Another StarWars question

[p1t1o]

When I was a kid, the original trilogy was a hallowed piece of cinema history from my Father's adolescence, coated with candy flavoured nostalgia and shrouded in the mystical rumour that one day, when the world needs it most,  the trilogy would be continued.

What is todays equivalent "original trilogy" for todays kids?

[Superfluous J]

At a stab, I'd say Harry Potter or the Avengers movies, though both blow the concept of "trilogy" out of the water. If it's not too old, the Pirates of the Caribbean may fit the bill also, as might Lord of the Rings. Minus the Hobbit movies, ofc.

Edited April 18, 2019 by 5thHorseman

[cubinator]

Modern equivalent? 

The OT still fits the bill for me.

[TheSaint]

Ugh. Stop making me feel old.

I think the only franchise that even approaches the cultural phenomena that was Star Wars is Harry Potter. And it isn't even that close. I don't think we'll ever see anything like Star Wars again, if for no other reason than media is different now. We consume it differently and we view it differently. It doesn't have the same impact on us that it once did.

[StrandedonEarth]

I agree, nothing else comes close to the impact of Star Wars, unless you widen the scope to include games, in which case Pokémon might fill the bill. 

Part of what made Star Wars such a huge cultural phenomenon was that Lucas was the first to sell merchandising rights for everything, which helped ensure that SW penetrated the consciousness of everyone. 

Edited April 18, 2019 by StrandedonEarth

[Gargamel]

5 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

Part of what made Star Wars such a huge cultural phenomenon was that Lucas was the first to sell merchandising rights for everything, which helped ensure that SW penetrated the consciousness of everyone. 

And he convinced the studio to let him keep the rights, instead of the normal (today) of the studio hanging on to it. 

My 9 year old nephew is infatuated with star wars, all the movies.  He likes the Avengers movies, but the clear cut good and bad sides of it are what make it easier for him to associate with it.  Of course, he goes as darth vader for halloween every year. 

[klesh]

When I saw grown adult college students running around a field with brooms in between their legs pretending they were flying around, I knew that I had become old and out of touch.   Those Harry Potter books came out as "childrens books" while I was in college, and I've never read them, nor do I care to. 

Spoiler

 

[Superfluous J]

21 minutes ago, klesh said:

Those Harry Potter books came out as "childrens books" while I was in college, and I've never read them, nor do I care to. 

They're really quite good, though you have to be able to appreciate stuff written for children especially with the first 3-4 books.

But playing Quiddich in real life is dumb. I'm not quite sure why it's dumber than having to bounce the basketball every step, but it is.

[adsii1970]

On 4/18/2019 at 7:09 PM, Gargamel said:

And he convinced the studio to let him keep the rights, instead of the normal (today) of the studio hanging on to it. 

My 9 year old nephew is infatuated with star wars, all the movies.  He likes the Avengers movies, but the clear cut good and bad sides of it are what make it easier for him to associate with it.  Of course, he goes as darth vader for halloween every year. 

 

[Gargamel]

1 hour ago, klesh said:

Those Harry Potter books came out as "childrens books" while I was in college, and I've never read them, nor do I care to.

I was working as a paramedic, and one of my partners was really excited that the neew HP book (#5) was coming out the next day.   He and his wife (a PhD English Professor) were attending some event involving the release.   I chided him for probably the same reasons you have, but after some discussion, he convinced me to give the books a read.    They are a surprisingly enjoyable read, even as a grown adult. 

When book seven dropped, we ended taking the squads, en masse, to a book store to pick up our own copies.   There's a pic somewhere on my FB of 4 ambulances parked side by side, and all 8 crew members have their heads buried in the latest HP book. 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Gargamel

[StrandedonEarth]

1 hour ago, klesh said:

When I saw grown adult college students running around a field with brooms in between their legs pretending they were flying around, I knew that I had become old and out of touch.   Those Harry Potter books came out as "childrens books" while I was in college, and I've never read them, nor do I care to. 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I'll echo the other sentiments that the HP books are well written, and enjoyable to read as an adult. Of course, the usual suspension of disbelief is required, as with anything else in the fantasy realm. But HP got scores of kids hooked on reading, no mean feat in the video game era

[razark]

2 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

They're really quite good, though you have to be able to appreciate stuff written for children especially with the first 3-4 books.

 

57 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I'll echo the other sentiments that the HP books are well written, and enjoyable to read as an adult.

I'll agree that they might be worth going through at least once, but on subsequent reads they don't quite stand up.

But compared to a lot of "children's literature", they're quite good, and if they can get the kids started on reading, then they're worth it.

[StrandedonEarth]

2 minutes ago, razark said:

I'll agree that they might be worth going through at least once, but on subsequent reads they don't quite stand up.

Yeah, this is true, I haven't felt the urge to re-read any of them. Compared to I recently finished re-reading The Drawing of the Three for probably the twentieth time (at least)

[p1t1o]

I happen to know that HP merch massively outsells SW merch these days. "Brand Fatigue" apparently, people are becoming bored of endless spinoffs, series, teasers etc.