I just watched a "preview" version of the Han Solo prequel. This is IMHO the best #StarWars film since Ep.7 (spoiled only by a certain prequel character turning up at the end for no good reason). #RogueOne didn't do anything to make me care about any of its cartoonish characters, and #TheLastJedi ... well ... almost nothing in the plot made sense and it suffered from some *major* prequelitis, but it was ... OK. If I can, I'll pay money to see #Solo on a big screen.
#SciFi

@strypey
I seem to have enjoyed Rogue One more that you did.

@SlowRain it wasn't as bad as the prequels. That's about the best review I can come up with. Nothing (except for the digitally vandalized originals) is worse than the prequels. Even Ep. 8 looks good compared to that bloated mess. But come on, how many times did we have to see shots of that lookout guy on Yavin, and all the other tiresome #FanService? *yawn*

@strypey
I actually like the prequels (with the exception of III) better than VII & VIII. I really don't like this new direction they're going with the main series. The anthologies, even the mediocre Solo, are more enjoyable for me.

How would you rate the Star Wars movies?

@SlowRain see the huge rants I've been posting here ;) The movie nerd in me likes the idea of the #MacheteOrder. I've proposed trying this to my brother (also a "genre film" obsessive) when we're next in the same city, using the despecialized originals (the specialized versions are as bad as the prequels because of all the added #prequalitis), and a truncated fan edit of 2-3.
http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2015/12/28/machete-order-update-and-faq/

@SlowRain my personal spin on the Machete Order would add #Solo after Ep 6, and then Ep 7. Questions, 1) did you watch the original trilogy with or without the pre-prequel digital tack-ons ("specialized" or "unspecialized"), 2) if you first saw the prequels as a child, have you rewatched them as an adult?

@strypey

I watched them all as they were released: original series, special edition, prequels, and now sequels & anthology.

I read a bit of that Machete Order thing, but discount it. It's release order for me.

As for ranking them, best to worst, here's mine:

5
Rogue One
4, 6
2, Solo
1
8
7
3

Can I ask how you would rank the movies?

@SlowRain

9 (I live in hope, and it would be such a massive save by JJ!)
1 (despecialized)
3 (despecialized)
7 / Solo/ 5 (despecialized)
8
R1 (had a lot of the narrative/ character fails of the prequels but at least got the aesthetic)
A prequels fan edit that cuts them down to one decent movie
3
2
1
Specialized versions of 1-2-3

What make Empire and R1 so much better for you than 4 and 6, and what didn't you like about 3?

@strypey
Ep. 5 & Rogue One had more emphasis on character & there was more of an emotional connection. It's hard for a novel or movie to get a reaction out of me, so I appreciate it when one does. They also had more thought-out plots, even if Rogue One was a bit rushed.

Ep. 3 was utter tripe. Anakin's conversion to the dark side was thin (& poorly acted). The whole plot was just a collection of loose ends that needed to be tied up in a haphazard way.

@SlowRain agree about 5 too, but I have to say I find it hard to understand how you can describe #R1 this way. For me, R1 had the broad strokes of a solid plot, but totally failed to take the time required for characters development, in their rush to get to the big 'throw in every piece of #StarWars tech we've ever seen into one battle' climax. I didn't care when characters died in that battle. I still didn't know who they were enough to care.

@SlowRain to this day I struggle to remember all the main #R1 characters' names, and I've seen it 3 times (out of curiosity, how many can you name without consulting #IMDB or #Wikipedia?). I've seen #Solo twice, and I can at least tell you the first name of every character that has one (clearly stated in dialogue that is). I cared when Qi'ra was left behind on Correlia. I cared when Val and Rio died. When Has shot Beckett, I felt vindicated an conflicted along with him.

@SlowRain as for the #R1 plot, the pacing had some serious issues (see rush to final battle as already mentioned). The writers can't help what we already know (from 1-6), but they don't have to give away what few mysteries there could have been. That prologue scene would have been more effective, narratively and emotionally, as a flashback when Jyn sees her father on Eadu. Up to then, she could have been using only her first name, never revealing her parentage to us.

@SlowRain the whole plot would have worked better if it gave us more time watching the characters interact, and get to know and trust each other. That way we get to know them too, rather than just watching them wander through an endless series of Bang! Crash! set pieces (Kidnappings! Explosions! Tentacled, mind-reading creatures who have no effect on the outcome! More explosions!)

@strypey
Regarding R1, names aren't important to me. I watched Molly's Game a couple of weeks ago & can only remember Molly & Player X (the latter one for obvious reasons). Yet I loved that movie. I can remember the names Finn, Rose, Rey, Phasma, Kylo, Maz, Poe, Haldo, BB8, from 7 & 8, yet I despise those movies. (That may be because there is a lot more discussion about the main series online than there is about R1, so I see those names mentioned more often.)

@strypey
I agree about the opening of R1, though. It was horribly rushed. A good example of how not to do things. But, once it hit its stride, it seemed to carry its own (I've only seen it once when it was first released). I think we knew who everyone was, what they were doing, & why. It seemed to be good adventure story-telling from that point on. I don't think the characters are any worse than the original series or Solo. They were certainly better than the prequels.

@strypey
I don't mind R1 not keeping Jyn's family a secret. I'm a little tired of secret fathers & sisters. I was annoyed it was brought up in Ep. 7, but like how it was brushed aside in Ep. 8.

I don't mind knowing the ending of the book or movie right from the start, because most of the time the journey is more interesting than the destination.

@strypey
My enjoyment of R1 may have been enhanced because of my utter disappointment with Ep. 7. I'll have to rewatch it during a typhoon day this summer (R1, that is; I have no intention of ever watching 3, 7, or 8 again; & I think I'll boycott 9 because I hate everything Jar Jar Abrams touches: Mission Impossible 3, Star Trek, Star Wars).

@strypey
I think R1 appealed to me so much because of our divisive times. It was a movie about a ragtag group of more or less normal people who had been cast aside & were not part of the system. They banded together to do the right thing.

In our world of racism, where greedy businesses get exposed daily for exploitation of workers or user information, where politicians are maneuvering in ways not seen since WW2, it's refreshing to see people do the right thing.

@strypey
I'm of two minds on Solo. I liked the special effects, the action, the worlds, the adventure, the cinematography, even most of the characters. However, it's the cheapness of the story that bothers me. Val dying, Darth Maul's reappearance, & all the double crossing of the double crossing, Enfys Nest being a kid. It's supposed to be surprising, but it's tiring. I curse the writing of that movie a lot. Everything else was very Star Wars-y.

@strypey
My biggest gripes with Star Wars after the original series is adolescent focus. Lucas may have said he was making Ep. 4 for kids, but I disagree. I think he's covering himself. Luke is the only thing childish in the original series, & he grows up fast.

However, the prequels were very immature in their characters, despite so much politics in the plot. Young Anakin, Jar Jar Binks, a 12-year-old elected princess of a planet, Anakin's tween angst.

@strypey
The sequels are also very, very simple with the characters of Kylo (tween angst) & Finn (who doesn't know what the hell he's doing). Poe is thinly developed; not sure what he's there for. Only Rey seems useful. And, actually, she may be one of the best Star Wars characters ever.

Ep. 7 had nothing new, not in terms of story or world. Say what you will about the prequels (& they are indeed bad), there were some creative worlds & ideas in there.

@strypey
One thing to add about Solo would be Qi'ra. I thought they handled her reintroduction poorly. She's a fine actress & she's sweet, but that's not how it would've happened meeting again after 3 years. They needed more interaction between her & Han. I think it should've been a totally different character. Maybe reintroduce Qi'ra in Solo 2 & just have Han pining for her in Solo 1. It could also explain Han's naiveté if the new woman reminded him of Qi'ra somehow.