Star Wars: What's the best order to watch them in?

Bradley Ramos11 said:Start with Episodes IV, V, and VI.
Skip 1, 2, and 3 entirely.

urbanbear4 said:Thanks so much, everyone... I finally decided to take the advice and just watch them in the order they were actually made, so I started yesterday... watched Episode IV... liked it, and I'm diving back in today...🙂

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P.S. I'm dying to know which movie actually has that quote from Ivataov's signature 😉

urbanbear4 said:Thanks so much, everyone... I finally decided to take the advice and just watch them in the order they were actually made, so I started yesterday... watched Episode IV... liked it, and I'm diving back in today...🙂

...

P.S. I'm dying to know which movie actually has that quote from Ivataov's signature 😉

casualraven said:

Every single movie from the original trilogy is miles better than anything in the prequel era.

Ummm no, nope, and HARD NO.

Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi (plus A New Hope too) are top tier!

If you don't believe me, go watch Return of the Jedi again—you probably saw it ages ago, haha—but once you realize about 60% of it is basically just a puppet show for kids, you'll change your mind pretty quick. 🙂

casualraven said:Come on, just admit it—that opening scene from Episode III is easily the best moment in the entire franchise 😬 😬

(p.s., Episode I totally flops, I think we can all agree on that, right? 🤣 )

lonemarlin40 said:Give me a break, someone actually trying to lecture me on what Star Wars is when I literally grew up on them. 🙄

Yeah, no, I am not changing my mind. And no, I haven't "seen them a long time ago"—I have every single movie at home, I've watched them a billion times, and I could analyze them just as many times. This goes for Ivtau22 too.

Look, you guys are clearly a younger generation than me and you see these movies differently. I don't even want to get deep into the Star Wars debate because it's a total rabbit hole. Way too much fighting over opinions.

Star Wars movies were made for entertainment first and foremost, and the old trilogy hits harder there. So ROTJ has Ewoks, big deal. The movie is fun.

I don't feel like listing all the reasons why certain things in the new trilogy suck, but there is zero chance I'm ever saying one of the new ones is better than the classics. The old movies have soul—that thing that makes them timeless. The new ones don't have it, no matter how much people try to ignore it. 😁

I look at the whole set and the final vibe at the end of it all. I don't want to go down individual paths comparing who acted better; I mean, sure, Liam Neeson is better than Mark Hamill, but what matters is the overall impression you get by the time the credits roll.

It's about which movie you actually enjoyed more. 😉

And don't come at me—this is my opinion, my own experience, and I totally get that you might like some of the newer stuff better. Difference in taste, generations, whatever.

Neither I nor you are wrong.

urbanbear4 said:Thanks so much, everyone... I finally decided to take the advice and just watch them in the order they were actually made, so I started yesterday... watched Episode IV... liked it, and I'm diving back in today...🙂

...

P.S. I'm dying to know which movie actually has that quote from Ivataov's signature 😉

lonemarlin40 said:Give me a break, someone actually trying to lecture me on what Star Wars is when I literally grew up on them. 🙄

Yeah, no, I am not changing my mind. And no, I haven't "seen them a long time ago"—I have every single movie at home, I've watched them a billion times, and I could analyze them just as many times. This goes for Ivtau22 too.

Look, you guys are clearly a younger generation than me and you see these movies differently. I don't even want to get deep into the Star Wars debate because it's a total rabbit hole. Way too much fighting over opinions.

Star Wars movies were made for entertainment first and foremost, and the old trilogy hits harder there. So ROTJ has Ewoks, big deal. The movie is fun.

I don't feel like listing all the reasons why certain things in the new trilogy suck, but there is zero chance I'm ever saying one of the new ones is better than the classics. The old movies have soul—that thing that makes them timeless. The new ones don't have it, no matter how much people try to ignore it. 😁

I look at the whole set and the final vibe at the end of it all. I don't want to go down individual paths comparing who acted better; I mean, sure, Liam Neeson is better than Mark Hamill, but what matters is the overall impression you get by the time the credits roll.

It's about which movie you actually enjoyed more. 😉

And don't come at me—this is my opinion, my own experience, and I totally get that you might like some of the newer stuff better. Difference in taste, generations, whatever.

Neither I nor you are wrong.

casualraven said:George Lucas himself actually suggested watching them in the order of 4-5-6 then 1-2-3.
I’m totally on board with that.

Honestly, the biggest reason to watch them this way is because of this one narrative gap. It’s not even a bad thing—it’s actually the opposite. Those "holes" and spaces between the movies just push you to dive deeper into the whole saga... At the very least, you’ll find yourself hopping on Wikipedia to figure out how the Clone Wars went down, or how they actually built the Death Star and stuff (none of which is explicitly laid out in the films, but the structure of the movies basically forces you to go hunt for those answers yourself).
If you really get hooked, you'll end up hunting down old comic books, animated series, and all that good stuff where they actually explain everything. 😁

Another huge point is that this order avoids that cliché "happy ending" vibe. Instead, it leaves you with more of a... hmm... bitter aftertaste, I guess.
You might walk away thinking maybe Vader was right and falling to the dark side was justified, or maybe you just plain dislike certain heroes and want to see them suffer a little... 🙂 Either way, the 4-5-6-1-2-3 route leaves plenty of room for different interpretations and moods, so it's definitely the best way to go.

Jerry Martin19 said:🙂

Actually, yeah, obviously you watch the old ones first. We all know that...🙂 but the acting in Return of the Jedi is easily some of the worst in all of Star Wars. It basically kills the movie. Then you've got those dumb Ewoks right next to the Gungans and that idiot Jar Jar Binks. The acting in The Phantom Menace is ten times better than in Return of the Jedi.
Just a reminder: Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Sofia Coppola...🙂
whereas in Return of the Jedi, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were totally off, and even Harrison Ford didn't seem like himself. Honestly, the only thing saving that whole movie is Ian McDiarmid being great as Emperor Palpatine and that final showdown between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Why? Because Mark Hamill barely says a word...
Obviously, the plot is better in Return of the Jedi...

I don't even need to explain why Attack of the Clones beats Return of the Jedi, let alone Revenge of the Sith...

Jerry Martin19 said:*Sigh*... knew this would turn into a debate once I posted that, but hey, I guess I'm good at stirring things up. 🥳

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "younger generation," since I watched the old trilogy before the new one too, but my ranking looks something like this:

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Now, the last two are a toss-up. The actual story and the spirit of Star Wars won't let me put Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in last place, but then again, acting matters to me, so it's hard to put Episode I: The Phantom Menace at the bottom...

Sorry, but those Ewoks and those lame creatures in Jabba's Palace that you wouldn't even see on Sesame Street or The Muppet Show (I like both, by the way), plus the subpar acting, just ruins the vision of Star Wars...
...and on the flip side, the Gungans and Jar Jar Binks are just as annoying, if not worse...

BTW, the new trilogy actually blows the old one out of the water when it comes to acting, and it's packed with much better quotes that I could list all day... ☕
And I don't agree that the new trilogy lacks soul, though I'll admit the old one definitely has more of it. In terms of cinematic quality, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith definitely belongs up there with Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode IV: A New Hope, regardless of how much people might want to point fingers... 😬

Liam Neeson over Mark Hamill?! 😲 🙂 Liam Neeson?! If it were just him, fine, but you've got Ewan McGregor (actually convincing), and even little Jake Lloyd outshined Mark Hamill in that movie, let alone if I started trashing Ian McDiarmid or Senator Palpatine...
...not to mention how Natalie Portman totally bombed—pardon my French—compared to Carrie Fisher...
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi only works because they had an incredible Ian McDiarmid and, obviously, Darth Vader with those iconic lines. It wouldn't hold up without them, especially since Mark Hamill was mediocre and Carrie Fisher was just as bad, not to mention Harrison Ford... (at least regarding everything in Return of the Jedi)

This takes me back to the whole "different tastes" thing, and I'll stick to my guns on that one. Peace😉

P.S. Why are you guys even arguing with me?! Can't you tell I'm just here to shut down assholes?🤣