Does the supposed greatness of the original Star Wars trilogy escape you?

I'm 40 and was a kid when the original Star Wars movies began. I don't get it. Why are they so great? Why do guys in my age group fall all over themselves about these movies.

I get why the first movie is so beloved, and also the first third of the second movie. Once they leave the ice planet things get very tedious. The third movie is terrible.
The first two movies really are great. They also were trend-setters, and broke major new ground in many ways. The third movie is meh. Thought so then, still think so now. It does have one or two really good scenes or moments, but for the most part it's bleh. But the first movie was, is, and will forever be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Can you explain why R2? Why was it so great?
It's not so much it's supposed greatness as the fact that it's reached such a saturation point in the culture. Try to go a DAY without hearing about Star Wars. Try watching NBC's Must See TV line-up. I guarantee you'll find at least one Star Wars mention in one of the shows. Try to read any pop culture message board, and it's the same thing. People can't get over it. These movies came out in the late 70's/early 80's. And they treat it like it's the greatest pop culture event to ever happen. So it's hard for people to enjoy it because nothing could ever live up to the hype it has.
OP was homeschooled.
I'm in my twenties, and the appeal has escaped me also. While there are others in my age group who are obsessed with "Star Wars", I'd say that the popularity was not replicated... All we remember are the crappy prequels. By the time we see the original trilogy, we just shrug and move on.
In the same boat, OP. Never got into Stars Wars and I never understood its appeal. I don't make my indifference known because I figured there was something to it that I just didn't get since Star Wars has spawned generations of loyal devotees. I think it's because I'm not into the scifi genre.
My love for it comes simply from how much I enjoyed it as a child. I was super into the original trilogy, got all the toys, sheets, pajamas. I thought they were the greatest movies ever. Of course, as a got older, I grew to see how the movies were silly and even campy, and in many respects, bad. Regardless, I can still easily watch them and enjoy doing so. There are many fans like me - who love Star Wars, but would never argue that they're actually excellent films.
in the first film, prior to his accident, Luke skywalker, aka mark hamell, was as fuckable a guy as Ive ever seen. Pity his face got so messed up..............
I will always hate the third installment because Lucas established potato sacks as the official Jedi Knight uniform. No wonder there are so few dudes pursuing the light side of the force. At least on the dark side you get to wear form-fitting leather and a cape.
and%20those%20little%20furry%20gremlins%20can%20fuck%20themselves
W&W for R10.
I was 7 when the first one came out and I remember seeing it and enjoying it, but by the time the second one came out, I was 10 and was engrossed in Dallas, Guiding Light, and reading the novels of Belva Plain, so it made little impact on me.
The first movie is worthy of legendary status because of how groundbreaking the technology was AT THAT TIME. For someone who had grown up with 2001:A Space Odyssey as the ultimate in science fiction film-making, the first Star Wars movie was utterly mind-blowing. I can still see remember my reaction to the opening, when the tip of the star cruiser came into view at the top of the screen and then got bigger....and bigger....and bigger...until it filled the screen and the entire theatre was shaking with the sound of the immensity of it. We had never seen anything remotely like it, and the reaction was breathtaking. And the story started moving at light speed from the first moment and it never let up. Yes, today it seems trite and dated and meh, but you have to look at it in context with it's time and place in film history. It paid homage to every adventure film that had come before it, and yet did it in a completely new and innovative way that was simply astonishing. And Han Solo shot first!!
R13 It may seem "trite and dated and meh" to some of us today yet the series still captures the imagination of young children who are used to much more sophisticated special effects. Must be the story that remains so compelling.
It's not just the story... though it's a great story, an excellent re-telling of the "hero's journey" that resonates with almost every human being. It's the characters. So memorable, so likable, so fun. It's the Universe around them, so incredibly well imagined and portrayed. It was one of the first times that a "sci-fi" movie looked like a REAL, lived-in world. Things weren't all shiny and perfect (a flaw of the prequels). It was a fully realized world, with amazing depth and history and weight. And yet it was relatable. I think it stands up today as immensely entertaining on every level. Great sci-fi, great action, great comedy, great characters and great chemistry between the actors. And the amazing music tying it all together.
It would never be made today. It would require too much money that studios wouldn't offer because it isn't based on a comic book or any other established property.
R13 I don't think it's trite, dated and meh at all. All the modern technology in the prequels and yet they still bore the shit out of me. It's like the Jim Henson movies made during that time (Dark Crystal and Labrynth). There's just a certain magic and realness that came through these movies, even though it was puppets and model ships. I don't get all the fuss over CGI. It can be extremely obvious and fake at times.
It is a classical Illiad type epic placed in outer space. What's not to get? Also, the inclusion of a modern, feminist era female heroine like Princess Leia was a stroke of genius. Much better than going the usual damsel in distress route.
I was also blown away by the size of the star cruiser chasing that other ship. I couldn't believe how huge it was on the screen. And when Princess Leia grabbed a gun and started blasting away I was like ALL RIGHT!! Then too the movie had a spirituality. The Force. Something the characters could count on if they just knew how to access it. The Force was the biggest character in the movie and we were all fascinated with it and wanted it to be real. Obi Wan with his promise to Luke of helping him access the magic was the ultimate teacher and Luke the ultimate hero.
I was 8 when I saw it and it changed my life. I'm a girl, btw. I had never seen such a film where there were these entire worlds that were different and amazing and the idea that this poor farm kid could be whisked away into an adventure. I also loved that Princess Leia was bad ass. This was right around the time of Charlie's Angels so it was nice to have yet another female role model during a time when there were hardly any. And it changed the way we played with our friends. The action figures were really the first of their kind to tie into a film and so, getting them an recreating scenes was so much fun and kept the adventure alive for us. My best friend, also a girl and I used to fight over who got to be Han and who got to be Luke. Neither of us wanted to be Luke. And the lightsabers were like, the coolest things ever. I had an inflatable one that I still have today and it's worth a lot of money. And yes, the music was also amazing. I remember playing that LP over and over and looking at the pictures in the booklet that came inside the album. Keep in mind this was a time when there were no VCRs and it was 4 years in between films so the only thing that kept those films alive in between the sequels were us, the kids who played and became those characters. The prequels were sucky, but the first 3 films (even Jedi in most parts) were awesome. I remember thinking Darth Vader was the most frightening villain I had ever seen (until Lucas made him such a pussy in the prequels). And every kid wanted a cool blaster pistol like Han Solo carried.
Pornchick
[quote]Try to go a DAY without hearing about Star Wars. Try watching NBC's Must See TV line-up. I guarantee you'll find at least one Star Wars mention in one of the shows. Try to read any pop culture message board, and it's the same thing. No, hon. Put down the pipe.
I was 13 when the first Star Wars movie came out and I had no desire to see it. But then, sci-fi has never been my thing. I love musicals, but I understand that most don't. Such is life.
As a kid back then I was into Saturday Night Fever, Grease, New York New York, Bad News Bears, Lipstick,etc. I think Star Wars was a straight guy thing. I never knew any gays who liked Star Wars or Star Trek. I'm sure gay fans exist, but I think it's a small number. I think most gays are too sophisticated for the simplicity of Star Wars. I wasn't impressed.
There are plenty of gays who love these movies, r23. And are you really positioning Bad News Bears and Grease as the height of 70s sophistication? Maybe you weren't impressed because you had really bad taste.
R23, Dude, I was 12 when the first Star Wars came out in 1977. All of my friends (the ones who turned out straight and the ones who turned out gay) were Star Wars fanatics. It was almost a universal attraction. Boys back then were into Jaws, Rocky, Star Wars, Close Encounters, Superman-The Movie, etc. I never knew ANY 12 or 13 year old boys who were into New York, New York and very few who were into Grease. I was as gay as Flipper, but I hated Grease. I had no use for Saturday Night Fever, either. Please don't speak for all gays. We're not ALL about musicals and "the theatre", you know.
Tadd
To R23. You must not have been very sociable back in the late 1970s. Virtually every boy, gay or straight, was into Star Wars. I excitedly waited for the Star Wars sequels, as much as I did the next James Bond sequel of the day. I agree with R25. I know there were gay boys who were into musicals and preferred the riveting plots of "Guiding Light" to Star Wars, but to say that there were no gay Star Wars (or especially STAR TREK fans, Jeez, every gay man I have ever met loved Star Trek) is ridiculous. As a gay 13 year old, I dreamed of licking the sweat off of Han and Luke and doing things with both of them that were probably illegal in most quadrants of the galaxy (my young age considered LOL).
I'm a lez. To me it seemed that straight guys and lesbians had Star Wars and Superman, while straight girls and gay guys had Grease and Xanadu. Just my observation.
When I was a teen, I used to jerk it while imagining myself in a Han/Luke sandwich. It was one of my favorite fantasies.
They are movies for 6 year old boys. I think they're stupid.
I couldn't get through the first one and never saw another one. Not my thing.
Anonymous
The first one was fun and different. I gave up on it when the alien chipmunks rode their flying jet skis through the forest. That's when it became a toy commercial for me.
No, No R27. I was a screaming queen and I loved Star Wars and Superman. The only reason I didn't walk out of Grease was because my friends were enjoying it. I thought it was dreck. Xanadu was a steaming turd that only about five people saw in the theater in 1980. It was a bomb. I've never understood the gays who worship that Xanadu pile of shit. I saw part of it on HBO circa 1981 and changed the channel 20 minutes in. I still love Star Wars. I don't know why so many people assume that all gay men love only the cheesiest romantic comedies and fucking musicals. I love action, westerns, sci-fi, drama, classic films and art-house movies. I hate rom-coms and musicals.
hyperbole is not your friend
Why is fucking "Xanadu" mentioned in every fucking movie thread? There can be a discussion on "The Bicycle Thief" or "Citizen Kane" and someone has to bring up that sewage.
If you're in your late 30s to mide 40s, all the guys hold up Star Wars as some major masterpiece. Even though I was hooked on Days of our Lives, I wasn't all that different from other boys. That didn't happen until later. I just faked love of Star Wars, but really didn't get it. Even today, all of my straight friends go on and on about Star Wars.
Loved Star Wars (A New Hope) and The Empire Strikes Back, liked Return of the Jedi. Hated the prequels.
DB
Can't wait for J.J. Abrams reboot. I've been thinking about who I would like to see in the parts. Luke Skywalker ... Justin Bieber Han Solo ... Taylor Lautner Princess Leia ... Katie Holmes Lando ... Mario Lopez Obi Wan ... John Stamos R2D2 ... Either Wee-man or Mini-Me. C3PO ... Wilmer Balderama Yoda ... Gwyneth Paltrow Soundtrack by One Direction and Maroon 5
Did most gay guys actually prefer TV soaps like "Guiding Light" and "Days of Our Lives" to Star Wars? That's like preferring "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" or "Full House" to "The Godfather". My mom watched soaps when I was growing up and I couldn't get into them. I thought they were silly. I guess I missed that gene.
I was six years old when Star Wars came out in 1977. Sitting there as a kid as the symphonic music BLASTED over the opening, I was frickin' hooked. Granted, I'm a huge nerd. But I think as I've gotten older, I see the larger themes that George Lucas was trying to tell:it's part Arthurian, part samurai, 50's science fiction movies, and westerns. All the loves of George Lucas. The prequels were different. I like them and if you see them within the entire saga, it serves the story well.
I'm 20, but I love the original trilogy. As for the prequels, I hated Phantom Menace, but I thought Attack of the Clones was okay and Revenge of the Sith was very good. Most of my gay friends liked the Star Wars movies too. I have one buddy who thinks they were juvenile (this coming from a guy who prefers The Hangover and Bridesmaids). LOL.
Yes R38. We actually have taste. Star Wars was bunk. Godfather was the most boring movie ever made. Yes-I would rather watch Honey Boo-Boo. Sorry if that offends your high and mighty ass. Get over it.
"The Empire Strikes Back" is close to great. The others are...meh.
The first films in the 70s combined special effects, great characters including computerized robots (CP3PO) etc., aliens, handsome heroes and good story telling. The first Star Wars film was not unlike the Wizard of Oz in the late 30s. I recall the film (I was in my early 20s ) as a breath of fresh air; completely charming and entertaining.
charlie
I have been a Star Wars fan since I was 8. My parents took my brother and I to see the first one the week it came out, in May of '77. All four of us loved it. My brother and I were hooked for life. We're still Star Wars geeks. My nephews are also huge Star Wars fans.
I loved the first movie and had a huge crush on Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill was so cute before his face was ruined. Never really got into the second two movies or the prequels. But that first one really captured my imagination.
Princess Lei's hair buns
R41 came of age probably during the Bush administration and reality TV. The first two Godfather films are masterpieces and he doesn't have a clue.
charlie
r44 my brother and me
Anonymous
LoL, No R38. Most of us do not prefer soaps and Honey Boo-Boo to Star Wars and The Godfather. I love R37's re-imagining. LoL. That cast would be horrible beyond all belief and would guarantee a straight to Netflix project. LoL. Maybe Lindsay Lohan as Leia, instead of Holmes. Whoever said "gay men prefer things like Grease and Xanadu" is delusional. I'm sure some do, but not the majority.
Well, since charlie is on the wrong side of every issue... The first three Star Wars movies are not great films. They're fun. Their 'greatness' is contingent on having seen them as a kid. For people who saw them at an impressionable age, they were magical. And that spawned the cult. But if you came before or after, their 'greatness' can elude you. No one can deny the fun of the first one, however, bad acting and all. :)
R41 is apparently off her meds again. Take your pill and breathe, hon. Relax, it's going to be okay. Call your doctor if you're not better in the morning.
R41 is also R40. Conflicting message there.
R47, I caught my error after I hit 'save post'. Boy, was my face red. My BF and I had a bit too much wine at dinner tonight and my grasp of the English language apparently suffered for it.
R44
No matter, r44 - to the grammar pit!
Anonymous
When is the JJ Abrams movie coming out? That should be great. Lucas let things get out of control with the prequels somewhat. The franchise needs to be set back on the right track.
R51 - My roomy commandeered my computer when I left the room. I wondered what he was laughing about when I came back. When I read your comment, I knew what the fucker had done (LOL). No loving for him tonight. By the way, he loves Star Wars. The cunt!
R40, pissed off at R41
I left in the middle of the first one, and never saw any of the others until years later, when my next-door neighbor and I were both getting over the flu, and we watched all three over a two-day period. I was right in my original assessment.
Im in my twenties too and I love Star Wars very much. I saw the movies out of order...I used to check out the Empire Strikes Back from my local library on VHS when I was about 8, and renewed it over and over again. I had no idea there were other installments until the 20th anniversary VHS set came out in 1997, my parents never told me until they bought me the set. I think it is probably the greatest gift I ever got. r13, I got goosebumps all over my 8 year old body when I first saw the opening to Episode 4, I was hooked for life. You have to be a nerd deep down to fully understand and enjoy the story of Star Wars. They are fun movies r49. But they are great because they will never be anything like them again. George Lucas came around at just the perfect time when nobody believed in him.
Count me as another super-gay kid who was obsessed with musicals but still loved the STAR WARS movies. It wouldn't have occurred to me not to love them - I just thought they were so fun and exciting and involving. And actually, it was sort of nice to have something in common with the other boys that way, and to have a shared interest, as opposed to things they loved and I had no interest in, like sports or G.I. Joe or whatever. Although I'm sure it also would have been enjoyable to have an r23 type at my school who, when the other boys were playing STAR WARS, would have turned to me and said, "Wanna play NEW YORK, NEW YORK? I'll be Francine and you can be Jimmy."
LOL. I like R58. He gets it. The Star Wars movies were "fun". I know when I meet someone that if they don't like Star Wars, then they have probably lost their sense of fun, childhood wonder and excitement. And yes R58, I'll play New York, New York with you. LOL.
I saw Star Wars once when it first came out because my Boy Scout troop went as an outing. Never felt compelled to see it again or any of the rest of it. But from Indiana Jones to The Dark Knight, I don't see any of that shit.
It's an especially fun game to compare the special effects in "Logan's Run" to "Star Wars". Logan came out the year before Wars but the effects are so cheeseball that it looks like it came out decades before.
It bored me to tears. All of them.
I hated the second original film. Everyone says it's their favorite. Not mine. I was so bored.
[quote]I think Star Wars was a straight guy thing. I never knew any gays who liked Star Wars or Star Trek. I'm sure gay fans exist, but I think it's a small number. I think most gays are too sophisticated for the simplicity of Star Wars. I wasn't impressed. R23, you couldn't possibly be more wrong if you TRIED to be wrong. Jesus. You're not sophisticated, you're a stereotyping idiot. And just so very, completely, and utterly [italic]wrong[/italic].
Empire Strikes Back was the best of the three. And the first one was exciting because it was so different. Return of the Jedi was awful.
The beginning of Star Wars (the original) is a masterpiece of visual story-telling. There is very little dialog ... but the story is immediately engaging and goes at break-neck pace from the first frame. And that opening sequence was just JAW DROPPING. Remember how big movie screens used to be. It literally blew people's minds.
[quote]It's the characters. I think Asimov's Foundation series must have made quite an impression on Lucas. I recently listened to the Robot / Empire / Foundation series and was struck by the parallels -- not so much of the stories, but some of the quirky characters seem to have doppelgängers in the Star Wars movies.
Jedi Wisdom 1. A Jedi's mission begins the moment their feet touch the surface of a new planet 2. Patience is not a gift, but a lesson to be relearned daily 3. No Jedi is bound to their life. It is chosen freely, they may leave at any time 4. Sometimes obvious is the answer 5. There cannot be doubt in battle. There must be belief, belief in the force 6. To absorb a blow, is to begin to recover from it 7. There are always more questions then answers 8. All emotions must be felt. But a jedi must learn to release them as well 9. A mission can teach what a master cannot 10. Judgment is forbidden 11. A Jedi's heart maybe touched. But it is required of them not to take sides and remained unbiased 12. The present moment, is the crucial moment 13. Your focus determines your reality 14. Trust yourself, breath in your instinct, then act 15. You do not always have to lead. Sometimes someone else can do the job better 16. Every moment makes a difference, every desicion has a cost 17. It is hard to wait. But, you must in order to see your way revealed 18. A master depends on the loyalty of the padawan. Just as a padawan relies on the master. If that trust is broken the bond shatters 19. Be careful with words like 'Never' and 'Always' things in life are rarely so certain. Be more precise. Clarity of the mind is important for a Jedi. 20. It is not age, but ability that marks a turning point 21. Use everything you have. Use the ground, the sky, what is all around you 22. There are not many guarantees in the galaxy. But one is that trouble will find you 23. You must find patience. It is there within you. You will search until you find and hold it. Learn that and it will save you 24. To wait and watch is a difficult task. Yet, it is something a Jedi must master 25. A Jedi must know his true enemy. Tire out an opponent and all that is left is anger: That is the true enemy 26. Close your mouth and open your ears then you will hear that your heart is seeking 27. Make one decision, then make another. Because you cannot remake one past 28. Yes, time is elusive. So it is better to track it down 29. Nothing is lost where the force dwells and the force is everywhere 30. Life tests you. Everyday brings you new challenges for triumph or defeat. If you pass the test it doesn't make you a Jedi. It makes you human 31. To be a good person is more important then being a Jedi 32. When the path is unsure. It is better to wait. 33. One always has a choice 34. A master must learn not to teach. For as surly as he must lead, he must also be led 35. The Jedi path is a difficult one to walk. If someone strays from that path, especially a young one, it is understandable. But, it is important to know their dedication to the order before they can be accepted 36. Words do not always echo feelings 37. Even with sureness. There must be a doubt 38. Great size makes for great power. But it also makes for clumsiness 39. Look for weakness in a strength: Your feelings are your strength 40. Confidence builds distraction, Distraction builds weakness, weakness can lead to self destruction
Agreed, OP. The opening of the second film was promising, but went all to shit. And all those endless "endearing" sidekicks and creatures with their silly voices were ridiculous.
Not the original movie, which was fun, fresh and very different at the time. But the other two? Fuck yes.
It was the first time there were special effects in a film that were groundbreaking. They looked like they were in space, the costumes were amazing the make up was amazing - the story was base level wild wild west good versus evil. Every little kid wanted a light saber (still do).
I beg to differ, R71. 2001 had far more groundbreaking special effects.
[quote]2001 had far more groundbreaking special effects. And the great music, but it wasn't fun. Star Wars caught the kids' imaginations with the underlying classic allusions and all the modern Hollywood ones as well -- like cowboy movies, chase scenes, air battles. Great fun! I was ready to enter college when I saw it but like all the kids in the audience, I wanted a light saber, too.
r72 that may be true but 2001 was hardly relevant to ages 7+ boys who went back and saw star wars 10 times. Star Wars was probably the first time people were coming back over and over to see the same movie.
[quote]I beg to differ, [R71]. 2001 had far more groundbreaking special effects. No, it really didn't. Yes, it broke ground for "realism" (silence in space, and all that). It's true. But the motion effects and other break-throughs of industrial light & magic were far more incredible. A lot was written about the new techniques developed at the time.
R62, that's because YOU'RE boring.
Star Wars almost single-handedly ruined American cinema. It created this never-ending thirst for special effects, and now 35 years later, that's almost all American films deliver. It really is tragic, seeing how intelligent American films were in the 1960s and 70s.
R77 I think your wrong. At it's base Star Wars is good story telling. You can all the special effects in the world but a shitty story will still be a shitty story (I am looking at you Green Lantern).
Star Wars Ep. 4 was the first movie I paid more than once to see. You have to understand what a leap in special effects this movie had. From the 1st scene when they filmed the massive star ship pursuing Princess Leia's ship in such a way that the pursuing ship just keeps going and going and going before you finally see the end of it. It was a giant leap from stop motion like the original King Kong.
Star Wars (fuck that Ep IV shit!) was amazing to this ten year old and I saw it at the theater at least 10 times. It had a great story, good characters, awesome special effects, and was just great fun. Three years later, Empire sort of bored me, but the ending was pretty unexpected and Yoda was fun, if a bit silly. Return was just dumb and where it wasn't dumb, it was boring. But it was nearly 6 years later nad I think I was driving at that point. The final duel was cool enough to make up for it, even the Pollyanna ending. Should have seen the warning signs. I remember seeing Phantom Menace at 3 am the day it opened. The Lucasfilms logo came up and people went nuts. By the time the end credits started, most of us were pissed off and done with Lucas and his foolishness.
Anyone who says the original STAR WARS now seems "trite and dated and meh" has no idea what the words "trite" or "dated" mean. It's weird when someone asks other people to "explain" the popularity of a movie he "doesn't get," but I think the greatness of the first (and only the first) STAR WARS movie is due to a lot of things. The effects were mind blowing at the time, and have held up very well; the music is phenomenal; and most importantly, the script is great in presenting interesting characters we really care about, and also in its expert combination of humor and thrilling action. In watching the later films, especially the second series of three, it has always amazed me how Lucas et al. lost sight of what was so great about the first one in terms of the characters and the humor.
I saw the original Star Wars only once, the weekend that it opened. I saw it again recently on TV and was shocked at how tacky and badly acted it is.
r75, it was the first time they'd tried to have the motion of cameras controlled by computers (as they would sweep over the miniature sets.) The Star Wars effects were as groundbreaking as they could get.
Oh, for Christ's sake all of you: the movie is FUN, that's why it's so good. "Great"? No. But lots of FUN.