Star Wars Ot vs More Modern Trilogy

[Nedersong]

A couple of questions to ponder.

If the original Star Wars triology (episodes Vi, V, Vi) were released as brand new movies, would they have been as successful and popular as they are now?

If it had only been episodes I, II, and III released first would they be as successful and legendary as the original trilogy? Or would they just be alright movies?

How different would the franchise be if only episodes I, II, & III had bee released?

 

[Fel]

What if it had only been Star Wars the Clone Wars?

 

[DigificWriter]

After years spent interacting with other SW fans online, I've come to the conclusion that a lot (if not all) of the dislike for the Prequels stems from the fact that SW as a property had become so popular and ingrained in popular culture that the Prequels couldn't hope to live up to expectations. So much time passed between the release of the original films and the Prequels that it's become almost impossible for people to hold the OT and the Prequels to the same standards of judgement, even though they all have many things, both positive and negative, in common with each other.

On a semi-related note, I've actually discovered that many more SW fans like the Prequels than dislike them; it just seems like the opposite is the case because the haters are much more vocal than the people who like the Prequel films. I personally think that all six films are great, although they do each have their own individual weaknesses.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

A couple of questions to ponder.

If the original Star Wars triology (episodes Vi, V, Vi) were released as brand new movies, would they have been as successful and popular as they are now?

If it had only been episodes I, II, and III released first would they be as successful and legendary as the original trilogy? Or would they just be alright movies?

How different would the franchise be if only episodes I, II, & III had bee released?

Let's see....

The original 1970s/1980s trilogy... had some really cool special effects, sure... but the effects never overwhelmed the storytelling. This is best illustrated by the fact that the movies were expanded and serialized into NPR radio programs (with a full case, including a couple of the film actors) and the story held up just as well (some might argue "better" but I'd say "just about the same").

I'm not convinced that the "prequel" movies could have been done as radio programs... or if they were, they'd be either (1) VERY SHORT programs, or (2) dramatically EXTENDED, beyond the scope of the films.

What makes for a "great" movie? Well, it's not "cool special effects." It's all about the story... all about the characters. The audience has to care about, has to LIKE, and has to identify with the main characters.

SO... based upon the above... I think that if they'd started with the "prequel trilogy" films AS PRODUCED, and assuming (and it's a HUGE assumption) that they'd have been sufficiently successful to justify all three being made in the first place... I think that they'd rank right up there in the pantheon of great movies alongside...

... alongside anything ever spoofed by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys.

(Seriously... if y ou want to watch the prequels and ENJOY them on some level... go to "www.rifftrax.com" and download the mockumentary commentaries by Mike Nelson, Kevin "Tom Servo" Murphy and Bill "Crow T. Robot" (#2) Corbett. Laughing at the prequel movies is probably the best way to deal with them!)

 

[Broccoli]

See...this is an unfair question. After the OT was made, it inspired several sci-fi films that followed it for decades (and is still doing so today). if the OT was never made back on the 70s/80s, the nature of sci-fi films would undoubtedly be different today. As a result, if the PT was made in the 90s/00s, those films would be very different in terms of production.

I doubt Star Wars would be as popular if only the PT was released. The OT was released at the right place at right time to make it as popular as it is.

Now, if the PT was released right after the OT ended (mid-to-late 80s), and the movies were "as is" (well, as much "as is" as 80s movie production can give you), I doubt there would be as much complaining as PT gets.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If the original Star Wars triology (episodes Vi, V, Vi) were released as brand new movies, would they have been as successful and popular as they are now?

Yes.

If it had only been episodes I, II, and III released first would they be as successful and legendary as the original trilogy?

No.

I could elaborate, but don't we all know the reasons why by now?

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

See...this is an unfair question. After the OT was made, it inspired several sci-fi films that followed it for decades (and is still doing so today). if the OT was never made back on the 70s/80s, the nature of sci-fi films would undoubtedly be different today. As a result, if the PT was made in the 90s/00s, those films would be very different in terms of production.

Exactly so.

No one would have bankrolled a film like "The Phantom Menace" - an enormously complex and expensive undertaking that relies heavily in its storytelling not only on the audience's familiarity with the material but also upon the understanding that much of it is meaningful only as foreshadowing of films to come - except for the fact that it was "Star Wars" (and consequently was being made by a creator who didn't have to seek other financial backing to begin with).

 

[DarKush]

Answer to your first question: If the OT was released today I think it still could've been huge, like the LOTR, but not Star Wars huge like it had been. I mean today's audiences are much more used to the big special effects and spectacle. So, I think there would be a more critical eye on some of the acting and writing in the OT, which wasn't always great. Then again, a lot of the sci-fi movies and major FX movies that came out after SW were inspired by it, so it's almost like a chicken or the egg type deal.

I don't know if the PT would've been as successful in the 70s/80s. One of the great, inspirational things about the OT was the triumph of good over evil and the escapist aspects of it. The PT was about the end of the Republic and the betrayal and slaughter of the Jedi, so it would've been a downer and might've resulted in a smaller, more cultish following if all three movies had even been made.

 

[Iamnotspock]

Hmm... I think that the OT is basically the cinematic equivalent of Beatles music. The Beatles were tuneful, with some really catchy hooks, and they came along at just the right time. Paul McCartney is a good singer but far from a great one, Ringo wasn't that hot as a drummer and don't even get me started on what "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the Walrus, goo goo ca choo" is all about. But somehow the band as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The OT has some clunky dialogue and the odd plot hole, but it came along at just the right time and gave the world's moviegoers the kind of fun experience that they'd been missing for a long time. I think that's a large part of the reason why they were so successful.

If they were to be made today, I think they would still be successful, but perhaps not quite as much so. Take Pirates of the Carribean: structurally very similar to the original SW movie - the hero's journey, rescue the beautiful damsel from the evil villains, character archetypes that fulfil similar functions in the story: Will Turner - Luke Skywalker, Elizabeth Swann - Princess Leia, Captain Jack Sparrow - Han Solo/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bootstrap Bill - Anakin Skywalker, Captain Barbossa - Vader/Tarkin. It's the classic mythological fairytale that gets repackaged every few years for a new generation.

The fact that this movie and its sequels were very successful says something about the story's timeless nature, but the OT was phenomenally successful because of the timing of its release, and the fact that the audience hadn't seen anything like it before.

Now, if George Lucas had decided to start in 1977 with Episode I, then I think the Episode I that he'd have made would have been very different from the version that eventually came out in 1999. Lucas was a young filmmaker whose greatest success at the time was American Graffiti - he didn't have any of the clout that he had later (and which he arguably doesn't even need now due to his almost complete autonomy as a director/producer/studio), and there's no way that 20th Century Fox would've let him make TPM the way it was eventually written for the reasons that Starship Polaris has already stated nor, probably, would he have wanted to. As a much younger man and seemingly much more in touch with the zeitgeist he would've likely churned out something that was much more accessible on its own merits.

 

[Shawnster]

You have to look at the nature of movies back then also. When Star Wars was originally released in 1977 there weren't as many movies being released. There are tons more movies today being released than then.

For movies today to have that big an impact they need to be BIGGER, LOUDER than the competition.

Same was true in 1977 but there wasn't as much competition.

 

[Broccoli]

Thinking about it a little more, The Phantom Menace probably would have turned out alright if made in the 70s as it works as a stand alone story in much the same way ANH does. The other two, maybe not so much as those bank on knowing the events in the OT.

 

[Milky_Guy_4247]

I think we also need to take into account the type of scifi at the time. The movies that come to my mide are the Planet of the Apes series, Zardoz (with Sean Connery), THX 1138 and Logan's Run. These movies were all very dystopic. What Lucas did was to place his brand of feel good rock'em sock'em action on the screen at the right time.

As to the original question, I think if he did the PT back then, they would have been just as big as the OT was. However, I think fans would have been ultimately let down with the fall of Annikan. If Lucas had then gone back in 1999 and film the next 3 episodes (ANH, ESB and ROTJ), we'd be griping about that stupid gigantic dog of a copilot.

Basically, I think Lucas has wonderful ideas, but has never really seemed to grow as a filmaker.

 

[ATimson]

I'm not convinced that the "prequel" movies could have been done as radio programs... or if they were, they'd be either (1) VERY SHORT programs, or (2) dramatically EXTENDED, beyond the scope of the films.

...and A New Hope's radio drama wasn't? Am I just hallucinating all those scenes on Alderaan?

 

[Cary L. Brown]

I'm not convinced that the "prequel" movies could have been done as radio programs... or if they were, they'd be either (1) VERY SHORT programs, or (2) dramatically EXTENDED, beyond the scope of the films.

...and A New Hope's radio drama wasn't? Am I just hallucinating all those scenes on Alderaan?

Well, you could cut out all the "additional" sequences (ie, the Alderaan ones, or the "restored Anchorhead" bits) and you'd only loose, essentially one episode of the serial. (They also added some additional materials regarding "Luke at home," restored the Jabba sequence long before Lucas did it on film with CGI, and expanded a little bit on the "torture" sequence and so forth... but there wasn't all THAT much added).

By contrast, I think that the entire actual STORY of Ep1 could've been told in a single 1-hour radio program, and even THAT would've required some not inconsiderable "padding."

 

[Python Trek]

My kids love all six films, but the ones that they watch over and over are the prequels, because, according to them, they "have more action". Hunh? This baffles me, because when I think of Ep. I, the first thing that comes to mind is those damn Nemoidians droning on and on. When I think of Ep. II, I think of the endless scenes of Anakin and Padme playing "will they or won't they?". And when I think of Ep. III, I think of the opera scene.

These kids today!

 

[stonester1]

On a semi-related note, I've actually discovered that many more SW fans like the Prequels than dislike them; it just seems like the opposite is the case because the haters are much more vocal than the people who like the Prequel films. I personally think that all six films are great, although they do each have their own individual weaknesses.

Agreed.

 

[biotech]

My kids love all six films, but the ones that they watch over and over are the prequels, because, according to them, they "have more action". Hunh? This baffles me, because when I think of Ep. I, the first thing that comes to mind is those damn Nemoidians droning on and on. When I think of Ep. II, I think of the endless scenes of Anakin and Padme playing "will they or won't they?". And when I think of Ep. III, I think of the opera scene.

These kids today!

Yeah, but we all remember 2001 as being great, then you watch it and you have to sit through 20 minutes of screaming monkeys.

 

[stonester1]

Yes, and I have no problem with that. Lovely thing, an attention span.

My kids love all six films, but the ones that they watch over and over are the prequels, because, according to them, they "have more action". Hunh? This baffles me, because when I think of Ep. I, the first thing that comes to mind is those damn Nemoidians droning on and on. When I think of Ep. II, I think of the endless scenes of Anakin and Padme playing "will they or won't they?". And when I think of Ep. III, I think of the opera scene.

These kids today!

Yeah, but we all remember 2001 as being great, then you watch it and you have to sit through 20 minutes of screaming monkeys.