Has anyone given this a shot? I first read about it a few weeks back and forgot about it, but it came up again yesterday on Den of Geek and thought I'd throw it out there to see what everyone thought.
Basically, the idea is that watching the films in chronological order, I-VI is not a good way to watch the movies. It's disjointed, doesn't play the narrative out very well, undermines the heroism of Luke, and ruins certain surprises (namely, Vader at the end of Empire).
The alternative that this 'Machete' person suggests, is to interject some of the prequels into the OT: to watch the films in the order IV, V, II, III, and finally VI. Yes, forget I entirely. The original writer (first link) points out that literally nothing matters in this movie--virtually every character it introduces is either dead or forgotten by the end of the movie, and the ones that remain are re-introduced again in II. So no Jake Lloyd! No virgin birth or midichlorian garbage! Minimal Jar Jar!
To pluck bits and pieces from the original piece:
And to borrow from Den of Geek:
I think I'm going to give this a try soon!
Basically, the idea is that watching the films in chronological order, I-VI is not a good way to watch the movies. It's disjointed, doesn't play the narrative out very well, undermines the heroism of Luke, and ruins certain surprises (namely, Vader at the end of Empire).
The alternative that this 'Machete' person suggests, is to interject some of the prequels into the OT: to watch the films in the order IV, V, II, III, and finally VI. Yes, forget I entirely. The original writer (first link) points out that literally nothing matters in this movie--virtually every character it introduces is either dead or forgotten by the end of the movie, and the ones that remain are re-introduced again in II. So no Jake Lloyd! No virgin birth or midichlorian garbage! Minimal Jar Jar!
To pluck bits and pieces from the original piece:
As I mentioned, this creates a lot of tension after the cliffhanger ending of Episode V. It also uses the original trilogy as a framing device for the prequel trilogy. Vader drops this huge bomb that he’s Luke’s father, then we spend two movies proving he’s telling the truth, then we see how it gets resolved. The Star Wars watching experience gets to start with the film that does the best job of establishing the Star Wars universe, Episode IV, and it ends with the most satisfying ending, Episode VI. It also starts the series off with the two strongest films, and allows you to never have to either start or end your viewing experience with a ****ty movie. Two films of Luke’s story, two films of Anakin’s story, then a single film that intertwines and ends both stories.
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Obi-Wan now always has a beard for the entire duration of the series, and Anakin Skywalker always wears black. Since these two characters are played by different actors (and are the only characters in the series with such a distinction), having them look visually consistent does a great deal toward reinforcing they are the same people.
This order also preserves both twists. George Lucas knew that watching the films in Episode Order would remove the Vader twist, so he added the Palpatine twist to compensate. Since we don’t really meet the Emperor until Episode VI, this order preserves the twist around Palpatine taking over as Emperor. Episode I establishes that Darth Sidious is manipulating the Trade Federation in the opening scene of the film, and it’s pretty obvious Sidious is Palpatine. But if you skip Episode I, all we ever see is that Count Dooku is leading a separatist movement, all on his own. Dooku tells Obi-Wan that the Senate is under the control of a Sith lord named “Darth Sidious”, but at the end of the movie, after Dooku flees from Geonosis, he meets with his “master”, who turns out to be Darth Sidious. This is the first time we realize that the separatist movement is actually being controlled by Sidious, and it’s the first time we see him, which doesn’t give the audience a chance to realize he’s Palpatine (remember, nobody has ever referred to “Emperor Palpatine” by this point in the series).
Machete order also keeps the fact that Luke and Leia are siblings a surprise, it simply moves the surprise to Episode III instead of VI, when Padme announces her daughter’s name. This is actually a more effective twist in this context than when Obi-Wan just tells Luke in Return of the Jedi. We get to find out before Luke, and we discover she’s carrying twins along with Obi-Wan when the Gynobot tells him. Luke’s name is first, so when Padme names the other kid “Leia” it’s a pretty shocking reveal. As an added bonus, there are now about 5 hours of film between the discovery that they are siblings and the time they kissed.
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When he confronts Jabba, he warns him that he’s taking his friends back. He says Jabba can either profit from this, “or be destroyed.” Furthermore, he tells Jabba “not to underestimate my power.” The last time this phrase was used, it was by Anakin when dueling Obi-Wan. When watching Jedi on its own, Luke just seems a tad arrogant during these scenes. When watching Jedi immediately after watching Revenge of the Sith, the message is clear: Luke Skywalker is on the path to the Dark Side.
Why does this matter? Because at the end of Jedi, Luke confronts the Emperor. The Emperor explains that the assault on the new Death Star is a trap and that his friends are going to die, and he keeps taunting Luke, telling him to grab his lightsaber and fight him. The film is trying to create a tension that Luke might embrace the Dark Side, but it was never really believable. However, within the context of him following in his father’s footsteps and his father using the power of the dark side to save people, with Luke’s friends being killed just outside the Death Star window, this is much more believable.
Shortly after, Luke goes ape**** and beats the hell out of Vader, clearly succumbing to his anger. He overpowers Vader with rage and cuts his arm off, just like Anakin did to Windu in Episode III. Having the very real threat of Luke following in his father’s path made clear by watching II and III before VI heightens the tension of this scene, and it actually makes Return of the Jedi better. Yes, watching Revenge of the Sith makes Return of the Jedi a better, more effective film.
...
Obi-Wan now always has a beard for the entire duration of the series, and Anakin Skywalker always wears black. Since these two characters are played by different actors (and are the only characters in the series with such a distinction), having them look visually consistent does a great deal toward reinforcing they are the same people.
This order also preserves both twists. George Lucas knew that watching the films in Episode Order would remove the Vader twist, so he added the Palpatine twist to compensate. Since we don’t really meet the Emperor until Episode VI, this order preserves the twist around Palpatine taking over as Emperor. Episode I establishes that Darth Sidious is manipulating the Trade Federation in the opening scene of the film, and it’s pretty obvious Sidious is Palpatine. But if you skip Episode I, all we ever see is that Count Dooku is leading a separatist movement, all on his own. Dooku tells Obi-Wan that the Senate is under the control of a Sith lord named “Darth Sidious”, but at the end of the movie, after Dooku flees from Geonosis, he meets with his “master”, who turns out to be Darth Sidious. This is the first time we realize that the separatist movement is actually being controlled by Sidious, and it’s the first time we see him, which doesn’t give the audience a chance to realize he’s Palpatine (remember, nobody has ever referred to “Emperor Palpatine” by this point in the series).
Machete order also keeps the fact that Luke and Leia are siblings a surprise, it simply moves the surprise to Episode III instead of VI, when Padme announces her daughter’s name. This is actually a more effective twist in this context than when Obi-Wan just tells Luke in Return of the Jedi. We get to find out before Luke, and we discover she’s carrying twins along with Obi-Wan when the Gynobot tells him. Luke’s name is first, so when Padme names the other kid “Leia” it’s a pretty shocking reveal. As an added bonus, there are now about 5 hours of film between the discovery that they are siblings and the time they kissed.
...
When he confronts Jabba, he warns him that he’s taking his friends back. He says Jabba can either profit from this, “or be destroyed.” Furthermore, he tells Jabba “not to underestimate my power.” The last time this phrase was used, it was by Anakin when dueling Obi-Wan. When watching Jedi on its own, Luke just seems a tad arrogant during these scenes. When watching Jedi immediately after watching Revenge of the Sith, the message is clear: Luke Skywalker is on the path to the Dark Side.
Why does this matter? Because at the end of Jedi, Luke confronts the Emperor. The Emperor explains that the assault on the new Death Star is a trap and that his friends are going to die, and he keeps taunting Luke, telling him to grab his lightsaber and fight him. The film is trying to create a tension that Luke might embrace the Dark Side, but it was never really believable. However, within the context of him following in his father’s footsteps and his father using the power of the dark side to save people, with Luke’s friends being killed just outside the Death Star window, this is much more believable.
Shortly after, Luke goes ape**** and beats the hell out of Vader, clearly succumbing to his anger. He overpowers Vader with rage and cuts his arm off, just like Anakin did to Windu in Episode III. Having the very real threat of Luke following in his father’s path made clear by watching II and III before VI heightens the tension of this scene, and it actually makes Return of the Jedi better. Yes, watching Revenge of the Sith makes Return of the Jedi a better, more effective film.
It is then that you watch the extended flashback. Episode II and III chart Anakin’s rise and fall, from Jedi to Sith Lord. By the end of it, even when he screams “Noooo” at the death of Padmé, you cannot see past the betraying child-murderer whose pursuit of power is selfish and ultimately tragic. That is when you would doubt a happy ending the most. How could someone who murders children and kills his own wife – albeit by accident – find redemption? The answer is simple: they can’t.
Then there is the Emperor. Until this point, the main thread of the story has dealt solely with Luke’s battle with Vader, but to reach a truly happy ending, it is clear that he will also have to defeat the puppet master himself, the Emperor. Seeing the Emperor’s true powers of corruption, the execution of Mace Windu, and the very creation of Vader raises the stakes and makes the challenge ahead for Luke in Episode VI, Return Of The Jedi, the biggest mountain to climb in the entire series. Think Mount Everest, but bigger.
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The hubris of Yoda: Yoda is powerful. He can lift a spaceship that is 50 time his size; he can sense the revolution of the clones quicker than any other Jedi (and survives as a result of it) and he is the only Jedi that can catch lightning bolts. While Luke is Darth Vader’s equal, Yoda is the Emperor’s, and so when the Emperor defeats him at the end of Episode III, Revenge Of The Sith, he becomes the greatest failure in the entire saga.
Watching the films in the Machete Order gives greater understanding of Yoda’s troubled past. When he warns Luke “Do not underestimate the power of the Emperor”, you realise he is speaking from experience. It’s is a level of reading that would otherwise be missed. As his defeat at the hands of the Emperor happens only one film prior, his words bite with a bitterness that would be commonly overlooked in the more familiar chronological running order.
...
The realistic redemption: Through the Machete Order, there is also a third reason for Vader’s change of heart; there is clear duality between the Emperor’s electrocution of Mace Windu and his attempted murder of Luke. The brainwashing of Anakin, that occurred through shock when Windu was electrocuted into the Coruscant skyline, is washed away. The real realisation for Anakin, now Vader, is that Emperor Palpatine has been the bad guy all along, and as remembers the original incident - he realises the side he picked all those years ago was the wrong one. His subsequent self-sacrifice is the price he willingly pays for correcting the atrocities he committed over the previous 20 years of oppression, which began with one foolish decision decades ago.
Then there is the Emperor. Until this point, the main thread of the story has dealt solely with Luke’s battle with Vader, but to reach a truly happy ending, it is clear that he will also have to defeat the puppet master himself, the Emperor. Seeing the Emperor’s true powers of corruption, the execution of Mace Windu, and the very creation of Vader raises the stakes and makes the challenge ahead for Luke in Episode VI, Return Of The Jedi, the biggest mountain to climb in the entire series. Think Mount Everest, but bigger.
...
The hubris of Yoda: Yoda is powerful. He can lift a spaceship that is 50 time his size; he can sense the revolution of the clones quicker than any other Jedi (and survives as a result of it) and he is the only Jedi that can catch lightning bolts. While Luke is Darth Vader’s equal, Yoda is the Emperor’s, and so when the Emperor defeats him at the end of Episode III, Revenge Of The Sith, he becomes the greatest failure in the entire saga.
Watching the films in the Machete Order gives greater understanding of Yoda’s troubled past. When he warns Luke “Do not underestimate the power of the Emperor”, you realise he is speaking from experience. It’s is a level of reading that would otherwise be missed. As his defeat at the hands of the Emperor happens only one film prior, his words bite with a bitterness that would be commonly overlooked in the more familiar chronological running order.
...
The realistic redemption: Through the Machete Order, there is also a third reason for Vader’s change of heart; there is clear duality between the Emperor’s electrocution of Mace Windu and his attempted murder of Luke. The brainwashing of Anakin, that occurred through shock when Windu was electrocuted into the Coruscant skyline, is washed away. The real realisation for Anakin, now Vader, is that Emperor Palpatine has been the bad guy all along, and as remembers the original incident - he realises the side he picked all those years ago was the wrong one. His subsequent self-sacrifice is the price he willingly pays for correcting the atrocities he committed over the previous 20 years of oppression, which began with one foolish decision decades ago.