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Hot Take: Aside from how they inarguably changed filmmaking forever, they've never actually been as good as their reputation.
The most devout fanatics were exposed to it as very young children. In my experience, anyone who first sees them at any age past 11 or 12 might like them a whole lot, but they're not in romantic love with them. It's like pro wrestling; it's only "Great" to you if you were very young when you saw it for the first time. If you get into it later on, you can definitely still enjoy it but you're a lot less likely to simply dismiss how stupid it often is.
I finally saw the original trilogy at around 13 or 14, although I did see bits and pieces on TV occasionally before then. And I've always had a strong appreciation for the series, but I can't say I've ever been a fanatic. I have quite a few problems with every single film, even Empire, the "Untouchable Golden Calf". They're all very flawed movies.
At this point in my life I don't even act surprised when a person says that they're underwhelmed by Star Wars. It's not for everyone, and frankly the ones who love it the most have some issues in general.
Collectively, they're Pretty Good overall but it's definitely a "whole being greater than the sum of its parts" situation.
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