STAR WARS new vs. old

[MaricopaMan]

So Revenge of the Sith is coming out next month. I dont know about anyone else, but I really really love the originalStar Wars movies. The new ones Phantom Menace and I forget the other one's name I found to be incredibly obnoxious. Jar-Jar binks should be taked out with high powered shotgun. Does anyone out there hate the new movies as much as I do?

Also, I bought the special edition version that they released this past Christmas. Its the old movies, but with added speical effects that were ment to "improve" the movies. I think that the stuff that the added was awful and totally clashed with the feel of the original. Am I out in left field with this one or do people generally agree with me.

Does ANYONE know where I could find a DVD copy of the original movies?

This is to start a discussion about anything Star Wars!!!

[Jedi of Zen]

From one Star Wars geek to another -

I know that I definitely hold a minority opinion on this, but I for one do not think the prequel trilogy is nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Sure, it isn't nearly as good as the original, but come on - did you REALLY expect it to top the originals?

As for the DVD, I for one think it kicks ass. However, I DO agree with you that the original big-screen versions of the classic trilogy have been doctored so much now that it's almost like watching an entirely different movie at this point. If Lucas knows what's good for him, he'll eventually release the *original* originals on DVD as well.

[inuts]

My opinion? One geek to another? Attack of the Clones was good sometimes, and bad sometimes. Some parts were legitimately good.

I think the expectation is that III will be really good--and possibly the best of the entire franchise. Possibly. And I never hated the Ewoks.

[and1grad]

My opinion? One cool guy to a bunch of geeks...I think the added special effects were a TREMENDOUS improvement and I agree that the new trilogy hasnt been AS bad as they make it out to be. I expect big things from this latest film.

[tina1979]

I only saw th first new star wars movie and I wasn't incredibly impressed with it, but then again I love the old cheesy ones. I don't own the movies, but at least once a year the original trilogy is played on tv together and I will watch it.

[GetMeOuttaDC]

I actually think the newer movies are slightly better (better written and better visual effects) than the older ones.

And I never hated the Ewoks.
Who's the heartless bastard that hated the Ewoks??? They are sooooo cute! I used to want to be one. :green:

[HereComes30]

NOTHING can touch the original 3. I actually just watched Return of the Jedi this weekend for the first time since Lucas decided he needed to change a few things in it. Nothing that made me appalled. Question though...did he CGI in the Annikan from the first 3 movies at the end when Vader is burned and is in the ghostly lineup with Obiwan and Yoda? And why does Vader need to be burned first to be included and Yoda just dies and he is a ghost?

I heard too that there were some subtle changes in the other 2 originals that took away from soem things a bit...one scene pointed out to me for example was in the bar when Han Solo is meeting with Luke...and instead of Han shooting first at a bad guy (showing his keen sense of his surroundings and awareness of who is good and bad as well as his willingness to do what he wants), Lucas changed it to have the other person fire first. Just a subtle little thing that I would probably never pick up on but that can have some impact on the character development.

I think the first "new" Star Wars movie was ok...I think the reason I want to like it so much is that it was the first one in YEARS! So the excitement building up to it and being able to see it on the big screen again was awesome. Maybe too much build up which left many disappointed?

The second in the new series I thought was pretty good. Better than most other action movies that have come out over the last few years. But I think the third will be AWESOME if the trailer is any indication. I just watched it last week for the first time and I cannot wait to see it! No camping out for me though...but probably within the first 2 weeks I will be there with goose bumps.

Anyone else feel like screaming and cheering when the opening theme song blairs from the speaker and the stars appear on the screen?

And to answer someone's earlier question...to find the older DVD editions, I would look on Ebay. But I bet you pay a premium since they are scarce.

[spokes]

i think that part of the mystique of the first three were the fact that we were much younger and we viewed the world a lot differently. i enjoy the moview for what they are.

the only scene in #2 that i thought was really cheesey was when Natalie Portmans outfit was strategically ripped to reveal her nice abs and belly button piercing.......

[HereComes30]

Ahhhhhhh....Natalie Portman...that is a whole different thread!!

[Benwa]

I'm looking forward to this one coming out. It's pretty dark, which I like. It has a PG-13 rating.

As for the remakes, I don't know. I see some things like the computer generated scenery as art. One thing I don't like is the new Jaba. He's not nearly as gross as the old puppet one. He used to be real blubbery looking and had all sorts of mucus things happening. He's had a make over because the mucus is gone and he's not nearly as fat. Maybe because he's a young Jaba and hasn't let himself go to shit yet. Bring back the mucus though.

[inuts]

i think that part of the mystique of the first three were the fact that we were much younger and we viewed the world a lot differently. i enjoy the moview for what they are.

the only scene in #2 that i thought was really cheesey was when Natalie Portmans outfit was strategically ripped to reveal her nice abs and belly button piercing.......

I thought some of the dialogue was really awkward and stunted. Okay, most of it. And I couldn't even enjoy watching Yoda with a lightsaber. It felt like more cheese.

But I'll give two thumbs up to Ewan MacGregor's line when the alien says "You must be interested in seeing the clones..." and Ewan chuckles a little and says "That's why I'm here".

[pink bunny]

I am a total Star Wars nerd, rereaed expanded universe obsesivly, at one point had over a hundred pages of fan fiction... As for the movies Love 'em all, and yeah Natalie Portman is beyond gorgeus...

[stonemonkey]

I liked that celebration song that the ewoks sing at the end of Return of the Jedi. When I was a kid, I wanted to BE an ewok.

[SweetClassyGuy]

Does anyone play that Star Wars Collectable Card Game where you have playing cards of all the ships and characters and fight the good guys vs. the bad? I have many of those, and its fun to play.

[pink bunny]

Me and my friend used to play it all the time. My parents destryoed mine so I would stop playing with them though.

[Stormshadow]

Star Wars has been with me practically since birth. I love the original trilogy, but come on, episode IV was fucking cheezy!!!!! The medal ceremony at the end? How come Chewbacca didn't get one? No respect for the Wookies I tell you :) Funny stuff. Empire and jedi contrastly, were masterpieces, and I HATE how they changed the ghost of anakin skywalker at the end to portray his younger self. Total B.S. Why not regress Obi-Wan and Yoda while you're at it?

People may change their views about Phantom Menace when they see Revenge of the Sith. Hint hint.

As for Jar-Jar, well, Lucas somewhat redeemed himself. In "Clone Wars", Jar Jar proposes that emergency powers be granted to Palpatine; so you see, IT'S ALL JAR JARS FAULT :) Fucking Jackass.

I was originally disappointed with "Sith" not getting an R rating, because a lot of people are gonna take a dirt nap. We finally get to say goodbye to Mace Windu, the Jedi master who doesn't do anything (I mean, in clones he snuck up on both Dooku AND jango Fett; could have taken Jango's head in fact right then and there--freakin' procrastinator) and whom we don't know jack about. He's black and carries a purple saber.....ok. Great characterization for a leader of the Jedi Council. Yoda isn't MUCH better, but at least he's given more to do. But I really have HIGH hopes for Sith, as a lot of things should be explained, including a character change for Yoda from the prequel to the original trilogy :) hint hint again.

BTW: Sith is not going to be the end of Star Wars :)

[tdko]

I confess, I really like Star Wars. I've never dressed up as a wookie, or gone to a Star Wars convention, but I saw both prequels the opening day and know waaay too much SW trivia.

Anyway, my wife and I were watching Eps I & II. Before I dragged her to opening day of ROTS, I had to remind myself why I depised the first two movies. And as I'm watching and complaining (and my wife rolls her eyes) I figured out how the storyline could have been improved.

The Phantom Menace:

1. It is weird that network news doesn't exist in the SW universe. If the Senate didn't believe that the Trade Federation was blockading Naboo, why didn't they just send a ship with a camera out there? They claimed they needed a committee, but that doesn't make any sense. The blockade was huge. Send one guy they trust out there to verify that there's a shitload of fighters blocking the way.

2. So they escape to Tatooine, where a 9-year old can build a pod racer just 'cause. Here's a thought: Anakin should've had a father-figure, someone who knew something about electronics and was teaching the kid what he knew. That would have made the plotline a little more believable. Maybe the guy gave the kid his old pod racer and they were just fixing it up.

3. And while we're at it, what's with the Jesus-birth thing? Couldn't the mom just say she didn't know who the dad was? Oy!

4. How come Queen Amidala is allowed to force a vote of no-confidence? She's not even part of the Senate! They should have had an actual Senator propose the vote. Isn't it possible that after hearing of Naboo's terrible plight, someone might have just believed her and been outraged at the Senate's obvious idiocy?

5. Okay, so I can understand why Obi-Wan wants to train Anakin. He promised Qui-Gon that he would, and he watched ol' Q.G. die. But why does Yoda let a brand-new Jedi train a kid he admits is dangerous? If Anakin were that dangerous, give him to Samuel Jackson to keep the kid down. Didn't Yoda see Pulp Fiction? My suggestion would be that Obi-Wan trains Anakin on the sly, and by the time the Jedi Council finds out, he's too old to be put with someone else so they're forced to leave him be.

6. The crap about Anakin being too old--what, do Jedi start training at birth? Even the kids in Yoda's class in Ep II aren't more than 6. If they were really that concerned about age, make him 13. I can see how training ought to begin before puberty. And that makes the infatuation with Padmé make sense. Can you imagine if the only girl you'd ever known (at the impressionable age of 13) was Natalie Portman? You'd still be hot for her after 10 years too.

Attack of the Clones:

1. My biggest beef: why does Padmé fall in love with Anakin? She first treats him like a child, then shuts him down, then witnesses his breakdown after he slaughters a village of Tusken Raiders! She doesn't even get a little upset when he announces that he killed all the women and children. She tells him she won't fall in love with him because it would destroy their lives. Then the next word we hear about it they're about to die in the Arena and she "truly, deeply" loves him. WTF?

2. I think Anakin and Padmé should not have gotten together. He could've pined away for her, while she moved on. Then in Ep III he rapes her. Luke and Leia are children of rape. That's why he moves to the dark side, because he brutalized the one person in the universe he loves! And that's why she hides the kids away. She already knew that he was a super-powerful Jedi, but now she also knows he's completely insane.

In Ep I, the acting was bad. Having just watched Natalie Portman in Closer, I know how amazing an actress she is. Ewan MacGregor is incredible. So how come they suck in SW? I'll tell you though, Jar-Jar Binks ain't that bad. Annoying he is, and Ep I is pretty kid-oriented, but he's not that much worse than Ewoks.

In Ep II, the plot was ridiculous. Honestly, if they could just fix the love story between Padmé and Anakin, the whole thing would have been so much better.

[cornflakegirl]

I confess, I really like Star Wars. I've never dressed up as a wookie, or gone to a Star Wars convention, but I saw both prequels the opening day and know waaay too much SW trivia.



haha - my brother & nephew just went to the convention, fully dressed too. they were lando calrissian & anakin, respectively. my nephew, at 4, knows more star wars characters & storyline than most adults. i am befuddled when i play with him & he references something or someone that i haven't heard of. i am not super into star wars, but by having a brother so into it, it is only natural that i am interested in it.

i also found the anakin/padme burgeoning relationship thing to be a little off. it has been a few years since i watched it & only once, but i remember finding this storyline a little odd.

return of the jedi was just on tv. caught the tail end. i am getting pretty excited to see the new one, but i think it is gonna be a really sad. despite so many complaints that episodes 1 & 2 don't live up to the original trilogy, i'm sure this series is gonna end with a bang.

[cornflakegirl]

tdko -- you should of put up a spoiler alert!! I feel like I don't even need to see Ep. III now!

That said... I think what was great about the original three movies was that there really hadn't been anything like them before they came out.

lily - i believe tdko is telling how he'd think padme/anakin relationship unfolds, not how it actually does.

i agree that the original trilogy came out in a time where the ideas & technology were so original. it blew everyone away. nowadays, it is pretty difficult to do something unique. we've seen the special effects in every other movie. the storyline isn't groundbreaking because we had star wars for that. what episodes 1, 2, 3 do have is still some amazing effects, nonetheless, & we have been invested in the storyline since we were little & this is the supposed end (well, technically it is the middle of it).

[tdko]

If Lucas knows what's good for him, he'll eventually release the *original* originals on DVD as well.
George Lucas has been quoted as saying that the DVD version of Eps IV-VI are the definitive version. He will never release the original theatrical versions. He said that the DVD version were the movies he intended to make, so there's no reason to release the "inferior" version.

On the other hand, plenty of people on eBay are selling DVDs with the original theatrical versions on them, ripped from the VHS I suppose. It's not too hard to find. (And if you actually buy them, let me know how the quality is =).

[cornflakegirl]

for the star wars/ napoleon dynamite fans

http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/anakin_dynamite

check out the star wars gansta rap on the website. for some reason, i can' access it on my computer, but on my brother's i was. could be a mac/pc thing. pretty funny though, check them out.