Is there anyone out there that actually enjoyed the prequels & the original remastered trilogy? All I ever hear is how much people HATE Episodes 1-3 & really hate the changes he made to his original 3. I, for one, am not ashamed to admit I love all six! The story now has all new meaning for me. It's no longer about Luke, it's about Anakin. I will say, Jake Lloyd was a too-cutesey actor to portray Lil' Vader but, I understand what Lucas was trying to do. He was saying, "Look at this innocent boy. How can he become the Terror of the Galaxy?" The dialogue never bothered me, either, it's a Space Opera! As for the changes in 4, 5, & 6...They had to be made so they could match what was done in the prequels! They looked like they'd been done 20 years ago. Oh, wait, they had been! Okay, I do disagree with Greedo taking the first shot, the extended Wampa sequence, & the Sarlacc Pit having a giant goofy beak, but, the rest was beautiful! He did fix the Jabba scene in "A New Hope", now he's the big, menacing, bad ass I remember! What do you guys think? Anyone?

I'll second that.

Long-winded reason? I remember growing up living and breathing Star Wars and romanticising the "high art" quality of the original three films. It all came to an end though when I had the honour to see the Original Trilogy at a marathon screening in 1993 at Northpark in Dallas (at the time it was the the third largest theater auditorium in the country and had the most amazing up-to-date sound system - now it's a parking garage).

With some distance and a great deal more film history in my head, I was prepared to see the Original Trilogy in all its high art glory as I had remembered it.

And then.

Luke spoke.

Or rather whined:

"But I was going into Tosche Station to get some power converters!"

And from that point on I learned to temper my affection for my childhood with what was very plainly not the best acted film in the world.

Which brings me to the Prequel Trilogy. It has some moments of gravitas (Qui-Gonn in TPM, Palpatine in ROTS, and Obi-Wan in all three but especially ROTS) and some campy moments ("Weesa gonna die?" is a particular favourite). But it's still an entertaining, slam-bang, popcorn, sci-fi serial on an epic scale with religious and political overtones that eerily mirror our own modern history. They're not the greatest films ever made, but I will always be entertained watching them.

Although, I'd suggest that Lucas do a Special Edition of the Prequel Trilogy and have someone who can direct actors do some looping sessions with Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, and Jake Lloyd to change some awfully flat line readings.

And some subtitles for the Gungans would be ideal.

But I still say Han shot first (he was a scoundrel and he's eventually redeemed).

quote:

Originally posted by Monkey_Boy:
Is there anyone out there that actually enjoyed the prequels & the original remastered trilogy?

I did. I had some difficulties with a few elements of the remastered stuff, but, all in all, I didn't have the problems with it that most folks did.

i grew up watching the remastered ones so those are the only versions i know. i do wish i could have seen the opening of star wars in the 70s first hand.

as for the prequels, i can get past the bad acting of Hayden Christensen and focus on the action and still engaging storyline.

quote:

Originally posted by rockDude16:
i grew up watching the remastered ones so those are the only versions i know. i do wish i could have seen the opening of star wars in the 70s first hand.

I was there. Those moments will stick with me throughout this lifetime.

quote:

as for the prequels, i can get past the bad acting of Hayden Christensen and focus on the action and still engaging storyline.

Agreed.

Did any of you catch the "Star Wars" special that came on the History Channel last night? They discussed the real world aspects of the saga, about the events & characters that seem to line up with things that are still going on today! They even made a point to show President George W ACTUALLY use a Sith line when he told Iraq, "You are either with us or you're with the terrorists!" Similar to Anakin's line to Obi Wan, "If you're not with me, then you are my enemy!" Very interesting, it was! I hope it comes on again so I can flippin' record it. I can't believe I didn't record it !!!! In case you missed it, here's a link to The History Channel's website that has videos ranging from "The Evolution of Darth Vader" to "A Brief Look at Speeders", wallpaper downloads, & much more!

Thanks, man.

You're welcome, mate!

Whew! I finished the entire "Star Wars" Saga & it only took me 5 days instead of 6, like I had planned! One a day starting Tuesday & then I watched the last 2 last night because I just couldn't wait, I had to finish it. I watched the Clone Wars 'toons the same day I watched Episode III because those stories are linked so closely. I truly love those movies! Let me tell ya why...

"Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace"
This is the one people seem to hate most out of the series. I can understand why. Jake Lloyd is nearly unbearable with his "Yippee!" & "Whoa" dialogue, but I don't let that ruin the experience. I ain't in it for him, the first one, for me, is about Darth Sidious starting his plan to overthrow the Senate, therefore, it is essential to the Saga. And what a fantastic plan it is! Playing both sides so he can control the direction of the "chaos" & gain sympathy from the Senate & become the Supreme Chancellor by the end. Darth Maul has to be the baddest apprentice Sidious ever had. In fact, I think he could whoop Darth Vader in a 5 minute fight, but he was sucker sliced by Obi-Wan. A whole lotta folk had a problem with THAT part!

I love seeing more of Tatooine in this one as well! I still don't know why people think the pod race was so stupid. I LOVED IT ! I also love the introduction to the Jedi Council! Seeing all those Jedi & Yoda looking all clean & respectable was great! In fact, he now looks strange all filthy on Dagobah in "The Empire Strikes Back".

"Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones"
Another one that people don't like all that much, but I think "The Phantom Menace" is still hated the most. Once again, I can understand why, but I won't let some minor problems with Hayden Christensen's acting or the crappy love story keep me from enjoyin' this movie. This one is the beginning of the Clone War! Not to mention, Yoda fights! I love how, 10 years later, Palpatine creates this air of danger around Senator Amidala in order to get her off of Coruscant so she can't stand in the way of his plans. He then tricks Jar Jar into thinking that she would want an army so Jar Jar will propose that they give the Chancellor emergency powers. Powers Palpatine promises to lay down once the war is over, but he never planned on doing that. What a jerk! Me & a buddy of mine believe that Palpatine was also behind Anakin's mother being taken by the Sand People. It just seemed strange that they kept her alive when they normally just kill people & that it just happened to be his mother. This was the set-up that led to him turning to the Dark Side to save his wife!

The best part of this one is getting to see a hundred Jedi fight in an arena! That was awesome! There was also the fight of the century between Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, & Count Dooku! Who can deny the snazzy of Yoda using the force to grab his lightsaber from his belt? Are you denying the snazzy of that? I didn't think so ! Right after his amazing swordmanship & all of his acrobatics, he grabs his cane & goes back to limping just before anybody enters the room. That little faker! Acting like he needs a cane . ("Make 'em think you're weak when you're strong!") I think this is one of the more important parts of the series. I remember watching the original trilogy & I just couldn't imagine Yoda as a great warrior. NOW I CAN! Oh yeah! You get to see where the design of the Death Star came from, too!

"Star Wars: Clone Wars"
This is very important to the Saga. It fills in the blanks between Episodes II & III! You see Mace Windu really show why he is second only to Yoda! He takes on an entire droid army... all by his lonesome! When he ends up losing his lightsaber, he shows that he doesn't really need it at all. His little toon has to be the best one in Volume 1! Well, maybe second best, the last one has General Grievous taking on 6 Jedi & he is a true bad@ss in this one! You can't forget about Anakin's battle with the female Sith assassin, either! That fight was wonderful! On Volume 2, you see Anakin become a Jedi & watch the beginning of Episode III take form as Grievous is sent to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor. It's the last couple of chapters that are really exciting! You see the droid army descend upon Coruscant & Yoda takes the lead against 'em with Mace at his side. There are some crazy Jedi moves I didn't even know was possible with Yoda moving an entire squadron of attack vehicles back into their ship. Then he closes it up, pushes it back & sends it up & crashing into another one! It's the very end that is truly great. Just as Grievous is about to leave the planet with the Chancellor, Mace drops outta the sky. Grievous turns to face him with his four lightsabers, & all Mace does is use the force to crush his chest! This is why the General has the nasty cough he has in Episode III! It ends with the same shot that begins "Revenge of the Sith", the battle above Coruscant.

"Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"
Ahhhhhh! My favorite chapter of the story... because the bad guys WIN! We finally get to see Palpatine's plan come to fruition & he goes from Chancellor to Emperor. I had always wondered how such an evil bastard became Emperor, & now I know! Alotta people have trouble with this one because they feel Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader seems quick, but that isn't the case at all! It took over 10 years for him to turn to the Dark Side! He saw Palpatine as a mentor. A friend. He trusted him as the Chancellor poisoned his mind with all sorts of thoughts to make him untrusting toward the Jedi. Once Anakin kills a Jedi, there's no turning back! He did it on an impulse in order to save his wife! What's so hard to understand? I love the way this one begins, following Anakin & Obi-Wan through space & then suddenly they go around a large ship aaaaannd... HUGE BATTLE! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! In this one we get to see how the Jedi were defeated & I must say, WOW ! We also get to watch the final confrontations between Yoda & the Emperor AND Anakin & Obi-Wan! I had no idea that Vader was that messed up! He's basically a torso! I really love the moment where Obi-Wan picks up his lightsaber. The very one he gives to Luke!

I really like how Anakin gives the same offer to Padme that he gives to Luke in "The Empire Strikes Back": "Join me & we'll defeat the Emperor & rule the galaxy!" Apparently, he doesn't want to rule alone & with him being a family man, he wants to have either his wife or son by his side.

"Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope"
We now enter the original trilogy, which EVERYONE loves! Taking place 18 years later, we see Anakin's son, Luke, wanting to join the Alliance to fight the Empire. We meet an older Obi-Wan & thanks to the prequels, we now know just how great of a Jedi he once was & everything he references now has new meaning. From his friendship with Anakin, to his mention of the Clone Wars. When you hear Grand Moff Tarkin refer to the Galactic Senate & the last remnants of the Old Republic, it also has new meaning now. I, especially, love the addition of Jabba. Some fans see the scene as making him weak & not the same mean gangster he is in "Return of the Jedi", BUT they're wrong! Jabba used to like Han & so he was able to get away with being a jerk, just as long as he didn't cross the line too far. You see that Han is in danger of catching a fist from Mr. the Hutt when he walks over his back, but Captain Solo's silver tongue keeps him outta danger. Then you have the destruction of Leia's home planet, Alderan, a planet we only got a glimpse of at the end of Episode III.

This is the only one where you don't have the Emperor on screen. Vader also seems to be more of Tarkin's lakey than a dangerous Sith Lord. He certainly didn't command the fear he holds over the others in the following movies. Nor does he have anything close to the fear Darth Maul had brung with him in the first episode. I also don't get why Chewbacca doesn't get a medal, he risked his life, too. I think it's 'cuz he's brown .

"Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"
This one is most people's favorite outta the entire series & I can understand why! You have the fantastic battle on Hoth & Luke going into Jedi training under Yoda's teachings. Once again, knowledge of the prequels makes this more enjoyable for me. You hear Yoda talk about Luke being too old, which sounded like an exscuse back in the day, but now we know that they start Jedi training very early in life. He also refers to the Jedi council! Another thing we now understand, because of the prequels, is Yoda & Obi-Wan's fear of Luke following the same path as Anakin. Anakin was afraid of Padme's impending death & he was doing everything he could to keep it from happening. Luke was set on the same path to save Leia, Han, & Chewie. A Jedi isn't supposed to try to change the future! As I watched Vader torture Han & Chewie, I thought of Anakin's mother with the Tuskin Raiders. Luke was able to feel the disturbance in the force just as Anakin did. Makes ya wonder if Vader did this BECAUSE he remembered the overwhelming feelings he had when it happened to his mother. This movie has the best fight between Luke & Vader because he believes Vader is the one who killed his father. So, Luke is fighting with all of his life to avenge him! How heartwrenching was it when he learned the truth?!

"Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi"
This one has a special place in my heart. It's the only one my family owned when I was growing up! My mom has never been into movies really big, so it was never important to own all of them for her. I knew about the others, but I had never really seen them until I made a friend who did have all 3. My all time favorite scene outta the entire Saga is Luke in the Rancor pit! I love that part! Jabba is big & mean in this one because he believes Han was trying to get outta paying what he owed. Why would people think that Jabba was always an angry slug if Han thinks he can talk his way outta it? Why would he try if Jabba was so uncompromising? BECAUSE he didn't always hate him, that's why! They were once friends, in a way. It's kinda like a gangster movie. There is always one henchman who is on the bosses good side, but once he screws up, the boss cuts him loose without a second thought! Luke has finally become a Jedi, well sorta, & he's on a mission to save his father from the Emperor's clutches. Here we have an echo of Anakin fighting Dooku in Episode III. The Emperor is even sitting the same way in this fight that he did in that one! However, he makes one slight miscalculation, Luke didn't grow up looking up to him. Moron! Then he makes another mistake & tries to kill Vader's son right in front of him! What was he thinking?! He knew how much Anakin loved his wife and Luke & Leia are the only connection he has to her! Now, thanks to the prequels, Anakin's death really is tragic. Not that it wasn't before, but it just has more weight. This installment also has the most beautiful space battle of all 6 movies! Even Episode III! Watching the Millennium Falcon in action was just wonderful!

Well, that's how I see each episode of "Star Wars". I know it has its problems, especially with the prequels, but I just love the story! You see how Palpatine went from a Senator to the Emperor, how & why Anakin turned to the Dark Side, what the Clone Wars were all about, how the Jedi were defeated, the other apprentices of Sidious, the struggle of the rebels, the defeat of the Emperor & the redemption of Anakin. Just a great journey! A buddy of mine stopped by when I was in the middle of Episode III & was upset that I was watching the entire saga without him, so it looks like I'll be watching it again real soon. Not over the span of a week though, but all in one day! And ya know what? I can't wait!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Monkey_Boy,

I forgot to mention sumpthin'...
Did anyone else notice how perverted Bib Fortuna (Jabba's elongated-headed butler) looked when Jabba first captured Leia & started licking on her? That dude looked a tad too excited to me!

I was going to make comments about your essay, MB, but as you told me earlier, when you agree with me (and hence, vice versa), there's no point.

Hey monkey magic, a question!

I'm going home to Oz in a few weeks, for a whirlwind tour, picking up cd's and a few movies.

I have the Star Wars remastered versions here in China, but what is the absolute, latest, straight off the presses, jam packed with extras versions that I can buy while I'm home??

I'm a little outta touch...my last purchase of the original series was about 4 yrs ago... Thanx for any help.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:
Hey monkey magic, a question!

I'm going home to Oz in a few weeks, for a whirlwind tour, picking up cd's and a few movies.

I have the Star Wars remastered versions here in China, but what is the absolute, latest, straight off the presses, jam packed with extras versions that I can buy while I'm home??

I'm a little outta touch...my last purchase of the original series was about 4 yrs ago... Thanx for any help.

So, you have this version, huh? Well, that's the one with all the special features you can get right now. However, I'm sure you're a fan of the unaltered version which (finally) came to DVD last year. That's the one I'm sure you'll wanna grab. There is one catch, though... You gotta re-buy the remastered ones with 'em. If you had snatched 'em up when they first came out, you coulda got their respective TPB comics. I'm not sure if you can still pick 'em up, but it won't hurt to try to find 'em. I especially love 'em because you can do a side-by-side comparison of how much was changed from the original movies!

You guys wanna see some hilarious crap ? A few weeks ago, 'Robot Chicken' had a "Star Wars" special & I found where they're keepin' 'em on the 'net! Check 'em out! My favorite one is the Admiral Akbar Cereal commercial: "Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!" Oh! And 'Ponda Baba's Bad Day' is a fantastically hilarious look at that notorious scene from "A New Hope"!

EDIT: I tried to get a more direct link to the "Star Wars" sketches since they've been bumped off of the top o' the list by the newer shows, but I was unsuccessful. Sooooo, just type "Robot Chicken Star Wars" into the website's browser and they'll pop up for ya! I'm sure I probably didn't HAVE to tell you guys about this, but like the commercials with their disclaimers telling folks not to do OBVIOUSLY dangerous things, I figured there just might be some folks who wouldn't know how to find 'em.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Monkey_Boy,

thanx for the info O! my new world monkey.

Looks like Ishy gotta be spending some serious cash.

quote:

Originally posted by Monkey_Boy:
And 'Ponda Baba's Bad Day' is a fantastically hilarious look at that notorious scene from "A New Hope"!

I think this was the best new laugh from the ROBOT CHICKEN Special. I was disappointed with the retreads of already shown skits, but, all in all, it was a great outing.

quote:

Originally posted by Monkey_Boy:
"Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones"
Me & a buddy of mine believe that Palpatine was also behind Anakin's mother being taken by the Sand People. It just seemed strange that they kept her alive when they normally just kill people & that it just happened to be his mother.

Ok, I'm with you because the sand people kill like twenty guys who go after her but they keep her alive. that just doesn't make sense. I'm just wondering how palpatine might have done it cause sand people are just scavengers, right? They don't need anything except a few gaffi sticks and a bantha or two. Did palpitine say "okay take anakin's mom and I'll give you guys a whole herd of banthas."
(excited grunting from the sand people)

Still like your explanation to a nice sized plot hole.

Palpatine wielded his power of the Dark Side of the Force over the weak-minded.

Yep, I have to agree with mark f. It was probably along the lines of Palpatine manipulating their minds from afar. They just suddenly had the desire to kidnap this woman & hold her. They, more-than-likely, had no idea why. You can't put it past him. He managed to manipulate his way into power & destroy the Jedi all at the same time! Up until Episode VI, everything went according to his design. That darn Luke. He just had to show up & ruin everything!

Maybe...

However, what kind of person is considered "weak minded?" And, wasn't it a nice sized group of tusken raiders? i don't care if you are the dark lord of the sith, that would be pretty tricky to do on all the people at once for an extended amount of time.