twooffour said:
Darth Bizarro said:
Many of you are suggesting that it is a bad idea to show her the prequels first because it ruins the experience of the originals. But how can any of you really say that for certain. Most people here saw the originals first and then the prequels so I ask, what frame of reference do you have that showing them the other way ruins the originals. Everyone is going to have their own opinion. And dare I say, part of the reason why we consider the prequels to be so bad is because our standards for what makes a good Star Wars film have been set so high by the original trilogy, especially Empire, that it is impossible for the prequels to live up to our standards. Remove that sentiment and the prequels not only become less offensive, but dare I say it, good. Some people do like them and it's not fair to call all those people stupid just because they like something you don't. And even through it all, she picked 2 of the 3 original movies as her favorites, gagged at all the right stuff in Episode 2, and picked Episode 3 as the best of the prequels and a good film, a sentiment that even many people here share.
The only reason why showing the prequels first would be a "bad idea", is, as I think Gaffer Tape put it, because of the SPOILERS.
It's not a definite reason against it (a movie with a twist can still be enjoyed knowing the twist ahead, if it's a good movie), but the WOW effect is still a memorable experience you don't NEED to take away from the viewer, so I dunno.
I think I liked the 6th Sense quite enough, but I don't know how much more impressed I'd been, had I not known ahead.
On the other hand, I remember being blown away by the reveal in "Identity" (it's all in the mind of a crazy fat guy; don't read the previous sentence if you don't want your WOW effect completely and hopelessly ruined - it's not like you can just erase a spoiler from your memory!), which was pretty awesome.
Now, all the "cool" spoilers in the OT are already common knowledge, but the portrayal of its characters in the PT may negatively affect the first viewing of the OT.
Then again, I do think it's very possible to take Ben, and Darth, for what they are in their respective movies, without thinking too much about asshole Obi-Wan and emo Ani.
So I'd say it doesn't really matter :D
"Remove that sentiment and the prequels not only become less offensive, but dare I say it, good."
Not really, no. You can't get over its most basic, and glaring flaws, like the predominantly dull characters and delivery, the shitty exposition, the confusing plot structure and, more than anything, character motivation, and some of its "annoying humor".
Not that anyone who likes them is stupid, but it's very possible to like them out of stupidity.
As I said in an earlier post, I did seriously consider skipping the prequels but since she already knew Vader was Luke's father going in, I decided against it.
I think it's perfectly acceptable to like a bad or flawed movie if you can find something about it to enjoy. For me, the shear fact that the prequels have anything to do with the originals makes me like them. They're no worse than a lot of EU stuff. But there's a big difference I think between liking something and loving something. I like the prequels, but I love the originals. There's nothing wrong with liking something that's flawed, as long as you realize it's flawed. I realize that Temple of doom is flawed, but it's still my favorite Indiana Jones movie. It's only if the flaws go completely over you head, that you become stupid. That's why I have zero tolerance for Twilight fans.