I refuse to show my 5 year old the PT

Sounds like he has excellent taste. Natalie Portman in her sexy outfit and Hayden Christensen burning almost to death were Lucas' creative genius at its best.

 

I don't refuse to show the little ones the PT however I do refuse to obtain a copy in any form (particularly if an exchange of money is involved) or to watch them myself so that is effectively the same thing.

 

Good, do not show your kids the PT. They are worthless garbage that should have never been made in the first place. What Lucas has done is SACRILEGIOUS to the greatness of Star Wars. The PT should have been left in the shroud of mystery.

 

So you basically want to impose your own personal taste and opinion on your child.

Show all movies to her. And your child will decide what she likes or not. Everyone is different, and has a right to be different.
Who knows maybe she will like them more than OT movie, or maybe she will hate them, or like all of them.

Or maybe she will hate star wars in general when she grows older.
It should be her choice, not yours.

 

The irony: your kid would probably enjoy the PT.

 

Most parents impose personal taste and opinions onto their kids.
It's the reason i'm a Star Wars fan to begin with and why i didn't become a metal fan until later in my life.

 

In my opinion childrens need to decide for themselves what they will like and what not.
That is important for them when they grow up. To have their own opinions.

Also if we have different taste than our parents, that does not mean that we do not like our parents.

My father was huge western movies fan. He really wanted that I like them too. He showed me western films from my earliest childhood.
But I never liked them.
At first I pretended that I like them, but after, when I was older I refused to watch them any more. I do not like them.

In other hand my fater hated SF movies. He hated Star Wars, but I like SF and Star wars.
We are not our parents, we are all different. And that is OK.

 

I have read.
That what you said is imposing. You imposed her your taste. You like OT, so you will show her only OT, and not every movie in that saga. Is she even aware that other 3 movies exist?
If she knows, she might not even ask because you do not like them. And she does not want that you do not like her.

Childrens are like that. Same as my fater really wanted that I like western. And I pretend at first that I like them too.

What exactly do you fear? That she will like them? maybe more than OT?

 

Just finished reading all 73 prior posts(curse my need to have a complete picture before posting my thoughts!). Reading the title of the thread I was expecting much more negativity from the OP. I think a lot of the negativity in this thread came from overreactions based on the title rather than what was said. To be fair though, the title of the thread is a bit misleading, when one reads it, the natural conclusion is that the OP would refuse to show the movies to their children even if they want to see it.

All of that being said though, what BaronSoontirFel said is exactly how most parents are when it comes to showing their children old movies. A parent wants to share the things they loved in their childhood with their children. Parents don't go through their childhood memories looking for the disappointing films to share with their children as well. Seems perfectly normal to me.

To illustrate, I'll use a non Star Wars related example. Another series that I have loved my whole life is Batman, whether in the comics, shows or movies. If I ever have children I would love to share with them the Batman stories that I enjoyed growing up. Naturally then I would show them things like the Batman Animated Series and the Nolan films(when they are old enough of course ). However one film that I would not dig up to show my children is Batman and Robin, the reason being that I absolutely hated that film and was disappointed by it even when I was a kid. If my kids ever wanted to see it, I wouldn't stop them, but I'm certainly not going to encourage it either.

As for the PT, even though I don't particularly care for it(don't really hate it either, other than the large sections of AotC dealing with Anakin and Padme), I think I would end up showing it to my (theoretical)kids at some point, just so they can have a clearer picture of the whole Saga, and as was said by another poster already, introduce them to The Clone Wars television show.

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This next part of my post mainly regards the argument between PT lovers and haters in this thread, as well as some of the accusations put forth in that argument.

As for arguments for and against the PT that I've seen in this thread, while there are the occasional rabid haters out there, I feel that most of the posters in this forum dislike or like them for valid reasons. I just turned 29 a little while ago, so I'm of the generation that was young when all of the Prequels hit the theaters. At the time I enjoyed TPM, Liked AotC well enough and liked RotS quite a bit because it had all the OT connections and it was definitely better than AotC. I saw all of the films multiple times in theaters.

I was also thoroughly familiar with the OT prior to watching the PT of course, primarily from my VHS collection of the OT and also from watching the Special Editions in theaters, which didn't prevent me from enjoying the PT at the time. As I got older however, I found the PT strangely lacking, and I couldn't initially put my finger on the reasons why, I just knew something felt off. Early on my nostalgia blinders kept me from viewing the films in a balanced and critical light, because I loved them as a kid they surely must have been good films.

However once I was out of high school I started to realize that not everything I loved as a kid was great, or even good in many instances(the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers cartoon series don't really hold up once you reach a certain age ). It still took a while to look at the PT objectively because Star Wars was my greatest love as a child, but once I did, I found that the films, while each one certainly had good parts, don't hold up well as a whole.

People like to state a ton of reasons why they feel PT didn't work, children, Jar Jar, overuse of CGI, etc. For me however, I came to realize that the main failing of the PT was the development of Anakin Skywalker as a character. The whole linchpin of the series was supposed to be the tragic downfall of Anakin Skywalker, we were supposed to really feel for Anakin when he became Darth Vader, and that's what I wanted to feel, I honestly wanted to really feel for Anakin and the tragedy of his downfall, however all I could manage was a halfhearted shrug in response. Had Anakin and his relationship with Padme actually been well developed I would actually view the movies much differently(as would most of those who don't like the PT I suspect).

That's not to say that I think the films are pure garbage, a lot of the things that other people hated about the PT still don't bother me to be honest, whether it be the midichlorians or the politics. I honestly feel the skeleton of a great story is present within the PT, especially regarding Palpatine's behind the scenes machinations. I also enjoyed certain characters like Qui-Gon(largely due to Neeson's perfomance) and Obi-Wan. Like them or hate them, they also expanded the Star Wars universe greatly and provided lots of interesting details for launching other future Star Wars stories(TCW television series for instance).

I also don't feel that the films ruined the OT for me, however I would be lying if I said they didn't detract in certain respects. The two big areas where I feel they detract from the OT are in regards to Darth Vader and Boba Fett. With Darth Vader I still manage to forget about Hayden Christensen most of the time when watching the OT, but there's still occasionally a voice in my head reminding me that this guy is Darth Vader.

I can mostly forget this, at least until George decides to force it down our throat with more Special Edition changes.


As for Boba Fett, George failed to realize that a large part of his mystique was based on his mysteriousness, the last thing we needed to see was an annoying child version of Boba Fett who just so happens to be a clone of his father whom we are shown in the film, therefore erasing all doubt and mystery as to what he looks like under the helmet in the OT.

At the end of the day though, while I don't really care for the PT, I have definitely seen worse movies and wouldn't define them as absolutely horrible, just kinda disappointing because they had the potential to be so much more. Even with the disappointment though, I realize that there are still positives to the movies.

To be honest though, I have never seen a worse onscreen romance than the one between Anakin and Padme in these movies, seriously, ugh...

 

I like every star wars movie. To me all 6 of them are great,
i watched them in episode order first time. And to me that was the best story ever. I really like every movie in the series.

I disagree that PT movies are bad.

Objectively they are good. I think that some people had problem with them because they are not OT. Luke, Leia, Han Solo, Lando, Tie fighters ect.. are not really a part of PT.
I think that these people really wanted more of the same than something new.
Other problem is, these people already knew how these movies will end. And when you know the end, begining is not that interesting.

But when someone watch these movies for the first time in episode order, everything is different. Totally different experience. You do not know that Anakin will become evil Darth Vader. You do not know that Jedi will fall, that Padme, Qui-Gon Jinn will die. You do not know anything.
So everything is emotional and unexpected when it happens. Everything is new and magical. You do not have any expectations how things need to be. You just enjoy in the story and that magical world.

People who watched OT first, will never experience a Star Wars saga in that way.

As for Padme and Anakin romance. I really do not see where is a problem. Yes they are somewhat corny, but romance in real life is in fact corny most of the time. And we like it that way.
I think that star wars fans would not be trully pleased with any romance in star wars, in general. Han and Leia romance was also least favorite part of OT for most people.

As for Boba. He is a clone of Jango Fett who is in fact very mysterious. We know nothing about Jango Fett, and he was really COOL in AOTC.
Boba is still mysterious, because we know nothing about him after Clone Wars events.

Also why people here hate childrens. Every person in the world was a child. So it was always obvious that Boba, Anakin, Luke, Leia where childrens. PT did not invent childrens.
I think that some people really overreact when it comes to PT.

 

I want my children to watch positive films with good moral messages which fill them with hope (original trilogy) not films filled with pointless crap, cold characters, weird dialogue and depressing outcomes (prequel trilogy)

Anything good about the prequels was ripped off the original trilogy.

 

The Phantom Menace fits those criteria, and it's a fairly done-in-one story.

 

I'm aiming most of my criticisms at Episode II and III. They really could have salvaged it after The Phantom Menace, but George had to get all self indulgent, unimaginative, fanservice-y and CGI obsessed after what was a pretty decent sci-fi adventure movie. Attack of the CGI had such a pointless plot that you could completely skip it and go straight to episode III. Really.. the only scenes of any substance were Anakin killing the sand people and his creepy romance with Padme. Outside that it was 80% of the plot constructed around two words from A New Hope, 'clone wars' and what a disappointment that turned out to be.

Also, the extent to which Lucas RIPPED OFF Blade Runner with the imagery from the first act of episode II, is completely unforgivable. Also, how the droids were forced into the story. The way Boba Fett was turned into this hugely important character was so disingenuous. He was supposed to be this mysterious bounty hunter dude you knew nothing about.. but NO! Lets see Boba Fett as an 8 year old, and make every stormtrooper a clone of him even though they mostly had different voices in the original trilogy. How insulting to the fans of Star Wars, along with Yoda sounding like Mrs Piggy as he was flipping around.. despite the fact he was just struggling to walk with a cane.

Terrible movie.

 

It's obvious that you have a love for the whole Star Wars saga, which I can't fault you on . However you keep making assumptions as to why other people don't like the PT or certain things in the PT. I'll be happy to reply to your previous post point by point.

While it is true that there are probably some people who aren't happy that the movies are just like the OT, and probably couldn't be satisfied no matter what, those people are the minority among Star Wars fans and the general movie going audience. People may find it a bit jarring at first when all of these new things are thrown at them, however if they like the characters and the story they will get over that pretty quick. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting more of the same thing, other than for the films to be set in the Star Wars universe.

As for people already knowing the ending, you are correct, that does suck some of the suspense out of the movies(certain characters are going to live no matter what and others have to die no matter what). However, that doesn't mean that people are doomed to dislike a story just because it is a prequel, I have enjoyed plenty of prequels in both books and movies through the years. Even with some of the suspense gone, people would still like the PT if they cared about the characters and story.

I will agree that one would probably get a totally different experience out of the whole saga if they saw all six movies in a row(even better if their parents show them TCW before RotS). There would be additional suspense, and if the kids were lucky enough to watch TCW they would have actually been able to get attached to Anakin and Obi-Wan more, making RotS all the more tragic. All of that being said though, doesn't that point out another flaw with George Lucas' thinking then, you say it is better to watch them in episode order, but by waiting so long to do the PT, George made sure that the majority of fandom for a long time would have to see the movies out of order.

I'm sorry but this point is just wrong. Anakin and Padme's relationship is not just somewhat corny, it is godawful to the point where most viewers wish they weren't even in the same scenes together. Romance in real life can indeed be corny, however if the two people are actually compatible they will have a little thing they share called chemistry. Both in my relationships and in viewing the relationships of friends and family, if there is chemistry there, it seems like those people should be together, and other people tend to feel the same way(even viewing the corny stuff as kind of cute sometimes).

However I have also observed relationships where there is no chemistry and everything feels forced, those relationships just make everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. Those are not the kind of relationships that people want to see on the screen.

As for Star Wars fans not being pleased with any romance, that is frankly not true. I have never heard another Star Wars fan complain about the romance between Han and Leia in the movies(at least not any SW fans that are old enough to know that cooties isn't a real thing ). Frankly the relationship between Han and Leia strengthens the OT and Empire Strikes Back in particular. Without their relationship the ending of ESB wouldn't be nearly as powerful.

Just about any movie fan, SW or not, will root for two characters to get together in a movie if they have genuine chemistry onscreen. I'm not a guy who watches romance movies and reads romance novels, however I can still appreciate romance in a story when it is well done. A good romance can really heighten the stakes of the story and make you feel for the characters that much more. That is the real tragedy of how Anakin and Padme's romance was handled in the PT, it could have been one of the strongest parts of the trilogy, really driving home the tragic conclusion, instead it just detracts because of how poorly it was handled.

You're missing the whole point on why Boba Fett was such an iconic character. The fact is when they developed him for ESB, they said his character was partially based on Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name character from old westerns, you know as much about him at the end of the movie as you did at the beginning. This mystery adds to the allure of the character. Everyone was intrigued by the character because of how little they knew a bout him, all they really knew was that he was cool looking and capable(at least until his demise in RotJ).

Its true that we don't know much about Boba after the events of the Clone Wars, but what we do know is already to much. The audience doesn't need to know what Boba's face looks like, and we frankly never should have been shown. It makes sense to flesh out certain key characters from movies, but Boba was never intended to be a main focus in the OT, that lack of focus is what helped build up his popularity with fans. If it weren't for his popularity with the fan base, I HIGHLY doubt that George would have even thought to put him in the PT in the first place.

As for the subject of children in the movies, most people don't honestly hate children, but rather obnoxious child actors. Its true that every single person was a child at some point, but that doesn't mean that the audience needs to see certain characters as children. Boba Fett's character was an obnoxious snot nosed brat in AotC, and while we have all been obnoxious snot nosed brats at one time or another in our life, showing Boba as such only further degrades the allure of his character.

At the end of the day, one can debate endlessly on the various things that they do or don't like about the PT. There are indeed those people who feel that CGI is the main thing that ruined the PT, or Jar Jar, etc. However for most people at the end of the day, whether they can put their finger on it or not, the characters and the story are what disappoint most people about the PT. People will forgive a LOT of things if they are interested in the characters of a story. Characters are the backbone of any story, and as much as people loved the new universe shown in Star Wars back in 1977, what really sold people on the movie was their love of the characters contained within.

You alleged earlier that nostalgia is one of the driving factors of why people don't like the PT, but based upon your posts so far, defending even the worst parts of PT, it seems to me that you are letting your own nostalgia cloud your view of the movies. I once did the same myself, but once I learned to look at them objectively outside of my nostalgia tinged fan outlook, I was able to look at the movies much more honestly and objectively.

Does looking at the movies from an objective standpoint mean that everyone that does so will dislike them, no, movies(like any form of art) are still highly subjective. However when one defends absolutely every aspect of something they love, even the obviously bad stuff, its pretty hard for others to take their opinions seriously on the subject, and generally indicates that they are looking at the films through a fanboy lens rather than an objective one.