Star Wars Prequels (a tired perspective)

[RipperSU]

I have a dislike for the first two prequels, not out of nostalgia or prequel hate, but simply because in my opinion they were badly written movies. Phantom Menace bogged itself down far too much in interstellar bureaucracy and Jar Jar Binks for it to be on par with the original trilogy. The pod race section is highly entertaining and the final lightsabre fight is one of the best in the series. Aside from this, the film stumbles with ham-fisted dialog and laborious pacing.

Clones was an improvement in terms of actually building a fairly solid story, but it's main failing is in it's plotholes, poor dialog and a problem with tedious pacing once again. I also took exception to the sheer amount of CG in the film. While I respected Phantom Menace for still using a lot of physical effects for certain locations and characters, pretty much everything in Clones has a fake green-screen look to it. The main problem in Clones was the the love story. Lucas really pushed this love story into the face of the viewers and sacrificed the pacing and logic of the film and it's continuity to do so.

Revenge was definitely a step forward for the prequels and despite it's obvious flaws, I found it fitted well within the Star Wars canon. Again, it's let down by terrible dialog, but this time the story flows well and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I actually prefer Revenge over Jedi from the original Trilogy. It's a much darker and mature film and carries the tone of hopelessness in the wake of unsurmountable evil that is only bettered in Empire. There's still a problem with too much CG but aside from that and the dialog, it's the only prequel that really feels in the same spirit as the original trilogy.

Just to add even though I've been brutal about the dialog in the prequels, the original films weren't much better on this front, but relied so much less on dialog that it worked fairly well. Also, I think the prequel dialog is 'over-star warsed' in the prequels. The slightly ropey dramatic dialog always suited the Star Wars universe, but was really hammed up in the prequels. All three films do have their redeeming features and none are terrible films on their own. My overall main gripe is that the prequels really just covered things that we mostly knew from the original films. Vader used to be good, Palpatine destroyed the Jedi/Republic, Vader is Luke/Lea's father. While it was nice to see some of those things fleshed out into screen, it would have been much better to take a look into the continuation of Luke's story. Plus I really wanted to see Chewie get crushed by a moon.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

First off I'll start by saying if you're a troll you're a troll you're gonna have a field day so get your hate ready. For everyone else with an ounce of maturity hear me out.

Ok, so if you have used the internet or read or watched something pertaining to the the web you've have probably heard someone rant about, or more often than not, go out of their way to hate on the most recent Star Wars films( I, II, and III not including the animated one). And to be frank, not only do I not this silliness, but I'm tired of it.

I grew up with the original trilogy and when I heard they were re-releasing the movies with new effects and polished audio, I was like "Hell! yeah, the 90's are awesome". And then I watched Fresh Prince. and it was awesome.
And when I finally got my hands on the box set in that shiny golden case, I was so freaking pumped. When I put it in and watched all 3. I was blown away. New scenes, better sound, better effects! It was like eating the last Ho-Ho in the box and then , right as you're about to throw the box away you realize you missed one.

And then I saw that in 1999 they were gonna have a new Star Wars, I was so excited! I saw it in theaters, and it was awesome. The robots were cool, the charm was there, the effects were great and the pod-race, to this day remains one of my favorite racing scenes of all time.( Whenever I see an accident I make jokes about the driver pissing off Sebulba) The only major flaw I saw i the film was the actor they chose for Anakin,and yes, he's not a great actor. But he wasn't central to most scenes and I almost feel like they downplayed his lines as much as possible. It seemed to be more about Master Liam Neeson and Obi Wan Kenobi.

My point is that while many people seem to think it's clever to dwell on, what they consider to be the negative parts of the movie, they forget that these movies weren't meant for an aging cranky bunch farts, these movies were meant to bring the story of Star Wars to a new audience and I respect that. Any one can seem clever by bashing a movie they didn't enjoy, it's not clever or smart or even funny. Given a chance people, not just trolls, are givin leeway when it comes to talking trash about these films.

The fact that some people didn't enjoy these movies isn't what bugs me, it's not even the fact that people voice their opinions about these movies that bugs me. Its the fact that they do it in a way that assumes its for granted. They assume it's something that is indisputable. Cause it's not, its an opinion, so use it as such.

But then again I didn't enjoy Mass Effect so I guess that makes me a fag

I didn't like the first Mass Effect myself, but I loved the second.
But to be OT, I disliked the prequels because I felt they lacked the charm of the original trilogy, putting too much emphasis on the CG and fight scenes and not enough on the plot/direction/acting. Great scenery and crappy story/acting doesn't make a great film. See Avatar.
Plus a few other things should have been avoided, while I liked Ep3 more than the other two, the Vader transformation should have been off-screen. Let people who decide to watch them in numerical order think Anakin is dead (like there are people who haven't seen them, but still...).
I mean yes its hard to think that Vader=Anakin is a spoiler to anyone these days but what about kids who haven't seen the movies yet? Imagine if you watch Ep1-6 in order, and find the whole big plot revelation in Empire was already revealed and thus defeats the drama and purpose of the "Luke, I am your father" scene.
Its little gripes here and there and I feel that while there are good things about the prequels, they lack a lot of the character in the original trilogy. Is it wrong to have expectations of "like or better than the originals" only to have a marginal plot/story with some awesome graphics attached?

 

[Cherry Cola]

snip

I remember the first time I saw Star Wars: A New Hope.

I was around 6 or 7, and my mother had made a huge deal about how we were supposed to watch some kind of sci-fi film that was going to air on TV late at night. At the time all I could think was:

"I get to stay up to 9? FUCK YEAH!"

I can't recant the entire experience, but I know something: I had never felt like that before, and it's possible that I never will again.

It was magical, one of those experiences that will last you a life time. While I enjoy The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, that first time I got exposed to Star Wars was so amazing that I'll never forget it.

My childhood, like so many others, had been defined by Star Wars.

 

[Wicky_42]

The prequels were just bad films, through and through, devoid even of the charm that made the originals the film-revolutionising popular things that they were. The acting, scripting, direction - everything stank. Even the CGI battles I found boring - try as I might to enjoy pretty lights over Coruscant, it lacked a certain something that Battlestar Galactica and Serenity had in their space battles that made them truly engaging and dramatic.

To be honest, not even the original trilogy is that good - not by modern standards of acting and scripting. I can understand that back in their hay-day their impact was profound, but to hold them up as story-telling grails in the modern age is to truly bathe in the nostalgia.

I kinda feel that Star Wars has done it's part - it either needs tobe let out to pasture, or to be re-done from the ground up - a re-imagining with the bravery that the new BSG had when they threw out the laser guns and clunky robot suits and brought in the real-world political and social conflicts, human cyborgs and existential questions. Note that I'm not saying 'make it angsty', just that IMO Star Wars could use a serious re-imagining to remain deserving of its huge fan base. A bit more science in its fiction, a bit more reality - a bit more appropriate for our times.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Oh, and the lameness of remastering the originals adding in the horribad Dance scene in RotJ and removing the "Yub Yub" Ewok song a the end.

 

[snogard77]

Phantom Menace bogged itself down far too much in interstellar bureaucracy and Jar Jar Binks for it to be on par with the original trilogy.

Ok...I'm really tired of all the Jar Jar hate...You really have to look at the bigger picture for the character. His naivety and innocence is what makes him work. He was manipulated by Palpatine. Because he was from Naboo, his endorsement of Palpatine(who was also from Naboo if you remember) is what generated the sympathy in the senate in order to grant him those emergency powers, which in turn made him EMPEROR. Too many people get caught up in the way he looks, and that he was CG. I just don't think that character would have worked if it was a guy in a rubber suit.

 

[Grey_Focks]

The driving force behind the hatred for the prequels is probably nostalgia.

Not to pick on you, but actually this is the reason why every time I enter a thread involving star wars I'm sure my blood pressure will rise a little. Don't go saying "oh, people don't like them because of nostalgia goggles", it has nothing to do with that.

you know what, I'm not gonna list why I disliked the prequels, I'm just gonna post this vid (that is posted in EVERY thread like this) and let you guys just watch.

<youtube=FxKtZmQgxrI>

As for my personal reason, the prequels lacked the heart of the originals. They were just another 3 generic sci-fi movies with pretty explosions, horrid writing, bad acting, and no soul.

 

[Brandon237]

I enjoyed the prequels, hell, I got my avatar there. Then again I'm in the target audience, but my much older cousins also liked the prequels, I never understood the hate. It burns me to be in the hated minority, thank you good sir.

 

[Woodsey]

Actually, why can't they make a movie about the new repblic? It would probably have been more interesting than the prequels, just from the story line, although it would be even better now that the prequel has been released, seeing as Darth Caedus is a direct throwback to Vader.

I'd love to see a movie about Luke, Leia, Anakin, and Jacen fighting Yuuzhan Vong soldiers while Han and Jaina shoot it out with a worldship over Coruscant.

Lucas didn't do that because the films are ultimately about Vader; personally I think finding out how Vader became Vader is far more interesting than "what Luke did next".

Lucas created the Universe and stuck to his story within it, and others helped expand that universe by filling it with their stories.

 

[R3dF41c0n]

I agree that the new movies were designed for a younger audience. I personally didn't like them, but that doesn't mean they are total crap.

People need to learn not to treat opinions as fact.

 

[SirPumpkinLongshanks]

I was born in 87. I honestly didn't "get" the original trilogy; they were fun movies but they didn't engage me the way they did with so many people. I do think altering the effects is sacrilege just as a matter of principle; films are crafted in a particular era and when you change things you take away part of its identity.

I saw Episode One when I was twelve and you know what? I loved it. When I got the VHS tape I watched it so much I practically wore it out. Then by the time Attack of the Clones came out I couldn't care less. It was an incredibly boring movie. Though I expected no more out of Episode III I went to see it just because I saw the other two. I laughed at parts that were intended to be dramatic, I cringed at the horrible dialog, and I got bored during the action scenes. (They were too plentiful and too long. It didn't help that I didn't care at all about the characters or the central conflict.)

I went back to Episode One when I was a bit older and... I couldn't get past the first ten minutes. I think the thing that hooked me was that it was my first glance at an extremely compelling world. It's a setting I love in projects George Lucas has had nothing to do with (thank Lucifer for Bioware) but as for the movies, any of the movies, I'm "meh" at best and "oh god turn that off" at worst. (Though I acknowledge what the original trilogy did for film and I can see why it's so beloved to people. It's just not my cup of tea.)

The prequels are objectively terrible movies. They have poor pacing, horrible dialog, nonsensical stories, and they rely too heavily on special effects. The key parts of the story-Anakin's fall from grace, the romance between Anakin and Padmé, the introduction of the clone troopers, Palpatine's rise to power-are all poorly executed. Anakin was in no way a sympathetic character due to his acting like a manchild, the romance was physically painful to watch, I'm still not entirely clear as to why the republic thought they needed clone troopers (or why it would be a good idea to use them), and Palpatine may as well have painted "EVIL" across his forehead in the very first movie.

Like whatever you want, I'm not gonna judge, but the Star Wars prequels aren't good. They're not even passable. They are loathesome films which inherited a legacy they don't deserve.

 

[Woodsey]

Actually, why can't they make a movie about the new repblic? It would probably have been more interesting than the prequels, just from the story line, although it would be even better now that the prequel has been released, seeing as Darth Caedus is a direct throwback to Vader.

I'd love to see a movie about Luke, Leia, Anakin, and Jacen fighting Yuuzhan Vong soldiers while Han and Jaina shoot it out with a worldship over Coruscant.

Lucas didn't do that because the films are ultimately about Vader; personally I think finding out how Vader became Vader is far more interesting than "what Luke did next".

Lucas created the Universe and stuck to his story within it, and others helped expand that universe by filling it with their stories.

Actually the movies are about the Droids. Lucas revealed that while ESB was being filmed. He said in his original 6 chapter outline the story was called "the droids" because they were supposed to be the only characters in all the movies.

I've never heard that before, but since you said "original outline" and supposing that's true then the films were about the droids.

The films as they are are about Vader.

 

[Ertol]

I thought Episodes 1/2/3 were good movies, but horrible Star Wars movies. They had none of the magic that Episodes 4/5/6 had.

 

[Mr Cwtchy]

When the prequels were released I was in the target audience. Having watched the originals before hand I can safely say I enjoyed them. A lot.

The acting, while not really that good, never bothered me at all. The effects I found awesome to watch, and the lightsaber battles were the definition of epic.

Then I watched the originals again. I found them, quite honestly, dull. The acting was no better than the prequels, whereas the effects were obviously horrific in comparison.

When people get nostalgic about first watching Star Wars, they always talk about the 'magic'. I never felt an ounce of it. It was always just a film to me.

While nostalgia is far from the only reason for it, I would say it does indeed take up a large chunk of the hatred.

 

[CloakedOne]

I enjoyed the prequels. I disagree about the Mass Effect thing but otherwise I agree.

 

[Canid117]

The last prequel hate thread I saw was about two years ago on a different site so... grats on being really late in delivering your rant?