Characterization: Good-Great
Plot: Compelling (episodes 4 and 5, not 6)
After watching the prequels, and knowing that these original movies were made in the seventies/early eighties, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the original star wars trilogy actually contained compelling plots, good characterization and decent world-building. Yes, special effects are much more primitive and sometimes totally fake-looking, but watching the movie I found that this really didn't matter, because I wanted to know what happens! (the exception to this is the Ewoks that killed Return of the Jedi.) These movies had some of the same problems as the prequels like the portrayals of the aliens and the bad dialogue, but overall they were much better and gave a sense of missed potential for what the prequels could have been.
Star Wars: A New Hope
From the very beginning of this movie a plot was established and the characters were given purpose and direction. Instead of waiting around for the next thing to happen like most characters did in the prequels they each had their own motivations and hopes and there was an established conflict between the rebels and the empire. Knowing that Leia and Luke were brother and sister (from the prequels) I had a very hard time getting through some of their scenes. Overall, it was a great movie, especially considering that with 30 years improved technology Lucas couldn't do better in his prequels. In fact, the space battles were much easier to follow in this movie because there wasn't too much flashy distracting flashy stuff going on.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
In this movie the characters developed a lot more and the finale was absolutely amazing. The snow planet was cool, although I found that too much time was spent there and by the time they got out I was thankful. I liked the fact that Luke's path separated from the others and his time with Yoda actually learning Jedi stuff was good. It also allowed the other characters to grow a little more in his absence. Yoda should have, at that point, told Luke about Leia - or Luke should have had a vision or something. Overall, it was a good movie, but I almost wish they didn't leave as many loose threads to tidy up in Return of the Jedi, because that one really didn't come through.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
This movie started out bad and continued to get worse. The entire sequence with Jabba was excruciating. The aliens were not remotely believable or real-looking, and Luke's plan was lame. The entire sequence felt like an excuse to dress Leia up in the skimpiest possible outfit. Which brings me to the point that Leia's character completely lost her relevance and backbone in this movie. Han's character also changed for the worse, he just wasn't funny anymore and I stopped caring about those two at all. The whole Luke vs Vader and Emperor plotline was the more interesting one, but and it was interrupted by way too many excruciating teddy-bear sequences.
I also have issues with the Jedi morals here... supposedly killing or trying to kill the evil emperor who is responsible for the construction of the Death Star and the murders/suffering of so many people is a "path to the dark side", but killing off a several hundred of his minions along with anyone else who may have been caught in the middle of their battles is perfectly ok. Also, saving your own son doesn't suddenly make you a good guy. If Vader had suddenly saved some random Jedi he didn't know I might be convinced that he's changed, if he'd objected to or stopped the blowing up of a random planet or tried to alleviate the suffering of a bunch of people then fine, but saving Luke just wasn't a convincing change.
This movie left me wondering if it had been written by a four-year old. I actually preferred the prequels, with their many problems, to Return of the Jedi. They at least looked good and did not suffer from teddy bears.
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