Star Wars TV Series

[judda fett]

After ROTJ and the mass merchandising for SW ceased to exist the way it dominated 77-84, bar a few games and gamebooks there was really bugger all til the Timothy Zhan novels, Dark Horses 'Marvel reprints and the Special Editions all about/ over a decade later. It was only when it was established that there was still a fanbase that Lucas even bothered considering returning to it. Theres loads of SW media available books, comics, models, games etc, some poo, others amazing...Lucasfilm can only 'perpetually make Star Wars product' while people still want it.

[SIP]

I have a great affection for Star Wars - and I always will.
It was a huge part of my childhood and flawed or not I enjoyed the prequels.
Watching the originals again (trust me I have seen these films a lot - think I have probably seen the prequels almost as much) I think they have similar flaws.

My fandom doesn't stretch to the novels etc, though I have read a small amount of the comic stories - Its the core material where my interests lie.
I'm not afflicted by the need to buy all the merchandise so don't really register with that particular argument - last time I saw one of the films at the cinema I didn't notice anyone forcing me to buy a Jedi Starfighter afterwards. Christmas with a Star Wars toy when I was a kid is a really happy memory for me - I wasn't the pawn of Lucas's marketing master plan....I just wanted to fly around the house with my Millenium Falcon - whats wrong with that? Why is that any different than getting Lego or Monopoly?

I have the odd thing now - but not a lot (ok, there may be a lightsabre or two knocking about....).

I'm not blind to the problems in the prequels - but when it comes down to it I just plain enjoy them - problems or not.
Sith pretty much answered all my childhood ponderings, I had more issue with Anakins rapid turn the first time I saw it....but I accepted it more after considering the time it actually took for him to get to that point (ok, It is still far too quick an escalation - but I can forgive the film at least that much).

Padmes death is the bad bit - not handled well - fair enough.

The rest was great - and I still think Sith stands up well with the originals - I don't wear rose tinted spectacles. A New Hope and Jedi suffer more than Empire.

Phantom Menace IS better than AOTC overall although the latter has some great moments (the Jango Fett set pieces are excellent and my favourite segments).

I think people are so quick to judge these films with the same old stock-criticism being rolled out - what happened to just being able to enjoy a decent bit of escapist action/adventure?

Anyway, I look forward to the TV series - and will give it a fair shot before heaping it with scorn.

Damn, said I wasn't going to defend it didn't I .....

[judda fett]

^^^ Ditto... Apart from Phantom Menace being better AOTC! :P

[TordelBack]

Ach, it's worth defending, i'm probably being unnecessarily curmudgeonly.  I too enjoyed the Prequels a lot, and rewatch them regularly, and I'm also not immune to the faults of the originals (chunks of Jedi are almost unwatchable).  I think Phantom Menace works as a maginficently ambitious heroic failure, and I find I watch it more than the other two, which become increasingly "by the numbers".  Another of my beefs with Revenge is the complete sidelining of Jar Jar, which smacks of pandering to the fanboys to an unhealthy degree.  One scene wouldn't have killed anyone.  

I do honestly think that it wouldn't have taken much fiddling with the last 10 minutes to make Revenge a much, much better movie, and by association the whole Prequel project.  

[worldshown]

One scene wouldn't have killed anyone

What, the scene where Jar Jar gets horribly murdered, thus explaining why he isn't seen in the original trilogy ;)

[vzzbux]

Starwars is my love, my life.

I dont see them as 6 films but one long one, and have had many heated discussions with friends collegues about holes and tech differences. My defence has been sometimes blind and stupid but in the end they are only films after all and made for our enjoyment. If they were crap and unenjoyable Lucas would be a poor man.

Who cares about the luvvy duvvy of ep2 or Jar Jar, a necessary evil. There is enough action throughout to compensate. Jar Jar needed to die though.

Ive just started to read the first Darth Bane book and have just found out another on is due soon.

Maybe they should've gone for the Sith Wars for the new series and opened that side of SW to those other than the devoted fan.

ESP was my fave
ROTS
ROTJ
AOTC
ANH
TPM Bottom of the pile.






V

[Roger Godpleton]

I loved the first two prequels when I first saw them at the cinema. However, once I watched them at home the flaws soon became apparent. When Yoda fought Dracula in AotC I was the only person in a packed cinema not doubled over with laughter, and I was appalled that anyone would not take such a momentous occasion seriously. Once I saw this for a second time, I conceded that this scene was indeed, wank.

The first time I saw RotS I went in with low expextations, but once we saw the Clone Wars in full swing I was happy, and thought that maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Oh, but it was.

The scene where Anakin tells Padme "You look so ... beautiful" had me in stitches due to the colossally shit acting. I almost choked. I voiced this complaint on this board, provoking a response that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher weren't that hot either. True, but at least I didn't want to set them on fire (since they're all mannequins they'd go up easily). More anti - classics followed as Nat, Hayden, Ewan and the gang hammed it up to the max.

"You've killed younglings". Younglings?

And don't forget "NNNNNNOOOOO"

As I came out of the cinema, I overheard a fellow customer commenting that there were "A few too many special effects". Erm, just "a few"?

***IMPORTANT READ THIS***
A couple of days later I decided that I had gone into the film the first time with an overly cynical frame of mind, so I tried to put my preconceptions to one side, but the movie still blew.

So to summarise: Revenge of the Sith? More like Gayvenge of the Gayith.

I couldn't find the Vader/QOTSA mash-up so this will have to do

So to summarise: Revenge of the Sith

Link: http://newvaderemo.ytmnd.com/" target="_blank">Sorry

[Peter Wolf]

 I have to say that i am not the biggest fan of the Star Wars films.I did see Star Wars just like everyone else did and i did enjoy it but it didnt leave much of an impression for any length of time.The following 2 films i saw as well.I enjoyed them but again i didnt think that they were great.

 I havent watched them since to my knowledge so that was that.Been there , done that , but didnt buy the T Shirt or the action figures.

 

 Anyway ,years later for reasons i cannot think of  as it defies all logic i went to the Cinema and watched the first of the prequels whatever it was called.

 For the first time ever i very nearly did walk out of the cinema.I just thought what the hell am i doing in here watching this ?

 I didnt walk out but i will never have anything to do with anything by George Lucas again.

[JOE SOAP]

I think the biggest mistake of the prequels was the portrayal, if you can even call it that, of the Jedi as the dumbest, most ineffective warriors ever.

The other big mistake was the utter travesty of a character known as Annakin Skywalker. I just wanted him to die at the end of ROTS.


By the end of the prequels you just knew Lucas didn't give a shit about story arcs or even plot points and making the bad guy be the most obvious person in the galaxy was insulting, even to kids.

[TordelBack]

...making the bad guy be the most obvious person in the galaxy was insulting, even to kids

Dunno about that, now.  I thought playing the Palpatine/Sidious thing straight was one of the braver and more successful things about the Prequels, not least because it gave the best actor out of the bunch two wonderfully hammy roles to play.  The idea that the much-vaunted Clone Wars were the creation of one man, and that both sides were led by the same man, and hence utterly and completely pointless, is still a pretty cold idea.

Personally, I was dreading some clone-based switcheroo twist at the last minute.

[Peter Wolf]

 I would be happy to watch the originals again anytime.Even if you are not a big fan there is no denying that they were good films.

  I found the Phantom Menace to be very tame and found the whole film very childish.There was just something lacking in it.There should not have been a comedy element in it.I am sure everyone knows what i am talking about.The very second that character appeared that was it for me.It was pathetic.

 I found the kid who played Anakin irritating.Ewan McGregor the same.The same goes for Liam Neeson surpringly enough as he is a good actor.They both seemed to lack any conviction in the parts they were playing.There was no depth to the characters.

 As for the Sith character i thought he was a joke as well.Just some guy in make up.Lets face it he hasnt become a screen icon the way darth Vader has.

 

[Roger Godpleton]

He still garnered a decent following though.

[Mardroid]

I liked Darth Maul myself. I thought he was probably one of the best things about The Phantom Menace.

Overall I didn't dislike the prequels, but I agree they could and should have been better. What I found strange was that so many actors who are actually very good in other films were so cheesy in this. I wondered if the films were just hacked out without giving them time to practice and get into the role. Then one day when listening to the commentary of one of the films (I think it was RotS but I'm not sure) I hear Lucas talking about how the scrolling title sequence was inspired by old sci fi films he watched as a kid. He also said that other things including the acting style were inspired by that time.

In other words, all these good actors were purposeully hamming it up because he told them to. Isn't that sad?

Overall I still think the storyline of the prequels is great though. All the machinations of Darth Sidious playing two sides off each other was interesting. I even think AotC is underrated. True the Padme, Anakin scenes were utter pants (and we're not talking just Y fronts here but massive rocket powered long johns with cufflinks) but the detective time line with Obiwan, Jango Fett and the Clones was pretty good.

The quick decline of Vader in the last film though, I was disappointed in that. He just turned out to be a rather one dimensional chatacter.

I'm very much looking forward to the series though, I think it might have room to expand and do well. I hope they have other directors and writers appart from Lucas though. Well ok, his writing isn't too bad, but the directing I think should be left to someone else...

Wow. Got carried away there...

[vzzbux]

What I want to know is why they went with the Ewok's films and not Shadows of the Empire.

At a convention once my brother was talking to Jeremy Bulloch and found out Shadows was very close to being started but was scrapped at the last minute.


V

[Richmond Clements]

Funnily enough, we watched TPM at the weekend. I hadn't seen it for ages, and it was a lot better than I remembered- and I like the movie!
Fantastic pod race and the best lightsaber duel ever.

And I love the Yoda/Dooku fight. I LOVE it.
I honestly do not see why anyone with any sort of imagination would find it 'hilarious'.