I know the prequels have been meme’d to hell and are objectively ridiculous, but I’m not too proud to admit that I really like them.
I think the resentment from fans came out of a feeling of missed potential. What people wanted was what they eventually put into the Clone Wars series: space adventures, complex characters, and the subtle corruption of a great hero.
What we got wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. There was cheesy dialogue, convoluted storylines, and one-dimensional characters. Star Wars, like a lot of franchise films, benefits from the association with the wider universe. We, the fans, fill in gaps and references to backstory with the things we know without it appearing on the screen. But it also suffers from the comparison and expectations we have.
Take the reveal of Vader/birth of the twins at the end. Seeing Vader rise from the table, and hearing James Earl Jones’ voice for the “first” time was genuinely cool because we have all seen the original trilogy. The interspersed delivery scene draws parallels between Luke and Leia being born with Vader being born.
Taken in a vacuum, if you had no idea who Vader was, it would all seem a bit silly, because “Darth Vader” was actually “born” several scenes ago when he killed Mace Windu and then mass-murdered a school full of children.
At the same time, we know what Vader looks and sounds like. Drawing out the reveal feels slightly overdramatic. Then you get the whole “she’s lost the will to live” and that “Noooooo!” and people are rolling from laughter instead of wiping away tears.
That’s like the whole movie. Anything good or bad is made simultaneously better and worse by association. How you view the movie depends on how that association makes you feel. If you love Star Wars and want to love the Prequels, you will.
Aside from the logical inconsistencies, the plot holes, the (still) bad writing, the over-utilization of green screen that makes the whole production soulless and artificial, and the infamous “NOOOOOOO!” scene, it’s a great movie!
Don’t forget the taking the whole mysticism behind the Force and reducing it to: “wow, you got quite the bacterial load there, bud.”
The original trilogy. A decade of history and nostalgia. “lol, it’s space flu”.
Fuck you and everything you know and love, George. You’re dead to me.
Was it? Or was it just a breath of fresh air after the other two? And yes I did grow up with it, even saw it in theatre.
I also grew up with the prequels and yes, RotS was leagues ahead of them but it’s not just that. It has its issues, but I firmly believe it is a really good movie. I also grew up with prequels and saw both Episode 2 and 3 in theatres. But while the first two were quite cringey with some good parts, RotS was just good and stood up the test of time. More than I can say bout New Hope tbh.
Everything cool about them is despite George Lucas not because of him. Sure the battles are cool, the CGI scenes are cool, but the prequels were wayyyyyy too much a direct implementation of what Lucas thought was going to be good to ever have been good lol.
The original Star Wars movies were better because Lucas wasn’t famous yet and had to actually listen to the people around him.
Don’t get me wrong, the original trilogy is the best by far. I was just the right age to enjoy the prequels when they came out, so maybe it’s the nostalgia talking. I rewatch them every few years and enjoy them every time.
