I think it's very strange, but true that many prequel fans think the original Star Wars is the worst Star Wars film! How can you be a Star Wars fan that doesn't like Star Wars?! It makes no sense! It's my second favorite, just behind Empire. What I don't get is how someone could think Star Wars is boring but Phantom Menace is not. I mean, what the heck is so exciting about trade disputes, villians that have little screen time, the bumbling fool Jar Jar Binks or all those scenes on Tatooine? What's so thrilling about the scenes with Padme or her stunt double in the Kabooke outfits talking in the monotone voice about politics? And what's so exciting about those lectures about the midichlorians? And where's all the humor? In the fart jokes? I dunno.
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I contend why the original SW is not loved by alot of PT fans cause it is the only SW episode that doesn't focus on the Skywalker family drama. They watch the movie looking for stuff that just isn't in there, and the result is watching it in the wrong context.
When I just watch the original SW, because to me it is the first episode, not TPM, because I don't recognize the PT, I watch it as a basic good vs evil story that is part 1 of a larger story with more to come. PT fans are looking for Vaders struggle, because to them the saga is about him, in the original, he is just some really cool bad guy. They are looking for little things among the twin Skywalker kids that will lead to the redemption of their father, and in this episode, Luke is making the moves on Leia, just as Han is.
They watch the lightsaber fight thinking it is too slow, or why doesn't Kenobi jump around like Dooku, they're both the same age? Because Lucas original idea was that the lightsaber was like an Excalibur sword where you needed two hands to swing it around, and it was very heavy. Not until ESB, did he change it that it could be perceived as lighter, when Vader fights Luke one handed.
They want Corucsant, Yoda, The Emperor, because they were the stars of the PT, pssst. None of these characters were invented yet. Only the emperor is mentioned by a single line in the movie.
The think the effects are outdated, the movie is slow, and the music is nothing like the other movies. Well Lucas vamped up the effects in the SE, and you're still not happy? Remember it is his vision! The movie is slow because it takes it time to introduce each character, making each one take them to the next characters as they finally all converge on the Death Star. And also, the imperial march wasn't invented yet either.
That is why I believe you should watch the order if you do 4-6,1-3, because you can experience the original for the standalone movie that it is and if you love it, then you can follow the drama of Darth Vader and rise, fall, and redemption. I don't begrudge anyone who doesn't love the original, I feel sorry for them, they are missing out on a true classic, it was loved by everyone in 1977, cause back then it was Star Wars, not the fourth episode of 6 that when watching it in order seems so out of left field from the prequels.