Most of the Star Wars fans I know in real life, and there are lots of them ... even the ones who saw the original in '77 ... prefer Empire uber allis.
While I don't want to get all into it now, in relation to a post above, I want to say one thing about Empire that bugs me (out of, oh, 53 things total). I don't think Darth Vader works well as a villain without a human foil - be it Governor Tarkin in SW or Emperor Palpatine in RotJ. He may have the wonderful voice of James Earl, but he's still doing pantomime behind a mask. Without use of the human face, the ability to give a performance is severely stunted, imo. I also think he works better as the classic knee-breaker for the main villain (as is his role in the other two O.T. films) and that his Empire style of killing subordinates right and left works well as a running joke, but hardly makes him a scary villain (again, imho).
Sorry ... enough about Empire. I could go on all day.
I like many things about each of the O.T. films, but - yeah - I'm basically a Star Wars Star Wars fan.
Originally posted by CO
I can always watch that movie in reference to how it was presented in 1977, and don't think about the stuff after it, and the stuff before it. I can say because I saw it in 1977, I am not tainted by the constant story changes by Lucas which has really denegrated it to the younger generation fans who really miss the point of the whole story.
I can always watch that movie in reference to how it was presented in 1977, and don't think about the stuff after it, and the stuff before it. I can say because I saw it in 1977, I am not tainted by the constant story changes by Lucas which has really denegrated it to the younger generation fans who really miss the point of the whole story.
It sure would be a whole lot easier for me to watch Star Wars as a standalone, with no reference to anything but how it was presented in 1977 .... if the movie hadn't been changed to start off with "Episode IV - A New Hope." Substandard or not, bogusly re-created or not, I'm looking forward to the September release of the DVD version without the sub-title linking it to a later series of films.
I've stuck with this fandom because I've enjoyed, to greater or lesser extent, most of the subsequent films*. But mostly because my fandom has been reinvigorated and renewed by the insane line-ups for the Hollywood premiers - - the unbelievable fun and the very cool friendships developed. The movies may be uneven, but the Star Wars fans I've met and befriended have been remarkably great peeps.
* ok, except for Revenge of the Sith which I loathe with all my soul. (Its one good effect being to make me look more kindly upon The Phantom Menace in comparison.)