Prequel viewings question

[PJB-1138]

frankly i would rather watch the CW. it opens up the universe much more and the characters are done in a way that makes them more likable.

I would like to join Craw & Pixletwin by saying how much the new Clone Wars show, especially last season, has got me enjoying the Star Wars universe again in a way the PT never did.

The creators seem to capture a lot more of the vibe of the OT, which they've said was their mission from the get-go (according to the Art of the Clone Wars book). Having the show set right in the middle of the Clone Wars allows the stories to hit the ground running the same way the OT was set smack-dab in the fight with the Rebellion, without getting bogged down with origin stories (How were the Clones made? Who cares! They're a clone army -- 'nuff said). Anakin has proven to be more likeable & dynamic as a cartoon character than the unfortunate screen actors that were cast, making his relationship with the other characters all the more interesting. And, to any kid who poured over all of Ralph McQuarrie' concept art from the old movies, seeing that visual style translated into animation conjures a classic SW look that seemed missing in most of the PT.

Seriously, to those who wrote the show off after its initial launch (& I have to admit, I was among them), do yourself the favor of checking out the 2nd season if you've not already done so. Besides a few duds in the mix, there was plenty there to placate the majority of prequel-haters. I should know since, until recently, I was one of them! ;-)

 

[automaton]

Well, I know I'll get ribbed and raspberried for this but...

I like the prequels a lot...especially the much-maligned AOTC. That's not to say it doesn't have a lot of the flaws to it that are repeatedly pointed out here and elsewhere, but for me...the story aspects outweigh them when I'm watching and...there are just so many cool aspects about it that work IMO.

We see the underside of everything here...not just the machinations of Palpatine's rise as a Sith Lord, but how the arrogance and complacence of the Jedi give him fuel for his fire.

I know folks really loath the whole Ani-Padme bits, but I think all of the awkwardness of it plays as it should, right down to the sappy lines. This isn't a mad torrid affair, it's a twisted, tragic coupling of two people not wired for a relationship...the man repressed by an Order he was too old to "join" and channeling the resentment and disappointment in his own feelings of personal failure towards his mother into a desperate grasp at what he thinks is "love" and a woman falling into a familiar pattern of duty and wanting to help him....mistaking her lifelong passion for politics and problem solving for "love"...a relationship they both know and admit is wrong, but they go for it anyway...

Other things that work in AOTC....the origins of the Clones, coming from a notorious bounty hunter (the apartment scene between Kenobi and Fett is among my favorites in the entire saga), seeing a disillusioned Jedi leave the order and embrace the dark side (Lee is really fun to watch here) and those battlefield scenes on Geonosis of the opening salvos of the Clone Wars...

I know I'm not going to convince anybody in here...but I like where Lucas took his saga with the prequels...are there "flaws" You bet...but the entire saga has it s share of 'em...

i agree with what you are saying… especially about the relationship between Padme and Anakin. unfortunately, the scripting and execution of those scenes are so utterly painful to watch that it makes me wonder if that is what ukase was going for (are we giving him too much credit?)…

i remember seeing the film The Notebook and was surprised as to how fantastic a job it did to show to unlikely people falling in love… the acting and direction have to come from a sense of passion that perhaps like a modern day Kiss song, just isn't there.

 

[Starkiller]

I even think TPM could use the Blu-Ray treatment as it looks a little washed out compared to AOTC and ROTS, especially the look of the lightsabers.
Plus we need that awful TPM Puppet replaced by CGI. (Please leave OT Yoda alone)

Didn't they already do that for the dvd?

 

[DinoLast]

Didn't they already do that for the dvd?

Well I only have the DVD, it is pretty old though. It was the first one I ever had, I got it with my PS2 so maybe they improved it since then, I don't think they did though?

 

[devilof76]

Great post jedibear. I agree. Would I have prefered the three films have been written by Robert Heinlein or Victor Higo? You're damn right I would. Is anything today that quality? No, there's nothing. And given that, the prequels have never stood out to me for their lack of literary merit. The story is amazing (and so much more interesting than 99% of what is out there), even if its execution was more amusement park than Pulitzer. Personally, Star Wars has never been the latter for me, so it never occured to me that the prequels were something worth complaining about (until I found the internet...), nevermind hating.

Imagine my surprise.

 

[Agent0028]

I have a coworker who thinks the OT is boring but loves the PT. I'm not sure what is wrong with her. I didn't think anyone other than children first exposed to the PT felt that way.

 

[Apone]

I think he is just waiting for a good time to release them. But the question "Is it possible to make the OT look good on blu-ray?" should be Yes... The clips from the OT that where shown durring Star Wars in Concert where verry clear and nice

Maybe Lucas could pull it off but in my experience with Blu-rays made before 2000...they dont look any better than DVD...in some cases worse because it brings out the flaws in the film. I could be wrong but the ones I do have on Blu-ray dont look any better..example.. Predator

 

[DinoLast]

Maybe Lucas could pull it off but in my experience with Blu-rays made before 2000...they dont look any better than DVD...in some cases worse because it brings out the flaws in the film. I could be wrong but the ones I do have on Blu-ray dont look any better..example.. Predator

There are quite a few old movies that look much better on Blu-Ray
IMO

 

[Grenouille]

Maybe Lucas could pull it off but in my experience with Blu-rays made before 2000...they dont look any better than DVD...in some cases worse because it brings out the flaws in the film. I could be wrong but the ones I do have on Blu-ray dont look any better..example.. Predator

Both of Predator's releases are pretty underwhelming. However "old" movies can still look great on Blu-Ray. Casablanca for instance looks amazing.

 

[Apone]

Both of Predator's releases are pretty underwhelming. However "old" movies can still look great on Blu-Ray. Casablanca for instance looks amazing.

Yea..i agree with both of you..I should have specified that I was referring to movie in the era of Star wars up until the 90's

 

[Starkiller]

Well I only have the DVD, it is pretty old though. It was the first one I ever had, I got it with my PS2 so maybe they improved it since then, I don't think they did though?

I'd need to do research but I thought I saw somewhere that in the later DVD releases he changed it.

I'm about to sell most of my DVDs as I have a 1.5 TB harddrive that has about 200 movies on it. I no longer have any need for discs taking up space. As I rip them, I should sell them.

 

[OSCORP]

I would like to request this thread be deleted. (can't do it myself anymore)

This thread has gone past my intentions. Which were to see how many don't watch the PT after the initial Theater viewings. And i got a few good answers thank you for that. But most ignored it, and turned into a PT bashing fest which was not my intention. It's my fault, i shoulda known better in this forum.

 

[Customikey]

I would like to request this thread be deleted. (can't do it myself anymore)

This thread has gone past my intentions. Which were to see how many don't watch the PT after the initial Theater viewings. And i got a few good answers thank you for that. But most ignored it, and turned into a PT bashing fest which was not my intention. It's my fault, i shoulda known better in this forum.

While it's true that you should have known better, nevertheless, I think the conversation has evolved a bit from simple prequel-bashing (though that is inevitably a part of any discussion of Star Wars), and has become pretty interesting!

I don't think it should be locked simply because it's not behaving as you wanted. Your question is simply a jumping-off point. Conversations are like that.

 

[OSCORP]

Let the mods do as they wish then. I have gotten all i will or probably can from this thread.

 

[Customikey]

I'd need to do research but I thought I saw somewhere that in the later DVD releases he changed it.

I'm about to sell most of my DVDs as I have a 1.5 TB harddrive that has about 200 movies on it. I no longer have any need for discs taking up space. As I rip them, I should sell them.

Congrats on the harddrive and saving space! I'm always a proponent of getting rid of stuff. To answer your question, yes, the scenes in TPM have been altered with a CG Yoda, but not in a full release. The altered scenes can be seen as part of a behind-the-scenes doc on the bonus disc for ROTS.

 

[Customikey]

Let the mods do as they wish then. I have gotten all i will or probably can from this thread.

Sorry to see you leave the conversation. I think you started an interesting thread, Oscorp. Thanks.

 

[Agent0028]

PT bashing is annoying, but it always seems to spark interesting conversation for those of us who enjoy them.

 

[OSCORP]

Sorry to see you leave the conversation. I think you started an interesting thread, Oscorp. Thanks.

Thanks for that. But i have been in these conversations before. Again i just wanted to know how many people if any here stopped viewing the PT after the theater. Not why one is better than the other discussions.

But if you guys are enjoying yourselves, hey, have fun!

 

[Boba Ben]

I watch the OT from time to time throughout the year, but I face the same problem as you. I think I watched TPM a couple times when I got it on VHS because I was still pretty young back then, maybe 14 years old, but I can't really bring my interest up to watch the prequel films anymore. I think I started watching Attack of the Clones once and just lost interest and turned it off.

 

[sithlord13]

I always find it a little amazing on a star wars fan forum that so many people dislike half the films!
I guess that If the prequels had never been made I would have survived but on the whole I like them .......
( but I would edit them....)