I was older than you when I saw it, but that opening scene when the ship enters the screen was just about the most amazing thing I had seen in movies up to that time.
Same here–I was a lad of 16 that year. We had to stand in line for a long time because we’d gotten there too late for the showing we’d planned to see. A couple of us had to do a McDonald’s run to get us food, I remember.
I was 16 or so also. Also stood in line. We were also amazed by that first shot of the ship entering the screen, and then the whole movie was equally amazing. It was like nothing we had ever seen before.
There are a metric ton of good books, movies and music that are not going to be on the forefront of someone’s memory 5+ years from now. Asking any movie to be the same cultural phenomenon as the original trilogy is really an impossible goal. It simply can not happen given that Star Wars essentially created a genre, hit at the exact right time from a cultural standpoint and had special effects that at the time were mind-blowing. Star Wars could be the best movie of the decade and could not reach that bar. If people here want to call any Star Wars movie that does not reach that level an epic failure then they are better off not going to see any more of them.
Lucas’ attempt to duplicate this created movies that not only got nowhere near the same level as the original trilogy (OT) but resulted in movies that were considered awful to mediocre. At least the Disney ones are entertaining and far better received. I also believe that many look at Star Wars through some seriously myopic glasses. Return of the Jedi did not and does not provoke “interesting discussions”. It was a popcorn movie and certainly no deeper or better constructed than the new batch of Star Wars movies.
We’ll see how the franchise continues doing. Could be they cashed in on a market hungry for more SW, but mishandled the franchise and damaged its longer-term marketability. Solo has had some seriously troubled development, I’m not hearing much positive buzz about it, and what JJ and his people can do with Ep 9 is a mystery to me.
People said the same thing about the prequels but I can tell you there’s a whole new generation that grew up with them and think they’re just as good as the originals.
We must associate with different people. I have yet to meet anyone personally who said the prequels were as good at the original trilogy, either critics or fans. While I am sure those people exist, you would have to be looking under some mighty big rocks to uncover them.
This would be every young person that I know personally who was born since the prequels were released, so a sample size of about a half dozen. In fact, several like the prequels better, find the originals boring.
I could see that with Phantom Menace, but man, I can’t even imagine what someone would find interesting about Attack of the Clones.
I can’t argue with that. I actually kind of like Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith, but man Attack of the Clones is just like watching a slowly deflating balloon, except for the bits involving Gumshoe Kenobi.
So, it’s like a Chinese word, which can be written in a single centimeter²?
I actually liked AoTC the best of the prequels, but not by much. It started off pretty good with the assassination attempt, the car chase, had Boba Fett origin story. I didn’t even mind the gladiator fight all that might.
Phantom Menace just dragged for me. Some of it is a bit of “woooo” new Star Wars movie and we bought a lot of tickets to see over the weekend. I was capital D- DONE with it by the end. Sith just made Vader seem… not the guy we saw in Star Wars.
The Disney movies I find more enjoyable by a long shot. But I am in the camp of “did I get a night’s entertainment out of it” and not worried about it rocking my world.
The article on Gilroy says that the director’s cut was very different. I haven’t listened to the podcast. Any chance that cut ever comes out? Seems unlikely given that MegaCorp owns the franchise now.
That cut would most likely have been some early/rough cut without completed effects or sound to show the basic plot, pacing etc. not something that would ever be released.
It had the redemption of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. That was pretty deep. Why did he do it? Out of love for his son? Midlife crisis? Out of hatred for the Emperor? Because he had such a miserable existence up to that point and wanted to end it all? Did he even know he would die so was it a true sacrifice? Or did he think he would kill the Emperor and walk away leader of the Empire?
Was Jar Jar actually a Sith Lord?
Interesting discussions don’t require good films.
That is not an interesting discussion.
Exactly. Because everyone already knows Jar Jar was actually a Sith Lord.
My kids were exposed to the originals first, and they both think the prequels suck. They both also have enjoyed the new SW movies.
I think that is the most important thing for most people. Were you entertained? Yes. Would you have changed some things? Probably.