Anyone else blase about Star Wars: Episode III?

[Asylum Steve]

Don't get me wrong; I plan on seeing it in the theater, and I'm sure it wil be a fun movie-going experience. It's just that (and I know I'm showing my age here) I was a total freak for the first SW trilogy, while the two newer ones, though certainly entertaining, never quite elicited those same feelings of matinee wonder and excitement in me.

When the original SW was relased in the mid 1970's, my friends and I literally waited on line 1 1/2 hours to get tickets, then ANOTHER 1 1/2 hours for the show. I swear, the first thing we ALL said as we left the theater was, "Damn! We gotta go see this AGAIN!..."

And I did. After seeing it 3 or 4 time in NY, at one point a $.99 movie house a few blocks from my apartment in Tallahassee had SW on the bill for over a year, and I'd have to say I probably saw it at least another 30 times or so there.

Keep in mind, this was in the theater, BEFORE the video came out...

When The Empire Strikes Back was released, everyone I knew simply could not wait to see it, an anticipation that was greater than any film I can remember. And while I (like many) was initially a bit disappointed by TESB because nothing in the storyline was resolved, it was still great to see all the original characters as well as some fabulous new ones, along with enough battles, special effects and plot twists (plus that MUSIC!) to keep us satisfied for the time being.

Now, jump ahead to 1983 with the release of Return of the Jedi, and we're talking about a movie phenomena unlike any in the history of US cinema.

I was now in Miami, and my friends and I managed to get tickets to the South Florida Premiere. Yes, the tix were reserved, so none of the waiting in line this time, heh heh. Still, we got to the theater and were seated at least an hour before showtime.

This meant an absolutely wonderful buildup to the movie. Everybody in the audience knew this film was THE ONE that would answer all the questions and resolve all the conflicts, and it created a kind of electricity of anticipation, a buzz that was incredible. As good as any rock concert...

And the film paid off in every respect. To this day, it remains my most memorable movie-going experience. It is also the last time I can remember an entire audience spontaneously going "nuts" and cheering and screaming wildly as Luke defeated the Evil Emperor at the end.

In my mind, I think I understood for the first time what my parents experienced when they saw The Wizard of Oz in a theater back in their day...

Now I'll admit, those first three films were an almost impossible act to follow, and I think Lucas did a pretty good of continuing the story, but like I say, neither of the two newer films has had close to the same effect on me as the first three.

How do you all feel about it? Which are your favorite films in the series and why?

BTW, Sebastian will deny it in public, but I know for a fact that Jar Jar Binks is his favorite SW character...

[jar_e]

Steve,

Though not a huge fan of Star Wars, I might actually go see this movie. Sure, it might all be hype, but I guess I could afford the $9 and the 2 hours of sitting. Though a little past my age, the ones I've seen have been entertaining to say the least. We'll see, though, I might have to rent the previous two if this one is good

Jared

[DownByFive]

I'm a huge nerd, so I'll probably like it no matter how good or bad it is. But I hear it's darker, so that should be nice, since I'm very pro Dark Side/Empire. Lucas needs to remake ROTJ so that Luke joins with his papa and we get to cheer as the Rebellion is crushed and those pansy ass Jedi are finally wiped out; kinda like what Tie Fighter was in the X-Wing series...

[opus]

My brother gave my parents tickets to see the original Star Wars as their anniversary present. It was really funny because it was so *obviously* his excuse to go see it. He was 14, I was 9. I remember a few scenes but I didn't really get into it like he did.

Then the next episode came out and I missed it in the theatres; then the third one came out and since I hadn't seen the second one, I deliberately stayed away. I kept saying I wanted to watch the whole trilogy on video, but in reality I couldn't imagine committing to the TV for that long a stretch. So it never happened.

Many years later "Episode I" came out, and i figured since it chronicled what happened before the epidodes I missed, I would be able to follow the story. So I saw it. It was OK. Saw the second one too, which was also OK. I guess I'm planning to see this one, although I am blasé about it too.

Now I think it's too late to go back and see the first trilogy; it would seem too dated. So I'm screwed.

[mjs1973]

I haven't seen any of the new ones, and it's been so long since I have seen any of the old ones, that I'm not planning on seeing episode 3 anytime soon. I do plan on seeing all of them "some day" tho. I managed to watch the entire Lord Of The Rings series and when it was over, I wanted more, so I think I could handle sitting threw the enitre SW series.

[Lara]

Great post Steve. You really should start writing on your site again, and of course here.
I love your narratives.

I'm a fan of the Star Wars series, but not so much Episodes 1 and 2. I doubt they will be indeleble in my mind, as was the first set. I am looking forward to 3 anyway. At the least, technology should make it worthwhile, film-wise.

Jar Jar drives me nuts, he does. So annoying, he is.

[Asylum Steve]

Lucas needs to remake ROTJ so that Luke joins with his papa and we get to cheer as the Rebellion is crushed and those pansy ass Jedi are finally wiped out; kinda like what Tie Fighter was in the X-Wing series...

Yeah, part of me wanted it to go that way, too. The Dark Side definitely was seductive. Luke would have made a great evil guy. Kinda like Dr.Evil's kid in Ausitn Powers, eh?

Well, the good news is that test audiences seemed to really like Episode III. Early word is that, yes, it's darker (I think that's good too) and perhaps the best of the newer trilogy. And baby boomers will probably be drawn to the fact that much of the storyline started in the first films is brought to a conclusion with a lot of the missing parts filled in.

[Asylum Steve]

"Great post Steve. You really should start writing on your site again, and of course here.
I love your narratives..."

Thanks, Lara. I'm real close to writing some new game reviews. Still Life has been a lot of fun so far, but there definitely are some flaws in it that no one else that's reviewed it has seemed to notice. Anyway, for me writing takes a lot of energy, so we'll see how it goes...

"Jar Jar drives me nuts, he does. So annoying, he is..."

How wude! (suppose to be 'how rude!', one of his lines that always cracks me up...). Yeah, I agree, but he kind of grew on me. I'm surprised Seb hasn't chimed in yet. As usual, I was being sarcastic as I'm pretty sure he hates the guy...

[Dzerzhinski46]

Now I think it's too late to go back and see the first trilogy; it would seem too dated. So I'm screwed.

I don't know though. Its pretty hard to beat Alex Guiness, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, etc. I have seen Episode I and II. I just don't think that the acting in them really is up to the standard of the originals. Even the great graphics don't make up for the poor plot and even poorer acting. In fact, the graphics really emphasize the poor acting. The originals were just so well acted. The fact that the graphics weren't up to "modern" standards didn't really matter. The plot was great, the acting great, the struggle readily apparent.I think ol George may be losing his grip . Just a thought.

Drew

[Photo-John]

The last one I remember seeing was The Empire Strikes Back.

[opus]

If anyone gets a chance to see The One Man Star Wars Trilogy (Charles Ross), DO SO! Especially if you are a big fan and know the characters and plot well.

I've mentioned him here before, he's worth a second mention.

http://www.onemanstarwars.com/

[jar_e]

His videos online are hilarious! Would love to see him live!

[adina]

We'll probably go see it in the theater. Saw the other two, and weren't very impressed. I actually like the effects better in the originals than Episode 1 & 2. When they re-released the originals, I waited in line for an hour and a half and saw them at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee. Complete with an organ player before the show.

[opus]

~Eh.~






Actually thought about walking out in the beginning, I was feeling so bored. My 14-yo son was too. But then it picked up, and the time actually went by pretty quickly after that. It did not feel like two and a half hours!

What the whole movie sorta felt like to me was ... you know when you're telling your friends a really good story, and then someone comes up and interrupts you and distracts your friends, so that when they finally turn their attention back to you, you end up kinda just wrapping up your story briefly because it's completely lost its momentum ... yeah, kinda like that.

The "really good story" happened years ago. This one was the "let's wrap it up so we can move on."

[opus]

one more thing: the transition effects between scenes got really annoying! They were very lame, as if the whole film was made in PowerPoint. I can't remember, was that supposed to be to tie them with the originals?