

 

Precisely, FS. Fans demanding one way is somehow superior is rather ridiculous. The experiences may vary but it doesn't make it 'better'. Most of it is down to association and perception anyways. All these Fan biases are best avoided.

 

If the Saga started with TPM back in 1977, then AOTC in 1980, ROTS in 1983, ANH in 1999, ESB in 2002 and ROTJ in 2005 there might be a point to that. However, that was switched. Is it, do as I say and not as I do?
Starting the story halfway through, going until the end up to this point and then go back in time and then get back to the midway point was a major part of SW history. Waiting years for ROTS was the SW experience. Not easy to turn away from imo.

 

I respectfully completely disagree. It's been often covered, but there is no 'correct' or 'meant' order in which to watch the films. The Star Wars story was written and told in a very piecemeal way. To say that a piece of the story written decades after another piece must be watched first to ensure the saga is properly appreciated seems more than a bit strange to me.

I think the experiment with the new viewer watching in 1-6 order is really interesting and I'm glad that people can enjoy the saga that way, but I also think it's perfectly possible to watch and appreciate the PT without being completely indoctrinated by the OT and personal perceptions and expectations arising from it. Just look at the fanbase here. There are many who saw the OT first but have a new and greater appreciation of SW as a whole after watching the PT.

Lucas says many things. They are informative and interesting but too contradictory over the years to be taken as gospel truth.

 

Well said, Yak! Plus sometimes it also down to maturity and how life can shift and inform perceptions. I still prefer OT and likely always will but due to some here I have gained much to consider and appreciate of the PT that of myself I didn't originally. My perceptions have moved on a few major things but not many. Chiefly I've learned to appreciate difference and that it need not be a battleground like so many on both 'sides' paint it as. It can be enjoyed either way and it's not the older fans fault Lucas released the films as he did. I wish some of the younger/newer fans would grasp this. Nor does watching anything in first order taint anything like many act. It simply means the experience is different for the Newbie. It shouldn't be about scoring points but that the Newbie enjoys the experience.

 

Do people really want everyone to agree on everything? We are all different. Embrace those differences. We can't even agree on favorite order of movies. Some people like the Rebellion, some like the Empire, others like the Republic or Separatists, or Jedi or Sith and so on and so forth. Heck, all of the characters. Makes debates all the more fun.

The bolded. He made the movies, we embraced them. What else were we supposed to do? Ignore 4-6 until 2005? No thanks.