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Star Wars releases you previously disliked, but now like or enjoy?

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What are some of the Star Wars releases you previously disliked, but now like or enjoy?

Or hated, but now love?
Or thought “meh, that was poor”. But now think “Meh, that is okay”?
Or other changes of opinion?
And so on.
 

For me it is 2008’s The Clone Wars series.

I watched seasons 1 and 2 some 8 or 9 years ago. I tried to give the series a fair chance at the time, I wanted to like it, but just couldn’t. It didn’t feel like Star Wars, had no consequences to speak of, the characters and animations were lacking, it had a lack of realism or depth for me. It was all a bit bleh. Maybe it was underwhelming as it was set in an interesting timeline in the star wars universe, but when it turned out to be something different from what I was expecting it just didn’t do it for me.

Now, I have been watching the series again, and find myself more interested in the show and actually anticipating the episodes I haven’t yet watched (I am up to season 3 ‘Ghosts Of Mortis’). The series isn’t perfect, it does have a number of stinkers or “meh” episodes, but that can be said for any long running series. The characters are growing on me, and the stories too. Not all of the stories, but more than during the original viewing years ago.
 

What about you? Are there any tv series, films, specials, novels, comics or games you have changed your opinion on?

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Almost all my changed opinions on Star Wars things have been the opposite direction. I loved The Force Awakens when it came out because it was such a fantastic experience but criticised it more over time; very similar with The Mandalorian season 2. I actually think the only releases where I’ve truly moved from dislike to a cautious liking are the prequels. I used to really dislike them, particularly because their aesthetics are so off-kilter with those of the OT, but now I appreciate the overall story more and the era is being filled with lore, amazing story opportunities and memorable designs. I think The Clone Wars TV show really helped improve the movies for me. They’re still not fantastic films imo, but I respect them and what they’re trying to do. And I do watch and enjoy them every once in a while!

Glad you’ve returned to The Clone Wars Johann - most people would agree the series gets better as it goes on. You have lots in store! I hope you try Rebels next and see what you think.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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I’m in a similar camp as jedi_bendu. As a kid, I loved everything Star Wars pretty much unconditionally. Then I became more and more critical over time, seeing more and more flaws in the franchise, until I considered only ANH and ESB good films. Then I revisited all six films as an adult, and that had the opposite effect. I was able to see each film with a fresh perspective, and see the good qualities in each of them.

I plan to rewatch the ST eventually, back-to-back to see how the films work as a single story, and to give it another chance to win me over now that the novelty and hype have worn off. I’ll see what I think of it after that.

I should probably watch TCW, too.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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I used to like the 2003 Clone Wars, but I now find it lacking in the heart that the 2009 has.

I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.

Star Wars has 3 eras: The eras are 1977-1983(pre Expanded Universe), (1983-2014) expanded universe, or (2014- now) Disney-bought version. Each are valid.

Important voice tool:
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1472151/action/topic#1472151

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The 2003 miniseries will always be special to me, and it bridges the gap between the movies in a very concise, effective way that I appreciate. I also love Tartakovsky’s visual style.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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Servii said:

The 2003 miniseries will always be special to me, and it bridges the gap between the movies in a very concise, effective way that I appreciate. I also love Tartakovsky’s visual style.

I meant no knock on his skill, I just felt that there wasn’t any of the found family stuff that I like

I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.

Star Wars has 3 eras: The eras are 1977-1983(pre Expanded Universe), (1983-2014) expanded universe, or (2014- now) Disney-bought version. Each are valid.

Important voice tool:
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1472151/action/topic#1472151

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That’s fair.

But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.

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I hated the Last Jedi the first time i watched it. It was like going to the funeral of a loved family member. I had no idea how much Luke Skywalker meant to me i’m in my 40s and i’m not a child but it was a punch in the gut. Now i have a sort of respect for it for its boldness and choices even if i don’t like them all. On the other hand i used to love Force Awakens and Rise of Skywalker and now i despise them. I came to realize they are empty nostalgia vehicles and are trash Star Wars.

Used to hate and revile the prequels except for having a soft spot for Phantom Menace, i still kind of hate Attack of the Clones, and i only like the end of Revenge of the Sith but i’ve found peace with them for the most part. But i won’t watch anything but the theatrical Phantom Menace. The video extended cuts with cgi Yoda are awful.

I also had a bit of nostalgia for the 97 edit of Star wars, but just because it came out when i was in High School. I find the special editions on the whole to be awful and misguided in general. But i wouldn’t hate them quite as much if the originals weren’t suppressed. The Hayden Skywalker version though from 2004 on i cannot even force myself to watch that. And the Revenge of the Sith Emperor in Empire and bad redone dialog, and awful Temuerra Fett.Which is hilarious because he was great in Mando.

Loved the Luke in Mando thing until i thought about it more and its just blatant fanservice. But i’m glad Mark Hamill got to do the Luke he wanted finally. Still isn’t as cool as Luke leaving the Hanger in Last Jedi, even if that was faked with a force projection. But the film was story rich and deep in character where the other stuff was dross. Even Solo and Rogue One are fun but not really all that deep. Honestly you could erase everything since 83 but Last Jedi and i wouldn’t miss any of it.

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The Force Awakens:

At the Time - I really liked it and thought it was a fine bridge for bringing back fans who were disappointed by the Prequels and introducing a new era. However at the same time I didn’t think it would age well as it didn’t sit right with me how it lacked any kind of originality or anything new. Rey was truly the saving grace. I loved her character at the time and was really looking forward to exploring where she came from and how it connects to the present plot.

In Retrospect - I’m happy for the fans who love it but it’s nothing more than nostalgia bait in my eyes. It’s there to evoke warm fuzzy feelings we had with the Original Trilogy while disguising itself behind likeable characters who upon thinking about them are carbon copies of their superior counterparts. It’s even more jarring to watch the film when you watch it as a continuation of Return of the Jedi. I only really love Rey’s opening montage on Jakku and when she pulls the lightsaber from the snow. The scenes on Takodana are pretty fun too. Otherwise I can barely stand it and don’t know if I’ll ever be able to find any genuine enjoyment in it again.

The Last Jedi -

At the Time: I didn’t really like it but I didn’t hate it either. I definitely felt numb and burnt out after the throne room scene. I was ready for it be over at that point. It felt too distant and far removed from anything related to the saga as a whole.

In Retrospect: I really like it a lot and even love aspects of it as long as I make the distinction between it and George Lucas Star Wars being two seperate entities. It’s far from perfect but it’s still a very intriguing film with a good amount of thought and depth behind the majority of its decisions. It had a tough task continuing off the mess The Force Awakens created. I think Rian did his best with what he had to work with. He could’ve been a bit more aware and conscious of continuing an ongoing series but I appreciate at the same time that he tried something pretty different. It still has nostalgia bait but it’s done in a slightly more tasteful way. I think it’s great how it got back to the roots of Star Wars in being both an art film and entertainment film. The art film aspect really captures a lot of the spirit of Star Wars but the entertainment aspect definitely plays more on the Disney side of the spectrum. I also really like how it portrays the Force apart from Rey Nobody and Broom Boy. All and all it’s a good to great film with serious flaws. It’s solid overall though.

The Rise of Skywalker -

At the Time: I enjoyed it and had more fun with it the first time I saw it compared to when I saw The Last Jedi. J.J. is good at giving something on the surface level that’s usually pretty fun to look at. I definitely didn’t like Rey being a Palpatine but all and all it was good.

In Retrospect: It’s fun but mediocre. It has some fun moments but overall it’s pretty much nostalgia bait in the same way as The Force Awakens. There’s no depth to any of its ideas. I love the Aki Aki Festival and the idea of Luke and Leia training together. I also can enjoy other things like the scenes on Kijimi but overall I don’t really feel anything other than mindless fun with rare exceptions.

Rogue One -

At the Time: I enjoyed it but wasn’t blown away by any of it except for the scenes on Jedha. I liked the introduction a lot as it reminded me of my story I’m writing. I didn’t like the CGI characters but did love all of the callbacks and parallels to the Prequels that nobody noticed or seems to still not notice for that matter. Overall it felt like a harmless film that served as a bridge to A New Hope. I liked Chirrut.

In Retrospect: It’s definitely pandering with nostalgia but it at least has a story to tell. Chirrut is my favourite character from the Disney era. All and all I really like it for what it is. It does enough right to make it so I am able to appreciate and enjoy it.

That’s pretty much my thoughts. Solo is the one I can’t really get behind in changing my initial reaction. There’s some fun to be had and intriguing elements but it feels like a checklist instead of a movie. I’ve not watched Mandalorian except for a few minutes of the first episode. I’m not sure it’s fair to judge it yet. I like Rebels for the most part and find my thoughts have stayed pretty consistent. My enjoyment and love for the Prequels and Originals only grows with each day.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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I was very mixed on the prequels, and therefore wasn’t much interested in the Clone Wars animated series. I still have some issues with certain aspects of the prequels, but have gotten to the point where those things just don’t matter as much as they once did. I think there’s far more to enjoy. As for The Clone Wars, it has become essential viewing in my opinion. Some of the best moments of Star Wars are found in that series. I’m very happy that I allowed my view of what Star Wars is to grow and expand.

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Rodney-2187 said:

I’m very happy that I allowed my view of what Star Wars is to grow and expand.

I’m trying to get there as I don’t want to feel such animosity towards most of the Disney era. I’d like to at least get to a place where I can enjoy this era in an alternate universe sort of way. I can say I’m getting there with The Last Jedi and to an extent The Rise of Skywalker but I don’t know if I’ll get there with The Force Awakens or Solo. I like Rogue One and The Last Jedi mostly. So I suppose liking two of five films isn’t all bad. I am excited however to play Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. I hope playing the Sequel era and hopefully some side quests for Solo (since they are releasing character packs for it and Rogue One) will help me reconcile with it. It may not be my Star Wars but I can at least try enjoying it on the surface instead of being bitter the story being told in the first six wasn’t complete.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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Stardust1138 said:

Rodney-2187 said:

I’m very happy that I allowed my view of what Star Wars is to grow and expand.

I’m trying to get there as I don’t want to feel such animosity towards most of the Disney era. I’d like to at least get to a place where I can enjoy this era in an alternate universe sort of way.

First let me state I don’t mean everyone should like everything. It seems like that’s what I’m saying sometimes, but I certainly don’t like everything myself, nor do I expect anyone else to. It’s all subjective.

That aside, I definitely am an advocate of reevaluating things from time to time. We grow and change over time, and often we can see things differently than we initially did, especially if we let go of earlier preconceptions. I don’t think I’m ever going to enjoy Jar Jar’s humor or the CGI in AotC, but the story being told in the prequels and especially the animated series is well worth overlooking the parts I’m not fond of.

As for the sequels, a lot of people have a lot to say about them. I think once the dust settles in the years to come, they may be evaluated differently. Whatever your take on them, I think most would agree this is an extremely hostile time to make anything.

This is the whole reason I say a lot of the things I do. Not because I think my opinion is better than anyone else, or I’m right and they’re wrong. And again I don’t expect everyone to see it the way I do. But if I can just get a few people to discover something they enjoy, that they may have previously overlooked, that would just make me very happy.

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Rodney-2187 said:

Stardust1138 said:

Rodney-2187 said:

I’m very happy that I allowed my view of what Star Wars is to grow and expand.

I’m trying to get there as I don’t want to feel such animosity towards most of the Disney era. I’d like to at least get to a place where I can enjoy this era in an alternate universe sort of way.

First let me state I don’t mean everyone should like everything. It seems like that’s what I’m saying sometimes, but I certainly don’t like everything myself, nor do I expect anyone else to. It’s all subjective.

That aside, I definitely am an advocate of reevaluating things from time to time. We grow and change over time, and often we can see things differently than we initially did, especially if we let go of earlier preconceptions. I don’t think I’m ever going to enjoy Jar Jar’s humor or the CGI in AotC, but the story being told in the prequels and especially the animated series is well worth overlooking the parts I’m not fond of.

As for the sequels, a lot of people have a lot to say about them. I think once the dust settles in the years to come, they may be evaluated differently. Whatever your take on them, I think most would agree this is an extremely hostile time to make anything.

This is the whole reason I say a lot of the things I do. Not because I think my opinion is better than anyone else, or I’m right and they’re wrong. And again I don’t expect everyone to see it the way I do. But if I can just get a few people to discover something they enjoy, that they may have previously overlooked, that would just make me very happy.

I really admire your take on Star Wars and often find myself wishing I could get where you’re at. I find I can in a general sense. I see the flaws in the Prequels and Originals but I find I can more easily forgive them and try understanding why George thought they worked. The difference I find when it comes to the Disney era is I end up going to a cynical place when I think of reasons why the filmmaker made x and y choice. I usually chalk it up to Disney and suits making the decisions. I agree with a lot of what you’re saying though. I think my problem with the Sequels is how they feel so different and far removed from what was central and important in George’s six films. They’re not necessarily bad movies as they’re enjoyable popcorn flicks but to me Star Wars was always more than that. Star Wars was both a popcorn flick and an art house film wrapped into one. I find The Last Jedi gets closest to capturing this but find it hard to reconcile it as a continuation of the first six as it also breaks a lot of themes and rules.

My hope is that in time I’ll be able to enjoy the Disney era for what it is. I’ll be able to point out the flaws but I won’t go straight to cynicism or sadness that George’s story feels incomplete. I’ll be able to enjoy things for what they are and not what I want them to be.

It’s a juggling act of seeing things as George Lucas Star Wars and Disney Star Wars.

I’ll definitely continue reevaluating and exploring this era as I do have fun with it for the most part. It just may not hit me in the same way and I need to find a way to be okay with that as there’s so much content I’m missing out on that I think I’d like to try getting into.

“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don’t have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It’s just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.” - George Lucas

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I’ve turned hard on the prequels over the years, especially once I learned that the special editions were a tech demo for the PT. I used to be indifferent to them, then I got to the point of seeing the OOT and ST as the “true saga.”

The Clone Wars made the prequels even worse for me, especially because of how much better TCW is. ROTS now becomes a bigger letdown.

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I don’t think any SW release has grown on me more over time. Of course I appreciate different things as an adult than when I was a kid but if I still like something it’s because I liked it in the first place. Unfortunately many things have the exact opposite arc like many others have when first they like or at least try to like all SW and then they realize they’re fooling themselves. E.g. I haven’t watched the prequels in 15 years and it has actually made me appreciate the OT even more like I initially did. The ST had a very quick dropoff from thinking TFA was meh and now disliking it firmly, and now I have only seen TLJ twice and TROS once. I guess I could give them one back to back viewing at some point but they do not interest me in the least.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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They hype for The Phantom Menace in 1999 was incredible. It’s one of my greatest Star Wars memories. I’d grown up with the Original Trilogy, but now I was older and on my own and with plenty of disposable income to enjoy it all my way. My opinion on the movie itself however was mixed.

There were aspects of the prequels I loved, but others I decidedly didn’t. I had a narrow idea of what Star Wars was. Neither Clone Wars animated series interested me either. They just seemed like kid versions of something I was already unsure about. The overwhelming amount of prequel-era styled material overshadowing the original aesthetic that I considered to be the real Star Wars only made me more unhappy.

One day I was home sick on the couch and bored with everything I could find to watch. I decided to give Rebels a try. I hated the animation style at first, but appreciated that it was more in the style of the original trilogy. This was the gateway. Long story short, my idea of what Star Wars was started to grow. This was also close to the time of The Force Awakens, so I went from feeling like the Original Trilogy was all the Star Wars I’d ever have, to this huge explosion of so much Star Wars to consume.

Not sure exactly why, but something just clicked, and I’m glad it did. Some of the very best Star Wars moments can be found in those animated shows. I went from not liking the looks of the animation to loving it. I still have issues with parts of the prequels, but this more open-mindedness allowed me to enjoy them more than I ever had before. The things that bothered me were still there, but somehow didn’t matter as much anymore. I think this mindset is also why I enjoyed the sequels as much as I did.

To anyone not enjoying this current era of Star Wars, all I can say is be patient. I’m sure it seems as though you’ll never find more Star Wars to enjoy again, and that new Star Wars has taken over, but nothing stays the same. Maybe the next iteration will have something for you, and when you look back you could find something you overlooked.

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There are many films I’ve grown to appreciate over time. But not with Star Wars, they either hold up or get worse the more I watch them until I have to stop.

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Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars. I initially disliked It, but I gradually changed my mind over time, and now I like it a lot.

«This is where the fun begins!»
(Anakin Skywalker)

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Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars for me, too. It seemed to be kind of an odd official side project at the time, but over time I found it to be some of the more enjoyable material to come out the PT era.

Sometimes I sort of wish I got more into the whole Clone Wars multimedia project sooner that I did, but given that was replaced and disregarded just a couple of years for the 2008 TCW film & series it was probably for the best. That did put me off investing in any further PT era for years after, especially seeing friends and other fans get screwed over like that.

Yet the 2003 series itself is still up there as something different, fresh and welcome, even 20 years later. Star Wars that is fun and out there. All respect to Genndy Tartakovsky and his team.

“In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be “replaced” by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten.” - George Lucas

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I’ve gone back and forth on the prequels. As a kid I loved them, then later I started hearing that a lot of people hated them and it rubbed off on me for a few years. Now I’m kind of in the middle on them. I’m now of the opinion that they aren’t as bad as some people say they are, nor are they as good as some people say they are.
I did not like Rogue One the first few times I saw it. It just seemed like a boring and pointless spinoff that distracted from the sequel trilogy. It wasn’t until I saw Andor when I finally came around to enjoying it. I still don’t think it’s as great as some people think it is, but it’s a decent movie.
I loved The Last Jedi when I saw it in theaters, but it didn’t hold up on rewatches. I can only bear to watch fan edits of it now.

All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph!