Star Wars viewing order for a newbie

[tgo]

So i have kids (4 & 7 years old) who will soon be old enough to start watching the Star Wars movies for the first time and i cant decide what order they should see them in, do we start with IV or I?

I can see pro's and cons to both approaches and once you start, there is no turning back, you cant un-ring the bell, so this is an important decision.

One consideration that may make my decision for me, is that i feel they shouldnt see episode III for a couple years due to the more graphic nature of some of the violence in that one but even if that decides it ultimately, i am curious what people think.

which movies are your favorites and why probably colors your opinion somewhat, if you think the first three are all crap then you would definately start with A New Hope,

i think people's views of the first three are shaped by several factors including
unrealistic expecations
having viewed 4 thru 6 as kids
4-6 having the cultural/cult status they do

and i dont share those views, i liked II and III and at times have wanted to rank attack of the clones as the second best movie in the series

i believe the movies rank in this order.

empire
new hope
attack of the clones
revenge of the sith
jedi
phantom menace

you can quibble about the order of 2-6 in my ranking but if you dont share my opinion on #1 then please say so up front so i can discount your opinion and move on to the rational posters.

love to hear your thoughts on the best order to view the films

[PhillyHoya]

I'd definitely go 4-6. If they're receptive and they would like backstory, then consider 1-3. The prequels (at least 1 and 2) came out when I was a teenager and I still saw them but you don't need them to watch 4-6 frankly.

::whispers:: I liked Attack of the Clones too.

[SFHoya99]

It's an interesting and important question.

I think 4-6 are superior, but I think Sith holds its own with the first three. I'm good with Clones; it's just Phantom Menace that I think is pretty awful. In fact I might just go 2-6, and show the Phantom Menace lightsaber battle as a "DVD Extra."

I think the pros and cons go as such:

For 1-6:

- Movies get better as they go
- The backstory really adds to 4-6 at times, especially Jedi, where the Vader/Luke dynamic is so much cooler after seeing the first three
- For a younger kid, I actually think this order is just as gripping, potentially more (if they are ever going to like Jar Jar, its as a youngster!)

For 456, then 123

- The visuals and effects are significantly better in 123
- This order maintains the shock of the end of Empire ("Luke, I am your father.")

I think I'd actually do them in story order rather than release order.

p.s. 1/6 in order of liking are non-negotiable...except while empire is my fav, i'd accept a new hope. but phantom has to be 6. has to be.

[vcjack]

I'm a proponent of doing it in real world order.

For as bad as the Phantom Menace was, at least it doesn't unnecessarily belabor the fundamentals of the Star Wars universe (the Force, Jedi, etc.). While that's a good thing for those of us whose star wars experience predate the prequels, for a kid's first experience I think the smooth Alec Guinness monologues of A New Hope are the best introduction to the mythology/fantasy of the series.

Plus if you start with the prequels and then move to the originals, your kids might get confused and/or bored why there is so much anticipation and mystery behind things like "who is Yoda?" and such

[vcjack]

It will also be interesting to have this debate If/When the Hobbit movies come out

[PhillyHoya]

I just worry that going 1-6...the kids may get bored before they get to the great stuff.

[theexorcist]

Start with Star Wars, then Empire Strikes Back, then (if you must) Jedi. Then it ends.

If they bring up the second trilogy, this is a great time to discuss your faith's equivalent to the Devil.

[Boz]

Aug 10, 2011 15:09:57 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

Start with Star Wars, then Empire Strikes Back, then (if you must) Jedi. Then it ends.

If they bring up the second trilogy, this is a great time to discuss your faith's equivalent to the Devil.

This.

The only acceptable way to view 1-3 is this way:

redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/

And your kid is probably too young for Mr. Plinkett.

[hoyatables]

Original trilogy first. No question about it. Keeps the revelations in the original trilogy as revelations. And I do think that everything actually builds to the way that Lucas "sets the table" at the end of Episode 3.

Which is not to say that 1-3 should be ignored. And while you're at it with those, particularly because kids are involved, you might want to check out the various Clone Wars animated series. I haven't really watched them, but I hear they're actually pretty good.

But do be sure, when you show the kids the original trilogy, to show them the original movies. Important to know that Han shot first, Jabba does not run a "House of Blues," and that the Ewoks' "Nyub Nyub" is the greatest song of all time.

[TC]

I second hoyatables's suggestions - 4-6, then the Clone Wars cartoon that their classmates have probably already seen. My son hasn't seen any of them and yet he came home knowing who "Captain Rex" was.

I got into a lengthy debate with a 5 year old at my son's preschool on the subject of whether R2-D2 could fly and/or zap people. While I don't think he defended his thesis of R2-D2 being unable to fly well ("CAN NOT! CAN NOT! CAN NOT!"), I think a good argument could be made that based on 4-6 he cannot fly. He clearly did zap Salacious Crumb, so I think he was misguided on the not-zapping argument.

[SirSaxa]

Aug 10, 2011 19:35:46 GMT -5 TC said:

I second hoyatables's suggestions - 4-6, then the Clone Wars cartoon that their classmates have probably already seen. My son hasn't seen any of them and yet he came home knowing who "Captain Rex" was.

I got into a lengthy debate with a 5 year old at my son's preschool on the subject of whether R2-D2 could fly and/or zap people. While I don't think he defended his thesis of R2-D2 being unable to fly well ("CAN NOT! CAN NOT! CAN NOT!"), I think a good argument could be made that based on 4-6 he cannot fly. He clearly did zap Salacious Crumb, so I think he was misguided on the not-zapping argument.

Amazing how you can already see these kids' potential at such a young age. Obviously, that 5 year old has a bright future in Congress! ;D

[ksf42001]

I'm weird, but I'm of the belief that for a completely fresh/new viewer, you should keep the Darth Vader = Father thing a secret for as long as possible. That's why I'm a proponent of the 4-1-2-5-3-6 viewing order, but I like to make things needlessly complicated...

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I definitely go Original Trilogy first followed by the prequels.

With how improved the special effects are in the new ones compared to the old ones I feel like that would throw me if I saw them in the 1 through 6 order for the first time. You would ruin the whole Luke I am your father bit, and You also risk turning them off the entire thing by showing them the worst one first.

[Filo]

I would show them in order of release. And, we are talking kids here -- they are not going to be as critical as adults and see the flaws that others see. My boys loved the Phantom Menace.

As for me, this was one of the rare times that I agreed with much of what the critics said -- as good as the effects were, the unintentionally hilarious dialogue and just-plain-flat performances by Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman in 2 and 3 made those two almost unwatchable. It was almost like they were coached to speak in monotone. But my kids didn't notice one bit!

[rosslynhoya]

Scorpio: The idea that nothing can offend you anymore is shattered when you find out what atrocities George Lucas has in store for the 35th anniversary of Star Wars.


Sure, go ahead and laugh, but by the time that madman's done with his mayhem, he'll have raped all of our childhoods beyond recognition.

I second the New Hope through Return of the Jedi only suggestion. Let them watch those three films together about 4-5 times before acknowledging the existence of Phantom Menace and its ilk. Your kids are far too young to know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad -- you have to be the adult in the relationship.