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Are the Prequels Even Worth Watching Once?

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I personally don’t hate the prequels, but I haven’t seen them in close to ten years and doubt that I’ll see them again for as long as I live. As far as I’m concerned, the prequels were just devices to suck a few hours of my life away with no reward and I doubt that if I weren’t such a big fan then I’d have even given them second chances. I don’t think that the general public is missing anything by not seeing them, but should people who are big Star Wars fans even bother with them if they haven’t seen them already? Especially people who are knew to the franchise with the recent movies, and only know the OT and the ST.

The Person in Question

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When I have kids, I see no reason to show them the prequels. I actually fell asleep watching Clones with my family this year. Told them to watch Sith without me, and I’m the most devoted SW fan of the bunch.

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:

When I have kids, I see no reason to show them the prequels. I actually fell asleep watching Clones with my family this year. Told them to watch Sith without me, and I’m the most devoted SW fan of the bunch.

I agree. I should add that the reason I don’t want to even see them again is that I find them really boring.

The Person in Question

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Not really. I can get some enjoyment from them, depending on my mood, but more often than not, sitting through one is a chore.

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 (Edited)

I admit I’ll toss one on once every couple years or so, but it’s like when you eat KFC for the first time in two years. You go in thinking, eh it can’t be as bad as I remember!

It always is.

And then I’m sad for awhile about what they could have been, and instead we’re stuck with these lame things… ugh.

On-topic: If you’re showing someone for the first time, skip 'em. They gain nothing from watching them.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

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Not for me. I will never watch them again and as far as I’m concerned, they don’t exist story-wise in relation to the OT.

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I tried to watch The Phantom Menace for the first time in a while today and my god it’s boring. I couldn’t sit through it. For all the faults to be found in AOTC and ROTS, at least I can watch them all the way through and get some entertainment out of them. I’d say yes, watch them. If you don’t like them, don’t re-watch them.

Not enough people read the EU.

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No, they’re not worth watching even once. If I had had as much sensibility as a kid as I have now, I would’ve known better than to watch the prequels and given them a wide berth. As it is, I wish I could retroactively unwatch those godawful crimes against cinema.

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LuckyGungan2001 said:

I tried to watch The Phantom Menace for the first time in a while today and my god it’s boring. I couldn’t sit through it. For all the faults to be found in AOTC and ROTS, at least I can watch them all the way through and get some entertainment out of them.

Funny, I’m the complete opposite. I can watch Phantom Menace but find AOTC and ROTS completely unwatchable.

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I haven’t watched any of them, but I assume that if I had to, I’d turn on somebody’s fan commentary to go over it (If you guys have any recommendations, I’d like to hear them. Perhaps not RLM if he made any, though; I’m not a fan of his style of humour)

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flametitan said:

I haven’t watched any of them, but I assume that if I had to, I’d turn on somebody’s fan commentary to go over it (If you guys have any recommendations, I’d like to hear them. Perhaps not RLM if he made any, though; I’m not a fan of his style of humour)

Seriously, don’t even bother. If you’ve seen the OT, there were all kinds of implied and unexplained things that the audience could be left to wonder about on its own. The prequels not only filled in those blanks in wholly unsatisfactory, contrived, and often contradictory ways, but they were aimed primarily at 5 year olds, took a **** on some of the most sacrosanct concepts and beliefs in the originals, shoe-horned in completely out of place characters and bizarre infantile gags, but they also managed to do all of that in the most boring and vapid manner possible.

Even disregarding the way the prequels attempted to ruin Star Wars, they are objectively boring, often obnoxious, and extremely poorly designed, shot, acted, and edited.

There is a reason RLM became famous breaking down these utterly detested and vile video game movies.

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It is not worth polluting your memory with them. Once you see them they will forever be there.

真実

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Handman said:

LuckyGungan2001 said:

I tried to watch The Phantom Menace for the first time in a while today and my god it’s boring. I couldn’t sit through it. For all the faults to be found in AOTC and ROTS, at least I can watch them all the way through and get some entertainment out of them.

Funny, I’m the complete opposite. I can watch Phantom Menace but find AOTC and ROTS completely unwatchable.

I guess I’m the just the final piece in the puzzle since I find AOTC pretty much unwatchable.

Return of the Jedi: Remastered

Lord of the Rings: The Darth Rush Definitives

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Simply put, the STAR WARS prequel trilogy is a skid mark on cinema.

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Yet even so, it has the right to exist. The PT may be awful, but I certainly don’t propose we adopt Lucas’ methods of destroying films we don’t like.

“That Darth Vader, man. Sure does love eating Jedi.”

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Every few years I would think “they can’t be that bad, I should give them another chance”. That’s where I kept going wrong. Every time I would watch them they just got worse. After the last viewing I physically disposed of the DVDs so I will not be tempted to make that mistake again.

As far as my household is concerned, there are only five Star Wars films right now (plus the Holiday Special, naturally).

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If terrible films such as Rogue One and The force awakens can exist, terrible films such as the PT can also exist. They all deserve to be watched at least once.

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I’ve only seen the prequels once each, and I wish I hadn’t. I wish I could erase my memory of those films because they ruin certain parts of Star Wars for me. Whenever I hear “Anakin Skywalker,” I don’t want to think about the annoying prequel Anakin, I want to think about the OT Anakin. I don’t plan on watching them ever again, and I can’t recommend anyone else watch them at all.

“Always in motion is the future” 🌌

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MalàStrana said:

If terrible films such as Rogue One and The force awakens can exist, terrible films such as the PT can also exist. They all deserve to be watched at least once.

Rogue one is more of a prequel than those other films, I don’t think it was terrible, just a lot of issues. Better than. Tfa, now that was a let down.

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ATMachine said:

Yet even so, it has the right to exist. The PT may be awful, but I certainly don’t propose we adopt Lucas’ methods of destroying films we don’t like.

Very true, I agree with this.

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@ IP55

A prequel is a story that takes place before, so I don’t know how you can tell that R1 is “more a prequel” than, for example, TPM. It’s closer in the timeline and it looks identital to ANH, but it’s not in any way “more prequel” (if Disney happens to make a Old Republic Trilogy it still would be prequels even if mostly/totally unrelated to the main saga). A better film ? Yeah you may think that if you want.

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Alderaan said:

ATMachine said:

Yet even so, it has the right to exist. The PT may be awful, but I certainly don’t propose we adopt Lucas’ methods of destroying films we don’t like.

Very true, I agree with this.

Yeah, but we nevertheless do the same as he does regarding film history: when we watch the PT we don’t watch his final versions but alternate ones.

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Depheros said:

I’ve only seen the prequels once each, and I wish I hadn’t. I wish I could erase my memory of those films because they ruin certain parts of Star Wars for me.

Why? The OT existed for a long time before the prequels ever came out. The films resonated with people and they filled in the blanks with their own ideas, whatever impression was left upon them.

Obi-Wan told us that Anakin was the best pilot in the galaxy, a cunning warrior, and a good friend. Especially considering the way the OT was told through Luke’s perspective and his relationship with his dad, I always envisioned Anakin as being a mature, father-like figure, and a powerful and trusted Jedi, just like Obi-Wan and Yoda had described. Do the prequels prevent anyone from continuing to view Anakin in that light? Not for me. I could care less. Anakin will always be exactly as he was implied in the OT, not more, and not less.

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MalàStrana said:

@ IP55

A prequel is a story that takes place before, so I don’t know how you can tell that R1 is “more a prequel” than, for example, TPM. It’s closer in the timeline and it looks identital to ANH, but it’s not in any way “more prequel” (if Disney happens to make a Old Republic Trilogy it still would be prequels even if mostly/totally unrelated to the main saga). A better film ? Yeah you may think that if you want.

Clearly what was meant by “more” was “better.”