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after the disappointing EP1+2 does anyone feel it would have been better if they were never made and there was only the original trilogy?


i wanted ep1+2 to be great but they really werent
-there were some good moments but overall they are poor films.

wrong section

imho, EpI was what it was, an intro, more of an RPG adventure
EpII had the trouble of getting Anakin and Padme together but made it up with some action that was needed to develop the story (the cloners, the empire being made and the clone wars)
imho, with only finishing the ends, EpIII still has a great deal of potential

yep yep wrong section and.....

Moving.

And no, I do not feel that at all, not even slightly.

I have to agree with Ushgarak and yerssot. I'm glad GL did the prequels, but I do think he could have gone about it a different way. I still enjoy the movies though.

i dunno, i just think they are both so bad, they could have been good.

ep3 was always going to be the best, i just hope it lives up to his potential.

Yup!

Same.

P.S> FJ; I love your signature quotes...

will none of you admit that ep1+2 were bad films, that let the saga down?

Episode 1+2 were, and still are really bad films to watch. The truth is 4, 5 and 6 should have been 1,2 and 3 but Gerge Lucas evidently wanted to expand the story (and his wallet) by filling our heads with all that CGI
crap. So yes, it did let the whole saga down.

its a shame really, ep1+2 couldve/shouldve been great
-imagine a story being told over 6 great films.

instead now we have two cgi kids films, (ep3?) the classic trilogy

ep3 has a lot riding on it.

Sorry, it's nothing to do with 'admitting' it. I just think you are wrong.

funny, you claim they're kids stories, and at the time the OT came out some claimed that trilogy were kids stories too

yeah the original were (and still are) kids films but they are kids films done well with universal appeal that have stood the test of time for 20 odd years. i doubt anyone will be looking back in 20yrs and calling ep1+2 classics.

and also they look too much like cartoons which makes them hard to relate to or take seriously unlike the more low-fi look of the original three.

I think the only problem is that in the OT you had a lot less sci-fi going on than in the PT and that that is the biggest problem

I think GL had to utilize the technology. If he hadn't incorporated CGI into EpI & EpII then people would've complained that the films weren't dazzling or whatever. I know what I'm trying to say I just can't find the words.

In my view, the prequel films DID NOT ruin the Saga.

I get what you mean Lyn
and now the PT movies are called movies for children which the originals were as well

I still think the only thing that came close to ruining the saga is Return of the Jedi.

but his use of 'the technology' has made the films look too cartoon-like.

in what way than?

well, just that the vast majority of what you see is computer generated and it looks too obvious. other films use lots of cgi but make it realistic enough so that you dont realise it/notice it.
in ep1+2 its always very clear that most of what you are looking at in a scene is not real- background,characters etc.

actually, if you see the cgi they use it's by far a lot better than the FX they had in the OT
though I do see your point ... in some scenes it's quite obvious, but it's not too annoying imho

I'm glad you can make sense of my rambling.

hey, I'm made from and for rambling

I know what you mean mook, sometimes it's too obvious but CGI is being used everywhere now. Plus, nothing can beat the use of CGI in Daredevil; that was really poor.

Actually, I DO think the movies now lack a certain mistique to them. I think Lucas' stories remain true to their ideals though, in that they were meant for children....they are AWESOME little kids' tales! And should be revered as such....but since I grew up with them I expected the sequels to appeal to me as much as the originals did....and they do NOT appeal to me at all.

While Padme is definately eye catching, and Anakin definately an eyeful in himself, the stories are lacking in interest for me.

In addition to the boring, wooden, bad acting in episodes 1 & 2, I find that the OT was more character driven, while the PT is more STORY driven. By this I mean that in the OT, the director focused MORE on the genesis of the characters, and their personal lives....whereas in ths PT, the story seems to be the main focus, adn the characters' dialogue and behaviors all lead to helping this story along. In OT the story was driven by the characters, in PT the characters are driven by the story.

OK, I'll get off my soap box now! lol

I get what you mean kittypuff. Perhaps though, the fact that the PT seems to be more story-driven is that it has a story to tell. These films are prequels; they set up the story for the originals. That's probably why Menace seemed like a prologue to many.

Alright...it seems like ep1 and 2 weren't nearly as good as the OT, but when compared to movies such as gigli they weren't all that bad; Lucas hadn't made an SW movie in a while, and they were a necessary part of the story.

actually, about that wooden acting, lately I think Hayden's performance in AOTC was good

he took the "there is no emotion" a bit too literal

I've always thought Hayden's performance was good.

and I thought you always ment his looks

oh my...there are some haydn fans here....he's a tremendous actor, and he did do all right with AOTC, it's just not the passionate person I THOUGHT anakin skywalker would be, you know? But I just thought he was a bit too calm, and portman, who I also think is a fine actress, was also wooden and bland. In the scene where she has to jump through those choppy crushy things in the droid factory, I htought it looked like she wasn't REALLY worried, or working hard to get through it. It just seemed that she was ducking when told by the director, and ducking again, and jumping when told to jump....perhaps her performance may have been more realistic (as would everyone else's), if there wasn't so much CGI, and more real sets. Just my opinion!

It might be because I'm a guy, but I didn't find him to be too good of an actor It just seemed that the times when he was supposed to be angry he was relaxed. Maybe he's just a laid-back guy.

actually, portman didn't jump or duck when the director said she had to, it's somewhere on the dvd that they show that she has to work on this huge blue-screen thing with objects set to make her duck and such

and she thought it was a joke, perhaps that was the problem?

the overall story wasn't bad, just the way it was presented was the problem

Well...I can't deny...I am obsessed with him.

lucky guy

Yerssot...yes, that would explain it, her no taking it very seriously. It just didn't work for me....I didn't get into that part of the story at all, nor did I get into that ridiculous footage of Anakin riding that huge flea looking creature in that meadow, or when he rode that watchamathingy in the arena.....now that was just STUPID! It made me appreciate that rancor scene much more! at least Luke looked like he was putting forth an EFFORT for goddsake! lol

oh, the effects weren't perfect at all, indeed

but to be so harsh and say the rancor scene was even better... that's it! nothing can get worse than that!

I loved the originals, though sometimes a bit corny, they were always entertaining (ok so Jedi kinda sucked, but without the ewoks it would have been bearable). The stories were strong, action was great, and the acting wasn't horrible.

The prequals on the other hand were and are a major disappointment. I think lucas lost his focus, or maybe he overextended himself and revealed that the quality behind Star Wars and Empire was just an amazing stroke of luck or inspiration.

The acting in the prequals is wretched (even with some of the great actors), the stories meander, and the effects are distracting. HEY DIRECTORS!!!! IF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS DETRACT FROM THE STORY, OR WE CAN TELL HOW YOU DID THEM, THEY ARE NOW "NOT-SO-SPECIAL-EFFECTS!!!!!!!!"

I don't think the prequals added anything of quality to the star wars universe, and I wish they hadn't been made, but hey, that's just my opinion.

I agree Kharma....I mean lets face it. We all know that George's success with the first Star Wars was mostly LUCK! He didn't make the movie he WANTED to make....he's admitted that. And it is quite interesting that his limited time and budget forced him to make creative compromises that actually HELPED the story along....they made the movie quite charming and effective. Now here, as with Jedi, we see his "true vision" and people aren't happy with it! They don't like it! Lets just be thankful that Star Wars was able to become the popular sensation that it became thanks to circumstance....and thank goodness George wasn't given free-reign on the first trilogy....because then NOONE would have liked ANY of them! lolol

I try not to focus to much on the effects side of things though so...I don't think I'll comment. Best to save myself some embarrassment.

I try not to focus too much on the effects side of things so...I don't think I'll comment. Best to save myself some embarrassment.

Well, on the one hand, we wouldn't know about a lot of history--how the Republic fell, how Anakin turned to the dark side, what the original jedi were like, etc. On the other hand, (don't hurt me guys) Ep. I and II were just, well... bad. So I think it they're important additions to the story, even though they... sucked...

For those who lost faith in GL after TPM and AOTC, Episode III will rock!

Don't be so sure... I thought AOTC would be better but it was pretty damn bad

it needs to - hes destroying his legacy

Exactly!!

lets just say I'm disapointed

i think maybe in 10 years time if you watched the whole saga (1-6) it will be a great story but ep 1+2 will still be poor films.

Hey....I really like this guy. Fantastic points GF!!

I agree that was a good point!

I only liked episode one a bit the first time I saw it, but then got bored of it when i bought the VHS.

However, I watched it twice this morning, and realized that episode one is actually quite a good movie if you think of it only as a STAR WARS or a FANTASY movie, rather than a prequal to the originals or a story about vader.

You really have to forget all about the original trilogy and look at it for what it is if you really want to enjoy Episode one to its full potential

In one respect, Ep I & II really pushed the envelope as far as visuals & sound go. No-one has done more for film than GL in developing new technologies to be used in film. From a movie critic standpoint, I found the prequels to be utterly bankrupt of good dialog and characterization. It seems that GL is an amazing movie technician, but as a writer/director, he has not gotten the job done with bringing believable characters to the screen in the last two movies.

I do agree with some parts there. The effects are incredible and at times, the lines are poor. But it's the same with Return Of The King, they won awards for their achievements with that sort of thing but recieved nothing for the acting.

OK, call me crazy...but I didn't think the acting in the OT that bad at all...I mean, it was good enough to create believable characters who's influence on pop culture continue even today. It was good enough to make evryone automatically associate Carrie Fisher with Leia and Mark Hamill with Luke....to the point where they almost couldn't get any work for a while because people only saw them as these characters. I thought Harrison Ford was quite CHEESY in ROTJ, altough he is a good actor normally! But anyway....the acting in EPs one and two is AWFUL! Except Obi-wan...he's ok....

id agree with that.
however he did go over the top with all the CGI visuals and characters which removes the human element needed and makes everything look too flashy and so not believable.

Ooh MOOK! Good point! Excellent point! My thoughts exactly....it's too "perfect" and too "glossy", I prefer the old models and extras element to the OT myself!