Am I the only one who thought the Star Wars movies were rather mediocre?

[couchboi]

It's when people try to base SW in actual sci fi that we wind up with stuff like...

Midichlorians.

*shiver*

Haha, ain't that the truth.

On topic, you probably aren't the only one but are definitely in the minority. I liked the original 3. All of the stuff from ep. 1 and on is just...bleh.

[Mavecryst]

I know, it seems like a bait thread. That is just how unquestionably accepted and praised Star Wars is in our culture.

I just find it to be very repetitive and unoriginal as a story:

- black and white morality with no complexity
- cliche characters with unrealistic character development
- a very basic plot that uses the same situations multiple times (not even referring to how they shamelessly rehash the death star as the main plot of two of the three movies)
- disconnected plots between the movies that would suggest the writers were just making up crap as they went along without an overall plan (I'd say they didn't think they'd get past the first movie, seems they didn't plan past it. Unless they thought awkward incesty encounters were dramatic and deep or something.)

I remember when the movies first came out, and damn they were amazingly revolutionary in graphics and scope, but I've always been perplexed by people's praise of the movies' actual story. I am ready for crucifixion - to be honest I thought the movie with the best story by far was Revenge of the Sith. It had the most realistic characters and the most complex, intriguing plot developments.

Firstly, Star Wars is *hardly* unquestionably praised and accepted at this point, so yeah. It's much loved still, by many for sure, but it's had its amount of flak for what it is.

I find it interesting that you think Revenge of the Sith had the best story (hope this doesn't come off as sarcastic, tone is hard in text). I find the entire prequel trilogy pretty lousy. They're shallow and focused on the wrong things. Revenge of the Sith had the potential for the best story; the buildup of Anakin's and Obi-Wan's friendship and brotherhood should have be the focus along with an in depth look into how Anakin was corrupted precisely because he had the amount of power that made him think it was possible to save someone from a foreseen future.

Instead, what we got was some strained romance scenes, a barebones "friendly" scene before the two friends parted, and then suddenly Anakin goes nuts. It's ridiculous. It shows nothing, develops nothing. At the very least I feel there should have been a montage scene showing the two of them adventuring, forging the bonds between them together. The final telltale sign is that at the end, when Obi-Wan screams at Anakin about how he "loved him like a brother", I felt nothing. This series, its characters, were important to me; I grew up on Star Wars games, books and shows. But that scene was not even alittle emotional, because there were no prior attachments.

There were many less cliches in the originals. Also considering the time it was developed. The whole incest issue was understandable, I don't get how people complain about this. They were separated at birth, how were they supposed to know? And it's a proven thing that you tend to find people who look similar to you attractive; especially siblings who have not met before. It's creepy once you find out, yes, but before you do how is that anyone's fault?

Also, despite the cliches, I think part of the reason Star Wars was so popular was due to just doing those cliches in a fun, new way. The venerable master? Died in the first one and had to "return" as a force ghost. The hero from humble beginnings? Son of the (admittedly menacing) main villain. The damsel in distress? Also one of the leaders in the Rebellion. The wisecracking rogue? Nothing particularly unique done, but the role was pulled off so well together with his loveable sidekick, Han Solo became my favourite sci-fi character for a long time, despite LIGHTSABERS.

And you felt the impact (at least I did) from each progression point in the movie e.g. You felt the hand of Vader, the implications of his reach, even before they finally clash in Empire Strikes Back for the first time.

The only time I felt something with the newer movies was when Qui-gon died in Phantom Menace. And why? Because at least he was fairly developed, you could see why Obi-Wan would be shocked, outraged. Why it would be a sad thing to have him gone. The rest of the prequels I just liked for the usual music, and the lightsaber fights (which were fun!).

[cncrules45]

SNIP

I remember when the movies first came out, and damn they were amazingly revolutionary in graphics and scope

SNIP

This is it. The story is a background for space battles and the movie experience you get to experience. Lucas is a terrible director (which is great news for 7-9) and the story is, at best, average. That said, the graphics and world that Lucas created is enough to make the movies worth falling in love with. When you fall in love with something, you tend to ignore or even embrace some of the flaws. Family, lovers, movies, it's all the same. Love blinds us, but that doesn't make the object we love less worthy of love.

[Kraenen]

Sadly, the ewoks were just as much to credit as Luke. The rebels couldn't have won without them. The technologically advanced empire was defeated by a neolithic band of furbies.

that's an unfair comparison. the lesson was that everyone worked together to defeat the empire.

[teebo]

As I get older Im seeing that the movies could of been better. If I could I would go and redo some scenes, remove a character and make them a bit longer. Im not sure how to word how I feel though. Indifferent?

Anyway I love the world they created and Im grateful that its there.

[diddle]

This is it. The story is a background for space battles and the movie experience you get to experience. Lucas is a terrible director (which is great news for 7-9) and the story is, at best, average. That said, the graphics and world that Lucas created is enough to make the movies worth falling in love with. When you fall in love with something, you tend to ignore or even embrace some of the flaws. Family, lovers, movies, it's all the same. Love blinds us, but that doesn't make the object we love less worthy of love.

You brilliant bastard.

[Kuthe]

No, you certainly aren't.
I didn't watch them until I was like 15, and my friends showed me them (I'm 20 now) and I didn't enjoy them at all.
Some cool themes, but the plot was rather rubbish overall.
IMO the only good thing to come out from Star Wars was the Battlefront and Jedi Academy games.

[jackofwind]

that's an unfair comparison. the lesson was that everyone worked together to defeat the empire.

"Everyone" meaning a handful of (from what we see on-screen) pathetically unskilled fighter pilots, a magical space knight, a tribe of midget ape-bear hybrids, and a pathetic excuse for an architect who decided to produce a second space station with the identical idiotic and completely unnecessary fatal design flaw as the one that caused the destruction of the first.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

I don't think they're mediocre, I think they're absolute shit.

[Collegeguy]

I always found Star Wars boring as well. It's just wizards and magic in space and not really a scifi.

[madmanx]

You mention Star Wars being cliched, but that's only because you're watching it with a 2014 frame of reference. Back when those movies were made, none of those things were cliches. They became cliches because Star Wars was so popular. That's like saying Shakespear was unoriginal because romance movies copy Romeo and Juliet.

They are cliched, they were written to be an old and familiar western movie in a new setting. Even George Lucas himself said so. That does not make them bad though. They are brilliant if you watch them as they are supposed to be watched, as pure mindless entertainment.

The dialog is stupid and the characters totally unbelievable but it sure is a ton of FUN!

[Littleraven]

while i do love starwars i kinda agree. they are great movies sure but they arent as good as people give them credit for. that said, for their time they were beyond groundbreaking. imo the expanded universe is more interesting than the movies. be it the games or the books, i seem to like that stuff more than the movies.

there are of course stand out moments that are easily some of the best in cinema but thats another matter.

[OneTripleZero]

yes the prequels are actually a lot better, this is becausethe original movie was planned as a stand alone movie and everything after it was completely made up, now the people that are blinded by their own nostalgia will never admit this, but you and I know it's true

This is actually very inaccurate. The story as a whole was quite mature at the time the films were made. The reason they started with Episode 4 is because it could stand alone as a single film. It didn't need the prep that the others did. The others were absolutely not just "made up", Lucas had been working on the story for a long time.

[Kraenen]

I always found Star Wars boring as well. It's just wizards and magic in space and not really a scifi.

it was always sci-fantasy wasn't it? if you want scifi watch star trek.

- - - Updated - - -

"Everyone" meaning a handful of (from what we see on-screen) pathetically unskilled fighter pilots, a magical space knight, a tribe of midget ape-bear hybrids, and a pathetic excuse for an architect who decided to produce a second space station with the identical idiotic and completely unnecessary fatal design flaw as the one that caused the destruction of the first.

none of that is not hyperbole, but it was interesting.

[dusketernal]

The original Star Wars was built upon many of the principles in Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces and similar journey myths. Those are the core elements of much of our literature and culture, and they're still used today. Lucas gave them a different veneer, tossed in and mixed up some genres, and created something that does have a lasting impression on us - even people who have never seen the movies more often than not know who Darth Vader is, "I am your father," and all that.

The second trilogy tried to demystify the original three, and did so terribly.

But ultimately, it comes down to what you consider to be mediocre - acting? Probably - these weren't A-listers. Effects? Definitely not. It was cutting edge for the time. Story? If reusing the older narrative structures is mediocre, then all stories are mediocre. It wasn't intended to be high art - any more than most of the early myths were intended to be (even though now we treat them as such, despite the thinness of many of the stories). It was a story that could be told and retold, passed down from one generation to the next, with a message of some sort. Admittedly it lost some of that aspect over time, but the first movie (and even the second) became embedded in our cultural psyche. It was myth for mass consumption, and it worked.

[IIamaKing]

Star Wars, AKA the most over rated films in history.

[yetgdhfgh]

Lucas has forever ruined star wars for me.

TBH i dont think they are amazing films but those films do hold a very special place in my heart.

Star Wars was the first movie i ever saw when my dad came home with a VCR (very rare back in 1984) and i was entranced and i was the kid who had to have the action figures but as i got older i fell out of love with star wars but i still enjoy them but nowhere near as much as i did when i was a kid.

Maybe its a age thing i dont know.

[Raptor With a Saber]

The entire movie saga could have ended in one movie if Obi-wan trained luke from birth..then he and Luke could have killed Vader and blew p the death star and ended the empire reign and started a new jedi community.. but ya the movies were rather dull when you nit pick

[Wafffles]

It's very difficult to properly judge art/entertainment from a different era, and 40 years is indeed a different era in film years. "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap." Hilarious joke, eh? Louis C.K. isn't selling any tickets with that gem in 2014, but a few millennia ago that was groundbreaking, laugh yourself to death awesome stuff. Star Wars doesn't have today's CGI, today's obsession with realism and grit, today's tendencies toward a different sort of dialogue, today's reliance on a different sort of plot, but in its time it was all that and more.

Though even in comparison to what we get today, it's still pretty good. To each his own, though, of course

[Stormcall]

The entire premise of Star Wars is a vast number of Tolkien-inspired fantasy tropes, only set in space. Star Wars isn't science fiction, it's space fantasy - as such, and given the timing of its release, it was only touching on subjects that had all been explored before.

Star Wars made a huge stir more as a result of its special effects than its plot.

This. The stuff that was cliche in Star Wars was already cliche back in the 30's, it was hardly new when Star Wars did it.

That said, cliche doesn't make something bad, per se...the shitty acting and dialogue is what made Star Wars bad. The effects were awesome for the time period, but as movies themselves, sorry, but I think they're terrible.