Favourite Star Wars film - and why?

[Huntn]

In preparation for Dec, some of you may find this an interesting tease, unless you'd rather not know, however there are just bits and pieces, no substantial spoilers, possible but unsubstantiated leads, read: Cinemablend: Episode 7- What We Know, however I caution that reading this on a tablet, the pop ups on this site may drive you crazy.

Least effected by age, not counting the droids...​

I have not read any SW novels, and I found this quote intriguing because when Emperor Palpatine went woosh, I always imagined the Empire was defeated and collapsed in it's entirety, but:

At the end of Return of the Jedi, the Death Star was space rubble and with both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader dead, the leadership of the Empire was in shambles. While it was a decisive strike, it wasn’t a deathblow; the Empire was far too expansive to be dismantled in one step. In the power vacuum left behind, the various Moffs and officers struggled to fill those vacancies, and we now know that The First Order is at least one of the factions that arose out of that contentious mess. Whether they’re the only one remains to be seen, but we know that they will be the main antagonist in The Force Awakens. They’re the ones running stormtroopers and TIE Fighters, they have a battle station called Starkiller Base, and they generally appear to be up to no good.

Starkilller Base
​

If that is not enough, then there is this Den of Geek: Everything You Need to Know
The forces of evil appear to be relabeled: The First Order, but who the heck is Supreme Lord Snoke (not Snark) and where is Jakku? )

​

 

[Savor]

Overall I think the best Star Wars file is the Empire Strikes back, but Revenge of the Sith is one of my favorites. I do love how Anakin transformed into Darth Vader. I think Lucas really erred in a lot of ways for the 3 prequel movies but out of those there, Revenge was good

We share similar taste. ;-)

There is a difference between BEST vs FAVORITE for me.

Empire is the BEST Star Wars film but Sith is my FAVORITE. Yes, Episode III has alot of flaws esp in the acting department and hokey No, no, no line from The Emperor but it had the best pacing and some of the best action scenes and lightsaber duels. Yoda throwing a lightsaber right through a Clone Trooper's chest was bad***.

BEST -
V
IV
VI
III
I
II

My FAVORITE -
III
V
VI
IV
I
II

Yes, while I enjoyed Attack of the Clones more during its theatrical run than The Phantom Menace, I agree with Tina Fey that it is the worst Star Wars film ever. The final act with all the mindless, and overabundant CGI scenes and the crap love story throughout made AOTC the absolute WORST. The final act with all the Clones made it as hokey as the outer space scenes in Moonraker! Episode I wasn't trying to so hard to be something it wasn't. Liam Neeson carried that film. It was a kid's movie at heart. I thought Jake Lloyd was as bad as Mannequin Skywalker, but Hayden topped him with some of the worst acting in any of the films! Clones was pure crap other than the night chase scene earlier in the film.

While A New Hope was revolutionary, it is like Raiders of the Lost Ark. It hasn't aged the best with me. Being the first doesn't mean it was done the best. Alot of nostalgic blindness is what keeps Episode IV rated higher than III & VI in alot of purists' eyes. The movie is an absolute bore those first 30 min and Mark Hamill isn't exactly a great actor to begin with. Make no mistake. Vader's bad---ness and Han Solo carried the OT and made them more appealing to watch than the prequels. Stuff with Yoda, Princess Leia, and Boba Fett were just icing on the cake.

But no doubt, the prequels made Vader into a whiny d-bag thanks to Jake and Hayden. Vader used to be my fav character. Yoda and the great Han Solo have surpassed him easily now. I predict VII - A Force Awakens can reach #2 status in both best and my fav Star Wars and likely no worse than Return of the Jedi at #3 fav. Han Solo is basically pirate version of Indiana Jones without a hat and whip. Harrison Ford was always the main key to both series. You kill off Han in Episode V and don't bring him back, and VI would bomb in the box office. This is why I got misty eyed with the recent Ep VII trailer when we see Han and Chewie at the very end! Han is back! Like reuniting with a cool relative you haven't seen for 30+ years. The Force will be strong with thos one!

 

[keysofanxiety]

While A New Hope was revolutionary, it is like Raiders of the Lost Ark. It hasn't aged the best with me. Being the first doesn't mean it was done the best. Alot of nostalgic blindness is what keeps Episode IV rated higher than III & VI in alot of purists' eyes. The movie is an absolute bore those first 30 min and Mark Hamill isn't exactly a great actor to begin with. Make no mistake. Vader's bad---ness and Han Solo carried the OT and made them more appealing to watch than the prequels. Stuff with Yoda, Princess Leia, and Boba Fett were just icing on the cake.

Ooooh I watched ANH yesterday so I'm definitely going to disagree with this being a bore in the first 30 minutes!

It sets the scene fantastically - the opening crawl, and then the camera pans down to see a massive F-off Star Destroyer chasing down the Tantive. Laser blasts firing back and forth, it looks fantastic. That MUSIC as well, urrrghhh it's amazing. It immediately sets the scene and shows you everything you need to know; how helpless/small the Rebels are and just how ominous the Empire is.

That scene with Vader too, lifting up the captain and crushing his throat ... damn, what a villain.

The scenes/shots on Tatooine just add more interest to the Star Wars universe. All the different creatures and characters. The 'show not tell' with the Jawas abducting R2/3PO introduce how they're scavangers and aren't opposed to being a little underhand. The Tusken Raiders just burst onto the screen. The Obi Wan scene is great too, with his ambiguous description about the Clone Wars, what happened to Luke's father, what a Jedi Knight is, "a more elegant weapon for a more civilised age ... before the dark times ... before the Empire ...", how the Force is an energy field that surrounds and binds all living things. It sets the scene and is brilliantly paced. It throws us in the universe without patronising us with explanations.

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru being charred to a crisp - damn that's brutal! Han gunning down Greedo because he's a bad-ass, not out of self-defence (thanks for killing that in the remastered, Lucas).

And those are just the 'slow' bits.

If anything I think the prequels have tainted just how good Episode IV is, because a lot of people think "I know this, this is boring".

Jedi is still my personal favourite because I think it wraps up the saga beautifully and the Emperor's performance is just jaw-dropping. However IV and V are equally as good, if not better.

Also my favourite from the prequels is Episode I. Yes, it's got Jar Jar. Yes, it's a kid's film.

But you know what? When you watch it, it's visually stunning. You can see the effort put into it. There are all sets and limited/correct use of CGI. The music is stunning and you can just see the years and years of work that people piled into it. There was a lot of love in it, and literally the only reason it sucked so hard was because only Lucas wrote the script and didn't let anybody else change it. His arrogance killed the film.

Compare this to Episode II and III. They've practically got ~5 minute scenes where everything -- and I mean everything -- is CGI (poor dated CGI at that). We're essentially watching nothing, just a green screen. The films were lazy and overused CGI to compensate for having to make any effort in the sets.

That's why TPM is my favourite. It was a disaster but by gum did they ever try and make up for Lucas' script.

 

[Huntn]

Also my favourite from the prequels is Episode I. Yes, it's got Jar Jar. Yes, it's a kid's film.

But you know what? When you watch it, it's visually stunning. You can see the effort put into it. There are all sets and limited/correct use of CGI. The music is stunning and you can just see the years and years of work that people piled into it. There was a lot of love in it, and literally the only reason it sucked so hard was because only Lucas wrote the script and didn't let anybody else change it. His arrogance killed the film.

Compare this to Episode II and III. They've practically got ~5 minute scenes where everything -- and I mean everything -- is CGI (poor dated CGI at that). We're essentially watching nothing, just a green screen. The films were lazy and overused CGI to compensate for having to make any effort in the sets.

That's why TPM is my favourite. It was a disaster but by gum did they ever try and make up for Lucas' script.

Regarding CGI, and your SW observation about II & III, this is why, Avatar is the gold standard of CGI and blending live with digital action. It's a ground breaking, monumental technical achievement.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Regarding CGI, and your SW observation about II & III, this is why, Avatar is the gold standard of CGI and blending live with digital action. It's a ground breaking, monumental technical achievement.

I suppose visually it looks good. I was just cringing too hard through Avatar to really enjoy it, was just relieved when the credits came up

 

[Huntn]

I suppose visually it looks good. I was just cringing too hard through Avatar to really enjoy it, was just relieved when the credits came up

I guess we can debate that in the Avatar thread!

 

[keysofanxiety]

I guess we can debate that in the Avatar thread!

Heh heh, sharpen your pitchforks ... I'mma coming

 

[Savor]

George Lucas even admitted the story in Episode IV moves in a very leisurely pace. When it first was released, it moved quickly because it was introducing a new world to the audience and there was so much to look at and take in. But the overall story as a whole is like an appetizer behind the real meat and potatoes that Empire introduced. No doubt Empire was a bit of a downer and made the least amount of money among the OT. But it was as close as the perfect Star Wars / space opera over any other film. Return of the Jedi brought back the fun that A New Hope had and probably has more replay value than Empire.

I don't hate A New Hope, mind you. Sir Alec Guinness gave one of the best acting performances in that one. Introduce the characters, rescue the princess, and destroy the Death Star. It was fun UNLIKE Empire is. I generally look at the series as a whole and generally do like them all. The only so-called chapter I might despise is Clones since it helped me hate and get annoyed by Anakin Skywalker even more. Yoda fighting Dooku didn't save the horrible final act. I didn't start watching Star Wars until 1997 when the Special Editions came out. And I actually watched 5, 6, and 4 in that order. I was never into Star Wars or The Godfather until I hit my teens. I was into Back to the Future and Indiana Jones first. Empire bored me until Luke went to Dagobah. After Yoda's philosophical quotes, I became hooked.

My fav version of the OT is still the 1997 SP of them but I can still watch the originals. Pre-DVD touch ups with that unforgivable ROTJ ending with Hayden I can't stand. Alot of the touch ups never really bothered me since it was done superficially and a few updated scenes didn't ruin the core of the story but the Hayden appearance in ROTJ was the only change I couldn't stand. Greedo shooting first and the Jabba appearance in IV never bothered me. I even liked how they improved Yoda in Ep 1.

Episode III is my favorite because I saw it 3x in the theater with my gf in the same week. One for a midnight showing, one for digital, and one for IMAX. It had some of the best action scenes and best pacing with not too many dull dialogue scenes. Ian gave some the best acting as Palpatine for a Star Wars movie since Sir Alec as Kenobi in ANH. ROTS also brought back the emotional heart for a Star Wars that wasn't seen since V & VI's ending. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart." It had the hardest position of being the 6th Star Wars film that carried the most weight during the prequels while still connecting two different trilogies. It is very difficult to make an ENTERTAINING 6th title for any franchise. This can apply to other mediums like say an artist's music albums or any TV series going through a number of seasons. Most of the best ideas gets thrown into the first two films when the hype was also less back then.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Episode III is my favorite because I saw it 3x in the theater with my gf in the same week. One for a midnight showing, one for digital, and one for IMAX. It had some of the best action scenes and best pacing with not too many dull dialogue scenes. Ian gave some the best acting as Palpatine for a Star Wars movie since Sir Alec as Kenobi in ANH. ROTS also brought back the emotional heart for a Star Wars that wasn't seen since V & VI's ending. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart." It had the hardest position of being the 6th Star Wars film that carried the most weight during the prequels while still connecting two different trilogies. It is very difficult to make an ENTERTAINING 6th title for any franchise. This can apply to other mediums like say an artist's music albums or any TV series going through a number of seasons. Most of the best ideas gets thrown into the first two films when the hype was also less back then.

That's a really nice story dude. Though there's a lot I don't like about Episode 3 I LOVE the Emperor's performance. Ian Mcdiarmid just chews up the scenery, only he could pull off such a performance that to others would seem OTT or hammy. He's such a fantastic actor and IMHO the best consistent thing about the trilogy. Agreed about the feels with "Anakin, you're breaking my heart ... you're going down a path that I can't follow. Because of what you've done! What you plan to do! Stop! ... I love you!"

 

[kazmac]

I can take a lot of cheese and hammy acting (hell, I love that) but McDiarmid went way too broad for me. I hope we have a better big bad in the next series. I like Vader, but not a fan Ian's Emperor (I did like the first actor who played the Emperor in ESB (the hologram, I forget if they've since replaced that actor with McDiarmid.)

 

[ThinkDifferent24]

The first Star Wars - a New Hope was like the perfect "hero's journey" so I'm going to have to go with that.

 

[Savor]

I was watching Indiana Jones 4 earlier today. I still enjoy it after not seeing it in four years. I remember seeing it in the the in 2008 and thought it was ok but it got better in repeat viewings. This and The Forbidden Kingdom have alot of replay value for me because of scenery. It has alot of issues like the horrible alien scenes near the end and the useless character in Mac but the pacing is fast and it is quite an enjoyable movie. A bad but certainly FUN movie. I am not a Raiders of the Lost Ark fan but Marion Ravenwood was the best female character and it made sense they would marry at the end. It got me into thinking about The Phantom Menace. Both movies are rated the lowest in the series after a long hiatus. TPM probably got the WORST if it since that was hyped more and was released during the early days when people started complaining all over the Internet about anything.

But I never understood some of the HATE on poor Jar Jar Binks? He was never my fav but why so much hate on such an innocent character? Ahmed Best never turned out to be a star that Lucas had expected but Jar Jar was hardly a terrible character. Ok so he was hard to understand. So was Roger Rabbit and a bunch of Looney Tunes characters. Jar Jar knew his place. Didn't bother anyone. Even had his entire race help out Padmé in Episode I. Maybe it was Lucas to sell toys to little kids just like the Ewoks.

Darth Maul was for the age 10 and up crowd for preteens/teens wanting someone to look cooler. Jar Jar was for the under 10 crowd for comic relief with the slapstick. I loved Ray Park's cameo in Fanboys, but Maul was a one-dimensional character just like most of the Star Wars cast including the beloved Boba Fett! Dooku was more interesting than Maul. But poor Jar Jar took most of the blame in TPM when he was just another innocent, dopey character created in the same vein as a Looney Tunes character with a bad speech impediment and Willie Gilligan from Gilligan's Island.

Mac from Indiana Jones 4 was far more useless! He double crosses Indy, hangs around with the crew, double crosses Indy again. Where is Short Round when you need him? Mac was much worse and useless than Jar Jar in TPM and Mrs. Spielberg, Willie Scott, in ToD.

 

[obeygiant]

But I never understood some of the HATE on poor Jar Jar Binks? He was never my fav but why so much hate on such an innocent character? Ahmed Best never turned out to be a star that Lucas had expected but Jar Jar was hardly a terrible character. Ok so he was hard to understand. So was Roger Rabbit and a bunch of Looney Tunes characters. Jar Jar knew his place. Didn't bother anyone. Even had his entire race help out Padmé in Episode I. Maybe it was Lucas to sell toys to little kids just like the Ewoks.

I'm thinking Chewbacca served the same purpose as Jar Jar in A New Hope. Less annoying of course.

 

[Huntn]

I was watching Indiana Jones 4 earlier today. I still enjoy it after not seeing it in four years. I remember seeing it in the the in 2008 and thought it was ok but it got better in repeat viewings. This and The Forbidden Kingdom have alot of replay value for me because of scenery. It has alot of issues like the horrible alien scenes near the end and the useless character in Mac but the pacing is fast and it is quite an enjoyable movie. A bad but certainly FUN movie. I am not a Raiders of the Lost Ark fan but Marion Ravenwood was the best female character and it made sense they would marry at the end. It got me into thinking about The Phantom Menace. Both movies are rated the lowest in the series after a long hiatus. TPM probably got the WORST if it since that was hyped more and was released during the early days when people started complaining all over the Internet about anything.

But I never understood some of the HATE on poor Jar Jar Binks? He was never my fav but why so much hate on such an innocent character? Ahmed Best never turned out to be a star that Lucas had expected but Jar Jar was hardly a terrible character. Ok so he was hard to understand. So was Roger Rabbit and a bunch of Looney Tunes characters. Jar Jar knew his place. Didn't bother anyone. Even had his entire race help out Padmé in Episode I. Maybe it was Lucas to sell toys to little kids just like the Ewoks.

Darth Maul was for the age 10 and up crowd for preteens/teens wanting someone to look cooler. Jar Jar was for the under 10 crowd for comic relief with the slapstick. I loved Ray Park's cameo in Fanboys, but Maul was a one-dimensional character just like most of the Star Wars cast including the beloved Boba Fett! Dooku was more interesting than Maul. But poor Jar Jar took most of the blame in TPM when he was just another innocent, dopey character created in the same vein as a Looney Tunes character with a bad speech impediment and Willie Gilligan from Gilligan's Island.

Mac from Indiana Jones 4 was far more useless! He double crosses Indy, hangs around with the crew, double crosses Indy again. Where is Short Round when you need him? Mac was much worse and useless than Jar Jar in TPM and Mrs. Spielberg, Willie Scott, in ToD.

Jar jar would have been perfect for WFRR, but not Star Wars. I see a distinct difference between Chewy and him, him being too cutsie, while Chewy was a physical threat who had infrequent moments of humor. As I remember:

That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that.

You can just about find anything on YouTube...
​

And dont you say anything bad about Willie! She played her role splendily and wasn't hard on the eyes either.

 

[keysofanxiety]

But I never understood some of the HATE on poor Jar Jar Binks? He was never my fav but why so much hate on such an innocent character? Ahmed Best never turned out to be a star that Lucas had expected but Jar Jar was hardly a terrible character. Ok so he was hard to understand. So was Roger Rabbit and a bunch of Looney Tunes characters. Jar Jar knew his place. Didn't bother anyone. Even had his entire race help out Padmé in Episode I. Maybe it was Lucas to sell toys to little kids just like the Ewoks..

I think people were so angry because with Episode 1, Lucas had such a scope to really make an interesting backstory. It's such a vast and fascinating universe, and this is the start of the story on how they met Anakin Skywalker, how the Empire rose and the Old Republic fell, and how the Jedi were wiped out by Darth Vader/Anakin.

Instead we got:

- Darth Vader built 3PO (seriously, was this the best Lucas could come up with for C3PO's backstory?)
- A large, large proportion of the film/scenes dedicated to a clumsy Rastafarian CGI fish, when practically anything else would have been more interesting.
- A story inconsistent with the OT - just remember Obi Wan's description of the Force and how he met/trained Anakin. Instead we get midichlorians and Qui Gon.

Jar Jar was terrible because not only was he an awful character, but he almost single-handedly represented the crushing disappointment of Lucas pissing on the franchise.

 

[Huntn]

I think people were so angry because with Episode 1, Lucas had such a scope to really make an interesting backstory. It's such a vast and fascinating universe, and this is the start of the story on how they met Anakin Skywalker, how the Empire rose and the Old Republic fell, and how the Jedi were wiped out by Darth Vader/Anakin.

Instead we got:

- Darth Vader built 3PO (seriously, was this the best Lucas could come up with for C3PO's backstory?)
- A large, large proportion of the film/scenes dedicated to a clumsy Rastafarian CGI fish, when practically anything else would have been more interesting.
- A story inconsistent with the OT - just remember Obi Wan's description of the Force and how he met/trained Anakin. Instead we get midichlorians and Qui Gon.

Jar Jar was terrible because not only was he an awful character, but he almost single-handedly represented the crushing disappointment of Lucas pissing on the franchise.

When Lucas said the prequel was for kids, I too view that as a cop out excuse with not being able to come up with better. Ironically, kids love this, and the original 3 movies, but I'm willing to venture the reason this franchise became a mega-hit was because twenty-something adults like myself saw Episode IV, 5 times in the theater!

Any bets that someone in Disney will propose redoing Episodes I-III?

 

[keysofanxiety]

Any bets that someone in Disney will propose redoing Episodes I-III?

I'd hope so. From what I understand they're not considering anything in the prequels to be canon - or rather, just not mentioning anything from it

 

[AlkaiserSoze]

Episode IV - A New HopeMovie is better movie.

 

[Huntn]

I'd hope so. From what I understand they're not considering anything in the prequels to be canon - or rather, just not mentioning anything from it

An important first step is to recover is the original vibe of Episodes IV-VI, looking forward to Dec!

My understanding is that Disney owns the rights to the franchise, but there could be restrictions on messing with the existing movies, or a hesitance to slap George Lucas in the face, but maybe he'd be ok with it.

 

[obeygiant]

I always liked the Clerks version of which is better Empire or ROTJ.

 

[Huntn]

I always liked the Clerks version of which is better Empire or ROTJ.

But low bid or no-bid, military contractors, working for the Evil Empire took their chances.. They never reached an agreement in the video, did they?

 

[mscriv]

As a child my favorite movie was definitely Return of the Jedi. As I think about Star Wars today though, I really lump the different movies together into their respective series. Episodes IV-VI and Episodes I-III have a distinctly different vibe to them, but as a whole they are all important to the ultimate development of the story.

 

[Huntn]

As a child my favorite movie was definitely Return of the Jedi. As I think about Star Wars today though, I really lump the different movies together into their respective series. Episodes IV-VI and Episodes I-III have a distinctly different vibe to them, but as a whole all they are all important to the ultimate development of the story.

My impression is that those hostile to I-III digest and acknowledge the facts that led to IV-VI, but have no desire to revisit those episodes, but I am biased.

 

[Savor]

I have seen those Star Wars 7 photos a few days ago but I still try not to read anything into the story.

I am still keeping my expectations in check because -

Remembering the anticipation for The Phantom Menace and then asking myself - "That's it?" The prequels RUINED the brand name.

Harrison Ford is over 70 now. It was already hard enough watching him cracking his whip and doing any action scenes in Indiana Jones 4 and that was 7 years ago. Karen Allen was no spring chicken in that one either, so I don't expect getting the same spunk from Carrie Fisher.

JJ Abrams is a good director and probably light years ahead of old George Lucas, but nothing in his resumé has ever wowed. Never got into Alias. LOST was for the pilot episodes while Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were the real brains behind that show. Cloverfield was ok for me but considered trash to several reviewers. Star Trek films were already trashed by purists for turning into sci-fi action films. Super 8 was good throwback film for Spielberg but not as good as The Goonies.

Alot of the hype is banking on nostalgia, but watching Mark, Carrie, and Harrison doing any action sequences will really start to sink in and reality starts to hit us hard. What is this? The Expendables in a galaxy far, far away?

This franchise is now owned DISNEY. Potential forced upon cheesefest.

We still don't know any of these new characters and whether we will like them or not. And the familiar faces are senior citizens now.


I saw an IGN poll and Star Wars is no longer the most popular film franchise. Marvel Cinematic Universe is now. I can understand why some Disney execs are keeping box office expectations realistic for Ep 7. Star Wars doesn't have the global appeal either.

I still say it can catch Jurassic World as the 3rd most successful film in history since SW is still more popular than the Jurassic Park franchise. First Star Wars in 10.5 years and first to be released in December when competition isn't strong like in the summer. James Cameron figured that out years ago with Titanic.

And I think it Episode 7 can go down as the 2nd greatest Star Wars film ever made. Aside from Ep 5, all Star Wars movies are severely flawed. Alot of false moments like bad acting or poor pacing. Even with New Hope except nostalgia blinds alot of fans from the truth. The bar was lowered with Jedi and the prequels, so perhaps 7 is their comeback entry? Star Wars may no longer be the most popular movie franchise as most people would rather see superheroes butt heads like it is the WWE. But for a near 40-year old franchise, it still has appeal. #2 most popular still topping LotR and Harry Potter.

I know alot of people HATE George Lucas for ruining their childhood movies or whatever. But I still want to thank him and Harrison. Star Wars and Indiana Jones is two of the most iconic movie franchises ever. I was listing movies I liked from a bunch of directors ranging from Kubrick to the Coen Brothers to Richard Donner who directed The Goonies, Maverick, and The Lethal Weapon films. Surprisingly, Peter and Bobby Farrelly topped my list as I enjoy their low brow comedies. I can enjoy it more if they also WROTE the story or screenplay and not take it from another source. It is why I like Tarantino as a writer over Scorsese. I think I liked about 7 Spielberg movies but nearly half that was thanks to George Lucas' creation of Indiana Jones.

Thank you, George Lucas. No F-you from me. I didn't enjoy THX or American Graffiti but he is the mastermind for 4 or 5 solid Star Wars movies and 3 solid Indiana Jones movies. Unlimited replay value. Most other directors even Chris Nolan, I might enjoy less than 3-5 movies by them. Lucas gave me 7-8.

 

[Huntn]

I have seen those Star Wars 7 photos a few days ago but I still try not to read anything into the story.

I am still keeping my expectations in check because -

Remembering the anticipation for The Phantom Menace and then asking myself - "That's it?" The prequels RUINED the brand name.

Harrison Ford is over 70 now. It was already hard enough watching him cracking his whip and doing any action scenes in Indiana Jones 4 and that was 7 years ago. Karen Allen was no spring chicken in that one either, so I don't expect getting the same spunk from Carrie Fisher.

JJ Abrams is a good director and probably light years ahead of old George Lucas, but nothing in his resumé has ever wowed. Never got into Alias. LOST was for the pilot episodes while Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were the real brains behind that show. Cloverfield was ok for me but considered trash to several reviewers. Star Trek films were already trashed by purists for turning into sci-fi action films. Super 8 was good throwback film for Spielberg but not as good as The Goonies.

Alot of the hype is banking on nostalgia, but watching Mark, Carrie, and Harrison doing any action sequences will really start to sink in and reality starts to hit us hard. What is this? The Expendables in a galaxy far, far away?

This franchise is now owned DISNEY. Potential forced upon cheesefest.

We still don't know any of these new characters and whether we will like them or not. And the familiar faces are senior citizens now.


I saw an IGN poll and Star Wars is no longer the most popular film franchise. Marvel Cinematic Universe is now. I can understand why some Disney execs are keeping box office expectations realistic for Ep 7. Star Wars doesn't have the global appeal either.

I still say it can catch Jurassic World as the 3rd most successful film in history since SW is still more popular than the Jurassic Park franchise. First Star Wars in 10.5 years and first to be released in December when competition isn't strong like in the summer. James Cameron figured that out years ago with Titanic.

And I think it Episode 7 can go down as the 2nd greatest Star Wars film ever made. Aside from Ep 5, all Star Wars movies are severely flawed. Alot of false moments like bad acting or poor pacing. Even with New Hope except nostalgia blinds alot of fans from the truth. The bar was lowered with Jedi and the prequels, so perhaps 7 is their comeback entry? Star Wars may no longer be the most popular movie franchise as most people would rather see superheroes butt heads like it is the WWE. But for a near 40-year old franchise, it still has appeal. #2 most popular still topping LotR and Harry Potter.

I know alot of people HATE George Lucas for ruining their childhood movies or whatever. But I still want to thank him and Harrison. Star Wars and Indiana Jones is two of the most iconic movie franchises ever. I was listing movies I liked from a bunch of directors ranging from Kubrick to the Coen Brothers to Richard Donner who directed The Goonies, Maverick, and The Lethal Weapon films. Surprisingly, Peter and Bobby Farrelly topped my list as I enjoy their low brow comedies. I can enjoy it more if they also WROTE the story or screenplay and not take it from another source. It is why I like Tarantino as a writer over Scorsese. I think I liked about 7 Spielberg movies but nearly half that was thanks to George Lucas' creation of Indiana Jones.

Thank you, George Lucas. No F-you from me. I didn't enjoy THX or American Graffiti but he is the mastermind for 4 or 5 solid Star Wars movies and 3 solid Indiana Jones movies. Unlimited replay value. Most other directors even Chris Nolan, I might enjoy less than 3-5 movies by them. Lucas gave me 7-8.

For the series to comtinue and be a success, the original stars will have to be anchors to the past, but it's the new characters who will carry the story forward. The fate of the Empire/Republic is in theirs and Abram's hands.

American Graffitti is a wonderful film that put Lucas in a position to make Star Wars. It's possible that I relate to this movie because it takes place during my youth, but it's like cruising the strip takes me on a magical journey. I first saw it in college.

Cloverfield would have been a stellar treatment of a home-movie documentary style city-trashing monster survival story, if it had just avoided the jerky cam. See cinema verite. Spielberg used it very successfully in Saving Private Ryan. In contrast, Blair Witch was Nausea Central although that movie did a great job of feeling real. Abram's treatment of Star Trek IMO is head and shoulders above any Star Trek film made before them. Note, I separate the TV (original and STNG) series from the string of sad ST movies that appeared before Abrams started directing them. I recognize that there are people who love the pre-reboot ST films, alas not me.