Obsevations from watching all six movies after playing SWTOR.

[gatorfan]

I wrote about it the other day again,

5-6-7 are terrible movies considering acting and script.

there are some of the worst acting I have ever seen in my entire life in those movies. I first watched them in the mid 90's.

1-2-3 are better in acting and CGI of course but they aren't any good either in general.

I like the SW story and the franchise a lot, It's just the acting that disgusts me.

Personal opinion, do not flame.

You do realize that was an intentional choice by George Lucas. First, the genre is what he coined when the first movie, Star Wars IV, came out in 1977: A Space Opera. That right there says a lot. Second, he intentionally chose actors that were not recognizable so that people would pay attention to the story and characters and NOT the actor and by virtue of that, their acting.

Think about it, do you go to a classical Opera like Don Giovanni and walk away saying, "Great acting!" Same thing in space with colorful light sabers that go "swoosh".

[Demitrius]

I would love to see IV, V, VI remade in a tasteful manner. But I realize that there are many many many fans for Starwars out there who do not share the same opinion and wouldn't want to see a remake.

Why would you even consider this, to see these movies with different actors would ruin them forever. It's bad enough Lucas is adding little pieces to the movie that aren't needed. Like the recent addition in the bluray release of Return of the Jedi. Why on earth does Vader need to let out those horrible "No's" before he throws the emperor over the side. The music was enough to set the mood. I understand it's his vision and all that but there is nothing wrong with the original versions. With each new "updated" release I think you should have the option to watch the original theatrical version or the one with added material. An not to mention episode 2 was the worst one out of all 6 movies. The special effects are nice in a lot of scenes but on the other hand a good amount of it looks or feels fake and I feel like Im watching a cheesy syfi channel movie.

[Deleted]

Hey at least SW:TOR hasn't used Midichlorian's

[Katt]

I'd like to see what someone who grew up with all six movies thinks.

I'm very biased being 30 and growing up with 4,5,6.

That kind of objectivity requires the reviewer to have been under ten years of age when Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005. The folks in that age range are just entering college now. One of those kids must have done a comprehensive review by now.

All are decent compared to some of the over-hyped tripe that's out there today. In 1978........ it was amazing cutting edge the story line was awesome and if you notice....not one single cuss word in any of the original movies (trivia there) . It was all in all one hell of a sight to see at a movie.
A comparison to today's movie standard...you'd prolly have to watch your movie in 3D hologram.

[Deleted]

Everyone just loooooves to hate on the prequels don't they. You hear "destroyed the franchise" and "worst films ever!" comments bandied around so often that anyone who got a penny for each comment would be able to bankroll the production of three new movies to supposedly tell it better.

They aren't bad films. They're good films with problems; chief among which is Hayden Christiansen's attempts at acting. Seriously this is the single worst thing about them. You're supposed to empathise with and find Anakin likable, so that when he is corrupted to the dark side you feel bad about it. Hayden makes him intensely irritating, creepy and irrational, but never likable. Such is the extent of his fail that actors such as Ewan McGregor and Portman who were otherwise doing a good job look awkward and uncomfortable when on screen with him. He effectively collapses the story around him. And in Episode 1, the only film to be free of this blight is the one where they chose to field the massively miscalculated Jar Jar as comic relief. Liam Neeson and McGregor are great to watch in that film.

[hulkgor]

5 > 4 > 6 > .......................................................................................... ................................ > 2 > 3 > 1

note the big discrepancy between the original and the prequel. intended.

I get shocked anytime anyone considers the prequel in any way better then the original, its just incredible.

[Deleted]

5>4>3>6>1>2

The best is Empire Strikes Back by far in my opinion. I placed Revenge of the Sith over Return of the Jedi because I think its a pretty good movie,only fault I see about it is Hayden's acting. But I got over that years ago.

[deadlydee]

Guys Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope released in 1977 34 years ago. No shit the CGI sucked it didn't exist. ILM was forced to invent the modeling, technology, and actual cameras to get the effects they got. As far as the acting goes it's not great. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher have both admitted they were "strung out" on drugs during the filming so maybe that's the issue. Either way these films when they came out were ground breaking and changed both Sci-Fi and film making in general.
For the record I'm 34 years old.
Trying not to be all fanboy about this

[Deatheryn]

In 4,5,6 you will not see a light saber hit the armor because they usually aimed for the blaster pistol or carbine rifle. My guess is that violence was not nearly as acceptable in a movie as it is today.

The only thing that has really changed from playing SWTOR is I noticed the other day that in Episode III when Anakin is piloting in the beginning of the movie, his starship has a Imperial logo on it. Kinda weird.

Violence was less acceptable, yet the big movies of the times were one like Rambo, Dirty Harry, Delta Force,..etc. I highly doubt that as a reason! Violence is less acceptable now than it was then!

[Deleted]

The prequels suck. EPIII sucks a little less than the first two that being said.

Darth Maul fanboys need to shut up about EPI being a great film.

Redoing them in 3D is dumb, and starting with EPI is even worse.

IMO.

---------- Post added 2012-02-07 at 06:07 PM ----------

Violence was less acceptable, yet the big movies of the times were one like Rambo, Dirty Harry, Delta Force,..etc. I highly doubt that as a reason! Violence is less acceptable now than it was then!

Star wars was aimed at fairly young people, not just adults.
Completely seperate intended audiences.

[RoninaThorstone]

Everyone just loooooves to hate on the prequels don't they. You hear "destroyed the franchise" and "worst films ever!" comments bandied around so often that anyone who got a penny for each comment would be able to bankroll the production of three new movies to supposedly tell it better.

They aren't bad films. They're good films with problems; chief among which is Hayden Christiansen's attempts at acting. Seriously this is the single worst thing about them. You're supposed to empathise with and find Anakin likable, so that when he is corrupted to the dark side you feel bad about it. Hayden makes him intensely irritating, creepy and irrational, but never likable. Such is the extent of his fail that actors such as Ewan McGregor and Portman who were otherwise doing a good job look awkward and uncomfortable when on screen with him. He effectively collapses the story around him. And in Episode 1, the only film to be free of this blight is the one where they chose to field the massively miscalculated Jar Jar as comic relief. Liam Neeson and McGregor are great to watch in that film.

Again. While Hayden is clearly not the best actor... The script/time is what sunk the story.

Writing a character study is pretty easy so long as you follow the basics.

Problems with the character study:

Episode 1: The prequels are about anikin rise and fall. In the first movie he is a 12 year old child. Even 12 year old children don't relate to 12 year old children. How do you expect an audience of 16-35 year old's to? Children are alien to the average viewer because they are illogical, annoying, and are usually written as "not understanding what the adults are talking about". Its difficult for the viewer to experience the story vicariously through the main character if even the main character does not understand the events and thus immersion is broken.
IE: As luke learns... We learn. We feel that moment of awe as he does when yoda lifts the xwing.
I feel like even lucas understood this and that's why anikin could have been a cardboard cut out for most of the movie. Especially since he wasn't in the first hour of the movie. Even when he is around he is either in a naboo fighter or pod racer splurting out one liners that make us all more upset that he is a child.

"So what, anikin isn't the main character of episode 1. Obiwan is" Great. Then why have an episode 1 if the prequels are about anikin? Furthermore, if the movie is about obiwan what character development do we see? Nothing. Even when quigon dies he gets angery for all of about 4 minutes then goes back to being serene and it is never brought up or plays a part in the series ever again. Obiwan experiences no development.

Episode 2: Anikin is already pessimistic, angry, and creepy. In this part of a character study we are suppose to be getting to know an idealistic young man (not megalomaniac) who believes in the jedi code and the republic (not killing 60/60 sand people for the bonus quest). We are suppose to become attached to him as he struggles against seemingly unbeatable odds
IE: luke destroying the deathstar.
Instead we are given conflicting messages. We are TOLD he is good while being shown him acting evil. This defeats the purpose of the character study. If you are trying to tell a dramatic story about the rise and fall of a jedi, a paragon of justice and light, you need to make us care during the rise so the its dramatic when he falls. There is no rise. Just a whiny bitch with a high miticlorine count and a license to kill. The second movie served no purpose.

Episode 3: This movie, had it not been for the other two? Would have been passable as the prequel. I know people have serious issues with this movie. I don't care. If lucas had just made this movie we would have been like "oh. Cool." you know. except for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQQm_4FdEc
I feel like Episode 3 could have used some better writing but its scifi. What do you really expect? Ill tell you. More then episode 1 and 2.

[Deleted]

Again. While Hayden is clearly not the best actor... The script/time is what sunk the story.

Writing a character study is pretty easy so long as you follow the basics.

Problems with the character study:

Episode 1: The prequels are about anikin rise and fall. In the first movie he is a 12 year old child. Even 12 year old children don't relate to 12 year old children. How do you expect an audience of 16-35 year old's to? Children are alien to the average viewer because they are illogical, annoying, and are usually written as "not understanding what the adults are talking about". Its difficult for the viewer to experience the story vicariously through the main character if even the main character does not understand the events and thus immersion is broken.
IE: As luke learns... We learn. We feel that moment of awe as he does when yoda lifts the xwing.
I feel like even lucas understood this and that's why anikin could have been a cardboard cut out for most of the movie. Especially since he wasn't in the first hour of the movie. Even when he is around he is either in a naboo fighter or pod racer splurting out one liners that make us all more upset that he is a child.

"So what, anikin isn't the main character of episode 1. Obiwan is" Great. Then why have an episode 1 if the prequels are about anikin? Furthermore, if the movie is about obiwan what character development do we see? Nothing. Even when quigon dies he gets angery for all of about 4 minutes then goes back to being serene and it is never brought up or plays a part in the series ever again. Obiwan experiences no development.

Episode 2: Anikin is already pessimistic, angry, and creepy. In this part of a character study we are suppose to be getting to know an idealistic young man (not megalomaniac) who believes in the jedi code and the republic (not killing 60/60 sand people for the bonus quest). We are suppose to become attached to him as he struggles against seemingly unbeatable odds
IE: luke destroying the deathstar.
Instead we are given conflicting messages. We are TOLD he is good while being shown him acting evil. This defeats the purpose of the character study. If you are trying to tell a dramatic story about the rise and fall of a jedi, a paragon of justice and light, you need to make us care during the rise so the its dramatic when he falls. There is no rise. Just a whiny bitch with a high miticlorine count and a license to kill. The second movie served no purpose.

Episode 3: This movie, had it not been for the other two? Would have been passable as the prequel. I know people have serious issues with this movie. I don't care. If lucas had just made this movie we would have been like "oh. Cool." you know. except for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQQm_4FdEc
I feel like Episode 3 could have used some better writing but its scifi. What do you really expect? Ill tell you. More then episode 1 and 2.

I forgot that your opinion is fact, sorry.

A better actor could have made audiences connect with Anakin if you ask me. The writing for Star Wars is not and never has been the pinnacle of cinema, yet people liked characters like Han and Luke in the first films (and not just because they did the right thing in the end).

[RoninaThorstone]

I forgot that your opinion is fact, sorry.

A better actor could have made audiences connect with Anakin if you ask me. The writing for Star Wars is not and never has been the pinnacle of cinema, yet people liked characters like Han and Luke in the first films (and not just because they did the right thing in the end).

We like luke and han because they are fleshed out characters.

Luke goes through a lot of revelations about himself and those around him. He experiences difficulties yadayadayada. SW 4-6 is a bildungsroman to the tee.

Han also undergoes a less dramatic change as we see him becoming the rogue with a heart of gold at the end of episode 4. In 5 another layer is peeled back of his scruffy exterior via the romance with leia. The 3rd was less han centric but it showed him fully assimilated into rebellion and the group.

While the writing in scifi is usually pretty bad they don't stray from fundamental tropes that often and when they do they need strong writing to support it.

TLDR: Development is important in a character.

[Deleted]

I have read through the comments and Vladrick's post is probably the one i feel the closest to. I am the same age bracket and obviously this plays a role in our perception of the Star Wars universe, but I agree with his vision that as a kid "the Empire strikes back"'s depth and mysticism was way over my head, and the violence and gut wrenching truth (the hero and the vilain being related) was a big no no for me. As I grew older I came to appreciate the twist and accept it as the second part in a trilogy where all is well that ends well in the third part.

To those who try to defend Hayden Christensen's acting ability, I urge you to rent and watch "Jumper"...

[empy]

In This Thread: Everyone is a critic and if you don't agree with their factual opinions you are ignorant and have bad taste.

It makes sense to me that the older generation would continue liking 4-6, I mean, that's when the Imperials were winning, and that's the generation in control of our government.

To see people cry and complain that they think movies have too much CGI or should go back to the way they used to be is like wanting to go back to the Great Depression, that older generation doesn't want anyone else to be happy, they hate seeing people happy, they want you to share in their misery. Lol.

This is false. There are plenty of great movies out there that use CGI to great effect but don't use it to cover up the lack of a coherent story.

Having taste in good writing and storytelling isn't necessarily just inherent in "older generations." I was born ten years after the first Star Wars movie came out and I was about 11 or 12 when Phantom Menace came out. Even at twelve I felt that the movie was a sub par.

[Deleted]

1-4-5-6 where hard to watch for me last weekend for a 26 year old guy. I really enjoyed 2 and 3 (clone wars, revenge of the sith). Hayden his acting towards natalie portman is really awkward but I liked the parts where you could see his anger and walking over to the dark side. Also the saber/space/robot fights are the best in those movies.

Best story in the star wars universe must have been Force Unleased 1 and 2, I really liked the voice actor and the fact Vader just mindf*cks you the whole time. Altough the love story doesn't really fit in well.

[Deafknight]

Watched 4-5-6 in theatres not long ago in a local midnight marathon.
The Theatre was packed, nerds from far away came XD

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope -> STANDING OVATION
Admiral Ackbar going: ITS A TRAP, i think my ears popped from the whole room starting to scream ^^

lots of other stuff too of course, guess 1-2-3 cant buy childhood back

[namelessone]

The first 3 movies I found excellent. The CGI was amazing, and the acting / storyline was compelling.

I really don't see how anyone can say that new movies have "life-like" acting, or any acting for that matter. Acting in new movies is as overly dramatic as it was in the old ones, except the dialogues are a LOT worse.

---------- Post added 2012-02-07 at 01:44 PM ----------

I forgot that your opinion is fact, sorry.

A better actor could have made audiences connect with Anakin if you ask me. The writing for Star Wars is not and never has been the pinnacle of cinema, yet people liked characters like Han and Luke in the first films (and not just because they did the right thing in the end).

It has nothing to do with actor. Christensen isn't a terrible actor. It's terrible writing and terrible directing.

[Adeodatus]

In 4,5,6 you will not see a light saber hit the armor because they usually aimed for the blaster pistol or carbine rifle. My guess is that violence was not nearly as acceptable in a movie as it is today.

The only thing that has really changed from playing SWTOR is I noticed the other day that in Episode III when Anakin is piloting in the beginning of the movie, his starship has a Imperial logo on it. Kinda weird.

The Imperial logo is derived from the Republic's logo of that era. The two are very similar.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I don't recall if it was 1 or 2, but someone mentioned "There has never been a full scale war since the formation of the Republic."

This clearly shows The Old Republic era was not always there, it was added after the movies. Because from KotOR-ToR there is a near-constant War/Cold War cycle.