Originally posted by queeq
If R1 wasn't a Star Wars movie, would it get the same praise from people who love R1?
Since it's fundamentally a prequel and more or less a supporting film for ANH, it would be very different film as a standalone. I do believe that it's merits are sufficient that it would be great even out of context. The movie itself is technically well made and solidly built through it's own direction, characters, acting, action etc. The SW license is fundamental to it's composition, however.
Would ESB get as much praise if it wasn't a Star Wars movie? A sequel is just as dependent on the previous movies as a prequel is. You're asking if a tree could flourish without it's trunk.
Originally posted by quanchi112
Better characters, better villains, better story, better effects, etc. you don't care about the characters or the story.
This is my point. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's a prequel or anything. It's more that it's quite a mediocre story, unlike ESB. Sure, you may need ANH to understand ESB and you certainly need ROTJ to get where it's going. However...I think a lot of R1's praise is simply because it's part of a franchise that people love. If it wasn't SW, but a generic SF movie, I don't think it would have been praised as much. Mind you, ESB is in the top three of most beloved films of all time. And at the time it was not even a real franchise yet. It was a sequel to the second most successful film of all time. All it could do was fail. But it stood the test of time. I doubt R1 will be as loved after 37 years.
Just to say ESB was loved because of ANH or ROTJ is a nonsensical approach. It is loved because we were engaged with the story and the characters, all characters were relevant (and even reintroduced) and there was no fan service.