Originals vs. the Prequels

[Atreyu]

(just had to find something to post here)

So what'll it be kids? Do you think the Originals are still the best, or have you been seduced to the Dark Side (sorry, had to say it) and prefer the Prequels.

Or are you getting a sore butt sitting on the fence? :)

[Liam Jinn]

Originals are still the best, not a doubt in my mind.

[JMK]

Yep, the originals still have a higher standing for me. If not for RotS, it wouldn't even be as close.

Then again, I think you'll get a fairer representation of opinion from the next generation of fans, those who weren't around when the prequels or originals were first released. I think people in their early 20's and younger may lean toward the prequels simply because they're from their time.

[Darth McBain]

Originals all the way. I enjoyed the prequels, but the originals have that special place in my heart. I think you said it well, JMK - if not for Revenge of the Sith, it wouldn't even be close. I enjoyed (and still do enjoy) TPM and ATOC, but I find they both are a bit lacking in something. ROTS served very nicely to bridge the two trilogies together.

[Doc Milo]

I prefer the originals as well.

On a side note, I just got through a marathon with my stepson, we watched all six over a four day period -- we watched them in Episodic order. I have to say, watching it that way I think is better than watching it in release order, you get a better sense of the complete saga story that way. The only problem is that TPM, while I like the movie, starts to feel as if it belongs to a different trilogy -- only because it takes place so long before the other parts of the trilogy. Had there been a trilogy before I,II,III, say focusing on Sidious taking Maul as an apprentice, Shmi getting pregnant mysteriously and giving birth, and watching that child grow from infant (at the end of -I, to the nine year old we see in episode I (which would be part of the new PT-T, call it -III) And then episode I would be a newer movie, perhaps when Anakin was three years younger than he was in Episode II, then it might flow better (anyone following this?)

Maybe easier:

-I -- Sidious seduces Maul. Shmi becomes pregnant mysteriously, etc..

-II -- Palpatine gains control in the Senate, Sidious manipulations with Maul and the Federation, etc... Anakin at four years old....

-III -- TPM

I -- New episode, Anakin is 17, Padawan of Obi-Wan, Palpatine and him becoming friends, etc...

II -- AOTC

III -- ROTS

IV --ANH

V -- ESB

VI -- ROTJ.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I think today's children will probably lean towards the Prequels as their favorites, but as someone in their 'early twenties' I believe that we will mostly still prefer the original trilogy. :)

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Agreed. As an early 20's person, and with all of my friends being early twenties, we (my friends and everyone i have talked to my age) have agreed that the Original Triligy is the best. It's just so classic, better over all story telling through settings, and, oh yea, no CGI.

[Ryan Pode]

As an 18 year old. Original > Prequels. However, I don't think that the Phantom Menace is as bad as a lot of people think. The Maul fight is very redeeming in my mind.

[Morgan Evanar]

TPM is awful and is worse than people think. AOTC was just mediocre and ROTS was ok. ANH is ok, ESB is godlike and Jedi was good.

[Zereth Lancer]

Originally posted by Morgan Evanar
TPM is awful and is worse than people think. AOTC was just mediocre and ROTS was ok. ANH is ok, ESB is godlike and Jedi was good.

*Agrees*

[Ryan Pode]

It was good when I was twelve.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I loved TPM when I first saw it, so I still have a little residual nostalgia for it (since it was the first of the Star Wars films that I saw). I wouldn't say I prefer one 'trilogy' over the other, really. I enjoy them both.

(I'm 18, btw.)

[Ryan Pode]

Exactly, you were about 12 when it first came out. Lucas' target audience.

[Sudoku]

Originally posted by Nathanial K'cansce
Agreed. As an early 20's person, and with all of my friends being early twenties, we (my friends and everyone i have talked to my age) have agreed that the Original Triligy is the best. It's just so classic, better over all story telling through settings, and, oh yea, no CGI.


Costumes and puppets > CGI. I prefer the OT, but ROTS was alright.

[Droo]

1. A New Hope
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace

Something symmetrical going on there.

[Morgan Evanar]

You think ANH was better than ESB? :huh

[JMK]

From what I've seen, most non-Star Wars fans do rank ANH above ESB, hence the reason ANH is in the top 100 movies of all time and ESB is not, despite what us SW fans may think.

Edit: I'm not saying that Droo isn't a SW fan, but I'm never shocked to see ANH ahead of ESB in people's rankings.

[Morgan Evanar]

I am because ESB had so much more going for it in terms of character development, acting, pacing, effects etc. I guess I just am not seeing it through the same lenses.

[Droo]

There are a great number of reasons as to why I prefer ANH but to be honest, I can't be bothered listing them in some well thought out presentation. Let's just slip it under the personal preference bracket.

That, and I'm a complete sucker for the first films in series I love, the special ones that get the ball rolling and set the adventure off in a very Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey kind of way.

[Figrin D'an]

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. A New Hope
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace


I can flip-flop #3 and #4 easily, it just depends upon my frame of mind at any given moment.

Originals > Prequels. It's only natural that I would think that way though. I grew up watching Episodes IV-VI. I had more viewings of those three films before the age of 10 than I have viewings of any other film over the length of my life thus far.

I still enjoyed the prequels, if for nothing else but the sheer excitement and buzz they generated amongst the fanbase. Being part of that from '98/'99 through 2005 was certainly one hell of an entertaining ride.

[Liam Jinn]

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Return of the Jedi
3. A New Hope

(though 2 and 3 could switch, depending what mood I'm in)

4. Mneh, this is kinda hard...One of the prequels, that much is obvious, none of 'em really stood out as better than the other. Sure episode III was newest, but I think the trailer was better than the movie. I dunno, this is gonna have to take more thought.

[Morgan Evanar]

Originally posted by Droo
That, and I'm a complete sucker for the first films in series I love, the special ones that get the ball rolling and set the adventure off in a very Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey kind of way.That explains a lot. I'll happily agree to disagree.

[Yog]

Personally, I find it far from obvious that ESB is better than ANH. I always was torn wether I should think of ANH or ESB the better SW movie. I think though, ESB is the better movie as a chapter in a story, while ANH really shines as a stand alone movie. So it really depends on your point of view.

Why does ANH work so well? The opening scene with the SD chasing the blocade runner just pulls you in right from the bat. And from that point on, its just a thrilling and increasingly captivating story until it ends with the rollercoaster finish, the Battle of Yavin. The twin suns of Tatooine setting with Luke looking into the horizon.. that really captured what SW is really about. The Death Star battle of ANH is the best space battle in the series, IMO. The awards ceremony at the end still gives me the chills and a 'feel good moment'. Also the hilarious dialogue (I love the bickering between Leia, Han and Luke in the Death Star). ANH got the most classic one liners and memorable quotes in motion picture history.

ANH was a lightning in a bottle thing. It defined the sci fi and the action movie genre. It revolutionized special effects. I love the cinderella aspect in how Lucas who were laughed about first or thought to be crazy, makes this thing with a bunch of nerds and limited funds. Then it becomes the most amazing box office phenomenon and franchise of all time.

It just an incredible entertaining and fun movie, no matter your opinion on Sci Fi. If I want to show someone who never seen SW before what its all about, I tell them to see ANH. I am 99% certain they would greatly enjoy it, and most likely they will want to see the other movies in the series. ANH is more unassuming and universally appealing than the other SW episodes.

Also keep in mind, ANH was the first SW movie I ever watched (and one of the first movies I watched, period), so it made a lifetime impression on me. For me, the saga and my SW fandom started with ANH, so it will always be special.

So my answer depends how you ask the question. If you ask what I think is the best movie, I will reply ANH. If you ask me what I think is the best SW episode, I will reply ESB.

[JMK]

That's a fair assessment. Well said. I think a lot of people prefer ANH because of the fact it is the first SW movie, meaning all the neat things like the force, lightsabers, space ships, etc...were all introduced in that seminal movie. But I think you summed it up best here:


If you ask what I think is the best movie, I will reply ANH. If you ask me what I think is the best SW episode, I will reply ESB

[Atreyu]

I suppose it's time I replied to my own thread. :)

Needless to say, Originals > Prequels. Prequels have been fun but the Originals I find just that much more entertaining. is this because I've watched and loved the Originals for years whereas the new lot are ... new? i don't know.

ESB ranks as my favourite as always. Funnily enough I've grown to love ANH more in recent years (it's now my 2nd favourite, bumping down ROTJ). I watched it right through for the first time in a couple of years and I remembered how FUNNY the film is, what with the bickering robots, Han and Leia never getting along etc.

Plus, as Yog mentioned, it works great as a standalone film.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Been meaning to respond to this, I would say originals over prequels, I loved the prequels but the Originals I saw first and grew up with so I know I would pick them, as for preference.
1 Empire Strikes Back
2 Revenge of the Sith
3 Return of the Jedi
4 A New Hope
5 Attack of the Clones
6 The Phantom Menance

[Jedieb]

OT
Of course, you'll always find the ludicrous fanboy that not only ranks the Prequels as better, but THE THREE GREATEST MOTION PICTURES OF ALL TIME!!! Me, they're not as bad as some bashers want you to think, but they sure as hell aren't as good as the OT.

1. ESB
2. ANH
3. ROTS
4. ROTJ
5. AOTC
6. Clone Wars Cartoons
7. Hardware Wars
8. Spaceballs
9. The SW Holiday Special
10. TPM

[JMK]

:lol

I don't know that I'd rank TPM below the holilday special, but that's a real damning indictment on your part!

That poor movie is NOT aging well.

[Morgan Evanar]

I'd rank the Clone Wars cartoons tied with AOTC. There were parts that I didn't like but overall they felt really, really tight.

I also can't rank ROTS ahead of ROTJ. It still has the mother of all space battles that only the new Battlestar Galatica has come close to.

[Charley]

Originally posted by Morgan Evanar
I'd rank the Clone Wars cartoons tied with AOTC. There were parts that I didn't like but overall they felt really, really tight.

I also can't rank ROTS ahead of ROTJ. It still has the mother of all space battles that only the new Battlestar Galatica has come close to.

The reason RotS gets the push above RotJ for me is because they take Palpatine over and beyond the machiavellian/miltonian monster they originally created. The opera scene alone seals it for me. That being said, Palpatine is the most interesting character in the saga, and next to Obi Wan, my favorite.

I'll also concede that the best movie of them all is ANH, because it is the only one of the six that is actually a complete story in and of itself, so its just semantics talking.

1. ESB
2. RotS
3. RotJ
4. ANH
5. AotC
6. TPM

[Morgan Evanar]

The reason RotS gets the push above RotJ for me is because they take Palpatine over and beyond the machiavellian/miltonian monster they originally created. The opera scene alone seals it for me. That being said, Palpatine is the most interesting character in the saga, and next to Obi Wan, my favorite.
You present a damn good point and I think I have to rewatch both now.

[Jedieb]

I was just looking through Mojo's site and they had a neat graphic on the complete Saga's B.O. take, adjusted for inflation.

1. ANH $1.14B (31.4%)
2. ESB $628.4M (17.3%)
3. ROTJ $602.0M (16.6%)
4. TPM $542.9M (14.9%)
5. ROTS $380.3 (10.5%)
6. AOTC $342.2 (9.4%)

I was also kind of surprised to see that HP edged out ROTS for the 05 worldwide take. Still, nice B.O. rebound for ROTS.

[thx-1138stormfett]

Ok for me heres how it goes ANH was and is the best in my opinion,although i see ESB coming in a very close second.But as far as originals vesus prequals...the originals have it big time.I'm 18 as well and not anything can touch the original.I don't care about the graphics or anything the originals are just better all around.Plus...han is in the original...need I say more?

[thx-1138stormfett]

Ok for me heres how it goes ANH was and is the best in my opinion,although i see ESB coming in a very close second.But as far as originals vesus prequals...the originals have it big time.I'm 18 as well and not anything can touch the original.I don't care about the graphics or anything the originals are just better all around.Plus...han is in the original...need I say more?Also the way the comedic relief in the original was much better,I mean han and chewie and leia versus the prequal comedic relief of jar jar binks and whatever stupidity he gets himself into....um i'll take han chewie and leia.Plus like its been said its the first time you learn about the force and when i was growning up I thought god why can't that be me?

[thx-1138stormfett]

sorry about the double post

[JMN77]

I remain like Switzerland on this issue.
I think they are both great in their respective trilogies,
but I prefer to view them as one story so I don't really
think one is better than the other.

[Darth Tweakpiece]

I'm definitely an OT man...but I've been learning to respect all six movies as a whole...the PT has it's quirks, but it is getting better all the time to me!!!

[Jedi Master Carr]

Originally posted by Jedieb
I was just looking through Mojo's site and they had a neat graphic on the complete Saga's B.O. take, adjusted for inflation.

1. ANH $1.14B (31.4%)
2. ESB $628.4M (17.3%)
3. ROTJ $602.0M (16.6%)
4. TPM $542.9M (14.9%)
5. ROTS $380.3 (10.5%)
6. AOTC $342.2 (9.4%)

I was also kind of surprised to see that HP edged out ROTS for the 05 worldwide take. Still, nice B.O. rebound for ROTS.

I wonder what WW adjusted is? I wasn't too shocked to see Potter pass ROTS WW, Potter is still extremely popular overseas which was partly why. Still like you said it was a 200 million increase from AOTC.

[jediSamson]

I would take the prequels anyday of the week. Now make no mistake that the Orginial trilogy is by far better than any other film series or any film as a matter of fact but the prequels got to me on a emotional level, other than vader dying in rotj.


1. ROTS
2.TPM , by far the most underrated movie of all time
3. ROTJ
4. ANH/atoc tie
5. ESB


and yes, ROTS and TPM are the two GREATEST films ever made, period end of story, nuff said. Of course that's all my opinion :smokin How anyone can dislike TPM is beyond comperhension :huh

[Michele Hawkins]

Because for some, it shattered what the Star Wars prequels were suppose to be like.

Anakin as a kid
Midicholrians
Gungans
Maul dying like an idiot

:|

:cry

twitch

The plot holes for me were painful and I pretend the EP1 and 2 don't exists except in a shortened version inside my head :)

[jediSamson]

Plot holes??


i'll give you Maul dying like an idiot, but the others :huh I don't get it, but to each their own , I just find that many fans had their own preconcieved notion on what they should have been and when Lucas didn't give them what THEY thought it should be they got all tore up, but it's all good we/they are /were allowed too :p

[JMK]

Originally posted by Michele Hawkins
Because for some, it shattered what the Star Wars prequels were suppose to be like.

Anakin as a kid
Midicholrians
Gungans
Maul dying like an idiot

:|

:cry

twitch

The plot holes for me were painful and I pretend the EP1 and 2 don't exists except in a shortened version inside my head :)

Don't forget bad acting, bad dialogue, bad directing, bad pacing, bad acting, stupid ideas, overused bad characters and underused cool characters.

[jediSamson]

Originally posted by JMK
Don't forget bad acting, bad dialogue, bad directing, bad pacing, bad acting, stupid ideas, overused bad characters and underused cool characters. Geesh, give a guy a all girl softball team, a mod position and it goes to his head O_o next he'll be saying Bea arthur isn't hot :x o_O

[Lamar Starworth]

I wasn't born to the nostalgia of the Originals. I saw them before the Prequels, but that was in the 90s and that definately doesn't count in comparsion to sitting in line for what is the greatest movie of all time feeling.

So Im falling off the fence with a touch of the breeze toward the prequels in many way because it is a modern movie, that to me holds up true to the feeling I get from the Originals. But I definately can see why people love the originals, I just don't hold the same nostalgic nature toward it that would make me care for them in the same way.

[CMJ]

This is how I rank them.

1.Empire Strikes Back
2. Revenge of the Sith
3. A New Hope
4. Attack of the Clones
5. Return of the Jedi
6. The Phantom Menace

So going off that I'd give the slight edge to the originals. Plus there's the nostalgia thing. However, I find the prequels far more interesting thematically than the originals.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I need to re-watch them all. Its been much too long... :uhoh

[Ramoth Ocran]

I'll take this time to point out that New Hope and all the Prequels were all directed by George Lucas. ESB and ROTJ were both produced by George Lucas, but not directed by him. There's a noticeable difference.

Here is how I rank the Star Wars movies and why:

1. Empire Strikes Back-I enjoyed the story, the acting...mostly, and the first real lightsaber duel in the Trilogy.
2. Return of the Jedi-Again, the story, the acting...more than in ESB, good large-scale battles, and favorite lightsaber duel of Star Wars, Vader vs. Luke while the Emperor watches.
3. Revenge of the Sith-Good backgrounds, excellent lightsaber duels and force power graphics.
4. Attack of the Clones-not so great dialogue lines on Anikan and Padme's part (not to mention unconvincing acting by Anikan). Severly disliked reappearance of Jar-Jar Binks. Enjoyed duel against Dooku and that entire battle sequence. Enjoyed Obi-Wan's acting.
5. New Hope-actually it's a toss-up between AOTC and ANH for 4th. Didn't like all of Mark Hamill's acting near the beginning...his voice gets on my nerves at times. Enjoyed Harrison Ford's acting the most.
6. Phantom Menace-...hated this movie. Bad acting, mostly bad actors, Jar-Jar Binks, bad dialogue. The only things that save this movie in my mind are Darth Maul and subsequent fights, and Obi-Wan.

[Kale]

I have a hard time looking on the prequels as much more than a flop in terms of storytelling.

I realize I'm in a minority, but I believe that TPM was decent. I liked finally getting to see a Master and Padawan in action on screen. The Padme storyline, while predictable, was executed very well. Aside from the question of why Naboo seems to think adolescent girls make the best heads of state, I could believe the character as a girl in a terrible situation doing her best to help her people. TPM told its own story, which was something neither of the other two prequels did, and I think it came closer than either of the others to the sense of fun and adventure that characterized the original trilogy.

AotC is by far the worst, and I really can't stand to watch it anymore. It does nothing to advance the story beyond the key plot points we all know had to happen anyway. We get no reasonable appreciation for Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin. We're told Anakin is a promising Padawan and really never see any evidence of that. Padme's character becomes completely flat. For every cringeworthy moment in TPM, there's at least one in AotC to match it -- try Dexter, or any of the romance scenes, or "He's holding me BACK!", or that terrible factory scene. There are two bright spots -- Obi-Wan's duel with Jango, and the asteroid battle. The climactic battles at the end drag on too long and are generally uninspiring.

I was impressed by RotS the first time I saw it, mainly because of how much better it was than AotC -- but, still, I hesitate to put it very far above TPM. I could never shake the feeling that Lucas was just finishing off the story we all knew rather than telling us a new one. As a result, we still have a lot of plot details that are painfully forced -- the Jedi's stupidity, Anakin's gullibility, and his remarkably quick change of heart ("Kill a bunch of children? Sure!"). Even Yoda demonstrates an appalling lack of observation and sensitivity when he blows off Anakin's confession, turning what could have been a great, complex scene into another naked plot device.

When I look at the prequels, I see a lot of wasted potential. I think the biggest problem is Episode II. It obliterates any continuity from I to III and leaves far too much of the story untold. So by the time we get to III, we have an unnuanced and hurried narrative of the events we all knew had to happen anyway. RotS makes up for some of those shortcomings with some beautiful visuals and powerful emotional moments, but those just don't make up for a story I find largely uncompelling.

[JMK]

I have a hard time looking on the prequels as much more than a flop in terms of storytelling.

I realize I'm in a minority, but I believe that TPM was decent. I liked finally getting to see a Master and Padawan in action on screen. The Padme storyline, while predictable, was executed very well. Aside from the question of why Naboo seems to think adolescent girls make the best heads of state, I could believe the character as a girl in a terrible situation doing her best to help her people. TPM told its own story, which was something neither of the other two prequels did, and I think it came closer than either of the others to the sense of fun and adventure that characterized the original trilogy.

AotC is by far the worst, and I really can't stand to watch it anymore. It does nothing to advance the story beyond the key plot points we all know had to happen anyway. We get no reasonable appreciation for Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin. We're told Anakin is a promising Padawan and really never see any evidence of that. Padme's character becomes completely flat. For every cringeworthy moment in TPM, there's at least one in AotC to match it -- try Dexter, or any of the romance scenes, or "He's holding me BACK!", or that terrible factory scene. There are two bright spots -- Obi-Wan's duel with Jango, and the asteroid battle. The climactic battles at the end drag on too long and are generally uninspiring.

I was impressed by RotS the first time I saw it, mainly because of how much better it was than AotC -- but, still, I hesitate to put it very far above TPM. I could never shake the feeling that Lucas was just finishing off the story we all knew rather than telling us a new one. As a result, we still have a lot of plot details that are painfully forced -- the Jedi's stupidity, Anakin's gullibility, and his remarkably quick change of heart ("Kill a bunch of children? Sure!"). Even Yoda demonstrates an appalling lack of observation and sensitivity when he blows off Anakin's confession, turning what could have been a great, complex scene into another naked plot device.

When I look at the prequels, I see a lot of wasted potential. I think the biggest problem is Episode II. It obliterates any continuity from I to III and leaves far too much of the story untold. So by the time we get to III, we have an unnuanced and hurried narrative of the events we all knew had to happen anyway. RotS makes up for some of those shortcomings with some beautiful visuals and powerful emotional moments, but those just don't make up for a story I find largely uncompelling.


This is probably the most well reasoned post from a prequel detractor that I've read. Of course I don't make it a habit to read every single person's opinion on the movies, I do think many points were valid. Though I disagree with some things, I can see where and why some people would not like it.

Where you and I differ on TPM is the fact that it does tell its own story. I find it contributes very very little to the Star Wars story. It introduces some important characters, but that's it. I find it starts too far in advance of AotC to be very cohesive.

I enjoyed AotC more than TPM, but I haven't watched either in a long, long time. I just find very few bright spots in those movies that merit me sitting for 2 hours. The romance scenes were dreadful, and I agree about the battle of Geonosis...it was far too long. I'm not even a big fan of Yoda vs Dooku.


I could never shake the feeling that Lucas was just finishing off the story we all knew rather than telling us a new one.
I think I see what you're saying, but I think another way to say it is that everything feels rushed. in the prequels. Everything in the OT feels like it progressed naturally. Things in the prequels just seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, when in reality they would take a heck of a lot longer. What am I referring to?

In TPM

- Valorum was ousted, Palpatine was in - seemingly the next day (I know it wasn't, but it felt that way). Surely such a controversial topic would play itself out over months - if not years in a society with thousands of senators?

- Sio Bibble with his plea for help....the people of Naboo were suffering, it was a catastrophy....why weren't we privy to this suffering? I found it difficult to believe that such a horrid incident took place on Naboo - there was NEVER any evidence of it.

- The Jedi council decision to let Anakin be trained by Obi Wan. This one is a real head-scratcher. They KNEW that this kid had issues - yet they agreed to let his first teachings as a Jedi to be handled by a newly minted Jedi Knight. Why in the world couldn't Yoda, or some other Master take on Anakin as a padawan for a while - considering it was determined that he some sort of prophetic savior? What a stupid choice - and not stupid because the Jedi were arrogant, stupid on Lucas' part for thinking we'd actually believe that as a reasonable course of action for the frickin JEDI COUNCIL! How'd they get that far with a bunch of idiots running the show?

In AotC

- The romance. Wow. Brutal is about all I can say. When you look at the arc of their relationship, it's a nice story. When you look at how it was executed on screen - it's like 'huh? She loves him? When did that happen?' Through the first part of the movie, and all the way until the arena scene when she spills the beans - I never got the sense that Padme was reluctantly falling for Anakin - although I knew that that was what was supposed to be what was happening. One minute she's telling him that he's nuts, the next she's all about getting married and jeopardizing everything. Please explain.

- The creation of the clone army. The explanation of Sifo Dyas ordering the army is so unclear it's crazy. And the fact that the Kaminoans not once tried to initiate contact with the council in the 10 years since the order was placed...a little odd, no? Especially since the clones were ready?

- The battle at the end...IMO it suffers from the same problems as the space battle from TPM - there's no tension, it was so uncompelling. Flashy and neat to look at, but that's it. And where did the Jedi learn to be such great generals? While they were bungling things with Anakin & too blind to see the corruption in the senate, we're they playing Risk in the council chambers? Is that where they learned military tactics? Must be.


RotS

- As Kale said, Anakin's gullibility, the dopeyness of the Jedi...the willingness of the entire galaxy to submit to a dictator...none of it makes sense, or at least it wasn't executed to make sense. Too much was left to the hard core fan to understand on their own.


Even Yoda demonstrates an appalling lack of observation and sensitivity when he blows off Anakin's confession, turning what could have been a great, complex scene into another naked plot device.

When I look at the prequels, I see a lot of wasted potential. I think the biggest problem is Episode II. It obliterates any continuity from I to III and leaves far too much of the story untold. So by the time we get to III, we have an unnuanced and hurried narrative of the events we all knew had to happen anyway. RotS makes up for some of those shortcomings with some beautiful visuals and powerful emotional moments, but those just don't make up for a story I find largely uncompelling

I find this to be a very accurate, and true account of some of the flaws in the prequels, not just RotS.

Naked plot devices - the prequels are jam packed with them. Hurried narrative, that's exactly what I mean when I say that everything feels rushed in episodes 1-3. IMO Lucas could have either started the prequels with Anakin as a 12 year old instead of a 9 year old, and skip the whole little boy thing - or he could have taken the longer, and more painful route and fleshed out the prequels properly - by making the prequels #1-6, and changing the OT from 7-9. But I do see why that wouldn't and couldn't work. People would have been all over him for sucking people dry with 3, and Lucas has a penchant for symmetry. 3 originals, 3 prequels.

In the end, I still like the prequels, I just see less reasons to like them than I do the OT. They could have been a lot better IMO. A LOT better. I think if they had taken the same approach with the prequels as they did with the originals (Lucas' story - but others handle the script & directing) things would have turned out a lot differently. As it stands I believe that Lucas was too concerned with the technical aspects of the movie - the sounds, the effects...and I don't think he needed to be to micromanagerial for that. Effects can be reworked and redone and rereleased but you can't reshoot the scenes once the film has been released.