I've never watched a Star Wars movie...

[cosine]

should I watch them in the order they were made, IV, V, VI, I, II, III; or should I watch them in the order of their storyline, I, II, III, IV, V, VI?

[Twycross]

You should watch IV, V, and VI in that order. I-III were just silly.

If you really want to watch the whole series, then I would probably do it in the order of their storyline.

[Ron]

Watch them in this order.
VI
II
V
I
III
IV

Let us know how that works 

[Preacherman]

I wouldn't bother with the latest three at all.  Catch the original three, where the magic was still fresh.

[Standing Wolf]

My ex-wife dragged me to a Star Wars movie once.

Shoveling snow has more intellectual content.

[zahc]

You really aren't missing much. They are good movies, nothing more. And the most recently made three are arguable about the good part, too. You aren't missing some essential part of the human experience, trust me. The most benefit you'll get out of is not being lost in conversations with the worshippers.

[Sindawe]

The most benefit you'll get out of is not being lost in conversations with the worshippers.

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Watch 'em in the order they were produced. IV, V & VI, followed by I, II & III.  Original versions if you can get 'em, not the "reworked" rereleases of original films.  Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 30 years, you already know the storyline.  The movies are entertaining, but as others have noted, no great truths about life will be found in 'em.

But Vader's Blog is interesting.

[gunsmith]

don't drink the coolaide

[lee n. field]

ou should watch IV, V, and VI in that order. I-III were just silly.

Ditto.  1 to 3 are very flashy, but story leaves something to be desired.  #1 starts out w/ the Jedi as tax enforcers -- give me a break.

[Iapetus]

ou should watch IV, V, and VI in that order. I-III were just silly.

Ditto.  1 to 3 are very flashy, but story leaves something to be desired.  #1 starts out w/ the Jedi as tax enforcers -- give me a break.

I can't remember that much of the plot of I (its the weakest of the lot), but that's not really an accurate description of their role.

They were sent to help negotiate an end to the blockade that the Trade Federation had imposed against Naboo.  Somebody's tax policy was the cause of /excuse for the dispute (which in fact was just a pretext for putting an invasion force in position), but as far as I can remember, the Jedi were not there to make anyone pay taxes.


(If you want to start on the politics of the Star Wars prequels, a better criticism might be that despite the original trilogy being a story of a rebellion against an overbearing regime, the prequels didn't even entertain the idea that the Separatists might have had valid reasons for their actions.  Of course, that doesn't change the fact that as a story concept, trade disputes hardly has the same excitement as an Evil Empire with the power to destroy a planet).

[Cosmoline]

The original is a fun space opera, worth watching but not worth getting too worked up over.  From a film history point of view, it is one of the most important films ever made.  Not one of the best, mind you, but one of the most important.  Along with Jaws it created the modern block buster and revived the failing movie industry.  Of course, Jaws is ten times better as a film. 

The Empire Strikes Back is probably the only one of the series that's actually a good movie.  It's also the one Lucas had the least control over.  Jedi is fun but mired by Lucas' purile manchild visions.  The prequels are among the worst movies ever made.  Avoid them at all costs.

[Sindawe]

the prequels didn't even entertain the idea that the Separatists might have had valid reasons for their actions.

Of course not, since there was no valid reason for the Trade Federation to blockage Naboo.  The whole thing was a plot by Darth Sidius to weaken the already faltering Galatic Republic so that he could further his plans to seize power and put The Sith in charge of everything.

Avoid them at all costs.

Eh, I've seen worse movies.  Notably some bit of dren about a frozen British Agent with bad teeth and an overactive sex drive. : puke :  The visuals of II and III are at times stunning, and the saber fights are spectacular.

[cosine]

I think I'm gonna watch them in the order that they were made. Including the bad ones. Hey, if I was 20 years older, that would have been the way I would have watched them.










*looks around warily* Does it seem like the Star Wars geeks have come out of the woodwork? 

[Cosmoline]

The visuals of II and III are at times stunning, and the saber fights are spectacular.

Only to the weak minds    The visuals are mired in too much reliance on CGI, which looks flat and distant no matter how much money you pour into it.  The model and matte based originals may have more seams, but they also have more heart.  The saber fights in the prequels are mostly between actors and loopy CGI characters, so there's no drama to them.  The ONLY good one, and indeed the only good part of any of the prequels, was the excellent fight between Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul, played by two real human beings.  But Lucas, true to form, wrote almost no dialog for Maul and edited the fight down to a very short sequence so he could give more time to Jar Jar and the trade federation.  The final fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan could have been good, but Lucas had the whole thing transposed onto an absurd CGI lava landscape.  I get the sense that Lucas would prefer to make films with no human actors or real landscapes at all.

Here's a test I encourage everyone to run for themselves.  Rent Ep. III and Patton or Ep. II and Lawrence of Arabia and watch them back to back.  Then tell me you think the CGI makes for better action sequences.

[Sindawe]

The visuals are mired in too much reliance on CGI, which looks flat and distant no matter how much money you pour into it.  The model and matte based originals may have more seams, but they also have more heart.

Matter of opinion I think.  I *like* good CGI, and some of work in the latter SW movies was pretty good.  Not on par with, say "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within".  And it WAS a space opera, so reality is sorta out the airlock

Patton: The "German" tanks are not German tanks at all, nor even reasonable fakes.  Stuff like that ruins a movie for me, as it did when Hollywood reused the Zulu war chants from the move Zulu for the war chants of the Germanic tribes in the opening of the movie Gladiator. WTF?

LofA was better, since I think more effort went into authenticity of the sets.

I dunno, personally I think the action sequences in Babylon 5 - The Fall of Night + Endgame, as well as DS9-Fortune Favors the Bold were pretty good.

All a matter of taste.

Does it seem like the Star Wars geeks have come out of the woodwork?

Well, some folks DO let their fandom run to excess.  Poor souls, really frelled in the head.

[Cosmoline]

Not on par with, say "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within".  And it WAS a space opera, so reality is sorta out the airlock

You mean the biggest bomb in motion picture history?  I remember that one.  Face it, Lucas' prequels would have failed completely if it hadn't been for the enormous impact of the originals.  For all the hype, most people simply can't warm up to pure CGI.  It's a useful tool, but it can't make up for reality.  It can be used to help augment real actors, such as Andy Serkis in the LOTR or Bill Nighy in the lastest Pirates movies.  But those are both excellent character actors, and they're really interacting with the other actors in their scenes.  The CGI just makes the skin look funkier or the tentacles move more realistically.  I was just watching "Dead Man's Chest," and it's interesting to note how much real swordfighting and old-school stunt work there was in that film.  The CGI is used to smooth out edges and add details to real sets and real actors, it doesn't stand in place of them.  Nighy wears the CGI like an electronic mask, and it works well.  And I think that helped make it one of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory.  People don't want to see some CGI Yoda leap around while a live actor tries hard to pretend he's fighting him with an imaginary blade. 

[Perd Hapley]

The Spirits Within?  Was that the one with the giant invisible bugs?  I'm no judge of special effects, but that was an atrocious movie.

[Cosmoline]

Yeah, that's the one.  It lost $137 million dollars, and represented a complete failure of anime cgi. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy:_The_Spirits_Within

[Waitone]

Star Wars VI has a special place in moviedom.  It came out in '77 IIRC.  Between '77 and early to mid-60's, movies and hollywood went off the deep end and forgot  its primary job is to entertain, not make social statements or make social commentary or foster social upheaval.  Entertainment simply disappeared as a motive for making a movie.  Me and others responded by simply not going to movies.  Why spend money and waste time and when it is over with I was supposed to feel guilty?

Star Wars IV was a glorious return to the good ol' days entertainment.  Matter of fact, the discerning viewer would say Star Wars IV was merely a western in space.  You know, good, evil, black hats, white hats, horses, rugged individuals, pretty girls, unfulfilled romance, no-reload guns, villains falling down in heaps, good guys are bullet proof, twisting plots, etc.  IV,V, and VI are faithful to the original message.  I, II, and III's message is obscured by excessive use of CG. 

Consider Star Wars to two epics roughly related.  Look at them in sequence regardless of which epic you view first.

[cosine]

Darn. Library didn't have Episode IV.

Maybe I'll watch I first, just 'cause my dad has it. (well, watch it that is if I ever get off this forum.  )

[mustanger98]

Star Wars IV was a glorious return to the good ol' days entertainment.  Matter of fact, the discerning viewer would say Star Wars IV was merely a western in space.  You know, good, evil, black hats, white hats, horses, rugged individuals, pretty girls, unfulfilled romance, no-reload guns, villains falling down in heaps, good guys are bullet proof, twisting plots, etc.  IV,V, and VI are faithful to the original message.  I, II, and III's message is obscured by excessive use of CG.

This... this whole thread, actually... reminds me of a couple of points. James Garner (aka Bret Maverick; yeah, I know who he is- I grew up watching him and I'm 32) did a documentary about Westerns called "Big Guns Talk". There at the first, he talking about how most folks like a good western and they're switching scenes between classic western movies and what looks a whole lot like the opening scene from Star Wars IV.

The other point is to consider when Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (who Harrison Ford said he wouldn't play again) and Chewbacca went in there, found out Princess Leah was there after her capture, got her out... you could see a classic case of the guys rescueing the damsel in distress. Remember how Han Solo said "better her than me" because Leah was marked for execution? Watch the next two and my how times have changed.



Oh, and ya'll remember all the gunfights Leia was in? I saw Episode 1 and she was just like her mama.

[Iapetus]

the prequels didn't even entertain the idea that the Separatists might have had valid reasons for their actions.

Of course not, since there was no valid reason for the Trade Federation to blockage Naboo.  The whole thing was a plot by Darth Sidius to weaken the already faltering Galatic Republic so that he could further his plans to seize power and put The Sith in charge of everything.

I wasn't referring to Phantom Menace, where the Trade Federation were obviously nothing but villains (and pathetic ones at that).

I was thinking about the later prequels, where "thousands" of systems had joined the rebellion.  I know the rebellion was orchestrated by Darth Sideous (but so was the Republic's response, so that can't be used to condemn one side without condemning both), and I know a lot of nasty, greedy people and power groups were involved in the plot.  But I find it difficult to believe that all of the "thousands" of rebel systems were motivated purely by greed / Sith domination.

After all, it was acknowledged from Ep1 that the Senate was corrupt and useless.  It just seemed odd to me, especially in light of the originals, that none of the good guys ever wondered "Maybe the Separatists have a point?" or "Is the Republic really worth saving?"  They didn't even question it and conclude "Yes it is worth saving" - they just ignored the issue completely.

(Or maybe I'm just taking a kiddies' space opera far too seriously).

[Silver Bullet]

Watch them in this order:

Star Wars Episode IV
Star Wars Episode V
Star Wars Episode VI
Star Wars Episode I
Star Wars Episode II
Star Wars Episode III

Firefly (episodes 1-14)
Serenity

Because: 

1) Some of the interest or surprises in IV thru VI are given away by what you learn in I thru III.

2) If you watch Firefly/Serenity first, Star Wars will look like a cartoon.  Better to watch Star Wars before you see Firefly; that way you can more easily maintain the illusion that what you're watching is really good.

[Silver Bullet]

It's good, just not "really good".  Maybe Episode V is "really good".  And probably IV.

[InfidelSerf]

1) Some of the interest or surprises in IV thru VI are given away by what you learn in I thru III.

I disagree.

They really are two completely different trilogies.

Watching 4-6 will give you an understanding and appreciation for the story that the first 3 failed to achieve on their own.
1-3 basically filled in the blanks to a few backstory questions that 4-6 left.
However 4-6 stand on their own as films and really didn't need it. 
But hey you make 3 movies that rake in one of the largest piles of cash you can imagine and see if you think making more isn't a good idea.
Lucas transformed the film industry with #4 So I have nothing but respect for the pioneering spirit he possesed.
He created the merchandising industry surounding movies.
Starwars basically broke up the classic good ol boy big studio environment.   Opening the doors for alot of great films to be made.

I certainly don't agree with many of the choices and decisions he made since, but you have to admire the empire he created (no pun intended )

While you are going to enjoy the story, no matter what order you choose.

Personally I think it would be better to watch the original 3 in their order then the first 3.