Preferred Viewing Order

[M.A.C.O.]

Now that we have the Sequel Trilogy and an Anthology movie to go along with the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy. What is your preferred viewing order?

I was thinking about how weird the SW movie order is now.

OT - IV, V and VI
PT - I, II, III
ST - VII, VIII *coming soon*
Anthology - RO, which is technically a prequel film.

Before, there were release order, chronological order and fan machete orders. With the release order and the timeline jumping between eras, things get a little screwy.

 

[MacLeod]

RO-IV - V - VI -VII

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Rogue One
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
The Force Awakens
The Last Jedi
Episode IX

 

[B.J.]

Considering the fact that I'm never going to sit down and watch them all at once, I don't have a viewing order. I'll just watch whichever one I'm in the mood for (or whichever one the kids want to watch).

 

[Reverend]

Considering the fact that I'm never going to sit down and watch them all at once, I don't have a viewing order. I'll just watch whichever one I'm in the mood for (or whichever one the kids want to watch).

^Yeah, this pretty much.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

For myself, III, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII when its released.

I tried watching episode I the other day and I couldn't get through it. The ultra HD really makes the CGI on Jar Jar and the Gungans stand out and it's ugly. Not to mention the story problems and the dialogue.

Episode II isn;t as bad but still not something I think needs revisiting.

I disliked Rogue One. It's like Gareth Edwards took the directing style from Moulin Rouge and Quantum of Solace and made a Star Wars movie with them.

 

[JD]

RO
ANH
ESB
ROTJ
TFDA
TLJ
VIII
TPM
AOTC
ROTS

 

[Geekgarious]

Agreed, plus the over-reliance on nostalgia is making the Disneyverse feel small. I liked TFA well enough in the theater, but am beginning to think that the OT are the only movies I'll go back to.

 

[Turtletrekker]

4,5,6.

 

[Tuskin38]

Agreed, plus the over-reliance on nostalgia is making the Disneyverse feel small.

You say that, but there have hardly been anything familiar in the new movies, species and planets wise (outside of Yavin and returning characters), it's 99% new species and locations in the movies

 

[Turtletrekker]

You say that, but there have hardly been anything familiar in the new movies, species and planets wise (outside of Yavin and returning characters), it's 99% new species and locations in the movies

Huh? "Hardly been anything familiar"?

What movie am I describing...

• The protagonist comes from a remote desert world and has mysterious parentage and undefined Force abilities.
• The protagonist gets swept into galactic events after encountering a droid that carries information vital in the battle against the enemy.
• The protagonist and companions escape from the desert amidst a firefight onboard The Millenium Falcon.
• The enemies uses a huge star-faring battle-station capable of destroying entire worlds that they utilize against a world occupied by their enemies.
• Along the adventure, our heroes visit a bar with many exotic aliens and live music, as well as perform a rescue operation on board the enemy weapon.
• The mentor/father figure character is killed by the enemy, a person he was once very close to.
• The enemy weapon is destroyed by utilizing an obvious flaw that was somehow over-looked. (Ret-con movies notwithstanding.)
• The protagonist defeats their enemy by embracing the Force.

 

[Ithekro]

That's plot structures, not actual locations, species, and stuff. Though to be fair, that mix of plot points are specific and yet not exactly the same between films. The points could be easily spread out to the entire OT an still work. Sometimes all that changes is the planet type, or who's getting a hand cut off.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

SW77
TESB

TPM
AOTC

SW:CW
TCW

ROTS

Rebels
RO

ROTJ

TFA

 

[Geekgarious]

That's plot structures, not actual locations, species, and stuff. Though to be fair, that mix of plot points are specific and yet not exactly the same between films. The points could be easily spread out to the entire OT an still work. Sometimes all that changes is the planet type, or who's getting a hand cut off.

The OT movies had completely different plots. The only similar scenario was the use of a second death star in RotJ, which is one reason why it's the weakest of the OT.

I like TFA well enough for what it is. It has all of Abrams' usual problems, but is entertaining enough. The Fillm where I really have a problem with the overuse of nostalgic references leading to small universe syndrome is RO.

 

[Tuskin38]

Huh? "Hardly been anything familiar"?

What movie am I describing...

• The protagonist comes from a remote desert world and has mysterious parentage and undefined Force abilities.
• The protagonist gets swept into galactic events after encountering a droid that carries information vital in the battle against the enemy.
• The protagonist and companions escape from the desert amidst a firefight onboard The Millenium Falcon.
• The enemies uses a huge star-faring battle-station capable of destroying entire worlds that they utilize against a world occupied by their enemies.
• Along the adventure, our heroes visit a bar with many exotic aliens and live music, as well as perform a rescue operation on board the enemy weapon.
• The mentor/father figure character is killed by the enemy, a person he was once very close to.
• The enemy weapon is destroyed by utilizing an obvious flaw that was somehow over-looked. (Ret-con movies notwithstanding.)
• The protagonist defeats their enemy by embracing the Force.

re-read my post, I wasn't talking story.

 

[Geekgarious]

The story is an integral part of the film though. A major problem I have with most recent blockbusters is how thin and perfunctory the plots feel. Star Trek Into Darkness is Exhibit A of this, but the plots in all of the recent ST and SW movies feel hollow, like an afterthought. I feel like I am turning into the Star Wars version of a TOS-only guy, and I really don't want to be that. I was excited for new films, but what they have given us so far has Felt like fatuous fanwank.

 

[Mage]

Huh? "Hardly been anything familiar"?

What movie am I describing...

• The protagonist comes from a remote desert world and has mysterious parentage and undefined Force abilities.
• The protagonist gets swept into galactic events after encountering a droid that carries information vital in the battle against the enemy.
• The protagonist and companions escape from the desert amidst a firefight onboard The Millenium Falcon.
• The enemies uses a huge star-faring battle-station capable of destroying entire worlds that they utilize against a world occupied by their enemies.
• Along the adventure, our heroes visit a bar with many exotic aliens and live music, as well as perform a rescue operation on board the enemy weapon.
• The mentor/father figure character is killed by the enemy, a person he was once very close to.
• The enemy weapon is destroyed by utilizing an obvious flaw that was somehow over-looked. (Ret-con movies notwithstanding.)
• The protagonist defeats their enemy by embracing the Force.

Take away some of the specific locations you mentioned like dessert and the starfarring weapon, and you've got Basic Fantasy Story from the dawn of fantasy. George Lucas ripped that story as much as any other writer has over the years. The basics of Star Wars A New Hope is a old, OLD story. The only thing original about it was that fact that many of those stories have never looked THAT good.

As for my specific order.... basicly 1, 2, 3, RO, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

The only reason I would break that order, if it was for someone so new to Star Wars was watching with me, and didn't know about Vader/Anakin and 'the reveal'. Which is odd, but appereantly people aren't aware of this. You'd think with it being part of pop culture this was almost general knowledge these days.

 

[Geekgarious]

Take away some of the specific locations you mentioned like dessert and the starfarring weapon, and you've got Basic Fantasy Story from the dawn of fantasy. George Lucas ripped that story as much as any other writer has over the years. The basics of Star Wars A New Hope is a old, OLD story. The only thing original about it was that fact that many of those stories have never looked THAT good.

Yes, Lucas borrowed from myriad sources to create something new and distinctive. That's far different (and far more interesting) than creating a beat-by-beat retread of Lucas' film albeit with less exposition (the planets being destroyed, the general state of the galaxy).

 

[psCargile]

The Empire Strikes Back.

 

[Mage]

Yes, Lucas borrowed from myriad sources to create something new and distinctive. That's far different (and far more interesting) than creating a beat-by-beat retread of Lucas' film albeit with less exposition (the planets being destroyed, the general state of the galaxy).

I disagree, but that particular debate has had, and still has, topics of its own, so perhaps we shouldn't clutter this one with that discussion.