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Introducing kids to Star Wars?
Nohbody8
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Registered User regular
First of all, is there a reason there isn't a forum for movies? Second of all, I asked why there wasn't a forum for movies in the stickied thread for questions/complaints about the PA forums and now it's gone. What gives?
Anyway...
Granted, my zeal for Star Wars has waned over the past few years but I do have some fond memories that I have always looked forward to sharing with my children someday. However, I've always been a little unsure how to go about this with the introduction of the re-releases and prequels. I always intended to show the "original" original trilogy first, then maybe the re-releases to brace them for the disappointment to come, and then the prequels. If anyone has already gone through this process, what did you try? Would you have tried something else? Any other suggestions?
Anyway...
Granted, my zeal for Star Wars has waned over the past few years but I do have some fond memories that I have always looked forward to sharing with my children someday. However, I've always been a little unsure how to go about this with the introduction of the re-releases and prequels. I always intended to show the "original" original trilogy first, then maybe the re-releases to brace them for the disappointment to come, and then the prequels. If anyone has already gone through this process, what did you try? Would you have tried something else? Any other suggestions?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "We're the middle children of history, man."
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I don't think the "magic" of the OT is quite as timeless as fans make it out to be. There is a significant "you had to be there" component to it. Whether it was the original OT in '77-83 or the re-releases or the Special Editions or whatever, a lot of the power of Star Wars is in getting caught up in the hype.
That said, you might as well just start with the prequels. They're not bad movies for kids to watch.
Was there one at one point and then it was discarded because it wasn't being used that much? I imagine there would be more discussion of movies if there were a forum for it.
I agree but they're still fun and better than the prequels.
I already have a son. I don't know if the grammar in the OP led you to think otherwise but I am a daddy.
Personally, I would start with the original original trilogy. Kids are too young to really care about special effects, and it'll get them into the story a lot more than showing the new ones first.
Also; Han shoots first.
That way you get the big reveal, then you learn about Anakin, then you see him redeemed.
No real reason to watch the original versions rather than the special editions for a kid.
Oh well...I can tell when I'm fighting an uphill battle. I just find it odd that every other medium, including the oft maligned medium of video games, are represented but movies and television are nowhere to be found.
Exactly why I specified between the two versions. And what's with the seemingly universal hate towards Jedi? Are Ewoks really THAT much worse than Jar-Jar and fart jokes?
Seriously though, I've never hated Jedi as much as everyone else seems to. I think it's 'cause Empire and Jedi came on HBO a lot when I was a kid. Actually, I didn't even know A New Hope existed for a long time.
I'd disagree. The special edition of Return of the Jedi has the soul crushing musical number put in there. It makes my 8 year old self weep at how much that insertion into the movie kills it completely. Jabba's crew goes from tough gangster types to well..... I can't even think of an insult appropriate enough to explain the horrors.
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I get all that and I promise I'm not trying to be difficult. What I don't get is if there are all of these discussions about a specific subject, why not create a place, even a sub-forum, for them. Let's not forget that some of those webcomics, featuring art and writing, were about movies and television.
Shoddy CGI used for unlikeable characters in a scene that in no way either complements or contrasts the surrounding scenes. Sign me the fuck up, George!
Because there's just not enough discussion to warrant a seperate forum for TV and movies. In D&D, we have at any given point, maybe half a dozen threads talking about current shows, or a hot movie.
I tried starting Luke (go ahead, laugh) with Phantom Menace, thinking that the race scene, Anakin as a boy, and Jar Jar would likely be the most approachable and interesting for him but he always had a hard time getting too far into the flick.
The other night, however, Empire was on Spike TV and I happened to check out a few minutes of it and he was absolutely glued to the TV. He's only three, so I had him go get snacks during the Tauntaun gutting, but other than that we made it to his bedtime (about midway through the movie) with him not moving from his seat. He laughed hysterically when Luke lopped the arm off the Wampa - which was a scene that I debated letting him see
I'm now thinking that 4, 5, 6, 1, 2 will be my order until he's older with 3 introduced only when I think he can handle the idea of the loss of a mother and the burning of Anakin scene. I doubt he'll make the Anakin = Darth Vader connection until he sees 3 - but maybe that will be his "Luke - I am your father" type of surprise when I feel he can handle 3's darker themes.
I would just let the kids watch the original trilogy and then the prequels, like everyone else did. The kids will probably think the original trilogy's fights are boring if they watch any of the prequels first.
But to a young child, it'll give off a whole new meaning of badass.
I know that I was enthralled when I first saw them, and spent a lot of time wishing and pretending I had a lightsaber and use of The Force.
I'm fourteen now, but I can look back on those movies and remember how great they were to me then.
Hell, I saw Phantom Menace in theaters and LOVED it AND Jar Jar Binks.
So that goes to show just how much kids can love something that is generally accepted to suck ass to adults.
Those three movies will be forever enshrined in the film canon as pop-masterpieces of an age.
Episodes 1-3 on the other hand are 2-dimensional, uncreative and lack any truly heroic characters, or even characters that undergo significant growth. Structurally they are bankrupt, and will remain an afterthought in cinema history. Its not just Jar-Jar or terrible acting. Its that there is no real hero's journey in any of the three films.
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I approve and endorse:
4,5,1,2,3,6
Empire was always my fave as a kid, and it's my nephew's too
That's interesting, it was my least favorite
Return of the Jedi was always the triple A movie for me.
Ewan McGregor is the only bright spot in the prequels as far as I'm concerned. Although, I did find Episode 3's opening sequence useful in showing off my new HDTV and surround sound.
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Yeah, I think he did a good job as an actor. I just don't think the Obi-Wan part was really written more a shade deeper than anything else. Not Ewan's fault. Nobody but Lucas deserves the blame. Though, if Joseph Campbell had still been alive, I bet Lucas would have consulted with him and written real movies instead of the offal he ended up foisting upon us.
Sure, I didn't understand everything, but it didn't really matter. I had never seen anything like it and it was magical.
I was introduced to Star Wars with the 1996 re-releases and honestly they didn't scar me. I can appreciate the fact that somewhere out in the nether is an untouched version of the movies that is pristine and holy, but I don't really give a shit so much as to actively seek them out and spend a whole weekend watching them.
If you want to get your children started out right I would recommend just showing them the most recent iteration of the original trilogy. If they are still interested after that then you can show them the prequels.
What you have to remember is that even though we may dislike the prequels and possibly even the new iterations of the original trilogy that is largely due to the fact that they contain goofy bullshit and possibly tread on a small part of our childhood, but some of that goofy bullshit is what would directly appeal to the child audience and your children definitely don't have any "prior star wars experiences" to be subjectively bitter about. I mean. They are children's movies.
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Take it back! Take it back right now!
I realize this is a complete dream and never ever going to happen as it takes away the "artist's" vision of how things should be. I really need to get into some video editing and make my own cuts of the films, but don't tell Lucas that. My finish the my cuts before the kids reach the age when they should start seeing these movies!
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http://fanedit.org/wpTF/
Not all of these fanedits are available directly on the site, though. Sometimes you have to look hard on torrent sites, for instance.
But a few of the ones I've seen were definitely worth it. And one of the Star Wars fanedits lists all the minute changes they made, and you wouldn't believe how anal they were about certain things. Then again, I saw a re-edit of the discussion at Obi Wan's place in A New Hope that just flowed much better (plus, they "tweened" all the lightsaber "activations" so they're not as fake and jumpy, and while it's not perfect, it's a definite improvement.
There's also a fanedit of the last two Matrix movies into one single movie, where most of the Zion scenes are removed, and it's a definite improvement there as well.
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Fourteen months so it's obviously not an immediate problem. I have been pondering the subject for awhile and I was just curious what the good folks here in H/A had to say.
I was thinking: 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6
You get introduced to Anakin and how he was a Jedi. Then You jump forward and find out he's dead and was killed by Vader. Now you're really rooting for Luke to kill Vader and avenge his father. I think it might make the reveal stronger since you are familiar with both Anakin and Luke.
For the OT get the DVDs that come with both the original theatrical release and the special editions. that way you can flip back and forth in ANH (Han shoots first, Greedo never shoots), and, if it matters to you, ROTJ (Ewok Yub Nub celebration, old Anakin)
Also, Clone Wars Vols I & II are fun. (
edit: Cynical "Prequels suck" viewing order: Clone Wars I, Clone Wars II, Episode 4, 5, 3, 6
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Being introduced to star wars with the 1996 re-released when i was but 3, i have to say that i don't see how the new trilogy could hope capture my imagination the way the original 3 did. mabye that's just childhood nostalgia talking but i would say original trilogies first.
Already have those versions. The Han/Greedo thing is the only thing that really bothers me. I really liked the idea of being able to choose which versions of scenes to include but that'll never happen.
I saw A New Hope for the first time around age 2 or 3, and it was my favourite movie for a pretty long time. I was maybe 13 or 14 when the remastered versions came out in theatres and obviously had to go see them. I never noticed the Han/Greedo shooting first thing and could see the big deal everyone made about it later.
The re-remastered version for DVD on the other hand, with wacky Han photoshop-teleporting to the side is pretty goofy though.
I don't care if you're trying to be difficult or not, you are being. We have no movie or TV forum. We will not ever have a movie or TV forum. Ever. Shut up about it.
I've only seen the original Special Edition (not the re-re-remastered whatever), but it looked fucking horrible. Greedo shooting just looked so forced like something somebody did it with photoshop in their basement.
The irony of this statement is that the early development of Photoshop was supported by Industrial Light and Magic and used to make the special effects in the original Star Wars movies. Probably in a basement somewhere.
I thought I had for the past two days.