Is the Original Trilogy Overrated?

I didn't write that as an actual criticism, but an illustration of what would happen if the OT would get the same treatment as the ST is now getting.
Still, practicing on a crop duster is not the same as flying a fighter jet into combat, so the point would stand, if SW was an actual sci-fi, and not a fantasy about space wizards.

 

To answer the question - oh, definitely not. The OT had an immeasurable impact on modern cinema. This film, together with Jaws kickstarted the VFX-heavy blockbuster era we're living in too this day. It made orchestral scores cool again, it popularised the Hero's journey as a template for cinematic storytelling in major studio projects, it began the great franchise boom, etc. Not only that, its impact on how we portray female characters in blockbusters is still felt today. EVERY female character, from Shuri to Elastigirl, from Furiosa to Padmé, from Rey to Wonder Woman, owes something to Leia and what she did onscreen between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.

Is the Original Trilogy perfect? No. So far, there hasn't been a SW trilogy that is consistently great, like Toy Story, Three Colours or Lord of the Rings and the Sequel Trilogy definitely won't join these ranks, either (let's just say The Force Awakens is flawed, much more so than people give it credit for and I'm not taling about "lack of backstory" here, because this complaint has way more to do with fans' attitude than actual filmmaking issues) but does it automatically mean that it makes it overrated? Nah. Sure, these films tell simple stories but, as proven by Toy Story, Roman Holiday, Mad Max: Fury Road and countless other films - just because it is simple it doesn't mean it's bad or worse than more ambitious projects. It's the execution where it counts and the first two installments of the OT do their stories so damn tightly and well that it doesn't matter. So, the OT - still good.

 

I can drive a tractor. Let me command a tank in battle damn it!

 

I'm not denying their flaws. All films are flawed because people who create them are flawed. I get your sentiment - hearing constant praise for something that clearly isn't perfect can be annoying, especially if we're dealing with properties from the past (heck, people are becoming nostalgic for TFA, a two-year-old film!), as they are constantly viewed through rose-tinted glasses. Still, there is a reason for why these films are considered classics - simple, but effective story, universal themes, memorable characters, iconic world design, wonderful music, tight editing and powerful message about trusting yourself and

In face of these virtues the drawbacks of these films become insignificant (unless we're talking about Return of the Jedi, as this film loses some of strengths of the previous two entries.) Long story short - I agree with you that yes, one should always have at back of one's mind that ANH and TESB aren't perfect, but their flaws are in my mind not significant enough to call these films "overrated."

 

If you play this game every movie is overrated because every classic is treated this way because it's flaws don't matter when the good outweigh the bad like they do in most instances.

There's no such thing as a perfect movie.
But when you stand the test of time for 40 years and become a linchpin of modern cinema, you will be revered to the highest degree.
Star Wars is so deeply embedded into the zeitgeist of our pop culture you can say "I am your father" to most living humans on earth and they'd know it's a Star Wars reference in a second. They know a lightsaber and the force.

 

T2 is a perfect movie

 

People do it on here all the time.
We talk of the pacing issues. Every Star Wars film has pacing issues.
ANH goes through long stretches where virtually nothing happens but the good is good enough it's worth the wait.

There are serious structure issues that are only fixed because it's a trilogy.
ESB benefits entirely from being a second film and has to do virtually no characterization and can jump right in to plot stuff without a blink.

But again, they work because the good outweigh the bad.

Most people don't harp on the flaws of things they love. That's why they love them.
Yeah, the OT has issues. But I love them regardless of their issues because what they do right is so much greater.

I know this is probably some roundabout way to bring up how you feel people mistreat the PT (because almost all of this stuff does) but the fact is, the OT has stood the test of time for 40 years. Flaws and all.

 

The Original Trilogy is brilliant!

There's a nice video here of James Marquand (Richard Marquand's son) talking about his time on the Return of the Jedi set:

 

Because there's still more good than bad and the good makes you ignore the bad.

 

First, let me be taken aback by you actually using the quote feature. Might be a first.

and no, because rarely are things simply yes or no. If the nuance of it scares you or derives you of the answer you WANT rather than a more accurate one, I do not know what else to say.
I can say I've seen plenty of times where people note the pacing issues especially but the thing is, they don't care because just about everything else is so on point.

I'm just really unsure of your end goal here. The OT has flaws. But people still love it anyways because the good vastly outweighs the bad. Most people don't spend time hating on something they love. That's a much different phenomena.

 

this term overrated is now being overused, nowadays that's all you hear, this is overrated, that is overrated, blah, blah, & blah. If its overrated to you just move along, find something that intrigues you. If the OT is not your thing cool films are subjective. If the PT is your thing cool films are subjective.

The OT is rated a big 10 for me; if you disagree then so be it.... hahaha

Soon when the GoT popularity starts to wane that will be overrated too...

 

I don't feel that I overrate the OT but I do feel that The Empire Strikes Back is considerably overrated by fans of my generation. That film's more mature approach (glove puppet space slugs notwithstanding) seems to legitimise those fans' love for a trio of films made for children.

But the OT deserves its place as being three of the most significant films ever made. The themes explored within those movies resonate down the ages. They were made with integrity and passion and they have depth. There aren't many films that I watched as a five year old boy that I still watch now. In fact, there aren't any films that I saw as a child that I still watch.