In what order should the Star Wars Films be viewed for the first time?

In the order they were released: IV, V, VI, I, II, II.

I agree but dont expect much from the last 3. That is I, II and III.

IV, V, VI

IV, V, VI

IV, V, VI – don’t even bother with the new ones they add nothing to the story. Also i’d try to avoid the “special editions”. Remember Han shot first.

Either by the chronological order of the story, or by order of release would be acceptable. In my opinion, if watched from episode I to episode VI, that would leave someone with the best feeling, since each next episode in the saga is an improvement on the last, so it will only get better. However, the movies were meant to be seen based on their order of release, so maybe that would be the best way.

It’s so funny, I just had this exact same conversation with a few friends yesterday.

Go in original order, that is, IV, V, VI then possibly I, II, and III. I, II, and III are just so boring and they are just backstory. They make Vader look like a whiney bitch on top of it all. He needs to be seen as the bad ass he is first and not the little bitch he was before.

I would want to watch them in the order they were released.

Please I beg you…just watch 4,5 and 6. And if your friend really wants to watch the George Lucas dominated 1,2 and 3…wait at least 25 years.

At whoever gave my answer a great answer credit….YOU KNOW and YOU ROCK!

4, 5, 6. And then you stop. There’s no reason for their soul to join all the others in Hell.

Yuckquels 1,2 and 3… if there was a multi-level cemetery for bad movies, stretching from the earth’s surface all the way down to its heated core….1,2 and 3 should be there at the core. Only because if you bury it lower it might go through all the way to the other side and resurfaces. So the earth’s core is ok. Better if it’s in Plutos core or in any other dead planet’s core in another galaxy far, fuck away! ( yeah that’s right, that’s how much I hated them, and I haven’t even turned green and hulky yet )

You watch

Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi.

Only those. In that order, and preferably on a VHS tape released before 1997, when the character of Han Solo was irreparably altered from a bad-ass to a Boy Scout.

Thare are more insights on this for you on these two threads from awhile back. Good luck!

@Seek_Kolinahr What was altered in the VHS version? BTW I see there is a 2008 DVD edition of IV/V/VI that has the original unmolested versions as “bonus discs”.

@Zaku I think what @Seek_Kolinahr is referring to is the scene with Han and Greedo in Episode IV. In the original, Han shot first™, and in the “special edition” they digitally added greedo shooting first and missing above Han’s shoulder before Han shoots.

@heresjohnny & @Seek_Kolinahr Oh, OOPS. This question sent me off reading random Star Wars pages, and somehow I thought @Seek_Kolinahr had mentioned having a pre-special-edition VHS edition which also had some changes, but I think that was actually someone on another forum.

IV, V and VI, then stop.

Star Wars (1), Empire Strikes Back (2), and Return of the Jedi (3). Not sure what everyone else means about a 1,2 and 3.

And the Star Wars Christmas Special.

If your friend insists on seeing all six films, then watch them in the “official” chronological order (I, II, III, IV, V, VI). It’s less disappointing when you save the best for last.

If, on the other hand, your friend is not committed to watching them all and might refuse to watch another one ever again should one of the films ruin the franchise forever, then follow the advice above and just watch the original trilogy.

@SavoirFaire well V was the best but you have to VI or life just wouldn’t be worth living.

@Lightlyseared Good point. But at least it’s basically an upward trajectory if you watch them in chronological order. If you watch them in the order they were released, well… it’s a little heartbreaking.

a little heartbreaking?

I’ve repressed a lot of those memories…

@SavoirFaire It’s only upward after III – Revenge of the Sith is the worst of them all.

@MyNewtBoobs Thus the “basically.”

LOL!
I actually had this dilemma recently with a girlfriend who hadn’t seen any of the Star Wars. The interesting part here was that it really didn’t matter what order I showed them to her in, because she already knew all the plot twists and how it was going to end anyways thanks to pop-culture. =/

So, instead of showing here the movies in any kind of formal manner, I did something most of you will probably find outrageous.

I showed here: 4, 5, THEN 1, 2, 3, THEN brought it all back around to the ending with 6.

Go ahead, hate me! LOL!

My reasoning for this was because I agree, 123 suckkkkk!!! Hayden Shittyactorson alone is enough to hate those movies, and there’s still more. BUT, I’ve seen 456 so many times and fallen asleep during them. The issue is, no matter how great they are, the fact that they’re just old IS a problem for people used to movies like 300, Riddick, and Avatar. Although the acting is good, and the story is rich, the fight coreography is almost non-existent, the special effects are NOT special (now-a-days), and the pace of those movies are somewhat slow. As much as I hate on those Episodes 123, they pick up in the visually stimulating aspect (if only there).

Hence:
Start it out with a good story line (Episode 4). The people are hooked at this point so they want to see the next one.
Show them the next one (Episode 5).
At this point they’re getting bored of the age of the movies, and start asking a lot of question about the history covered in the newer movies or none at all.
Now you burn through 123 lightly with a lot of joking here and there; AND take the opportunity to explain some interesting back stories not conveyed through film while Gayden’s shitty acting, and JarJar Buttfucks annoying antics are up on screen.
Then FINALLY, bring it all back around with the exciting conclusion (Episode 6).

And that’s how I showed my girlfriend Star Wars (then we watch Clone Wars). =]

@Esedess Wow, that’s interesting to read you saying that about the fight choreography and special effects in 4, 5, and 6. Because, I would rather watch the action scenes in those, than in modern films that use CGI, which is too fast and inhuman to do anything but make me think “fake”. I’m much more bored with current Hollywood styles than I am with older films. Recent films tend to make me feel like I’ve watched a hyperactive TV show rather than a film.

@Esedess I truly get what you did. If you really had to show all episodes, that’s one insightful way to do it…BUT…hee hee…here is where I would deviate…

I dunno but after watching 5, I guess I wouldn’t be able to wait and see 6. I mean Han was frozen at the end so let’s get it on from there…and the opening scenes of 6 did not disappoint…jeez, Luke wore this cool black Jedi outfit!

Btw a friend of mine from abroad hated the prequels so much he cut all the scenes he hated from 1 and 2 and came up with a somewhat less offensive crap. But personally, that kid Anakin had just got to go be erased in human history!

@Zaku I understand what you’re saying about CGI and new-age special effects and I agree. But, when I say the fight choreography in 456 is non-existent, I’m not referring to parts that would be better accompanied with new effects… I’m just talking about fight scenes that are worse than I could come up with, in my room with a friend and some sticks.

Try to remember this scene: Episode 4 – Obiwan vs Darth Vader
Two of the most powerful masters of an ancient style square off. Finally, the audience gets to see the very first light-saber fight! And what do they get? Both fighters keep both hands on their saber at all times. Both fighters, for the most part, are swinging their sabers not at the body of their opponent, but rather at their opponent’s saber. Neither of them even appear to be trying to kill the other. The speed and motion of their movements are more along the lines of a practiced fight, for which they are conserving their energies to portray more lively when it comes time for the real thing.

Lets skip forward a bit now. Darth Vader vs Luke (where he gets his hand cut-off) Darth Vader is force throwing junk at Luke, who swings about 2 seconds too late or early for every single incoming projectile.

There’s quite a few scenes with choreography like these. Once I got past the excitement of the scene itself in regards to the plot/characters, I started realizing what’s actually on camera doesn’t come across very exciting. (for me anyways) And like I said, these aren’t problems that I see as needing some additional CGI or anything, just scenes where more realistic/practiced choreography would better deliver the awesome skill Jedi’s are portrayed to have.

As for the CGI I do like in the newer stuff. I really REALLY like the 1st scene of Episode 3. Seeing a war going on in so many dimensions from a planet’s surface all the way out into space above it was just a really cool concept for me. I know it looks fake, but for me, it’s more believable than Luke essentially not being able swing a bat better than my 14 year old sister.

Anyways, I agree with the whole modern day hyperactivity concept too. But there’s always a breaking point where new CGI and older more conservative scenes let us down.