In Defence of the Star Wars Prequels

"A long time ago in a galaxy far away.................... a young director by the name of George Lucas told a story of warriors, aliens, stormtroopers and robots. This story became a landmark in film history as it mixed mythology with science fiction, it created a futuristic universe that we became invested in for 4 decades, that story is Star Wars. A spectacular saga of motion pictures that told the tale of a young knight whose mission was to bring peace to a republic and to save his father from himself, these films touched the hearts of millions with its detailed stories, memorable characters, revolutionary effects, creative designs and thrilling action. They were not lying when they said this series was ahead of it's time, which is why it will forever be admired by generations and generations to come. But with all these things said, with all the impact it has brought to people's lives I just have one thing to say..............................................................................................how come the same isn't said about the prequels?"

As you can tell from that intro I'm quite a Star Wars fanatic, I just about adore a good amount of what this series had to offer. This is a franchise that literally changed my entire perspective on film as well as story-telling in general. What sets it apart from other science fiction films is how it takes a lot from different mythology and history and puts them in a galactic setting. As someone who was never into sci-fi as a child, I considered this a huge exception with how fantastic it was and can understand why so many consider it a remarkable piece of film history. So as you can imagine George Lucas decided to create 3 prequels to explain how the character's origins and their settings came to be; and as you can also imagined I've watch them too. But as I've grown older I've begun to notice that both fans and critics completely slam these prequels like they've ruined the original trilogy for them. People say that the prequels cannot live up to such a legacy and that George Lucas didn't know what he was doing anymore. Well from my point of view................I love them; but not in an ironic way, I genuinely love them as good films in general.

Hear me out, everyone has their own points of view on film; which is why they're free to express that, so why shouldn't anyone say anything positive about the Star Wars prequels. It's just that it baffles me; when people are so mad over a series of films that clearly have good film ascetics and do a good job at capturing the spirit of the original series, while also expanding on what made it so great. I don't mean to judge you but it still baffles me, I could understand if a few amount of fans didn't like them but a large majority! Most of what is said about these prequels is non-existing inconsistencies, nick picking and biased nonsense from one-sided fanboys who can't let go of their nostalgia and except some minor changes.........my point is I want to present a more respectable review that these Star Wars prequels deserve.

Let's start appropriately with what was intended to be the opening chapter to Star Wars, with The

Phantom Menace. The film begins with a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his master Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson), as they escape from the Trade Federation, after an unsuccessful attempt to end a blockade of battleships around the planet Naboo. They also rescue Queen Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) through the blockade. They land on the planet Tatooine with the comic-relief Gungan character 'Jar Jar Binks' and 'R2D2' to tag along with them. When looking for parts to repair their ship, Qui-Gon and Padme meet a young boy called Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). Qui-Gon notices that Anakin is gifted with wisdom and talent, convinced that he could be the 'chosen one' unaware of his dark future. So after Anakin wins a pod race, the group takes him to the Jedi Council to train him as a Jedi. But the council along with Yoda believe he is vulnerable to the 'Dark Side'. So now Queen Amidala joins an alliance with the Gungans to defeat the Trade Federation.

I'll start off by saying this, growing up this was my introduction to Star Wars; and I can imagine this was many kid's early exposure to the franchise at the time. This is probably going to be one of my most controversial opinions but, this movie for me is the very definition of a movie I really like but everyone else hates. I personally don't see any problems with the story at all, I believe it contains the elements that make a great Star Wars film, as well as a good sci-fi film. It's got action, drama, unique robotic and alien designs, imaginative worlds, and an extension to its mythology; so why do fans consider this a "disappointment" to a well-loved film series. So there are plot points that involve political talks and negotiations, does it really distract from the action. I think one of the reasons why I do not get the hatred surrounding this movie, is because like any Star Wars film I believe there is plenty of action. A film needs to take it's time to stop and let the action parts sink in, it needs to build anticipation so the best scenes feel worth waiting for. It also needs time to establish the character's motivations and story, it should be able to have a balance of story and action and make some world building. If 95% of the movie isn't devoted to politics and debates, I don't see what makes the story convoluted and lacklustre. Also, the pod race scene is not the only good part of the movie; it's intense it utilises the sound effects extremely well and it's fun to watch. It shows what a major sports event would look like in a futuristic/sci-fi setting.

Being a 'Lucasfilms' product, The Star Wars prequels aren't technically bad in terms of visuals. On that note, the film looks as incredible as any Star Wars movie should. Everything is designed beautifully from the costumes, the technology, to the planets the characters inhabit in. They showed that you could create galactic environments and make it rich in civilisation. The best and strongest part of the movie would have to be the climactic last third, in which we see the war from 4 different perspectives. In my opinion this last third contains everything that makes Star Wars great, you have to admit these sequences are filled with suspense, thrills and great cinematography. We can all agree the battle between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Darth Maul is terrific, John William's brilliant score matches perfectly with the intense imagery; I for one consider 'Duel of the Fates' to be his greatest score hands down; which is saying a lot. One improvement that the prequels have over the original are the lightsaber fights, they incorporate a lot more choreography, they have a much grander weight to them.

Like I said 'The Phantom Menace' was my first exposure to Star Wars, and I'm not ashamed of that. It's a film that I watched growing up and I have fond memories of it. You're probably saying that I should have grown out of it and that I'm letting nostalgia get the better of me. But here's the thing; I tried watching this with a more critical perspective and, I enjoyed myself. What I also find interesting about this film is the hype surrounding it, how fans lined up in anticipation. In fact, people did like this film when they first saw it, so what made them change their minds. If you actually look past some of the stuff like Jar Jar Binks (which I'll get to in a bit) you'll find that it's a really fun, well-written thrill ride.

The next film was "Attack of the Clones"; set 10 years after the events of Episode 1, the galaxy is on
the blink of civil war organised by former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Anakin (Haden Christiansen) is now the apprentice of Obi-Wan, Padme has become senator. So when they meet each other for the first time in years; Anakin is assigned to protect Padme after there have been attempts to assassinate her, which leads to them forming a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, Jedis aren't allowed to fall in love or have children with anyone. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is sent to investigate the identity of a bounty hunter. It's later shown that Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) made a decision to form a clone army; with Jango Fett (Father of Boba Fett) serving as genetic template, these would eventually become the storm-troopers. I remember when I was younger and I saw this in the theatres, and I enjoyed everything about it. But are these characters' adventures still as epic and action-packed as I remember?

With how many times I saw this one and after I knew what was coming, the impact of seeing Episode 2 for the first time has changed for me. That's not to say that I grew to dislike this instalment if anything I've grown somewhat of an appreciation for it. Fans often argue if 'Attack of the Clones' is better or worse than 'The Phantom Menace', in some cases they pick and choose which aspects of both films have it either way. But here's where I stand; much like the previous movie, I think the good outweighs the bad. Once again it has a decent balance of action and storytelling, there are characters that make more of an impact. For example, we actually see a Jedi called Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson) and Yoda use their Jedi fighting skills. Admit it; you liked seeing Yoda duke it out, it shows how powerful and agile a creature he is despite his age and small stature. The scenes like the one in the droid factory and the battle on Geonosis are fun to watch, these were the scenes we ate up when we were young because there's so much to behold.

It's not on the same level as the original trilogy by any means, but as an action blockbuster filled with neat effects and a lot going on. I say it's worth a weekend watch; you can get enjoyment from it if you don't think about it.

And now last but not least; we come to the big turning point for the series, "Revenge of the Sith".

Of the prequels, this is the one where all we've known Star War for is established. Anakin's transition to the dark side, the fall of the Jedi, the rise of the empire and the birth of Luke and Leia. In this third part of the prequels, we finally learn of how the story of Star Wars came into place. After Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue Chancellor Palpatine from Count Dooku, Anakin starts to become more acquainted with the chancellor. He also learns that Padme is pregnant; it seems like wonderful news at first, till he has a dream that tells him that she might die when giving birth. Shocked with the fear of losing her, he confides to Palpatine for help. But could it be that Palpatine may have ulterior motives, and isn't he the person he claims to be? Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is sent on a mission to kill the Kaleesh cyborg General Grievous (Matthew Wood). If you have seen the original trilogy, you'd know how everything ends up, but I know you saw this film at the time just so you can find out how everything came to be, didn't you?

Out of the prequels, this is the one fans seem to like the most. Part of that comes from the amount of fan service it gives, as it gives throwbacks to the original. People also like it more because it has the most action scenes, and that it makes up for what they didn't like about the previous films. But in my opinion, the other films already had good action, drama and character development, this one decided to up the ante. I for one appreciate this film more and more as I think about it; it has a tight plot, strong visuals, developed characters, it has what I want to see in a good Star Wars movie. I could see how fans could consider Episode 3 as the more credible of the prequels, though they still take issue with it. It actually caught me off guard the first time I learned that Palpatine was the Sith Lord, which makes him look more diabolical. Once again this film offers an epic climax between the empire and the republic; the scene in which Anakin and Obi-Wan battle each other is particularly suspenseful, as we see their companionship fall apart.

The last third is hard to watch; not because it's so bad or poorly made, but for how intentionally tragic it is. We sympathise for Anakin and his plight, so to see what he becomes and the effect it has on the republic and the people who care about him is tragedy at it's finest. It's definitely the darkest in the entire series, as we see Anakin's transformation to Darth Vader. You can feel the pain and anguish these characters go through, with these turn of events. So if you're curious to know how everything turns out; I recommend you watch this, especially if you're into origin stories. You might enjoy as its own film, it has a tragic ending but it ends on a note that gives you a sense of hope.

Now that I've looked at all 3 of these films, I want to look at the criticism people have made with the prequels and offer my 2 cents.

The Writing is Awful
This is quite a debatable point, but I don't hate the writing in these films. As I said I think the stories are well written and add to the history of the Star Wars universe. The writing can make or break a story, and it's not as easy as it looks. George Lucas doesn't get enough credit these days, he knows how to tell a strong story like he did in the past. You could say that he had help writing the original, but I can't help but to admire his determination. People criticise the dialogue in these films, here's the thing though; not all dialogue has to be on the same level as Shakespeare folks. Granted the original series had very iconic and quotable lines that people still remember, that doesn't mean these films don't have memorable quotes and scenes. You might say that you remember them for the wrong reasons, but it's not like people didn't criticise the writing in the original. For me personally, all three of these tell strong plots that tie up well together, and in the third one, we can see how it bridges both trilogies.
I'll admit not all the writing is solid gold, but I can't help to be drawn to the character's dilemmas. So to say that the writing is bad is harsh in my opinion, it's not like you can do better?

The Acting is Wooden and Stilted

Is it, do all the actors and actress' do a bad job? There were some very talented people to portray these characters such as Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Samuel L Jackson, Brian Blessed and Christopher Lee. Even Frank Oz and Ian McDiarmid reprise their roles. What exactly makes their performance so dull? These actors have given good performances in other roles, so what makes it different here? They're doing the best they could with the script they're given, but they have to do it under the direction. Actors have to trust their director a lot, but is it good, depends who you ask.
Which leads to my next point.

Anakin is Whiney!!!

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, as well as one of the most threatening antagonists of the franchise. So fans were disappointed to learn what he was before.
Fans weren't so keen on showing Anakin as a child, but I actually like that they showed this part of his past. It shows that even villains can start off innocent and aspiring, so you feel more for him once you go through his backstory. They also were not fond of Jake Lloyd's performance, but looking back he wasn't so bad. But what's sad about this is how Episode 1 made Jake's life harder, and how he had to deal with being picked on for this role. It affected his life so much that he would quit show business.
It's one thing not to like a performance, but to put so much pressure on a child is taking it too far.

People put a lot the blame on the performance of older Anakin, stating that Haden Christiansen does a bland performance. I know his delivery isn't great when you look at it a few times, and he gives Anakin a monotone voice. But there are moments where he pulls off the strong presence and gives the proper emotions. Haden can actually act well once they let him express himself visually, and when Anakin turns to the dark side, he looks very intimidating. They also complain about how much of a stubborn drama queen he can be, that he just wants his own way. I think the reason why he's so emotionally charged; is that he cares about the ones he loves, and fears that he'll lose them. And like many young minds, he disobeys some orders because he believes it's a better way. Even if he gets a big head. So you can't blame these actors for trying to portray the past of this character, but they deserve more respect than they should.

There's Too Much CGI

As much as I favour practical effects than computer-generated imagery; and admire the craftsmanship put into building actual sets and animatronics, you have to move with the times when making movies. The original trilogy was made in the 70s so there were limitations, and the makers could only make do with what they had. Then technology started to become a lot more advanced, and filmmakers used it to create imagery that couldn't be done before. So George Lucas and his crew took advance of the technology to make things more realistic. I mean if you look at 'Episode 1' it still has a mixture of practical sets and animatronics, and when it did use CGI it was done in a way that still looks convincing now. As long as the filmmakers are using the computer as a tool and not to replace other components; like the story, and like many tools, it depends on how you use it. Sure the CGI does not have the same feel as the original creatures and robots, but you have to admire the work that went into making it believable. They were able to create a wide variety of worlds that have a larger scope to them, many of them are even beautiful to look at. They've managed to show these settings in great detail, giving us vast landscapes, cities and a huge galaxy of imaginative worlds to explore. They feel dynamic when you see them from multiple angles

So I don't see much of an issue for Star Wars to be using CGI; I'm all for good old fashioned makeup, but you can do a lot with computers.

Midichlorians

Okay, I have somewhat learned to understand where fans are coming from with this one. It was revealed that to know you're a Jedi, there are living organisms in your body that send information of the force. This angered many fans for how it contradicted what has established about the 'force', fans saw the force as this mysterious power that Jedi's used as an allegory for divinity. Fans feel like the addition of 'midichlorians' took away the magic and wonder of the 'force'. But you can argue this idea was somewhat inspired in some way. It has been proven that people with a spiritual essence and energy, have water in their blood that's affected. You could argue they were doing their own take on this belief; they wanted to try to integrate this to the film's mythology. In fantasy, however; it's not a good idea to apply logic to a supernatural entity. Everyone has an ability to a certain degree, and we draw comparisons to our abilities with the 'force'.

Jar Jar Binks
Since his first appearance, Jar Jar has been seen as every fan's least favourite Star Wars character. He's considered by many to be a clumsy incompetent buffoon with an irritating voice, to the point where he's also been deemed as an offensive stereotype. I actually don't mind him too much. Don't get me wrong, he's there just to make jokes and isn't good at being in assisting the Jedis on their mission. But Jar Jar doesn't make many appearances in the prequel trilogy. Yes, fans have a right to hate that voice of his. But Ahmed Best created that voice from trying to amuse his young niece and nephews. His clumsy and odd body language is played for laughs; sure we have CP30 and R2D2 for that, but I think George wanted to do different things with the comic relief. We can roll our eyes with the pooh jokes and all, the point I'm trying to make is that Jar Jar is downplayed for the rest of the trilogy. That and we're reading too deeply into his character; just to find more reasons to hate him.

How rude!

Bottom line; I don't get the hatred with the Star Wars prequels, I genuinely consider them well made films that are just as good as the original series. Sure the original trilogy is a lot to live up to; but for what these films are, they have plenty of entertaining scenes and strong production values. So they appeal to my taste in storytelling, and they're more than fans give them credit for. It's just that Episode 1 and 2 were my first exposure to Star Wars; and they're what got me to watch the original, so you can't fault me for that. I also can't help but to admire George Lucas for being able to take his creation in the way he wanted to, without anyone standing in his way. He was persistent in extending the lore and story of these worlds and characters; no matter what, and I respect that determination being an artist myself. He made these films with the intentions to make what he thinks is a great project, and I can see the good in them (even if others don't). I'll say once and for all that, they're not the "dark side of the franchise" and I'm not lost for thinking so.

If you don't like the prequels; that's perfectly fine, as long as you're not ostracizing anyone who thinks otherwise. You can criticise and compare them to the original all you want, I watched these films with scrutiny and I couldn't help but to enjoy them all over again. Don't take it so personally when younger fans like myself like both trilogies equally; I mean if kids like the prequels, it doesn't matter what you think. They'll discover the original trilogy and will grow to appreciate it like we did. Just remember that film like all art forms is completely subjective, so we have the right to think as individuals. Don't shove your opinion down other people's throats and act like it's a fact because that isn't the Jedi way. Sure there are things better off as they are, and you can't fix what's not broken, but things change. Don't feel bad that these prequels didn't live up to your expectations; but just be grateful for what they are, after all, they could have been worse. If it's wrong to like the Star Wars prequels, I don't want to be right. If having that opinion on them makes you think I'm a "nerf herder", then so be it. I'm going to stand by that opinion, no matter what.

But now that there's new films in the Star Wars series, let's pray that fans have stopped whining and complaining about the franchise. And let's also pray that "The Last Jedi" will be amazing (as I'm writing this, I've not seen it). If these latest instalments prove anything; is that this series we've grown up with is in good hands. Just remember that the makers won't make it to pander to your demands, but they're making what they consider worthy of a good film. So please tell me the reasons why you don't like the Star Wars prequels (besides Jar Jar Binks) just so I can get a better understanding of the controversy. Feel free to share your own opinions in great detail, because I'm ever so interested to know. Whether you agree or disagree with me; draw your own conclusion on a great space opera, and may the force be with you.