Should I watch the Star Wars Series from the beginning or Episode 4?
Posted by davidawesomemovies
I have only watched some of the star wars series but not all of it and I want to start watching the whole thing. Would it be better for me to watch it from episode 1 and have a consecutive story or watch it from episode 4 and watch it in the order it was created in. Why?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
This question gets asked a lot and no offense to those who say to watch them in Chronological order (IE: ep 1 - 6 ) but they just don’t get it because that is the absolute worst way to watch them. If you want to enjoy the full experience of the Star Wars saga then I beg you, and I mean beg you on my knees crying telling you that I would give you 25 years of my own life … and meaning it … the only way to watch them is ep IV - VI then ep I - III. Why … well this is just my "theory" but it holds a couple oceans of water.
Start with the fact that they were released that way and that is how the story was meant to be told. Watching them this way will also keep the "suspense" in them. Both of the trilogies "tell" on the secrets of the others but the prequels take much of the suspense out of the OT with some of the info learned in them. There is a scene in episode V: The Empire Strikes Back that was voted # 4 by SAG as one of the most shocking revelations in the entire history of film … if you watch them ep I - III then ep IV - VI you will lose the "WTF" value it carried in 1980 because you will already know what it is and it won’t seem like a big deal to you. The problem with that is that this event WAS a big deal to the saga itself. It basically took everything we thought we knew and tossed it into the recycle bin. To this day I remember what happened in the theater I was in to watch this movie for the first time and heard Darth Vader utter 5 words that turned the Star Wars saga upside down … absolute silence … you could have heard a pin drop 10 miles away … we were stunned silent by this "revelation" … this went on for about 10 seconds and then one by one you heard people say, no way … he’s lying … don’t believe him Luke … and it went on until Luke made his decision and then another cheer went up in the crowd. Yeah, that’s the kind of "crazy" we were back then. This trilogy grabbed the people of my generation and said … you think that was cool … watch this. It’s kind of like it was back in the 50s when all the kids were listening to that "Devil Music" called Rock n Roll. It was one of those things that had to be felt not seen. I doubt we will ever seen any movie in any genre that will come close to topping this saga …
There is one other thing to decide also with respect to the OT (ep 4 – ep 6) … there are 3 versions of these movies … the ones that came out to theaters in 77 – 83 … the SE versions that came to theaters in 97 … and the DVD versions that came out in 2004. Is there much difference between the 3 versions … for the most part no. The main thing that was changed was picture quality and sound quality. Lucas did change some scenes and did add some small scenes. I would suggest you watch the DVD versions, as they are the “final” word according to Lucas.
Many people "trash" the prequels, I really can’t abide by that. Even as a true Star Wars Geek I will be the first to admit that the prequels were flawed … at least ep 1 & 2 … personally I thought that ep 3 rocked from start to finish but that’s just me I guess. I really wish that fans would stop and think about just why they didn’t like the prequels and actually say why they don’t like them instead of saying "they suck". When I stop and do that I come up with two main reasons why they weren’t as good as the originals. First, Lucas got too hung up on all the fancy different ways he could blow things up with all the new CGI that they had developed at ILM and forgot that what made Star Wars the iconic saga that it was and will always be … the story itself. Second, and probably more important , is that when Lucas decided to make the prequels he had to do the impossible … make 3 more movies as good as or better than the original trilogy … it couldn’t be done.
Anyways, sorry for the ramble but the Star Wars saga has had a huge impact on my life and when I get babbling about it I lose track of what I’m saying. I guess the main thing I’m trying to say is that ep IV - VI then ep I - III is the way to go if you want to feel the true magic of Star Wars.
May The Force Be With You …
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Beginning…it makes more sense that way. Believe me
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Well, if you want to watch it in chronological order, begin at I: Phantom Menace. If you want to see the good ones first, then start with IV: A New Hope.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
You should watch it from IV-VI the I-III.
That is the way it was initially seen. You would ruin so much of the saga if you watched it in order. The biggest surprise in Empire Strikes Back would be totally ruined if you viewed them in the order they were not produced in.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
the phantom menace is the place to start, you may have missed some of the plot or back story and you will feel better knowing you have done it from the begining
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Watch it from Episode 4: A New Hope, you must. Learn the forces of dark side you will.