re: How long did you lie to yourself about the Star Wars prequels?

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but the actor behind anakin was just plain awful

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HC catches a lot of grief for this film - and make no mistake about it, he was glaringly bad - but he wasn't alone. World class actors like Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson (just 3 examples I can pull - remember - people were breaking down the doors to get cast in this role - Lucas could have almost gotten anyone to play any character) - just awful. Ewan MacGregor was the only one of the regulars to deliver anything remotely resembling an "acting" performance.

So, what can we deduce from this? The direction was either bad or absent.

Contrast that with LOTR - and I'm not saying that is an example of the best acting, ever, but a trilogy of movies with a similar scope - there were consistently better performances from actors - with approximately the same acting credentials of the Star Wars "prequels" - although LOTR had a few more Shakesperean greats, obviously.

Ergo, Peter Jackson > George Lucas (and I don't really care for The Hobbit).

I loved the first one as a kid. Natalie Portman was fine as hell and Darth Maul and his double lightsaber were badass. The second one was God awful and the third one certainly had its moments good and bad. The older I get the less I like them, but as a kid I ate that shite up. I still like episode 1. Obi wans origins and Liam Neeson I still think are great elements of star wars.

If fricking hayden Christensen wasn't such a shite show the relationship between Obi Wan and Anikan would've been amazing to watch develop.

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And the acting/dialogue is pretty horrible throughout, but the same thing can be said about the original trilogy though.

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Other than Hamill (who got better in each movie) who was not all that great of an actor, the acting was pretty good in the original trilogy - part of the issue was to keep the core cast small. Harrison Ford is a phenomenal actor. Carrie Fisher may not have been the greatest actress, but she owned that part. Alec Guinness, legendary actor that he was, was almost born to play Obi-Wan. And James Earl Jones delivers one of the best, and most iconic, voice-over performances of all time.

Yeah, it was cartoony and for the kids (and, I'll admit, part of the allure is that it is from my childhood), but it also remembered to tell an interesting story in a very competent way. I give Lucas credit for ILM and the special effects revolution, but, even Lucas once recognized that a special effect without a story is a very boring thing. Somewhere along the line he (and other good filmmakers - Peter Jackson - I'm looking hard at you, buddy) forgot that.

But the original films maintained that hokey, innocence of 50s B-movies, a Western flair (perfected by Whedon in Firefly) which is the spiritual father of these types of science fiction stories, a solid (although simple) story, and, more importantly delivered them in a way that didn't talk down to the audience (except for the Ewoks - which I recognize was a necessary evil).

In a way, Star Wars "nuked the fridge" with the introduction of the Ewoks. Although always conscious of the brand and the money to be made in toys and advertising - once Ewoks arrived, there was nothing else to Star Wars but the toys.

I told myself ep 1 was for kids was intended to hook a new generation of kids into Star Wars and thought the next two movies would be more for the older fans.

Didn't pan out that way.

I was 12 when Episode 3 came out, didn't realize until about five years later when I rewatched them how bad they were. If anyone here hasn't seen Plinkett's reviews of the prequels, give them a look.

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In a way, Star Wars "nuked the fridge" with the introduction of the Ewoks.

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Whoa now.. the worst part of the worst Star Wars movie is still far better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

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Whoa now.. the worst part of the worst Star Wars movie is still far better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

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Yes, but the concept is still valid. "Jumping the shark" (now, "nuking the fridge") never explicitly meant a drop in quality - and a lot of that is subjective. It signifies a change - a radical alteration in the program/series vibe and marks a hard break.

The obvious ones are cast changes - "New Darrin" on Bewitched, Rebecca replacing Diane on Cheers. Other ones are when the sexual tension is killed (Jeannie marries Tony), a "very special episode"/"vacation" episode, although those aren't as automatic.

Now, often times "nuking the fridge" does accompany a drop in quality (often significant), it is not 100%.

And it is not always obvious - as an example, I prefer the early seasons of M*A*S*H - Blake, Trapper, Burns. Over the years, they were replaced by Potter, Honeycutt and, finally, Winchester. Did M*A*S*H "nuke the fridge" when they killed Henry? The show continued for years as a quality dramedy (abandoning its roots as a slapstick military comedy with far more in common with Gomer Pyle, USMC, than with St. Elsewhere, a show it would strongly influence.)

In this case, Star Wars was never the same after the Ewoks - it was clear as day. Jedi is still a good movie, but does not live up to the first 2 chapters (Empire, particularly).

Another f*cking Death Star? Really, George?

Ewoks?

The only great parts of that movie are in the first act. The rest of it is weighed down by those damned Ewoks.

I'm easily entertained so enjoyed the Hobbit trilogy and a Star Wars fanboy so they can do no wrong.

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Star Wars prequels

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I do not acknowledge the existence of these

Lucas isn't a very good director anyway. Honestly the dialogue in the first three wasn't great either, but the first two prequels are truly terrible. Liam Neeson is the only saving grace to Episode 1.

To the OP, I wasn't as much of a Star Wars fan as LOTR, but I had lied to myself about the Hobbit films until I recently watched them again in preparation for the latest installment. As I watched them again I became bitter and disappointed, wistful of the greatness of LOTR upon the realization that something like that would never be equalled in the Tolkien universe. Still, even with all its' faults, the Hobbit trilogy was far better than Episodes 1-3. I can't imagine the disappointment of longtime Star Wars fans upon the first viewing of these abominations of cinema.