Cinexcellence wrote: I also read an article recently on how to show the Star Wars saga, but I forget the link:
You mean this? It was that article which encouraged me to watch the prequels again...
I actually think removing Episode I is a brilliant idea. The only problem is that anyone watching for the first time will have no idea who Qui-Gon is; although I still have no idea who Master Sifo-Dias (sp?) - the guy who commissioned the clone army - is! Was it Palpatine in disguise? For a while I thought it was Qui-Gon because Obi-Wan refers to him as "My master"! In all the prequels, its as though Lucas is constantly leaving plot-points open just so that he can make more novels, comics, and video-games about them!
Episode I is very similar to the The Clone Wars Movie in how it doesn't fit into anything. There is nothing to be learned from Episode I because there is narrative gap between I and II that lasts over ten years! As I said, it only takes sixty seconds of Anakin and Obi-Wan in an elevator together in Episode II to establish what Episode I spent over two hours trying to convey. Episode I is mostly about Qui-Gon and Padme; which means its pointless because Qui-Gon dies at the end, and Padme's character completely changes (although she doesn't age at all!!). Also, Padme saying "Annie? My goodness you've grown!" and "Your still that little boy I knew on Tatooine" is a much better establishment of Anakin's past that what we actually got. Also, NO JAR JAR!! Jar Jar is only annoying in Episode II and III because we know the damage he did in Episode I. I'm sure watching him in Episode II without seeing Episode I would be like seeing Rob Schnieder in Demolition Man without knowing who he is.
What I love about 'Machete Order' is that it both makes the two prequels better; and also makes Episode VI - the weakest of the original trilogy - much better. Episode II and III become much more relevant because they are directly attached to the original trilogy, and not only does Episode VI look like Citizen Kane in comparison to the prequels, it means that the tension created by Episode V's cliffhanger lasts longer than the 30 seconds it takes to swap the DVD over to Episode VI.
Well, that was until I saw the article you posted about the 84 minute cut of all the prequels. If the edit is available as a torrent online, then by the sounds of it - it'll work perfectly with the 'Machete Order'. The problem with 'Machete Order' is that Episode II and III are combined meant to be an extended flashback - but over four hours is a very long flashback. By cutting it to 84 mins, its both explaining how the galaxy went to the dogs whilst delaying the tension between Episode V and Episode VI.