I got an email a while ago pointing me to an article from late last year about a new way to watch the Star Wars movies … and was reminded of it when I saw a post at Neatorama. It is quite intriguing and a new way to look at things – though not without flaws of its own. Here is the core premise:
Next time you want to introduce someone to Star Wars for the first time, watch the films with them in this order: IV, V, II, III, VI
Notice something? Yeah, Episode I is gone.
Episodes II and III aren’t exactly Shakespeare, but standing next to the complete and utter trainwreck that is Episode I, they sure look like it.
Episode I is a failure on every possible level. The acting, writing, directing, and special effects are all atrocious, and the movie is just plain boring. Luckily, George Lucas has done everyone a favor by making the content of Episode I completely irrelevant to the rest of the series. Seriously, think about it for a minute. Name as many things as you can that happen in Episode I and actually help flesh out the story in any subsequent episode. I can only think of one thing, which I’ll mention later.
Every character established in Episode I is either killed or removed before it ends (Darth Maul, Qui-Gon, Chancellor Valorum), unimportant (Nute Gunray), or established better in a later episode (Mace Windu). Does it ever matter that Palpatine had an apprentice before Count Dooku? Nope, Darth Maul is killed by the end of Episode I and never referenced again. You may as well just start with the assumption that Dooku was the only apprentice. Does it ever matter that Obi-Wan was being trained by Qui-Gon? Nope, Obi-Wan is well into training Anakin at the start of Episode II, Qui-Gon is completely irrelevant.
Search your feelings, you know it to be true! Episode I doesn’t matter at all. You can start the prequels with Episode II and miss absolutely nothing.
The article goes on to articulate a number of reasons why things really work well in terms of how tension and conflict is set and resolved throughout the series, and how this order draws new parallels between Luke and Anakin in their Jedi development that really heighten the stakes during the final sequence between Luke, Vader and the Emperor.
Some commenters complain about losing the Darth Maul battle, but I would say that the fragility of the coincidental timing in that sequence is much worse than the already convoluted ending of Jedi, which ruins it for me. Others comment on the wooden acting between Padme and Anakin as they begin a romance. Yet both are awkward sheltered teens … and with two teens of my own … well – let’s just say that teens are not so hip as they would like you to believe.
What do you think? Have you watched the movies recently? What would you suggest?
This is clever. I think my son wants to host a Star Wars viewing party at some point before graduation – I’ll mention this idea. His one recent comment about Episode 1 was that he had no interest in seeing the new 3D version – it was bad enough in two dimensions.
Same here! I suggested going to TPM3D … and that totally fell flat with the kids.
I do absolutely love Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan throughout all three movies though … that and the Maul battle are the only things I would hate to lose.
http://imgur.com/SAdYb on a related note 😉
I took my 11 year old son to EP1 in 3d. I agree the movie isn’t the best. But I really enjoyed seeing it on the big screen. I noticed many things in the back ground that I’ve never noticed before. It was worth it to see it so big. The 3d was crap…just some things out of focus.
Yes I suppose you can get the just of the story without EP1, but does that mean you should skip it? It is entertaining and it does help you to learn about over worlds and how powerful and patient Darth Sidious must be. …to be building his plan for so long. And seeing Anakin at such a young age, (although the actor makes it seem like he is 7 when he is supposed to be 9) seeing him at nine gives you more compassion and understanding about how he was taken from his mother and how he would and should love his mother so much.
I don’t see much to watching them out of order. Looking at the order above, if you moved ROTS up to #3 or even number 2 it might be just the movies in odd of favorites. 4,3,5,6,2,1. Empire could go higher on some days for me, but ROTS just wraps it all up, explains how Darth Vader was made. And 4, well it was just the first one…and it was a good story and has sentimental value to me.