timdiggerm said:

Behold, the topical spam puppet

Cohaagen says it's just a few extremists.

I have a feeling this has been presented before, but I couldn't find it and I thought I'd mention it again.  For those who advocate the mixed up order of 4-5, 1-3, 6 of the SW films, this site offered a modification of that.

http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/

The Machete Order advocates simple dropping Ep. I.  This saddens me for a few reasons, as I've grown more fond of TPM recently, and I think it had a character with great potential in Qui-Gon (though he was seriously underutilized).  But it makes a lot of sense if a person wanted to watch the SW films for the first time to do 4-5, 2-3, 6.

Well I don't like any variations. Especially since I think Empire and Jedi are so well connected that it is a huge waste if not watched in succession (when I watch OT I even watch Empire and Jedi the same day).

As for episode order... well that's just dumb. The OT was written, designed and made in way that you start with Hope. PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

imperialscum said:

As for episode order... well that's just dumb.

I agree.

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

Hehe, I personally wouldn't watch it but I am trying to speak in general so I don't offend anyone who likes PT. :D

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

Hehe, I personally wouldn't watch it but I am trying to speak in general so I don't offend anyone who likes PT. :D

Truth-be-told, I enjoy The Phantom Menace, but I think that's just because the laserdisc is so amazing. Also, Creepy Puppet Yoda.

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

Hehe, I personally wouldn't watch it but I am trying to speak in general so I don't offend anyone who likes PT. :D

Truth-be-told, I enjoy The Phantom Menace, but I think that's just because the laserdisc is so amazing. Also, Creepy Puppet Yoda.

If I am honest, to me TPM even feels a bit like OT at times, unlike AOTC and ROTS.

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

Hehe, I personally wouldn't watch it but I am trying to speak in general so I don't offend anyone who likes PT. :D

Truth-be-told, I enjoy The Phantom Menace, but I think that's just because the laserdisc is so amazing. Also, Creepy Puppet Yoda.

If I am honest, to me TPM even feels a bit like OT at times, unlike AOTC and ROTS.

I feel the same way.

Many complain about Jake Lloyd's acting, but I thought it was fine. Jar Jar is the real problem IMO.

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

PT is only a back-story to OT and should therefore be watched after OT.

... if at all. :-)

Hehe, I personally wouldn't watch it but I am trying to speak in general so I don't offend anyone who likes PT. :D

Truth-be-told, I enjoy The Phantom Menace, but I think that's just because the laserdisc is so amazing. Also, Creepy Puppet Yoda.

If I am honest, to me TPM even feels a bit like OT at times, unlike AOTC and ROTS.

I feel the same way.

Many complain about Jake Lloyd's acting, but I thought it was fine. Jar Jar is the real problem IMO.

Agreed.

Though I think Anakin in AOTC and ROTS was even more annoying and repulsive character than Jar Jar in TPM.

imperialscum said:

Though I think Anakin in AOTC and ROTS was even more annoying and repulsive character than Jar Jar in TPM.

Agreed.

Let's hope Disney does a better job getting convincing acting out of the actors in Episode VII.

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

Though I think Anakin in AOTC and ROTS was even more annoying and repulsive character than Jar Jar in TPM.

Agreed.

Let's hope Disney does a better job getting convincing acting out of the actors in Episode VII.

I actually think the problem wasn't the acting. The character itself was designed and written to be an annoying, arrogant, greedy, hypocritical moron. Hayden just did a good job portraying that character. :)

imperialscum said:

AntcuFaalb said:

imperialscum said:

Though I think Anakin in AOTC and ROTS was even more annoying and repulsive character than Jar Jar in TPM.

Agreed.

Let's hope Disney does a better job getting convincing acting out of the actors in Episode VII.

I actually think the problem wasn't the acting. The character itself was designed and written to be an annoying, arrogant, greedy, hypocritical moron. Hayden just did a good job portraying that character. :)

I see. I haven't ever looked at it from that perspective.

You're right. George Lucas just wrote a shitty character. :-(

I very much agree - Hayden didn't do a horrible job - I don't think Marlon Brando could say shit like "I can't breathe. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me... what can I do? I will do anything you ask. If you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me," and not look retarded.

As to the Machete Order though, I think it's a pretty good idea for repeat viewing (if you're willing to torment yourself with eps 2 and 3 that is), because it puts the story into a new perspective.

It wasn't just the bad dialogue though.  GL even admits that he is not an "actor's director," and that he is really more of an editor, and anyone that's ever been  on a movie set has seen just how much influence a director has on the actor's overall performance. 

All of the characters in the PT came across as wooden and lifeless, and we all know those respective actors are perfectly capable of strong performances.  Having good dialogue would have helped, but without a competent director at the helm, the resulting performances still would have been much the same. 

But yeah, that dialogue is horrible, lol...

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft... and smooth…"

If George and co had done their jobs properly the films should make sense watched 456123 or 123456.

The PT was prominently advertised as the first three episodes of the saga (the episode number often taking prominent place to the title).

If reading chapter one of a book ruined your enjoyment of chapter five or created continuity problems with chapter six you would justifiably be annoyed with the author.

The 451236 order is an attempt to remedy this but I'm not convinced.

For me ROTJ is almost as bad as TPM but it has Mark acting his heart out (even if the other big free seem to dragging their heals waiting for the pay cheque).

Everyone acts like a zombie for the duration of TPM or is annoyingly vibrant like an American dub of a Japanese TV cartoon show.

Ian McDiarmid is a plus in both films, he makes even the most awkward dialogue interesting. 

Cobra Kai said:

It wasn't just the bad dialogue though.  GL even admits that he is not an "actor's director," and that he is really more of an editor, and anyone that's ever been  on a movie set has seen just how much influence a director has on the actor's overall performance. 

All of the characters in the PT came across as wooden and lifeless, and we all know those respective actors are perfectly capable of strong performances.  Having good dialogue would have helped, but without a competent director at the helm, the resulting performances still would have been much the same. 

But yeah, that dialogue is horrible, lol...

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft... and smooth…"

In my opinion, the dialogue and acting aren't the crucial problem. The fault is much more fundamental. The problem is that Lucas decided that Anakin will be annoying/whiny (80% of the scenes), greedy (scenes when he whines about being held back) and hypocritical/ungrateful (scenes when he complains about Obi-Wan behind his back). The whole storyline was formed around this annoying drama scenes which show all his bad traits.

I mean when you listen to the Obi-Wan in Hope telling Luke about Anakin, you get an impression this was a good guy and a good friend of Obi-Wan. In PT he is a complete opposite of that. He is actually a terrible person.

Different people writing dialogue and directing actors based on that kind of storyline evolved around such a repulsive character would not change anything.

Instead of all this annoying drama there should be fun adventures. And instead of a repulsive moron as a main character, Anakin should be actually a good person to whom audience can relate to and care about. After all Star Wars is supposed to be fun adventure/fantasy film, not a bad drama about troubled teenager growing up.

SilverWook said:

All of which the Clone Wars series actually managed to do right.

Exactly! That is why I like the CW series far more than the PT.

Having a random thought right now.

Darth Maul, Count Dooku and then Grevious.

In my opinion GL had no direction in which bad guy to have. No continuity between films doesn't let us look forward to what the bad guy does next.

Would of been nice to have Anakin and Maul showdown in which Anakin falls to the dark side in the fight; when Maul kills Padme after she has had the twins, and was coming to see Anakin to tell him. He never finds out about the twins. Obi Wan trys to talk him into seeing sense and then a fight ensues.

My other random thought was Maybe the siths secret power was if you kill a Sith lord you become a Sith lord. No one knows it but the Sith lords.

That way when Anakin kills Maul (who replaces Dooku and Grevious) he turns to the dark side. Also a nice way to get rid of the Sith Lords in ROTJ as Darth Vader kills the emperor and vice versa nullifying the power of turning Sith Lord killers into Sith Lords themselves as he was one already.

As previously mentioned on these forums Luke was pummeling Vader his eyes should flash to Sith eyes then Fade when he throws his sabre down.

This would fit in nicely with the continuity.

That way Anakin was the one the prophecy fortold when he gets rid of all Sith Lords including himself. The ultimate sacrifice.

Talking about Sith Lords.

The Star Wars tag on Tumblr is home to some pretty sweet pictures, that I've never seen before. 

thekremlin said:

Has GL ever given a decent reason for why he killed Maul off? Or was it just another misguided attempt at symphonic symmetry (Maul/Kenobi)?

 

PS. Hello everyone! First post. :)

I think he wanted to make some conclusion. I mean if one of the main heroes is killed, the general audience expects a dead villain as a compensation. :)