Author Topic: I've never watched Star Wars.  (Read 14789 times)

I've never watched Star Wars.
« on: 13 December, 2015, 04:05:25 pm »
The Hollywood hype machinery is working overtime for the next episode of Star Wars and as usual the BBC are not slow on getting in on the act ,with Star Wars themed programmes popping up all over the schedules.
So, although I was around when the whole saga started ,I have to confess that I have never sat through the complete showing of any of the Star Wars films.
I have always held the view that it appealed to the sort of people who bought toys but never took them out of the packaging or displayed similar traits. Anyone else care to join the "I've never watched Star Wars " club?

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #1 on: 13 December, 2015, 04:13:03 pm »
The Hollywood hype machinery is working overtime for the next episode of Star Wars and as usual the BBC are not slow on getting in on the act ,with Star Wars themed programmes popping up all over the schedules.
So, although I was around when the whole saga started ,I have to confess that I have never sat through the complete showing of any of the Star Wars films.
I have always held the view that it appealed to the sort of people who bought toys but never took them out of the packaging or displayed similar traits. Anyone else care to join the "I've never watched Star Wars " club?
As a 12 (or so) year old, weaned on Star Trek, I was mortified when me and my mates went to the cinema see This New Thing, The Future, the opening shot of which (the starlight sky) caused all of us to spontaneously, and unanimously call out "Space!"
We didn't need to follow it up with "The final frontier".
The entire cinema got the message.
I've not given Star Wars the time of day since, as it is a weak sham that has sucked in (and made) millions.....

ETA: Soddin' 'ell! Curmudgeonly at 12. Is that a record?  ;)

Kim

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #2 on: 13 December, 2015, 04:17:54 pm »
I'm a child of the 80s, where Star Wars was ubiquitous and ordinary and just part of how the world worked.  As such, while avoiding it was simply impractical, I've never seen the need to get excited about it (beyond wondering whether that Mary Poppins song with the riff from the Imperial March was supposed to show that she was evil).

Anyway, Star Wars isn't science fiction.  It primarily exists as a means to sell toys, and as a source of cultural references.

mattc

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #3 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:03:09 pm »
Anyway, Star Wars isn't science fiction.  It primarily exists as a means to sell toys, and as a source of cultural references.

What's your definition? :)


I've seen 'em all. As someone in the target age-range, the first one blew my mind at the cinema. (how many films can people still remember the walk home, bending their dad's ear with all the best bits??)
Of course it's LOTS more fun to be cynical. For some; such an attitude seems rather sad (in the original meaning) to me.

Of course I'm not a blinkered fan-boy; parts I-III were mostly rubbish (apart from that first hilarious Yoda fight :D ). As a result I am completely unmoved by the hype around the newest one, but if it gets the right reviews ... yeah, I might pay $8 to see it.

But I'll almost certainly wait to see it for free.
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Pedal Castro

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #4 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:11:00 pm »
I resigned from this club in October after 38 years happy membership. I have also never seen the Godfather or Rocky, all these are good bankers in the film version of 'Humiliation', not having the Star Wars trilogy to play anymore is a disadvantage.

Kim

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #5 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:13:51 pm »
Anyway, Star Wars isn't science fiction.  It primarily exists as a means to sell toys, and as a source of cultural references.

What's your definition? :)

Fairly vague, but standard fantasy set in a universe with advanced technology doesn't qualify.

Kim

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #6 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:17:09 pm »
I have also never seen the Godfather or Rocky

I've never seen any of these.  I deliberately avoid films about Men In Suits because I can't tell the characters apart, and Rocky is AIUI an endless series of films about a guy training for a boxing fight (presumably a new, even more important, boxing fight each film), which sounds incredibly dull.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #7 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:18:31 pm »
I saw the original when I was at university. I think I preferred Grease as a schlockfest, and have never watched any sequel. Films that stick in the mind from then are 'The Driver' and the later Clint Eastwood Dirty Harrys.

I'm of a generation that grew up watching 'The Crimson Pirate' on telly at Christmas.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #8 on: 13 December, 2015, 05:27:55 pm »
I saw the first 2 in the cinema when they came out, but have only seen snatches of the others when they've been on other people's TVs at Xmas . Even as an early teen I thought 2001 better.
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mattc

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #9 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:07:42 pm »
I saw the original when I was at university. I think I preferred Grease as a schlockfest, and have never watched any sequel.

Do NOT watch the sequel to Grease.   :hand:

(Except POSSIBLY if you are a fan of the young Michelle Feipfer ... )
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

ian

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #10 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:16:36 pm »
I'm of the age were Star Wars are a big part of my childhood (ironically, I couldn't have been old enough to see the movie on first release). I had the comics, the books, the everything, and my big unfilled dream was to have the giant Millennium Falcon that my friend Neil had. I was so jealous. He had all the toys. And yes we played with them, though I always had to be Chewbacca to his Han Solo.

We've just watched the original three movies and they're unpretentious hokey fun. Even the Ewoks weren't as bad as I remembered. The plotting is ropy and the story rudimentary, but the casting was excellent and together it just worked as an enjoying romp across the galaxy.

I've no wish to ever see the latter three movies again, they were just awful.

I find the entire it's not real science fiction tedious. I'm not sure there's a council to decide such things. I don't care about genre. Tell a good story and why worry about whether or not fit such-and-such arbitrary definition. I never sure why people need to define themselves by what they read and watch (or rather what they pointedly don't read and watch).

I've got tickets to see the new one after Christmas and I'm quite looking forward to it.

I have, on the other hand, never managed to sit through all the Godfathers, find Rocky dull, and to be honest, find 2001 a bit of a long slog.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #11 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:22:00 pm »
The original trilogy is great, and not just because Harrison Ford is at the peak of his beauty. Episodes I-III vary from terrible to mediocre. If you've never seen them and you decide to watch them, watch them in machete order, which is IV, V, II, III, VI.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Kim

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #12 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:24:25 pm »
I find the entire it's not real science fiction tedious. I'm not sure there's a council to decide such things. I don't care about genre. Tell a good story and why worry about whether or not fit such-and-such arbitrary definition. I never sure why people need to define themselves by what they read and watch (or rather what they pointedly don't read and watch).

I don't disagree.  My point is merely that Star Wars is poor science fiction because it isn't science fiction, and lots of science fiction nerds (including, it seems, George Lucas) seem to miss that point.  It's a fantasy romp, and the original film is decent enough at that.  I also rather like the sets, props and effects.  Not as clumsy or garish as CGI; elegant models for a more civilised age.

Kim

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #13 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:26:01 pm »
The original trilogy is great, and not just because Harrison Ford is at the peak of his beauty.

Nahh, he gets better with age, even if the films he ends up in don't.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #14 on: 13 December, 2015, 06:42:29 pm »
I've managed to avoid watching all the Star Wars films and have no desire to change this. I do, however, remember having some of the little figurine things in the 1980s (the gold man and the little dalek type thingy - R2D2?). No idea why!

I've never seen any of the Godfathers or Rockies, either.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #15 on: 13 December, 2015, 07:35:11 pm »
Never seen any of them.

Was taken to see "The Day The Earth Stood Still" (1951)  ;D

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #16 on: 13 December, 2015, 07:48:32 pm »
They are kids films. I saw Star Wars in 1978 when I was 9. It was exhilarating. I still like the first one, and the next two.

I've been bought a ticket for the new one but I'll go without high expectations.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #17 on: 13 December, 2015, 08:05:25 pm »
I'm watching 'I' right now.

(or rather, it's on).

I can't remember seeing IV/V/VI at the pictures, but I did see I/II/III on the big screen.
We're going to see the new one in full IMAX glory.

I can't watch any of them now without seeing the story unfold in Lego. It seems weird seeing live people moving on the screen. I've spent literally days playing Lego Star Wars on Playstation. They're not days I regret.

clarion

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #18 on: 13 December, 2015, 08:25:23 pm »
It's just a story about the radicalisation of religious extremism and their committing mass murder.

;)
Getting there...

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #19 on: 13 December, 2015, 08:31:55 pm »
They are kids films. I saw Star Wars in 1978 when I was 9. It was exhilarating. I still like the first one, and the next two.

'Sabout it.  I think I might have taken one or both of my kids to see one. 

You remind me that I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey when it first came out.  I was 15.  Wikipedia says it was shown in Super Panavision 70, which I recall as a sort of surround screen.  From the stalls, any character towards the edge of the screen developed a strangely pointy head.

Redlight

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Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #20 on: 13 December, 2015, 09:02:51 pm »
I'd not seen them until about a year ago when my (then) seven year old came back from a friend's house having seen one and wanting to see the rest.  So we got them all on DVDs and watched them together.  That's a chunk of my life I will never get back. 

I have no desire to see the next one.

I should also add that I have yet to sit through a James Bond film....
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

red marley

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #21 on: 13 December, 2015, 09:14:44 pm »
Try as I might, I cannot get excited about Star Wars. I've asked people who do, what it is about the films they like so much. I've yet to be persuaded by the answers, which tend to be along the lines of "a complete world", "a universal story" and "it made an impression on me when I saw it as a kid". This seems to me to apply to a whole host of other films too that seem not to generate so much excitement. And with the bonus of no annoying robots/aliens.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #22 on: 13 December, 2015, 09:16:20 pm »
Try as I might, I cannot get excited about Star Wars. I've asked people who do, what it is about the films they like so much. I've yet to be persuaded by the answers, which tend to be along the lines of "a complete world", "a universal story" and "it made an impression on me when I saw it as a kid". This seems to me to apply to a whole host of other films too that seem not to generate so much excitement. And with the bonus of no annoying robots/aliens.

In my youth it was Tolkien.

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #23 on: 13 December, 2015, 09:19:36 pm »
I recall we went to see Star Wars from our student house because it was a George Lucas film. His 1973 American Graffiti had been a formative 'coming of age' movie, and featured Harrison Ford in an early role. It also introduced Ron Howard, who starred in 'Happy Days'.

There was a confluence between American Graffiti, an early soundtrack movie and 'Saturday Night Fever'. So seeing 'Star Wars' and 'Grease' was an extension from interest in those earlier films.

Star Wars spawned Battlestar Galactica on TV in the same way that Happy Days derived from American Graffiti.

Star Wars was also interesting for being shot by Gilbert Taylor, best known for his work on Doctor Strangelove.
http://www.theasc.com/magazine/feb06/taylor/page1.html

Re: I've never watched Star Wars.
« Reply #24 on: 13 December, 2015, 09:38:53 pm »
Never watched any of:


Star Wars
Jaws
Mad Max
Harry Potter
(and a few other franchise films brands)