Wow, the old Star Wars movies are so much better than the new ones, acting > CG Options

[Wounded Ronin]

So, I'm watching the original three Star Wars movies on TV today, and I'm finding them so much more engaging and interesting to watch than the later three movies.

I think it's because there's a lot more reliance of physical sets and acting in the earlier films than in the later films which were heavily CG reliant. The drama is much more human in the earlier films. The actors really draw you in. I really think that something about gigantic CG sets destroys the reality and drama of what you're seeing.

I suppose that at the time Lucas was probably much less secure and more passionate and that made him a better artist, in effect. Of course I'm just guessing at that. But if he really bought into Joseph Campbell, and was at the time in the middle of having made the tough choice to be a film director instead of finding a more secure "regular" job, I can imagine that could make his work be much more genuine and intense than something he might make later when he's all wealthy and secure.

Finally, I noticed that Carrie Fisher is really skinny in her slave bikini outfit. Is it just me, or were people in the United States in the 70s on the whole really not very fat compared to people in the US today? Why are we so much fatter today than just 30 or 40 years ago?