Does anybody here not like Star Wars?

[seigezunt]

I mean, it was a simple fairy tale to begin with [...]

Exactly. That's how Star Wars always struck me - a fairy tale that happens to be set in space. I just didn't find it (or any of its successors) a particularly interesting or engaging fairy tale. Again, to each their own.

That's about where I am.

The first SW movie came out when I was 12, and I enjoyed it, but it never grabbed me the way Trek did. I bought some models and toys and stuff, but it didn't endure like Trek.

Funny to say, I never saw the second movie. Never felt the desire to.

Did not enjoy the thrid movie, and really tried to like, but hated 4 and 5, and didn't even bother seeing the sixth one.

 

[Steve Roby]

There are a lot of things I like about Star Wars. The first movie, for instance. I was 14 in 1977, I'd been a fan of SF and Star Trek for years and bought the novelization when it came out a few months before the movie. It was an entertaining read but it didn't even vaguely prepare me for how damn cool the movie was. It was a great old-fashioned adventure movie with action, humour, and a hint of romance, kind of like the 1970s Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers movies. And the special effects were unbelievable. The opening sequence with the blockade runner and the star destroyer was brilliant.

There are a lot of things about Empire that support the idea that it's a better film than Star Wars, but there are also some serious flaws and warning signs. It took itself way too seriously and it had a friggin' muppet spouting pseudophilosophical silliness. Return wasn't as good. The prequels... well, they look stunning, but it's obvious to anyone who watched the original trilogy first that Lucas didn't think he was telling the story of the rise and fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker when he made those movies. That the prequels tried to make the case that that's what the whole series is about... well, that's just revisionism. So the prequel trilogy is an extended and over-the-top misrepresentation of what the original trilogy was about. With worse acting, aside from possibly McGregor and Neeson.

But Star Wars has done magnificently well with a lot of its tie-ins. It has a lot of the best tie-in video games, and it seems to have a decent track record as far as books and comics are concerned. The spinoffs... well, I watched a few of the original Clone Wars cartoons and they were awful. As was the Christmas Special (I saw it on TV at the time) and what I saw of the Ewoks animated series and the live action TV movies, and the Droids animated series didn't exactly blow me away, either. But I've spent many happy hours with the likes of Dark Forces, Battlefront I and II, Republic Commando, etc. The prequel trilogy gave the games a lot of neat new toys and settings to play with.

 

[JediKnightButler]

I like all of them and will usually watch them if they come on TV. They're all kind of a mixed bag overall. They've all got their strengths, as well as their weaknesses and I definitely like some of them more than others- my personal favorites being TESB, ROTJ, and ROTS, which are the ones that I watch more frequently than the others. I was a little underwhelmed by TPM, AOTC was decent but got dragged down by the awkward romance of Anakin and Padme and ANH just seems dated even though it is, of course, the one that started it all. However, when all is said and done, I would be hard-pressed to think of a current or recent movie franchise I like more than Star Wars. I'm enjoying the current Clone Wars series more than I thought I would even though I wish they would do a post-ROTJ series or even something set during the OT. *sigh* Oh well. I'll take what I can get Star Wars. The post-ROTJ EU novels help fill in the gap somewhat but it would be cool to actually SEE what happens after ROTJ and some of the newer characters.

 

[DWF]

I like them all and I watch all of them on DVD from time to time.

 

[zakkrusz]

Love anything Star Wars personally.

 

[Phily B]

Prequels ruined it for me, I can't watched the old ones without it being at the back of my mind.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Tried hating Star Wars. Didn't work. The original trilogy was too much a part of my past. I've just learned to accept that all franchises have sucky stuff.

 

[Captain Craig]

I like Star Wars, don't love it but for sure not a hater. I really only dislike Phantom Menace. Its tough trying to sit through that one. I feel the other prequel movies hold up well enough and the OT speaks for itself. I even find the Clone Wars movie passable fare, especially knowing its target audience was 10yr and under. Curious to see what Lucas does with this live action material.

My top to bottom of desired sci-fi franchises would go like this, top 5 only.

1. Star Trek (shocker I know)
2. Stargate
3. Firefly/Serenity
4. Star Wars
5. Farscape

 

[I Grok Spock]

I was 7 in '77 and was completely brainwashed by Star Wars and Empire. Jedi was disappointing, but hell, by then it was all over, and some parts were decent. Ignored the Endor movies and Ewoks/Droids animation. I was hoping for a return to form in Phantom Menace, but disappointment continued. Things didn't get any better in Clones or Sith, despite the fan service in the latter. Most of the "EU" has been awful, but on the bright side, made the prequels look a bit better. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Clone Wars TV series, for reasons I am at a loss to explain. Exhaustion? Acceptance? Entertainment?


What was the question again?

 

[Geckothan]

I don't like the prequels, but I enjoy 4, 5 and 6. The prequels try to be a bit more "complex" than the old movies but come off as kids movies, it just doesn't work.

 

[J.T.B.]

I was also 7 when Star Wars came out, and it was pretty much all I was interested in for a few years. I still think it is the best of the movies, though now as an adult I appreciate it more in a cinematic way. It is a brilliant synthesis of adventure stores, golden age science-fiction and classic film, and it broke a lot of ground in visual effects, sound and art design. The characters and dialogue might be weak, but the action and editing are such that it almost doesn't matter.

ESB was great, RotJ was OK but not good like the first two. I couldn't find much to like about the prequel trilogy.

--Justin

 

[Leroy]

I like Star Wars but I think it's overrated and overexposed almost to the point where I'm sick of it. As bad as I think the prequels are they still don't diminish my enjoyment of the original trilogy.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I still prefer the original film of all the Star Wars films (it has that "Logan's Run"-like quality about it)

This is interesting. What do you mean by a Logan's Run-like quality?

I think it's the cinematography of the studio-shot scenes, especially on the Death Star, that reminds me a lot of that decade's "Logan's Run"

Interesting. I never would have made that connection.

 

[RandyS]

I prefer Star Trek by a mile, but think Star Wars is great

Same here.

 

[Goliath]

Prequels ruined it for me, I can't watched the old ones without it being at the back of my mind.

Here--let me help. Just look at the red dot...

 

[Gepard]

My father is a big star wars fan, but I've never understood the appeal of it, or why it has such a strong fan base.

To crib liberally from Dennis's defenses of the new Trek movie, it helps that Star Wars is fun, something a lot of Star Trek hasn't been in a long, long time. If we're doing the inevitable Trek v. Wars dickwaving, of course.

I still prefer the original film of all the Star Wars films (it has that "Logan's Run"-like quality about it)

This is interesting. What do you mean by a Logan's Run-like quality?

There are three things all straight, oridnary American men love: Football, The Three Stooges, and Star Wars.

Apparently I'm straight and extraordinary: Of those, I only like The Three Stooges.

Huh. Pro-Three Stooges, anti-nuBSG and Star Wars. Man, that three strikes against you.

 

[RandyS]

Unlike a lot of people here, it seems, I saw Star Wars in '77, when I was nine. For that reason, to me, Star Wars means the first film--period. I've never thought of it as "Episode IV: A New Hope," and never will.

I really liked both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a kid, and I still really like them today. Did anybody else see them when they were re-released as a double bill? I don't even remember what year that was.

But I could take Return of the Jedi or leave it. And I didn't care for the prequel trilogy at all. For me, Attack of the Clones was literally forgettable: I remember being bored until about the last half-hour, and...that's really all I remember.

My impression of the The Phantom Menace was almost equally negative, though I did dig the three-way light saber fight. Revenge of the Sith was the most memorable of the three, but even then, I thought it was just wasn't very good.

Overall, I would compare the prequel trilogy to a bad laxative. It just didn't move me.

But I still love SW and TESB.

I too saw Star Wars in 1977, when I was seven, and my impressions almost match yours, except I didn't hate Attack of the Clones half as much as you did. Seriously, after the mess that was The Phantom Menace (we waited 16 years for a remake of New Hope??), there was nowhere to go but up. And, I geniunely enjoyed Revnge of the Sith. But, for me, Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie there is.

 

[sidious618]

I prefer Star Wars to Star Trek so no, I'm not a Star Wars hater.

 

[Goji]

My father is a big star wars fan, but I've never understood the appeal of it, or why it has such a strong fan base.

To crib liberally from Dennis's defenses of the new Trek movie, it helps that Star Wars is fun, something a lot of Star Trek hasn't been in a long, long time. If we're doing the inevitable Trek v. Wars dickwaving, of course.

Star Wars hasn't really been fun in a long, long time either. Most of the last two movies were spent on a lot of nonsense politics that nobody cared about, a "tragic" romance that nobody took seriously, and a lot of wanna-be dark and grittiness that involved the (off screen) slaughter of children and the horrific physical scarring of the primary lead. Not to mention that the actual attempts at being fun (Jar Jar, anyone?) provided as much actual fun as having wisdom teeth extracted sans anesthetic.

I'd say that, ignoring the most recent Star Trek film for the moment, both franchises peaked a long time ago, and the recent output ought not to be the basis for judging either one. That is, if we hope to avoid serious clinical depression.

 

[Jadzia]

^ The only insight I have as to why it has a big fan base, is that it has several likeable themes. Other films would not use all of these:

1. It is set in a realm beyond earth. This is a captivating scenario for people who like to imagine a space-age future.

2. The protagonists are a motley crew of different appearances and temperaments. Good character dynamics. Good opportunity for developing back story. It invites people to learn about the universe, and many people will enjoy doing so.

3. It features large scale good vs evil. A cliched but timeless story.

4. It features visible warfare. Some people enjoy all the lasers and explosions, and skillful flying of craft.

5. It features a hero and an equally skilled opponent, who eventually meet for the final showdown. Inevitable if it is to be a legendary story.