I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of responses this got in such a short amount of time.

Quote Originally Posted by Cheesegear
The Machete Order

Watch Episode 4 and 5. At the end of Empire, Vader tells Luke that they're related.
Then cut to Episode 2 and 3. The life and times of Anakin Skywalker. Since you've watched Empire already, the 'twist' is kept, while if you watch Episode III before V (that is, in order) the moment between Vader and Luke is completely lost, because at that point you - the audience - already know that Vader is Luke's father because of the end of III.
We are now up to speed on Luke and Anakin/Vader, which then sets up Return of the Jedi (6).

=> 4, 5, 2, 3, 6

You'll notice that this order removes Episode 1. Not only because it sucks, but because it doesn't matter. The timeskip between 1 and 2 means that Anakin is a completely different person by Episode II, the weird relationship between Amidala and a child is no longer so...Weird. Darth Maul never even shows up again (though if you want to show your friend the highly choreographed Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Maul fight on YouTube, then I understand). But, neckbeardingly obviously, skipping over Episode I means a lot less Jar Jar.
Darn! I wish I had known about this before we started. I wouldn't mind trying this out, though. Despite the negative things people are saying about it, it makes sense, and does give the prequels a better purpose in the story arc.

Quote Originally Posted by Razade
Well the thing there is...why only watch things that make you happy? Just because something upsets you or makes you sad or evokes some other strong emotion that isn't just happiness doesn't mean you didn't enjoy it. You can be sad and still enjoy something. Not to mention some of the greatest films aren't films that are "fun". Godfather is certainly not a "fun" film. I really enjoyed The Arrival, I absolutely wouldn't call that "fun" but I enjoyed it for what it was. Schindler's List is a great film, one of the best, but it is without a doubt not fun. One can live their life avoiding things like that but at least from my vantage point you've denied yourself a worthwhile experience and are less fulfilled. I'd argue that, for the demo the movies are aimed at, the movies can be not fun. There's hard concepts in Star Wars that a younger audience might enjoy but not find fun.
While I agree that not every movie should make you happy (some should make you reflect soberly, or any number of non-happy things), there is a difference between watching a movie that doesn't make you happy, and sitting through a tortuously bad movie.


I appreciate all of you who say to just ignore the prequels, but I don't think they should be ignored. First of all, because they do exist. Second, because they do serve a purpose, even if that purpose is just to be hated by the fandom.

But now I'm curious, how many of you saying "skip the prequels" have seen the animated Clone Wars series? While some of it is undoubtedly cringe-worthy, there are other moments that make you really feel for the characters and make the whole thing worth watching. And you wouldn't get the same reaction had you simply skipped the prequels.

Also, since the thread is heading that direction anyway, what are your thoughts on RO and Episode VII? Personally, I loved how well RO flows into Episode IV, I like the characters (mostly) and the visuals, but most of the story was too garbled to follow properly.

I think I like Episode VII better than most people seem to. Everyone complains about Kylo, but I think he is a believable character whose story has only just begun.

I'm really excited to see what happens in Episode VIII.