Star Wars - the most overrated franchise ever??

Discussion in 'Star Wars' started by WraithDukat, Dec 19, 2017.

  1. WraithDukat

    WraithDukat Captain Captain

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    I'm not trolling here. People act like these films are the Shakespeare of Sci-Fi, they're really not. Out of 9 there are two that (in my opinion) deserve more than a 'meh', that's Empire and Rogue One (Possibly Sith). The rest are barely worth watching. I think that's why people are always bitterly disappointed when a new film comes out, they hold it to a sky high standard and are inevitably disappointed.

    I haven't seen The Last Jedi yet.

    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2017
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  2. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    I thought the SW films where the popcorn flicks of Sci-Fi, just your basic escapist films.

    As for people being dissapointed in them due to sky high standards that can be said of several franchises, if people really enjoy the first however many come out, the next film(s) can get hyped so much that it leads to nothing but dissapointment .

    Whilst I think TLJ has some flaws doesn't mean that overall I enjoyed it. I would likely place it in the middle of my rankings of SW films.
     
  3. Satron

    Satron Commander Red Shirt

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    You are looking on the old movies from today's standards. No, this franchise cannot be overrated. The old movies were something fresh and new for the late 70s and early 80s. They set a standard. That none of the newer movies can meet that standard today doesn't diminish the impact the originals had.
     
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  4. WraithDukat

    WraithDukat Captain Captain

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    Maybe it's because it's dated so badly but I find ANH embarrassing to watch, every so often I watch them all again, I usually skip ANH and TPM. So many bad moments such as:

    'I was going to pick up power converters' - That super whiny voice makes it worse.

    The garbage compactor scene.

    The Stormtroopers having literally no aim. (I'm aware of the 'they deliberately missed' theory but why bother looking for them if that's the case?).

    Pretty much Lukes whole character in this film, he wasn't nearly as bad in the sequels.
     
  5. WraithDukat

    WraithDukat Captain Captain

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    Empire was a masterpiece though, and belongs up there with Godfather 2.
     
  6. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

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    If you have to lead off your post by saying "I'm not trolling here", that's usually not a promising beginning. It's sort of like saying "No offense, but...", which is almost inevitably followed by an insult.

    If you follow up that up by using a strawman argument that most people act like Star Wars is the "Shakespeare of Scifi" (I'm sure there are some folks out there who say that, but it's by no means a common claim), in order to have an easy target to knock down, you're not improving. Most people enjoy Star Wars for what it is without having delusions of grandeur about it, to paraphrase Han.

    And then if you use your subjective opinion (which you're entitled to) to try and make an objective claim about the franchise's standing and whether its overrated or not, it adds up to a trifecta of obnoxiousness.

    So, my thoughts are that your post sucks. In my opinion.
     
  7. Jedi_Master

    Jedi_Master Admiral Admiral

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    Ok. Thanks for sharing.
    I hope that your post garners all the attention it deserves.
     
  8. Campe

    Campe Vice Admiral Admiral

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    To quote a certain Jedi Master: "Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong."

    You are looking at this from a modern context as opposed to looking at the film as a product of its time. You are also taking the popcorn films far too seriously. Luke's character has a journey. He starts off as a whiny farmboy and saves the galaxy. The "power converter" line is indicative of it.

    I don't understand your issue with the trash compactor scene. Its a cliffhanger scene. Its supposed to be fun.

    The Stormtroopers have terrible aim in Empire, Jedi, Force Awakens and Last Jedi. And the battle droids have terrible aim in the prequels. What's your point?

    And I'm not sure what movies you're watching, but Luke is certainly just as whiny in Empire on Dagobah.
     
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  9. Redfern

    Redfern Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well, considering Toshi Station is a strip club and the "Power Converters" are some of the "talent" (as revealed in the Robot Chicken special), I'd also be upset that my plans were derailed. :D
     
  10. General_Phoenix

    General_Phoenix Captain Captain

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    Star Wars '77 (A New Hope), and Empire set the bar high. ANH had great world building, ESB had great character development, and had an on the edge of your seat story. After that, the franchise started going the safe route.

    The 10 year old in me still loves ROTJ, but it has two retreads, Tatooine, and a Death Star. It gives off a been there done that vibe. Although admittedly I love Jabba's Palace, and the Battle of Endor is a great space battle.

    Prequels were a mess, but am starting to enjoy them oddly enough.
     
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  11. EnsignRicky

    EnsignRicky Commodore Commodore

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    OP: That's a very good question.
     
  12. Galileo7

    Galileo7 Commodore Commodore

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    Agree.
    Agree.
    So, I have to say that the Star Wars franchise is not overrated because in 1977 Star Wars ignited this franchise that, although imperfect, is worthy of it's praise. Star Wars (1977) was not Episode IV:A New Hope in the theaters in '77 . It was re-titled after it's success gave birth to a franchise and the Empire Strikes Back(1980) was going to be made next.
     
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  13. Kor

    Kor Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I get a sense of magic and escapism from SW that isn't quite comparable to anything else. I like that.

    Kor
     
  14. Smellmet

    Smellmet Commodore Commodore

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    I think A New Hope is every bit the masterpiece that Empire is, if not more.
     
  15. Galileo7

    Galileo7 Commodore Commodore

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    You are right. Both Star Wars(1977) and Empire Strikes Back(1980) are brilliant films alone or as part of this franchise.
     
  16. Hound of UIster

    Hound of UIster Vice Admiral Admiral

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    No that is the MCU.
     
  17. General_Phoenix

    General_Phoenix Captain Captain

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    I often wonder how much of ESB is Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan. A lot of story elements in there that is hard to imagine Lucas doing. Dark undertones, and character development that helps propel the story.

    Might be why ESB is his least favorite, even though the elements in that movie really reverberate through the whole saga.
     
  18. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm not so sure. From the near endless, breathless Star Wars fan YouTube Channels (e.g. Star Wars Theory & Generation Tech), to fans on the street, some treat this franchise like its greatest, most original, operatic work of fiction in history....yes, this franchise, while conveniently ignoring the gaping plot holes, convenient stories to support bad ideas (especially in the prequels and sequel movies), all to fall to collective knees and worship all things Star Wars.
     
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  19. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Read the Leigh Bracket draft and it's interesting but some concepts were actually better off ditched.

    I do agree on Kasdan.
     
  20. Qonundrum

    Qonundrum Vice Admiral Admiral

    Gotta agree.

    SW may be the first sci-fi entity to spawn a franchise - and without it, Trek would never have had TMP and there's no telling how "Phase II" would have worked out, assuming unforeseen issues wouldn't have ended up nixing it anyway, but that's hypothetical hyperbole - but the 1977 movie was originally a standalone and was very much a B-movie, which relied more on visual flash and a terrific soundtrack. And while some critics disliked "Empire", "Empire" is precisely what the new franchise needed. Especially without recycling the death star as ep 3 pays homage to, and ep 7 shamelessly recycles.

    1977 was rebranded in to IV only when box office records were shattered. There was an inconsistency back in the day about the number of chapters, allegedly planned in advanced (uh, what's been made proves he made up a lot as he went along, right down to Luke and Leia frenching and his not figuring her out until the tail-end of Empire...)

    VI does a needless new death star and the stupid little Ewoks as, or my guess is, George wanted one big cash-grab so he made the merchandising as brazen as possible and tried to write in a movie subplot between paragraphs.

    I is a tad underrated, II is soulless and is proof positive that seeing a zillion glowstick light sabers whizzing on screen doesn't make for a good action movie since nobody gives a rat about the baton-swingers on the field being sliced and diced, III has the right feel despite clunky dialogue and the stupid robot holding 4 light sabers (again, abscond quality in favor of quantity - it doesn't hold up, ironically), and the prequels actually do expand on the universe - even if they also made the mistake of using android armies and spacecraft that seem superior. Maybe there's a form of attrition going on, which VII loosely hints at as well but not quite in the same ways. If I really wanted to try to find an actual taut history between the eras...

    I've read up on numerous spoilers and even went to review sites that are retroactively belittling the movie because
    they're not doing what everyone was predicting and are trying to go in different directions. Even Kylo's line to
    encourage Bo Dennis Rey had him using the same pickup line my ex had (about how she meant something to him whereas (others) said she was nothing.)
    So, yeah, I do want to see it even more now.

    But, yeah, Red Letter Media made rather a strange point since they, like me and everyone else, is guilty of it - adults acting like kids or cult members with high expectations then getting sour when the expectations are met. Even the original trilogy or even just the 1977 original were expensive kids' films with the primary intent to sell plastic toys to reenact the movie's space scenes. Still surprised they didn't have a death star cookie jar back in 1977, though at least we have C3PO telling us not to smoke ciggies...
     
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