Recovering From: Episodes I, II, & III - Rambling

[The Source]

Recovering From Episode I, II, & III - Rambling

Star Wars is such an addiction, and it plays on your imagination in so many ways. At the start of the new year, I made a resolution that seemed abnormal. I decided to recover from Episode I, II, and III. Instead of being upset in the long run, (plus, being tempted by their names), I chose to do what people may think is insane. I sold all three episodes. George has done some great movies in his time, but there are some that don't sit well. I am talking about my own personal perspective of Episode I-III. I give him a thumbs up for making a massive empire out of Star Wars. His success is one to admire. Going from a small unknown independant film maker to a high status writter, producer, and director is amazing. Yes, I am still going to keep the classic episodes, for they have been apart of my 30 years of life. Out of all the writters for EU, I have continued to be drawn to Timothy Zhan. Zhan has gone on record that he has plans on staying with the classical era of Star Wars. He even mentions that he has no interest in writting in any other time period. Outside of Zhan's writtings and Episode IV, V, and VI, I won't get my daily injection of classic Star Wars.

 

Knights of the Old Republic is an amazing series. Since it does not deal with the events surrounding Episode I-III, I am drawn to this franchise like glue. The characters are fleshed out pretty nicely, and the first game's storyline is pretty solid. I have high hopes of a third act, and I hope it matches the intensity I found in KotOR I.

 

Enough of my story. Are you recovering from a portion of Star Wars? What is your take?

[Prime]

True Star Wars fans know when something is wrong.

How is it up there on the high horse?

 

EDIT: In answer to your question: the NJO and the effects thereof.

[The Source]

How is it up there on the high horse?

My intention was not to come off badly. If that was the case, I apologize for the offense. I removed the line, so I wouldn't offend anyone.

[Prime]

Fair enough.

[The Source]

...the NJO and the effects thereof.

I can relate to that. When it comes to the NJO, I have a hard time swallowing the death of Chewy, the Vong, and how the New Order was designed. The Vong don't feel very Star Wars to me. It may be because they don't fit into what we know of the classics. Like the mediclorians(sp?). We went from the force being an energyfield to a group of microscopic beings. Within my perspective of the Force, the mediclorians(sp?) don't have that spiritual or telepathic 'will' feeling that I was introduced to.

[mimartin]

I was upset when I first saw Episode I. Jar Jar Binks just wasn’t my thing, but to be fair my now eleven year old cousin loved him. Other little Star Wars freaks, I help convert, all loved him. They saw what the adult me could not and they all love Episode I-III as much as I love the original trilogy.

 

I have no problem with how George Lucas told the story he created. I’m just thankful that he completed the story. Even though I found some of it predictable and other parts completely illogical, overall I still enjoyed it. At his worst George Lucas is still better than 90% of the Scifi directors/writers out there. All 6 of the Star Wars movies hold a place in my top ten all time movies, Episodes I-III are just on the bottom of that list, while III-VI are at the top.

 

I’m not trying to get over any portion of Star Wars. I watch and enjoy all the movies and play most of the games. I never got into reading any of the books or comics. I tried, but they just didn’t capture my imagination.

 

 

I didn’t find the line offensive, but I really enjoyed Prime’s reply. Prime seems to be a man of few words, but always to the point and funny.

[Diego Varen]

The Prequel Trilogy, mainly Episode I doesn't deserve the hate it recieves. Sure the acting might be slightly worse (I was watching all six the other day), but I still enjoyed them. If there was any episode I was disappointed with, it was Episode II. While it had the beginnings of the Clone Wars, Hayden didn't do a good portrayal of Anakin and him and Padme just didn't do so well. Overall, like mimartin said in his post, I'm just glad the Saga is complete.

[JediMaster12]

Why would anyone want to recover from Star Wars? The best thing to do would be to create a vaccine against Star Wars. That way the next generation would be completely immune to the addicting affects of the films. But that would be a bad thing considering that there is the potential to lose money and all that good stuff that accompanies franchise...

 

Anyway I am not recovering. I am moderating. To be honest I haven't played a game in months and I haven't watched any of the films in almost a year. Yeah for me...All I have to is just come online and talk to you crazy people every day and I get a dose of Star Wars, even if it is of the comedic variety

[Salzella]

The Prequel Trilogy, mainly Episode I doesn't deserve the hate it recieves. Sure the acting might be slightly worse (I was watching all six the other day), but I still enjoyed them. If there was any episode I was disappointed with, it was Episode II. While it had the beginnings of the Clone Wars, Hayden didn't do a good portrayal of Anakin and him and Padme just didn't do so well. Overall, like mimartin said in his post, I'm just glad the Saga is complete.

Agreed. They don't warrant all the hate, though Episode II was somewhat disappointing.

[Mace MacLeod]

Hasn't it already been established that the prequel trilogy isn't anywhere near the same quality level as the original trilogy in about 8 billion other threads...?

[Pho3nix]

@MaceMacLeod

 

Yes.

 

I'm only disappointed in Anakins poor dialogue in Episode I and II.

 

Other than that I was pretty happy with I-II, I didn't mind Jar-Jar at all.

 

This picture that I took from the Finnish Episode III premiere still warms my heart

 

[HerbieZ]

Funny this topic came up. I am taking a sixth month break from Kotor because i have played it so many times, it's lost it's wonder for me slightly. So im giving the game amiss for a while until i get my Kotor mojo back.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

Well, I actually liked Episodes 1 & 2, mainly because it fit right in to my age group - I was almost 8 when Episode 1 came out, and almost 11 when Episode 2 came out. But in the past few years, I've really become discouraged at the lack of quality of the Prequel Trilogy. The whole PT is filled with stupid dialogue and horrible acting. Also over the past few years, I've really come to appreciate the OT. I don't necessarily base my opinion of a movie solely on the action. Even with all that though, Episode 3 is still my favorite. It's the only one I can watch more than once or twice in a week.

 

So basically, I've been recovering from the lack of quality of the PT.

[The Source]

The Prequel Trilogy, mainly Episode I doesn't deserve the hate it recieves. Sure the acting might be slightly worse (I was watching all six the other day), but I still enjoyed them. If there was any episode I was disappointed with, it was Episode II. While it had the beginnings of the Clone Wars, Hayden didn't do a good portrayal of Anakin and him and Padme just didn't do so well. Overall, like mimartin said in his post, I'm just glad the Saga is complete.

I think people have a right to their opinion. Good or bad as their opinion seems, I believe that people have a right to express how they feel. When it comes to my opinion on the Prequel Trilogy, I cannot relate to a ten-year old kid. During my journey from four (release of ANH) to thirty, I could relate to an older set of characters. Luke's first appearance was when he was 18/20 years old. Anikan's first appearance is when he is ten. When I was growning up, I looked up to Luke, Han, and Ben. I can still relate to Luke and Han as I grow older. I cannot relate to Anikan. His story started way too young for me. Yes, I did enjoy the special effects of Episode III, but I personally believe the story was rushed and hacked. I did not like General Grevious in the same manner that I did not like Jar Jar. Grevious walks like a chicken, and clears his throught as if he is cluking like one. Anikan's story is not believeable for me. After watching Episode I-III, I now see a kid trapped in machinery. It would have been nice to see Anikan at the age of twenty-seven, and taking a much more believable darkside turn. Now, I just see him as a kid being suckered and manipulated. He gave up too easily. Bastila Shan in KotOR was totured, but Anikan just gave up. That doesn't sound like a darkside fall to me. Just my opinion. I am not trying to tell people not to like the movies.

 

When I used the phrase "I am recovering from Episode I, II, and III", I was talking about recovering from being let down. Instead of letting the DVD cases anger me as I walk by the DVD shelve, I decided to deal with the issue once and for all. I sold them.

[CountVerilucus]

It's all about business. Star Wars is a huge name, no matter how good the movies are, reputation would have pulled in profits anyways. I know I wouldn't have cared if the movie reviews sucked, I would have still went to watch them all. They wouldn't have had to make it that great in order to still make a lot of money.

 

Like Kotor II, I never read reviews or looked at the rankings. I just bought it because it's Kotor. For all I knew at the time it could have sucked.

 

But for the record, I thought episode I II III were fantastic as well as Kotor 2.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Hey, I enjoyed the Prequels. And so of you may think I am on glue or something in relation, but I had no problem with Jar Jar being the film. I thought the movies were great, too. I intend to keep them.

[MdKnightR]

I think people have a right to their opinion. Good or bad as their opinion seems, I believe that people have a right to express how they feel.

 

Good, then you shouldn't have a problem with my opposite perspective. A lot of people think I'm crazy when I say this, but I think that Star Wars got better with each successive movie. My order of preference is...

 

1. Revenge of the Sith

 

2. Attack of the Clones

 

3. Phantom Menace

 

4. Return of the Jedi

 

5. Empire Strikes Back

 

6. A New Hope

 

I am not a spring chicken either. I was 6 years old when A New Hope was released and I still like the Prequels better.

 

He gave up too easily. Bastila Shan in KotOR was tortured, but Anikan just gave up.

 

This was my only gripe about Episode III. I, too, thought it would have been better to have a little more torture involved.

[Diego Varen]

I wasn't around when the original Trilogy came out and Return of the Jedi was the first one I saw, before The Phantom Menace. I was seven, when TPM came out and I never minded Jar Jar. Maybe it was because I was seven, but even now, I don't mind him. He was a character who became an important part of the Prequels. In AOTC (I was ten, when it came out), he took over as Senator and made a big mistake, which if the decision hadn't been made, the galaxy would be very different. Overall AOTC bored me, because of politics, etc. ROTS, I was thirteen and I found it much better than AOTC, but I'm not sure if I prefer it to TPM. Anyway, I'll do what MdKnightR has done and put them in a list, one being the best and six being the worst.

 

1. Return of the Jedi

 

2. Revenge of the Sith

 

3. The Empire Strikes Back

 

4. The Phantom Menace

 

5. A New Hope

 

6. Attack of the Clones

 

Sorry for rambling, I don't usually make long posts.

[The Source]

It is pretty interesting to see how different people perceived the same movies. @MdKnightR - Nope. I don't mind at all. I thought Anikan could have fallen to the darkside in three ways. He could have been tortured untill he submitted. -or- He could have confronted Mace alone in a conquest for power. -or- He could have snuck around killing Jedi on his own, for he bought into Palpatine's false sense of order. If you watch the scene where Anikan kneels before Palpatine, he was crying from all the chaos he caused. From my perspective, I did not see a darkside turn. Instead, I felt as if he surrendered.

 

If I had to give an order to how I liked the films, it would appear like this:

 

1. Empire Strikes Back

 

2. A New Hope

 

3. Return of the Jedi

 

3. Revenge of the Sith

 

4. Attack of the Clones

 

5. The Phantom Menace

 

CountVerilucus - When it comes to making money, I 100% agree with your philosophy. Since we are use to a certain quality of movie, we will place an amount of faith on the writter's, producer's, or director's abilities. I have no regret in seeing these movies, for I also enjoyed the fun of Episode IV, V, and VI. I did not read a single review on KotOR II or the Prequels, for I trusted George and Lucas Arts to repeat their success. This does not mean that I do not trust George, but it will get me to question his future movies and games. I have never bought into a movie based upon CGI. You can have the best CGI in the world, but your storyline is almost non-existant. From my personal perspective, I thought Episode III's CGI was outstanding for any movie. However, I thought the story telling was horrible.

 

I am glad we can disguss this topic in this way, for it shows that we all have different interpretations and tastes. We are all Star Wars fans, but how we approach the franchise is unique. Thanks.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

Well since we're all posting our order of preferance now, I guess I will too.

 

1. Revenge of the Sith

 

2. Empire Strikes Back

 

3. Return of the Jedi

 

4. A New Hope

 

5. Attack of the Clones

 

6. The Phantom Menace

 

Don't take my last post the wrong way. I still like the prequels and I never intend on selling them, but I've come to like the OT a lot better.

 

I do like The Phantom Menace, but it gets almost unbearable after watching just a few minutes of Jake Lloyd's acting. He's absolutely pathetic. I think even Christensen was better than him.

 

Then of course, the horrible love story in AOTC is... well... horrible.

Anakin: "Not like here. Here everything is soft... and smooth."

 

*kiss*

 

Padme: "No, I shouldn't have done that."

 

Anakin: "I'm sorry."

 

... worst scene is the whole saga.

[mimartin]

Guess I’ll weigh in to with my order of preference.

 

1. A New Hope

2. Empire Strikes Back

3. Return of the Jedi

4. Revenge of the Sith

5. Attack of the Clones

6. The Phantom Menace

 

This was my only gripe about Episode III. I, too, thought it would have been better to have a little more torture involved.

 

My opinion is that if the love story between Padme and Anakin would have been more believable then Anakin’s surrender to the darkside would have been more believable. Like EagerWeasel said George Lucas didn’t do a very good job with the love story dialog. This failure in the Episodes II and III sold short the belief that Anakin would give up everything good in him and around him to save her. If you are under the belief that they were so in love, then his doing whatever he could to save her makes sense, especially after what happen to his mother and the brush off Yoda gave him. At least Palpatine was sympatric to his problem and gave him some hope (even if it was only a lie). Yoda’s advice just sucked.

[The Source]

My opinion is that if the love story between Padme and Anakin would have been more believable then Anakin’s surrender to the darkside would have been more believable. Like EagerWeasel said George Lucas didn’t do a very good job with the love story dialog.

Interesting take on it. What I cannot figure out is the age difference between Anikan and Padame. If Padame was sixteen in Phantom Menace and Anikan was ten, there would be a maturity issue with the relationship. Otherwords, when we hit Episode II, ten years have passed since they last seen each other. Anikan would be ten years older, and Padame would be ten years older. Thus, Anikan would be twenty and Padame would be twenty-six.

 

Now, Padame was responsible for the fate of her planet, so I am guessing to say that she was eighteenish in Episode I. Therefore, she would be about twenty-eight by Episode II, and then thirdy by Episode III. Anikan would be twenty-three by Episode III.

 

The age issue and maturity level would not make any sense. Females are known to date older men. The story is just unbelieveable. If Anikan was only a few years younger, the story would make sense to me.

 

If Padame was responsible for a planet at the age of sixteen, that would make no sense at all in any logical thinking. She would have to be around eighteenish.

 

What a bloody mess.

[Jeff]

I had a few problems with Episodes I & II. I didn't like Jar Jar in Episode I, at all. I also thought Anakins character was a bit too silly, but I guess back when I saw the movie for the first time I didn't think that since I was around his age.

 

I had some problems with the dialog in AotC.

 

"The thought of not being with you—I can't breathe."

 

But I liked Episode III a lot, its probably my favorite in the saga. I definitely still prefer the originals overall though.

[mimartin]

If Padame was responsible for a planet at the age of sixteen, that would make no sense at all in any logical thinking. She would have to be around eighteenish.

 

According to the Star Wars databank she was 14 when she was elected Queen. So the age difference is not that great, but the maturity difference would be huge.

[Negative Sun]

Episode III made up for a lot of **** in Ep I and II, but I still enjoy the new trilogy overall...Highlights for me:

Kickass lightsaber action (Maul, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Mace, etc...)

Yoda PWNS!

Maul vs Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in Ep I

Arena battle in Ep II

Space battle in Ep III