In order to give perspective on my history with the series, it is important to know that I am currently 23 years old and that I was born in 1992. Therefore, I am apart of the "prequel generation," those who were young during the prequels. At the time of my birth, George Lucas had yet to taint the original films with his awful special editions and the prequels had not even been announced yet. Star Wars fans were existing in pure bliss at the time of my birth. However, everything changed in the mid 90s when Lucas re-released the original trilogy and announced a new prequel trilogy as well. I personally cannot recall when I watched Star Wars for the first time, but I specifically remember my dad taking me to see A New Hope in the theaters upon its re-release in 1997. I am certain that my dad must have had me watch the rest of the series on either VHS, television, or within the theaters. After all, nobody went to see the new prequels without haven already seen the original trilogy multiple times.
I specifically remember going to the Long Beach Town Center to see The Phantom Menace and remember liking it at a young age. When the film came out on VHS, I remember watching it every single day that I could because I liked the film so much. I'm pretty sure I saw both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith at the Long Beach Town Center as well. Anyways, I, like many young people, loved the Star Wars prequels as a kid and than came to realize their grave flaws and errors as I grew up. As of right now, I do not hate any of the Star Wars prequels, and simply view them as flawed but mildly entertaining science fiction films that stand as interesting pieces of independent blockbuster filmmaking. I may have a bit of a nostalgic attachment to them as I saw them at a young age when I was new to Star Wars, but I understand their problems and don't disagree with anyone who goes after them. Regardless, the prequels at least have amazing scores by John Williams and some memorable moments (i.e. the Pod Race, Duel of the Fates fight, Obi Wan vs Jango Fett, the Genosian arena battle, the death of the Jedis, and Anakin and Obi Wan's ridiculous lava planet fight).
It feels funny to be apart of the prequel generation because we were the most naive group of Star Wars fans when we saw the prequels. We were little and didn't know any better. The original trilogy generation is clearly the most battle scarred and burned of the Star Wars fans because the prequels pissed on their trilogy. Therefore, it will be interesting to see the birth of an entire new generation of Star Wars fans with the "who knows what it will be called" generation that comes from The Force Awakens. Anyways, Star Wars is truly getting started as Disney plans to release a new Star Wars film every single year. Plus, action fans should be more excited than ever for Star Wars, as The Force Awakens features The Raid's Iko Uwais and Rogue One stars both Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen.
While I dislike the prequels, they don't rile me up and piss me off as much as they do other Star Wars fans. They are products of their time and represent a flawed filmmaker who tried something new and failed miserably due to his usage of excessive green screens, bland direction, and poor writing. Instead, Lucas' re-edits of the original Star Wars films are what truly piss me off.
I do not understand why Lucas thought it was a good idea to insert contemporary technology into a film series made from another time period. It's also a huge disservice to directors Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand because neither of them were given a say in the re-edits of their films. It still burns my eyes when I look at all of the unnecessary computer generated creatures in A New Hope or Return of the Jedi. I hate the added digital ships, the inclusion of Hayden Christensen as a Jedi ghost, and the awful song that replaces the classic "Jub Jub" song. I agree that a filmmaker can make an edit of a film to their liking, but I can't accept that Lucasfilm still won't release the theatrical cuts of the original trilogy on Blu Ray. That fans have to still hold on to their laserdiscs and VHS's pisses me off because we are talking about cultural preservation here. The prequels are one thing, but the "special editions" are a whole other issue that stand as one of film preservation's greatest crimes.
Nowadays, people have to choose how they will watch the Star Wars films, as well as how they will expose their children too it. Some people prefer the chronological order, the "machete" order, or even their own personal re-edits. I personally believe that one should experience the Star Wars films in historical chronological order, the order that they were made in. It is essential to expose children to the original trilogy first and than the prequel trilogy in order to help them understand the history behind the franchise. Besides, you don't hear anybody saying that you should watch the Hobbit trilogy before you watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that's just ridiculous. History trumps everything, not filmmaker preference or what makes it a better series.
For those who are curious, here are my general thoughts on every film in the series...
Star Wars (1977) - A classic science fiction adventure film that defines modern day blockbuster filmmaking. It's a great film loaded with unforgettable characters, a classic hero's journey, ground breaking special effects, and one of cinema's greatest musical scores. The film holds up to today and represents escapist cinema's greatest attributes. This little film that could is arguably the most well rounded of the original trilogy, balancing both entertaining spectacle with good filmatism to boot.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - This is definitely the best film in the series and the definitive sequel to end all sequels. It amps up both the stakes and the series' themes. The film is even more mature and character driven than the previous, offering up less sci-fi spectacle despite the unforgettable Battle of Hoth. While it is widely accepted that this is the best, I still prefer Star Wars because it offers more entertainment bang for your buck. Like I said, this is the most well made of the series, but I prefer my Star Wars to be more lighthearted and entertaining a-la Star Wars than Empire, just saying.
Return of the Jedi (1983) - This is a blast of a finale, as it wraps up all of the trilogy's loose ends. In recent years, Jedi has taken on a stigmatism that it is not only the weakest of the trilogy, but that it foretells the horrors of the prequel trilogy. While I remotely agree, as it leans too heavily on both the creatures and the spectacle, Jedi is still an amazing finale, especially when one considers the entire final scene between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor. That's just masterful stuff.
The Phantom Menace (1999) - Originally declared the worst Star Wars film of all time, Phantom Menace has since become known as the second worst of the series. I haven't seen this film in a long time, but remember it being a mildly entertaining, although slightly boring, children's fantasy. I remember parts, but not the whole experience. At least this one is pleasing to the eye because it was shot on film and mostly on sets...unlike the sequels that is.
Attack of the Clones (2002) - This sequel has since earned the chagrin of many Star Wars fans as truly the worst solely because of the romance between Padme and Anakin. I personally prefer it to The Phantom Menace though because it doesn't feature a young kid or a racist alien as main characters. The over abundance of digital effects and green screen backgrounds really hurt this one though. It looks off and uncanny to the eye. Jango Fett and the surprisingly lengthy action packed finale are all I remember from this one. As well as champion dialog like, "I hate sand. It's coarse, and it gets everywhere."
Revenge of the Sith (2005) - Sith has always been my favorite of the prequels. It's dark, tragic, and action packed. It's not perfect, but at least it's a far cry from the children's affair that is The Phantom Menace. Once again, John Williams' music saves the film and conveys the character's emotions better than the characters themselves. Grievous is cool, Anakin is comically bad, and the Emperor is just a silly goofball. Even after all of these years, I still believe that each prequel is better than the previous.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on the series and a few opinions I felt like sharing. I can't wait for The Force Awakens, and eagerly anticipate watching it and sharing my opinion with the world. May the Force be with everyone and have a Merry Christmas...Star Wars style that is!
I really do wonder how The Force Awakens will be received. The hype is incredibly massive considering how well the past 3 films in the franchise have done. But they're finally returning to original continuity, so that makes sense. My fingers are crossed!
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