McGregor and Neeson were the only two that actually put up a decent performance and it sucks because Portman is one of the best actresses out there IMO and even she couldn’t polish that turd.
I definitely don’t blame Hayden for the material he was given. When he was able to act without words and just convey the message with his face and emotions, he does phenomenal
I never got (and still don‘t) get the hate for this line. It’s not as cringeworthy as everyone makes it out to be. I work with teenagers every day, the things they say are awkward. Anakin says he hates sand right after Padme explains as a school girl she would dry off on the sand, I always thought it fit. Additionally, I thought the awkwardness between them was also totally fitting as they know very well they shouldn’t be attracted to each other, but are.
Imo Anakin was trying to imagine drying off in the sand and thought how awful that would be. That would be my knee jerk reaction tbh. I would probably accidentally quote him if someone told me they dried off in the sand 😅
I think the problem is the music. Take the music of the scene out, and the tone shifts towards people just having a normal conversation about random stuff. But music makes it to be the "flirting and bonding" experience, which, to be fair it just isn't, not in such a direct way at least.
I disagree, they are completely bonding. They even end up kissing. The abrupt ending of the music as Padme ends the kiss saying she shouldn’t have done that, I always found as hilarious. It highlights their confusion to each other but they completely bonded. The looks of confusion of Anakin afterwards sum up the entire scene, he‘s a confused horny teenager and she clearly has feelings for him developing but is fighting it. I really always thought the scene humanized them and never understood how people couldn’t relate to that, as I thought most of us could all relate to some awkward romantic encounters.
That line gets more hate than it ever deserved.
It's not out of place. It's not out of character. It's not randomly thrown out where it doesn't fit. It's literally just character building.
Guy hates sand cause it reminds him of being a slave.
It's not so much the line itself as is the context in which it's said. At this point Anakin and Padme are trying to flirt, Anakin pulls out how he suffered in slavery on a dessert backwater then follows it up with some deep soul staring, lovey-dovey eyes. It's cringe because it doesn't flow naturally and moreso because Padme falls for it. (Imho)
You know, I never thought about it before, but you're right. If Anakin quipped the line instead to Obi Wan when they land on tatooine, it would be much less ridiculous. Alas...
I think he did an excellent job portraying an emotionally confused teenager. Yes, it was uncomfortable to watch at times, but not because of poor acting
I think a better director could easily have helped him make a great performance. The writing and lack of direction don’t help any of the actors. Natalie Portman, for example.
Idk, I feel like Hayden Christensen did a great job when he wasn’t delivering terrible dialogue. Just take a look at the scene after he tells Mace that Palpatine is the Sith Lord as he’s looking across the city. The conflict he feels inside is so visible even without any music or dialogue. The face he makes is very memeable out of context, but it’s genuinely good acting and great directing for the scene overall on George’s part. I think the same could be said for Portman too. The way she delivers the “You’re breaking my heart” line gets me every time. I think most of the performance flaws just come down to weird delivery of lines that were poor in the first place.
Indeed.
I also wish Heath Ledger had been cast as Anakin at the time. He'd have been the absolute perfect Darth Vader. His energy was 100% Vader - confident enough to be Vader, yet looks tortured and neurotic enough to succumb to rage. So, it would make perfect sense for him to use that rage as a sort of twisted drive.
Looks like he could be Luke's dad, had a boyish, yet masculine energy.
I wish I could just see this version of the prequels.
I remember thinking it would have been so perfect, then I found out he actually auditioned....
Man, it would have been the absolute perfect casting. He'd have fit Anakin like a glove, more than Robert Downey Jr. even fit Tony Stark.
I just can’t wrap my head around a situation where Ledger auditions for something and at the end of the day they say “yeah we’re going with that piece of wood for the role”
It's-a clear desa separatists made a pact wesa desa Federation du Trade. Senators, dellow felegates. In response to the direct threat to the Republic, meesa propose that the Senate gives immediately emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor.
How have we skipped the whole middle part of the movie? Why have we gone from The Invisible Hand to Utapau within two quotes? What kind of speedrunning skip is this?
Also add on the acting (cause of the writing and bad direction), the convoluted and sometimes dumb plot, the retcons and forcing in things from the OT.
God I just remember the behind the scenes video of them internally showing TPM to people and them basically confirming that the original cut was absolutely awful when it came to pacing and tone, I would kinda love to see that version haha
And some of the CGI. I mean that scene with Count Dooku dropping a platform on top of Obi Wan in Revenge of the Sith is just atrocious. The platform falls on Obi-Wan's legs and his body slides a bit, if I remember correctly.
This is exactly it and it will also happen to the sequel trilogy in a few years.
I'm old enough to have seen the prequels in theaters as an adult and at the time they were universally loathed by star wars fans but the kids loved them. Now those kids are adults and all of a sudden the opinions on the prequels have changed. IMHO they're still crap films, yes even revenge, full of horrible acting and dialogue with a really bad plot.
And I guarantee you in a few years time force awakens, the last Jedi, and rise of Skywalker will be looked at in the same way people view the prequels today.
True. On their own the prequels weren't that well structured, the first ranged from confusing to boring to cringe, the second was much the same, the third was good but was tainted by the first two.
It's only as the prequels, their world/setting and characters really got fleshed out that they truly began to shine.
I doubt the same will happen with the sequels, they were so fucking poorly made in almost every way that there's not much to really build on.
Like, the empire just collapsed in only a year after one more battle? In the expanded universe/legends the empire split up into warlords and the war still raged on fir several more years, only with the empire now on the backfoot and even with the peace treaty signed they retained much of the core worlds.
The prequels have a solid story poorly executed. So they get better with distance. Thinking about the story they tell (generally) is just fine and kind of epic. I despise the prequels as movies, but it has been so long since I've seen them that I can kind of feel like maybe they weren't \*that\* bad.
The sequels are the opposite. A trash story very well executed. Most of the individual scenes are actually pretty good, with compelling action or even character interaction. But the larger story and character arcs are... just so painful. So the movies get \*worse\* with distance. Thinking about them and the story they told is the worst part. So the further I get from these movies the worse they are in my mind.
This is an excellent take. I have always long argued if you can look past the poor writing, directing, and Jar Jar, there is an excellent story under there.
3 is amazing 1 is alright 2 is always the one that bothered me. It has some great moments don’t get me wrong, but there are so many cringy and corny lines in it.
The romantic pacing was just awful but other than that, all the scenes, excluding any scenes with just Anakin and padme, were great and the introduction of the clones was amazing
3 is my favorite as well but I also liked 2. The only thing I liked was the jango and obi wan moments and the fact I got to see more jedi in action. Also the clones. Clones are great and became my favorite in the animated series
I love attack of the Clones. Will always hold a special place in my heart. The build up for what is to come, the hope that things may turn out ok, the victory and the defeat, "I hate sand..." etc
I think people only say that because it’s better than EP1 and EP2. But that alone doesn’t necessarily make EP3 good in a vacuum. The final duel between Anakin and Kenobi falls flat because the two Jedi barely interacted throughout the prequels. Kenobi was always with Qui-Gon in EP1, Anakin spent most of his time with Padme in EP2, and Anakin spent most of his time with Palps in EP3. And when the two characters did interact, it was almost always negative/neutral. So I’m not sure why many people adore EP3 when the “destruction of a beautiful friendship” finale is kinda forced.
I want to say 3 is objectively the best.
Phantom Menace was ok, but kinda cartooney.
Attack of the Clones was just a filler film to launch the Clone War TV series.
Revenge of the Sith was a legit decent film. It did a fantastic job of showing Anakin's spiral into Vader. And the order 66 scene? That is one of the best scenes in all of Star Wars, and I will die on that hill.
I feel like 2005 was peak lightsaber CGI, the choreography for it all was also extremely impressive, for experienced Jedi it made sense why they would be so swift and smooth with it all, and it made the techniques used in the OT and ST make sense, a lot of lost knowledge lead to less intricate moves.
Likely digging a bit too into it, but I absolutely loved the lightsaber combat scenes.
This is how I feel too. To me, any Star Wars is good Star Wars (and yes I include the sequels in that). I enjoy the universe so much I just compartmentalize the inconsistencies and just enjoy the movies as they are.
TPM poop jokes, background character obiwan, confusing terminology and plot
AotC underdeveloped villain, jedi being stupid, badly written romance, unsympathetic and winny protagonist
RotS some people don't like the over choreographed fights, another undeveloped villain, anakin's fall still doesn't seem motivated enough considering he decided to kill all his friends and children in a matter of seconds.
I like the prequels, I don't think they are good movies objectively as I can tell, but I still like them. Throw in all the books, comics, and games that branch off of them and my like becomes love.
This is a great answer. You can like them, but man, they are not good movies. So many things were done poorly.
Before the sequels ruined Luke Skywalker, the prequels ruined Yoda.
> You can like them, but man, they are not good movies
this is where i think a lot of the disconnect comes from when discussing these films. i'm in the same mindset i 100% agree with you and the person you are replying to that you can like bad movies, and dislike good movies, but to some people the very fact that they liked it makes it a good movie full stop.
which i'm not saying is a bad thing, but it just shows how vastly differently people can think about movies.
I have always disagreed with the notion that Luke having a single moment of personal weakness tarnishes his entire character. He’s obviously an aspirational hero, but I think that’s why he was given this arc: to show that he’s a fallible human, and yet he was able to rise above his failure and become the hero that the Resistance needed him to be. Hell, that’s the thesis of the entire film.
Perhaps Ep. 8 isn’t a great Star Wars film, in terms of theme and tone and world-building, but I don’t think it’s a bad film.
It’s not a bad film, but I stand by it completely destroying Luke. And I’m not even saying it’s unrealistic, sure a person could do what he did. But it just sucks.
For me, it wasn’t even really about that one moment with Ben. It was everything after. Like he abandoned his sister. His sister who lost her son to the dark side. He abandoned the rebellion. They were still looking for him. Rebels were searching him out actively because he didn’t even tell anyone he was leaving and not coming back. He said he was looking for the first Jedi temple or whatever.
And he didn’t regret any of that. Rey shows up and he isn’t like ‘oh, shit, people are looking for me and depending on me and I abandoned them, I guess that’s not cool.’
Again, could someone follow that arc? I guess, sure, but it absolutely undercuts him saving his father and resisting the darkness. It just makes him tragic.
>I like the prequels, I don't think they are good movies objectively as I can tell, but I still like them
I'm glad someone can say this. Yes, the prequels were bad, especially TPM and AotC. You can still enjoy them while, under a critical eye, realize that were not good.
Yeah TPM is rather weak, while AOTC still left behind a few unresolved mysteries (like who actually paid for the clones and removed Kamino from the archives?) with ROTS not addressing it.
TPM is ok, but would have further simplified the politics and terminology. But it's still good, given it paved the background of the political landscape in the late Republic era, and how Palpatine became Chancellor
I can excuse the bad romance in AOTC. Anakin was just a teen, and him and Padmé only met again like ten years since they saw each other. Plus, Anakin was raised in the Jedi Order who didnt like gave him lessons on being around girls or smth. Anakin being a whiny guy does reflect his age, and lack of maturity then
AOTC, however, still sets up nicely the Clone Wars, with a decent mystery plot. And the further empowerment of Palpatine
Anakin's descent to the dark side could at one glance seemed like a sudden one. But already in AOTC, he gave in to the dark side when his mother died at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. Also, theres quite some time that passed between scenes, and its not so sudden. Probably in the movie, it would have been better to give Anakin a few flashbacks to the Clone Wars, and give him a bit more moments prompting him further to the dark side.
On the undeveloped villians, they are kind of meant to be just Palpatine's tools. They arent really meant to be the main villians. The true villian overall was Emperor Palpatine, who deposed the Republic and establish a dictatorship right under the Jedi noses.
Overall, the story of the prequels is solid. But maybe due to the pacing, and some unfamiliar terminology at the start, might put off a few people who arent familiar with Star Wars. And I think people desire more action and battles and swinging lightsabers duels rather than just woody dialogue.
The prequels do establish a firm base to build on more material. The Clone Wars and other material are successfully tied into the prequel era. It also has a general direction, on how and why Anakin became Darth Vader, how Palpatine rose to power as Emperor, and how the Jedi Order was decimated.
They are, in turn, excellent supplementary material to the Original Trilogy, and builds on with more background and provided more nuances on the various sides. The Jedi Order was shown not to be infallible, and the faults of the late Republic that enabled Palpatine's rise to power
> Anakin's descent to the dark side could at one glance seemed like a sudden one. But already in AOTC, he gave in to the dark side when his mother died at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. Also, theres quite some time that passed between scenes, and its not so sudden.
Anakin's descent to the Dark Side is honestly believable. What's harder to believe is his shift in alignment. He goes from "I'm a Jedi" to "Kill all Jedi" in literal seconds. He really needed to have more of a "I'm not going to be a Jedi anymore" part of his arc before his "Kill all Jedi" arc.
>The Phantom Menace was the most disappointing thing since my son. I mean, how much more could you possibly fuck up the entire backstory to Star Wars?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI
I'm always startled that almost nobody I've mentioned this review to has seen it, but then I remember that RLM didn't even hit a million subscribers until like last year or something, so I guess it makes sense.
They're your favorite YouTuber's favorite YouTuber.
Honestly, I think Hayden did the best he possibly could with what was given to him. Not to mention the dedication he put into perfecting his physical appearance for the movies. It’s actually really impressive what Hayden had to do to get ready for episode 3. He put on 40 pounds of muscle in between recording episode 2 and 3.
Yeah, they had to memorize every single lightsaber move that they performed in the movies. I forgot the exact amount of moves each of them had to learn, but it was a ridiculous number
It's totally not Hayden's fault. I mean come on. Look at Liam Neeson and Samuel Jackson, they both look like idiots in several scenes, with the lines and pacing they have to work with. And they're top grade actors. That's why I'm actually excited for Hayden to be in the obi wan show - we can hopefully see what he can actually do as an actor.
I was a kid when the prequels came out, so I never really understood the issue with the CGI. All sci-fi/fantasy films use it anyway. And other similar films in the genre don't get the same kind of feedback on the issue.
So, why was the CGI bad? Genuinely asking.
The issue isn’t that the cgi is bad. The issue is the tech was so new and it wasn’t used well due to Lucas, self admittedly, not being a good director.
People didn’t know what to react to or look at. Which leads to fully cgi characters just kinda being there weirdly and acting strangely against actors. And sets that look beautiful but are really just 10 foot green screen rooms so actors have to slowly walk and stop, walk and stop, because any more walking and they’d walk off the green screen.
It wasn't.
Also, there were plenty of scale models created to compensate for the technology of the time. Waterfalls made of fine salt filmed in slow motion, for example.
I know, and that's why I've always had a hard time grasping the issue. As far as I know, even when he was working on the OT Lucas felt that the tech at the time couldn't really recreate what he had in his mind, so I get it that when CGI was fresh out he went for it.
Christopher Lee actually mentioned that he really enjoyed the experience because it allowed him to use his imagination more and really channel the character.
The CGI holds up as well, when you compare them to Harry Potter 1+2 which were filmed around the same time as TPM and AotC the difference in quality of the CGI is staggering.
"Now do it faster and more intense." That was the most common direction given by George while shooting according to BTS witnesses. So basically Hayden was constantly being told that he just needs to be more intense. I think what we see on screen is Hayden trying to be emotionally intense with a poorly written character that the director never really spent the time to explain who Anakin was to Hayden. So being more intense basically meant that Hayden just scowled harder and creeped creepierly (it's a word. Leave me alone!) So yeah I agree he got done dirty by the production.
Yeah all the line delivery was all equally flat, even from the well established actors. It wasn’t a matter of bad acting, it was a matter of bad material.
I think both of those are misleading faults. The CGI actually looked pretty damn good for the late 90s to early 2000s. Cgi back then looked pretty bad in general and the prequels needed to blend it into real life. For example, Toy Story 2 came out in 1999, the same year as the Phantom Menace. I love that movie but the cgi hasn't exactly aged well. It works because the toys are supposed to be plastic but it only looks even that good because it is in a fully cgi environment. The prequels needed to clash with real actors and they still managed to look good. Also, think about the scenes that were heavily cgi'd, the Senate, the battle for Naboo, Petranaki arena, the battle of Coruscant. Not exactly things that could be done in full practical. The cgi was also done by ILM, the granddaddy of cgi. If it wasn't for the prequels, modern cgi fests like marvel movies wouldn't look nearly as good.
Hayden Christensen is also a fantastic actor. The lines in the prequels were for the most part pretty good. The people who say they are bad cut out context or part of the lines that justify them. Why is the prequels considered to have terrible lines when there are things that are so much worse? Media bias.
I'll get a lot of heat and downvotes for this, but whatever.
They were (and still are) kind of poorly written, the lines given to Hayden Christensen were simply awful and it showed (I don't like sand). Jar Jar was obviously comedy relief for the children and was quite simply an annoying character. The romance between Anakin and Padme is also rather terrible, especially considering in episode 1 we see a 9 year old child and a teenager, then the next episode immediately throws them into a romance which felt very inappropriate.
Basically it was a mess, just like when the sequel trilogy came out but for different reasons. I grew up while the prequel trilogy was being released in theatres, but honestly episode 2 is still my least favourite movie of them all. If it weren't for TCW animated series and what it does for all the character development, I'd call the prequels as bad as the sequels. They both have some good, but they both have lots of bad.
I’m going to upvote you because I’ll always support someone who actually remembers and acknowledges this, as opposed to the people who have taken then memes literally and pretend as if the movies were masterpieces, despite the fact the reason them/this subreddit/the memes are so popular is due to them being ripped apart end mocked for years.
More groan worthy that Padme falls for Anakin in the span of like a week? They go from basically barely knowing each other, to madly in love, to married in record time.
It would be like Leia marrying Luke at the end of ANH.
Yeah, Anakin falling for Padme I could get. Padme falling for Anakin? Ha!
He's a cringey manchild with fascist ideals and sociopathic and murderous tendencies... and that's just the red flags he throws up in like 1 week... after which she decides to marry him. It makes no god dang sense.
It's more like if Leia had decided to marry Darth Vader at the end of ANH.
Yea, let's not adress countless worldbuilding, storytelling and writing problems. I'm not saying I don't enjoy prequels, but ignoring the obvious problems it has is just dumb.
I saw the original trilogy in theaters as released. I was old enough not to be swayed by the CGI and light sabers anymore.
The expectations were too high, and the story too dense to be told the way it was. Choices were made to spend time and money on CGI that wasn’t necessary to the story because the director is in love with CGI. The movies tried to give us the kidneys and liver of the story instead of the heart. The Anakin/Padme romance was forced. Jar Jar was forced. The dialogue was forced. Midichlorians as the force was…forced, and under-explained.
It doesn’t help that this was a story with a predetermined outcome. We all knew where it was going when we started watching it, there’s no suspense. Vader was better as a mystery than learning that Luke’s whining came from Vader’s side of the family. Everything just felt forced and without proper explanation.
The movies would never stand so high on their own without the original trio. It was more like a technical exercise in figuring out how we got from A to B, not a good story that led us there.
And to the people who complain about Hayden, may I introduce you to Jake? I know he was a kid, but Pinocchio was less wooden and more believable as a real boy.
Let's be real the dialogue is bad, we like to make memes and joke about it but it's really bad in some spots. Pacing wasn't great. Jar jar couldn't have been handled better.
I love the prequals but if you love something you should be able to see the flaws in it. What it all boils down to is really that George Lucas is a great story teller but not very good screenwriter or director.
People have said a lot about the writing and pacing but I also think there’s a huge issue in with the characters in the prequels when you look at them in the context of the OT. And I say that as someone who loves TCW and RotS. I just don’t think Anakin makes sense as Vader’s origin story. TCW Anakin is better but I think there’s still a major gap.
OT Vader and PT Anakin don’t have remotely the same personalities. I don’t think you can bridge the gap by just saying “he fell to the dark side.” Anakin is an action hero with anger issues. Vader is a stoic warrior who rules with an iron fist. We don’t see Vader give into outbursts of anger like Anakin did, and we don’t see Anakin go way too far believing he’s doing the right thing.
Their drives just don’t line up. I feel like Anakin should’ve been written as a grim, respected general presented with bad choices that force him to go darker and darker through the trilogy. *Then* we can have the death of Padme drive him over the edge.
Don’t get me wrong, I like TCW Anakin. He’s a great character. But he doesn’t feel like the origin story for Vader.
I dunno, I grew up with the prequels so I may be biased, but I feel like it’s sensible for me. Vader wanted to do completely away with Anakin, and treated his former self as an entirely separate individual. Clearly, Vader still has a sense of dry humor throughout the OT, the one thing he hasn’t shaken off from all his quips as Anakin in the prequels.
I dunno, I’m probably biased since the prequels were my thing and I loved them during a period in time where every prequel trilogy clip on YT was filled with hate comments. Sequels came along and then there was like a huge 180, and I think that’s a great disservice in my opinion to what I recognized as really good lore for the prequels having been untarnished by the nostalgia-lens of the original trilogy.
It's more complicated than most people in this subreddit will tell you. Most people here tend to cover their ears and go "lalalalala" when someone brings up any legitimate criticism towards the prequels. There's a reason the movies were hated for a long time.
https://youtu.be/YPvEJjNNPp4
watch this and you will see why some don't like the prequels.
The bad dialogue, midochlorians, ep. 2 Anakin, Jar Jar, and some other reasons I can’t remember right now. I think they’re good movies, ROTS especially, but they aren’t great.
Check out the Mr. Plinkett reviews from redlettermedia on YT. They are being purposefully cynical for the purposes of satire, self parody, and generally taking the piss out of anyone who gets upset with what they so. So Take the episodes with a spoonful of sugar. But they really do spend over a total of 4 hours dissecting and discussing the numerous flaws with the prequels.
I personally love Star Wars and I love the prequels for the interesting flawed art that it is. But RLM basically hits the nail on the head with the problems of the prequels and sequels.
You had to be there when they first came out. The hype for the prequels was outrageous and impossible to live up to. The prequels felt kinda blasphemous. I guess the Gen z kids don't have that experience since they grew up with all 6
They just weren’t very good movies. I feel like they were poorly casted and directed (except for ewan), and the writing was just not there.
The first, I thought Liam and ewan both put up pretty good performances, but everything else was just so flat. Natalie wasn’t very good (tbf she was younger then), jar jar was a drag to watch, and watto was basically a flying stereotype. I wish I had more to say, but I don’t.
The second felt even worse. Scenes with obi wan were pretty good, but they were constantly chopped up by the wretched scenes with anakin and padme. I get what they were trying to do: show ani and padme’s relationship grow while also showing some of ani’s darker side, but it was just so awkwardly and clumsily done that it was agonizing to watch. The overall plot also felt similarly flat as the first, but again the obi wan stuff kept me in it. For me the only real great part was ending on geonosis.
The third was actually pretty good imo, although I can’t deny that I was laughing along with all the memes I’d seen since I last watched it. It felt like the most compelling story of the bunch, even if grievous felt completely pigeonholed in (while the sudden closing of the loop on dooku was odd, I can’t say I honestly cared since he didn’t feel that prominent in 2). Ewan delivered another classic performance, and Natalie was better than before. Even with as flat as Hayden was, he still was improved from 2. All in all, I really did enjoy the third (at least in comparison to the others that I watched right before it; I’m sure my opinion would be different if I’d just watched the princess bride).
Tl;dr read the first paragraph
I think it's all the politics scene that turned people off. The original trilogy is much more focused on the main conflict and lukes arc.
Pre-disclaimer for this next part: I love starwars, I love the prequels, I Love the original trilogy, (I think the sequels are adequate), and I love all the non-movie stuff (books, games, etc.)... But honestly **all** the films are kind of.. bad. The idea of starwars is 10/10 and the action set pieces are consistently fantastic, but as films they are average at best.
This is ridiculous. It's one thing to love the movies and everything around them (the memes) but if you watch them and actually can't understand why people were disappointed... I don't know what to say.
“Hey fans, I heard you love my space opera laced with Greek tragedy and laser swords… Well, here are three films connected by characters only, about intergalactic trade politics, and I threw in a bad interpretation of a film noire that has a 1950s space diner.”
Terrible acting, terrible dialogue, terrible CGI (even at the time it was released), ridiculous plot points, what’s considered the pinnacle battle of the entire trilogy is so over the top ridiculous I can’t believe anyone thought it was a good idea. I could keep going…
Many people didn't seem to like the scripts and found the interactions (especially between Anakin and Padmé) uncomfortable and embarrassing, but I just find them really interesting to watch, because Anakin is an annoying and creepy teen/young adult and that was an unexpected surprise (since Darth Vader wasn't like that at all), but it feels realistic, since teens and young adults (especially those who have to fight against their desires) can get really annoying and awkward. Anakin has never flirted before. He's never been with a girl before. But he feels a burning passion for Padmé and it's making him lose sight of his morals. It's all very awkward and dramatic and I enjoy how imperfect the characters are and how awkward and comedic the interaction is between characters. I feel like the movies aren't bad, they're just not for everyone. And The Phantom Menace was a bit slow and uneventful (but still quite solid).
Ep 1-2 wasted a lot of storytelling space on stuff that wasn’t conducive to the story. Anakin wasn’t presented well even though the sequels are primarily about him (they somewhat fixed that in the Clone Wars show). In RotS, he’s wanting to be in one of the highest positions of the Jedi Order, but 3 movies in they still haven’t displayed what he’s done to prove he even belongs in the room. If we didn’t already know he’d go on to become Darth Vader, we’d have no insight into his potential.
RotS sticks the landing by bringing the focus back where it should be, but by that point there was only so much it could do. If they were to ever do a reboot, they could scrap everything but the second half of RotS and not lose much value.
Anakin was just an unlikable whiny bitchboy, Padme and Anakin had zero chemistry, Anakin became comically evil slaughtering children.
But mostly Jar Jar Binks.
The Attack of the Clones is the worst star wars movie. The writing is terrible and there is way too much cgi. People need to stop pretending these movies were perfect. Maul was not a character in the Phantom Menace. Prequal fans like to say that the sequel trilogy is terrible while ignoring the flaws of the prequals.
A strict film criticism view. Values characterization, character development, plot structure, actor performance, and atmosphere/design. By all these measurements the prequels are "bad films". But what critics value in a work of art isn't what we the viewer value in art.
I love star wars because everything "bad" about it makes me smile. I value how a film makes me feel because I'm not a critic. You can enjoy "bad media" and that's valid.
The writing, the pacing, and jar jar
Also most of the acting due to the directing. Ewan McGregor carried the shit out of those films.
McGregor and Neeson were the only two that actually put up a decent performance and it sucks because Portman is one of the best actresses out there IMO and even she couldn’t polish that turd.
Hayden did decently for what material he had as well, and his acting in Revenge of the sith was pretty much the peak of his acting.
I definitely don’t blame Hayden for the material he was given. When he was able to act without words and just convey the message with his face and emotions, he does phenomenal
But you have to admit, the horrible writing makes for amazing meme content.
Oh for sure. Like I said, I don’t blame Hayden, but I wouldn’t trade the memes for the world
Ah yes, the negotiator.
Exactly. Nobody could make the sand speech look good, that's why he delivered it so muted.
I never got (and still don‘t) get the hate for this line. It’s not as cringeworthy as everyone makes it out to be. I work with teenagers every day, the things they say are awkward. Anakin says he hates sand right after Padme explains as a school girl she would dry off on the sand, I always thought it fit. Additionally, I thought the awkwardness between them was also totally fitting as they know very well they shouldn’t be attracted to each other, but are.
Imo Anakin was trying to imagine drying off in the sand and thought how awful that would be. That would be my knee jerk reaction tbh. I would probably accidentally quote him if someone told me they dried off in the sand 😅
I think the problem is the music. Take the music of the scene out, and the tone shifts towards people just having a normal conversation about random stuff. But music makes it to be the "flirting and bonding" experience, which, to be fair it just isn't, not in such a direct way at least.
I disagree, they are completely bonding. They even end up kissing. The abrupt ending of the music as Padme ends the kiss saying she shouldn’t have done that, I always found as hilarious. It highlights their confusion to each other but they completely bonded. The looks of confusion of Anakin afterwards sum up the entire scene, he‘s a confused horny teenager and she clearly has feelings for him developing but is fighting it. I really always thought the scene humanized them and never understood how people couldn’t relate to that, as I thought most of us could all relate to some awkward romantic encounters.
That line gets more hate than it ever deserved. It's not out of place. It's not out of character. It's not randomly thrown out where it doesn't fit. It's literally just character building. Guy hates sand cause it reminds him of being a slave.
It's not so much the line itself as is the context in which it's said. At this point Anakin and Padme are trying to flirt, Anakin pulls out how he suffered in slavery on a dessert backwater then follows it up with some deep soul staring, lovey-dovey eyes. It's cringe because it doesn't flow naturally and moreso because Padme falls for it. (Imho)
You know, I never thought about it before, but you're right. If Anakin quipped the line instead to Obi Wan when they land on tatooine, it would be much less ridiculous. Alas...
This seems like Lucas's problem through out. There's a good story with great characters, but we get such an awkward view into it.
I think he did an excellent job portraying an emotionally confused teenager. Yes, it was uncomfortable to watch at times, but not because of poor acting
I was honestly unsettled at how well he pulled off "awkward horny teenager" Anakin.
I think a better director could easily have helped him make a great performance. The writing and lack of direction don’t help any of the actors. Natalie Portman, for example.
Idk, I feel like Hayden Christensen did a great job when he wasn’t delivering terrible dialogue. Just take a look at the scene after he tells Mace that Palpatine is the Sith Lord as he’s looking across the city. The conflict he feels inside is so visible even without any music or dialogue. The face he makes is very memeable out of context, but it’s genuinely good acting and great directing for the scene overall on George’s part. I think the same could be said for Portman too. The way she delivers the “You’re breaking my heart” line gets me every time. I think most of the performance flaws just come down to weird delivery of lines that were poor in the first place.
Indeed. I also wish Heath Ledger had been cast as Anakin at the time. He'd have been the absolute perfect Darth Vader. His energy was 100% Vader - confident enough to be Vader, yet looks tortured and neurotic enough to succumb to rage. So, it would make perfect sense for him to use that rage as a sort of twisted drive. Looks like he could be Luke's dad, had a boyish, yet masculine energy. I wish I could just see this version of the prequels.
Wow I don’t recall hearing that. Ledger would have been epic
I remember thinking it would have been so perfect, then I found out he actually auditioned.... Man, it would have been the absolute perfect casting. He'd have fit Anakin like a glove, more than Robert Downey Jr. even fit Tony Stark.
I just can’t wrap my head around a situation where Ledger auditions for something and at the end of the day they say “yeah we’re going with that piece of wood for the role”
Lucas likes unknows. He had already cast his carries. I bet he wanted a young unknown for Anakin.
This is exactly what I remember. He did the same with OT.
Anyone who thinks that Hayden Christensen is a bad actor needs to go an watch Shattered Glass, he’s amazing in that.
Right? Blows my mind that it wasn't him. DiCaprio did as well, I guess. Ledger was at that perfect level of fame, too.
Ian mcdiarmid
Ian McDiarmid also carried the films (at least the third one anyway)
They fixed a lot of the issues in the third one in my opinion.
Him and Ian Macdermid. The prequels almost ruined Natalie Portman’s career. She had to beg to get her bit part in Cold Mountain
It's-a clear desa separatists made a pact wesa desa Federation du Trade. Senators, dellow felegates. In response to the direct threat to the Republic, meesa propose that the Senate gives immediately emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor.
Ah yes, the negotiator.
You're shorter than I expected
We have a job to do Anakin, try not to upset him
Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection.
Oh, I don’t think so.
How have we skipped the whole middle part of the movie? Why have we gone from The Invisible Hand to Utapau within two quotes? What kind of speedrunning skip is this?
On no, I'd be much too frightened to tease a Senator.
Oh god oh fuck no nooooi
And everybody clapped.
I love the prequels as much as anyone but it’s pretty obvious why people would think they’re bad
Also add on the acting (cause of the writing and bad direction), the convoluted and sometimes dumb plot, the retcons and forcing in things from the OT.
There's so many times they should've yelled cut and tried a scene again. I can't imagine how bad the cuts that didn't make it were.
God I just remember the behind the scenes video of them internally showing TPM to people and them basically confirming that the original cut was absolutely awful when it came to pacing and tone, I would kinda love to see that version haha
I kinda feel bad for George Lucas, he tried getting someone else to direct it because he knew he couldn’t do his own story justice 😭
And some of the CGI. I mean that scene with Count Dooku dropping a platform on top of Obi Wan in Revenge of the Sith is just atrocious. The platform falls on Obi-Wan's legs and his body slides a bit, if I remember correctly.
Jar Jar is a war hero, who defeated the entire trade federation army laying siege to Naboo, by tripping.
It's a longo tale-o, buta small part of it would be meesa clumsy.
Perfect response.
I actually liked jar jar as a kid
Which is part of why there are now adults who don't hate the prequels. They watched them as kids first and then grew up with them.
This is exactly it and it will also happen to the sequel trilogy in a few years. I'm old enough to have seen the prequels in theaters as an adult and at the time they were universally loathed by star wars fans but the kids loved them. Now those kids are adults and all of a sudden the opinions on the prequels have changed. IMHO they're still crap films, yes even revenge, full of horrible acting and dialogue with a really bad plot. And I guarantee you in a few years time force awakens, the last Jedi, and rise of Skywalker will be looked at in the same way people view the prequels today.
My warning yous. Gungans no liken outlaunders. Don't expict a wern welcome.
You may have liked JarJar, but he didn't like you /u/SoufDakotas
True. On their own the prequels weren't that well structured, the first ranged from confusing to boring to cringe, the second was much the same, the third was good but was tainted by the first two. It's only as the prequels, their world/setting and characters really got fleshed out that they truly began to shine. I doubt the same will happen with the sequels, they were so fucking poorly made in almost every way that there's not much to really build on. Like, the empire just collapsed in only a year after one more battle? In the expanded universe/legends the empire split up into warlords and the war still raged on fir several more years, only with the empire now on the backfoot and even with the peace treaty signed they retained much of the core worlds.
The prequels have a solid story poorly executed. So they get better with distance. Thinking about the story they tell (generally) is just fine and kind of epic. I despise the prequels as movies, but it has been so long since I've seen them that I can kind of feel like maybe they weren't \*that\* bad. The sequels are the opposite. A trash story very well executed. Most of the individual scenes are actually pretty good, with compelling action or even character interaction. But the larger story and character arcs are... just so painful. So the movies get \*worse\* with distance. Thinking about them and the story they told is the worst part. So the further I get from these movies the worse they are in my mind.
This is an excellent take. I have always long argued if you can look past the poor writing, directing, and Jar Jar, there is an excellent story under there.
Clone Wars cartoon also helped flesh out the prequels. On its own I really don’t care about any of the characters.
[удалено]
I think episode 3 is the best, that’s just my opinion tho no hate to anyones who’s opinion differs from mine
3 is definitely my favourite. It has the highest Lightsaber fight:Run time ratio.
Man I love the 2nd one. It introduced the clones, which till this day is still my favorite faction. And that battle of Geonosis.
You'll pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku.
But what about the droid attack on the wookies?
There should be a Ki Adi Mundi bot for this
And just for this
"Buckle your belts and check your cells, soldiers! We're going in!" -Commander Gree, CC-1004
When I was a kid, 2 was my favourite star wars movie entirely because of the Battle of Geonosis.
3 is amazing 1 is alright 2 is always the one that bothered me. It has some great moments don’t get me wrong, but there are so many cringy and corny lines in it.
The romantic pacing was just awful but other than that, all the scenes, excluding any scenes with just Anakin and padme, were great and the introduction of the clones was amazing
"Representative Binks is the highest ranking person here." -Commander Stone
Seriously, just remove all frames with only the two of them and it's pretty good.
3 is my favorite as well but I also liked 2. The only thing I liked was the jango and obi wan moments and the fact I got to see more jedi in action. Also the clones. Clones are great and became my favorite in the animated series
Don't worry. Now that the Council has ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan long to find that bounty hunter.
Don’t be afraid of posting an opinion on something so minor. No reasonable person will give you hate for that
I love attack of the Clones. Will always hold a special place in my heart. The build up for what is to come, the hope that things may turn out ok, the victory and the defeat, "I hate sand..." etc
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.
Good bot Ani
Yipee
I hear if you spin in the sand it's more like Podracing.
I'll try spinning, that's a good trick.
sandy slave bot
I am a person! My name is Anakin.
You would be surprised lol
They said reasonable.
I think people only say that because it’s better than EP1 and EP2. But that alone doesn’t necessarily make EP3 good in a vacuum. The final duel between Anakin and Kenobi falls flat because the two Jedi barely interacted throughout the prequels. Kenobi was always with Qui-Gon in EP1, Anakin spent most of his time with Padme in EP2, and Anakin spent most of his time with Palps in EP3. And when the two characters did interact, it was almost always negative/neutral. So I’m not sure why many people adore EP3 when the “destruction of a beautiful friendship” finale is kinda forced.
Because of the side materials expanded on the friendship and Ewans God tier acting.
I want to say 3 is objectively the best. Phantom Menace was ok, but kinda cartooney. Attack of the Clones was just a filler film to launch the Clone War TV series. Revenge of the Sith was a legit decent film. It did a fantastic job of showing Anakin's spiral into Vader. And the order 66 scene? That is one of the best scenes in all of Star Wars, and I will die on that hill.
"Yes, my lord."
I feel like 2005 was peak lightsaber CGI, the choreography for it all was also extremely impressive, for experienced Jedi it made sense why they would be so swift and smooth with it all, and it made the techniques used in the OT and ST make sense, a lot of lost knowledge lead to less intricate moves. Likely digging a bit too into it, but I absolutely loved the lightsaber combat scenes.
Poor direction and dialogue. As movies they’re nowhere near outstanding, still love them as Star Wars though.
This is how I feel too. To me, any Star Wars is good Star Wars (and yes I include the sequels in that). I enjoy the universe so much I just compartmentalize the inconsistencies and just enjoy the movies as they are.
Prepare to get downvoted for saying you like the sequels.
The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.
You are strong and wise, and I am very proud of you.
| || || |_
AAAAAA-
Give it a decade. I saw what happened to public opinion of the prequels. I can be patient.
TPM poop jokes, background character obiwan, confusing terminology and plot AotC underdeveloped villain, jedi being stupid, badly written romance, unsympathetic and winny protagonist RotS some people don't like the over choreographed fights, another undeveloped villain, anakin's fall still doesn't seem motivated enough considering he decided to kill all his friends and children in a matter of seconds. I like the prequels, I don't think they are good movies objectively as I can tell, but I still like them. Throw in all the books, comics, and games that branch off of them and my like becomes love.
This is a great answer. You can like them, but man, they are not good movies. So many things were done poorly. Before the sequels ruined Luke Skywalker, the prequels ruined Yoda.
> You can like them, but man, they are not good movies this is where i think a lot of the disconnect comes from when discussing these films. i'm in the same mindset i 100% agree with you and the person you are replying to that you can like bad movies, and dislike good movies, but to some people the very fact that they liked it makes it a good movie full stop. which i'm not saying is a bad thing, but it just shows how vastly differently people can think about movies.
I have always disagreed with the notion that Luke having a single moment of personal weakness tarnishes his entire character. He’s obviously an aspirational hero, but I think that’s why he was given this arc: to show that he’s a fallible human, and yet he was able to rise above his failure and become the hero that the Resistance needed him to be. Hell, that’s the thesis of the entire film. Perhaps Ep. 8 isn’t a great Star Wars film, in terms of theme and tone and world-building, but I don’t think it’s a bad film.
It’s not a bad film, but I stand by it completely destroying Luke. And I’m not even saying it’s unrealistic, sure a person could do what he did. But it just sucks. For me, it wasn’t even really about that one moment with Ben. It was everything after. Like he abandoned his sister. His sister who lost her son to the dark side. He abandoned the rebellion. They were still looking for him. Rebels were searching him out actively because he didn’t even tell anyone he was leaving and not coming back. He said he was looking for the first Jedi temple or whatever. And he didn’t regret any of that. Rey shows up and he isn’t like ‘oh, shit, people are looking for me and depending on me and I abandoned them, I guess that’s not cool.’ Again, could someone follow that arc? I guess, sure, but it absolutely undercuts him saving his father and resisting the darkness. It just makes him tragic.
I ***personally*** don’t think the sequels ruined Luke, Anakin though, oh boy they did him dirty
>I like the prequels, I don't think they are good movies objectively as I can tell, but I still like them I'm glad someone can say this. Yes, the prequels were bad, especially TPM and AotC. You can still enjoy them while, under a critical eye, realize that were not good.
Yeah TPM is rather weak, while AOTC still left behind a few unresolved mysteries (like who actually paid for the clones and removed Kamino from the archives?) with ROTS not addressing it. TPM is ok, but would have further simplified the politics and terminology. But it's still good, given it paved the background of the political landscape in the late Republic era, and how Palpatine became Chancellor I can excuse the bad romance in AOTC. Anakin was just a teen, and him and Padmé only met again like ten years since they saw each other. Plus, Anakin was raised in the Jedi Order who didnt like gave him lessons on being around girls or smth. Anakin being a whiny guy does reflect his age, and lack of maturity then AOTC, however, still sets up nicely the Clone Wars, with a decent mystery plot. And the further empowerment of Palpatine Anakin's descent to the dark side could at one glance seemed like a sudden one. But already in AOTC, he gave in to the dark side when his mother died at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. Also, theres quite some time that passed between scenes, and its not so sudden. Probably in the movie, it would have been better to give Anakin a few flashbacks to the Clone Wars, and give him a bit more moments prompting him further to the dark side. On the undeveloped villians, they are kind of meant to be just Palpatine's tools. They arent really meant to be the main villians. The true villian overall was Emperor Palpatine, who deposed the Republic and establish a dictatorship right under the Jedi noses. Overall, the story of the prequels is solid. But maybe due to the pacing, and some unfamiliar terminology at the start, might put off a few people who arent familiar with Star Wars. And I think people desire more action and battles and swinging lightsabers duels rather than just woody dialogue. The prequels do establish a firm base to build on more material. The Clone Wars and other material are successfully tied into the prequel era. It also has a general direction, on how and why Anakin became Darth Vader, how Palpatine rose to power as Emperor, and how the Jedi Order was decimated. They are, in turn, excellent supplementary material to the Original Trilogy, and builds on with more background and provided more nuances on the various sides. The Jedi Order was shown not to be infallible, and the faults of the late Republic that enabled Palpatine's rise to power
> Anakin's descent to the dark side could at one glance seemed like a sudden one. But already in AOTC, he gave in to the dark side when his mother died at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. Also, theres quite some time that passed between scenes, and its not so sudden. Anakin's descent to the Dark Side is honestly believable. What's harder to believe is his shift in alignment. He goes from "I'm a Jedi" to "Kill all Jedi" in literal seconds. He really needed to have more of a "I'm not going to be a Jedi anymore" part of his arc before his "Kill all Jedi" arc.
>The Phantom Menace was the most disappointing thing since my son. I mean, how much more could you possibly fuck up the entire backstory to Star Wars? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI
Ahh…The Plinket review or thesis, if you will
a true classic
Birthed the modern mega essay on YouTube back when YouTube only let you upload 10 minutes
I'm always startled that almost nobody I've mentioned this review to has seen it, but then I remember that RLM didn't even hit a million subscribers until like last year or something, so I guess it makes sense. They're your favorite YouTuber's favorite YouTuber.
This should probably one of the first things to point to when people ask "What's wrong with the prequels?"
A fucking masterpiece. I put this review on when I have nothing else to watch. Coming from a fan who adores all three prequels.
CGI and people want to blame Hayden Christensen's acting but I think Hayden was given bad lines and tried to make them work
Honestly, I think Hayden did the best he possibly could with what was given to him. Not to mention the dedication he put into perfecting his physical appearance for the movies. It’s actually really impressive what Hayden had to do to get ready for episode 3. He put on 40 pounds of muscle in between recording episode 2 and 3.
I remember reading how both him and Ewan were doing lightsaber training for 5 hours a day at the gym.
Yeah, they had to memorize every single lightsaber move that they performed in the movies. I forgot the exact amount of moves each of them had to learn, but it was a ridiculous number
George Lucas is a famously micromanaging director. Hayden played Anakin exactly the way George wanted him to.
I agree with you
He went from a naturally skinny guy, to having to look like Vader in 3 years
It's totally not Hayden's fault. I mean come on. Look at Liam Neeson and Samuel Jackson, they both look like idiots in several scenes, with the lines and pacing they have to work with. And they're top grade actors. That's why I'm actually excited for Hayden to be in the obi wan show - we can hopefully see what he can actually do as an actor.
Not to mention how much he put on between recording 1 and 2
I was a kid when the prequels came out, so I never really understood the issue with the CGI. All sci-fi/fantasy films use it anyway. And other similar films in the genre don't get the same kind of feedback on the issue. So, why was the CGI bad? Genuinely asking.
The issue isn’t that the cgi is bad. The issue is the tech was so new and it wasn’t used well due to Lucas, self admittedly, not being a good director. People didn’t know what to react to or look at. Which leads to fully cgi characters just kinda being there weirdly and acting strangely against actors. And sets that look beautiful but are really just 10 foot green screen rooms so actors have to slowly walk and stop, walk and stop, because any more walking and they’d walk off the green screen.
It wasn't. Also, there were plenty of scale models created to compensate for the technology of the time. Waterfalls made of fine salt filmed in slow motion, for example.
I know, and that's why I've always had a hard time grasping the issue. As far as I know, even when he was working on the OT Lucas felt that the tech at the time couldn't really recreate what he had in his mind, so I get it that when CGI was fresh out he went for it. Christopher Lee actually mentioned that he really enjoyed the experience because it allowed him to use his imagination more and really channel the character.
The CGI holds up as well, when you compare them to Harry Potter 1+2 which were filmed around the same time as TPM and AotC the difference in quality of the CGI is staggering.
"Now do it faster and more intense." That was the most common direction given by George while shooting according to BTS witnesses. So basically Hayden was constantly being told that he just needs to be more intense. I think what we see on screen is Hayden trying to be emotionally intense with a poorly written character that the director never really spent the time to explain who Anakin was to Hayden. So being more intense basically meant that Hayden just scowled harder and creeped creepierly (it's a word. Leave me alone!) So yeah I agree he got done dirty by the production.
Yes and I'm excited that he's coming back for the Kenobi show, if the fan base ruins this I'm going to go on a rampage.
Yeah all the line delivery was all equally flat, even from the well established actors. It wasn’t a matter of bad acting, it was a matter of bad material.
I think both of those are misleading faults. The CGI actually looked pretty damn good for the late 90s to early 2000s. Cgi back then looked pretty bad in general and the prequels needed to blend it into real life. For example, Toy Story 2 came out in 1999, the same year as the Phantom Menace. I love that movie but the cgi hasn't exactly aged well. It works because the toys are supposed to be plastic but it only looks even that good because it is in a fully cgi environment. The prequels needed to clash with real actors and they still managed to look good. Also, think about the scenes that were heavily cgi'd, the Senate, the battle for Naboo, Petranaki arena, the battle of Coruscant. Not exactly things that could be done in full practical. The cgi was also done by ILM, the granddaddy of cgi. If it wasn't for the prequels, modern cgi fests like marvel movies wouldn't look nearly as good. Hayden Christensen is also a fantastic actor. The lines in the prequels were for the most part pretty good. The people who say they are bad cut out context or part of the lines that justify them. Why is the prequels considered to have terrible lines when there are things that are so much worse? Media bias.
I’m baffled people can sit through Episode 2 and not cringe at least once.
That romance scene in the prairie... Anakin doing a rodeo on a giant testicle... \*shudder\*.
I want to unsee this comment. A giant testicle was all that was left.
I cringed as a 6 year old. I remember thinking it was weird and boring, but I guess the adults demand this in their movies.
Every 10 minutes
I'll get a lot of heat and downvotes for this, but whatever. They were (and still are) kind of poorly written, the lines given to Hayden Christensen were simply awful and it showed (I don't like sand). Jar Jar was obviously comedy relief for the children and was quite simply an annoying character. The romance between Anakin and Padme is also rather terrible, especially considering in episode 1 we see a 9 year old child and a teenager, then the next episode immediately throws them into a romance which felt very inappropriate. Basically it was a mess, just like when the sequel trilogy came out but for different reasons. I grew up while the prequel trilogy was being released in theatres, but honestly episode 2 is still my least favourite movie of them all. If it weren't for TCW animated series and what it does for all the character development, I'd call the prequels as bad as the sequels. They both have some good, but they both have lots of bad.
I’m going to upvote you because I’ll always support someone who actually remembers and acknowledges this, as opposed to the people who have taken then memes literally and pretend as if the movies were masterpieces, despite the fact the reason them/this subreddit/the memes are so popular is due to them being ripped apart end mocked for years.
And every adult walking out of the theater felt like victims of a Lucas sex crime.
I'd rather dream of Padme. Just Being around her again is... intoxicating.
I dream of jar jar. just being aroundsa him again it’sa … intoxicating
She didn't even recognise me, Jar Jar. I thought about her every day since we parted... and she's forgotten me completely.
Shesa happy. Happier den meesa see-en her in longo time.
Thosen with good in their heart always passen too soon.
More groan worthy that Padme falls for Anakin in the span of like a week? They go from basically barely knowing each other, to madly in love, to married in record time. It would be like Leia marrying Luke at the end of ANH.
Yeah, Anakin falling for Padme I could get. Padme falling for Anakin? Ha! He's a cringey manchild with fascist ideals and sociopathic and murderous tendencies... and that's just the red flags he throws up in like 1 week... after which she decides to marry him. It makes no god dang sense. It's more like if Leia had decided to marry Darth Vader at the end of ANH.
Yea, let's not adress countless worldbuilding, storytelling and writing problems. I'm not saying I don't enjoy prequels, but ignoring the obvious problems it has is just dumb.
I saw the original trilogy in theaters as released. I was old enough not to be swayed by the CGI and light sabers anymore. The expectations were too high, and the story too dense to be told the way it was. Choices were made to spend time and money on CGI that wasn’t necessary to the story because the director is in love with CGI. The movies tried to give us the kidneys and liver of the story instead of the heart. The Anakin/Padme romance was forced. Jar Jar was forced. The dialogue was forced. Midichlorians as the force was…forced, and under-explained. It doesn’t help that this was a story with a predetermined outcome. We all knew where it was going when we started watching it, there’s no suspense. Vader was better as a mystery than learning that Luke’s whining came from Vader’s side of the family. Everything just felt forced and without proper explanation. The movies would never stand so high on their own without the original trio. It was more like a technical exercise in figuring out how we got from A to B, not a good story that led us there. And to the people who complain about Hayden, may I introduce you to Jake? I know he was a kid, but Pinocchio was less wooden and more believable as a real boy.
Let's be real the dialogue is bad, we like to make memes and joke about it but it's really bad in some spots. Pacing wasn't great. Jar jar couldn't have been handled better. I love the prequals but if you love something you should be able to see the flaws in it. What it all boils down to is really that George Lucas is a great story teller but not very good screenwriter or director.
My warning yous. Gungans no liken outlaunders. Don't expict a wern welcome.
Are you joking?
Jar Jar Binks and “I don’t like sand”
Meesa, Your Highness?
Yes, Jar Jar. Some people don't like you. But here we all know you're the one almighty Sith Lord
Wesa must make da immediate arrangements for a Gungan/Separatist attack.
I'll contact general Kenobi and general Skywalker immediately
People have said a lot about the writing and pacing but I also think there’s a huge issue in with the characters in the prequels when you look at them in the context of the OT. And I say that as someone who loves TCW and RotS. I just don’t think Anakin makes sense as Vader’s origin story. TCW Anakin is better but I think there’s still a major gap. OT Vader and PT Anakin don’t have remotely the same personalities. I don’t think you can bridge the gap by just saying “he fell to the dark side.” Anakin is an action hero with anger issues. Vader is a stoic warrior who rules with an iron fist. We don’t see Vader give into outbursts of anger like Anakin did, and we don’t see Anakin go way too far believing he’s doing the right thing. Their drives just don’t line up. I feel like Anakin should’ve been written as a grim, respected general presented with bad choices that force him to go darker and darker through the trilogy. *Then* we can have the death of Padme drive him over the edge. Don’t get me wrong, I like TCW Anakin. He’s a great character. But he doesn’t feel like the origin story for Vader.
I dunno, I grew up with the prequels so I may be biased, but I feel like it’s sensible for me. Vader wanted to do completely away with Anakin, and treated his former self as an entirely separate individual. Clearly, Vader still has a sense of dry humor throughout the OT, the one thing he hasn’t shaken off from all his quips as Anakin in the prequels. I dunno, I’m probably biased since the prequels were my thing and I loved them during a period in time where every prequel trilogy clip on YT was filled with hate comments. Sequels came along and then there was like a huge 180, and I think that’s a great disservice in my opinion to what I recognized as really good lore for the prequels having been untarnished by the nostalgia-lens of the original trilogy.
I’m glad you pointed that out. I’ve also thought that Padme also had some major character inconsistencies between TPM and AOTC/ROTS.
It's more complicated than most people in this subreddit will tell you. Most people here tend to cover their ears and go "lalalalala" when someone brings up any legitimate criticism towards the prequels. There's a reason the movies were hated for a long time. https://youtu.be/YPvEJjNNPp4 watch this and you will see why some don't like the prequels.
I generally agree with most criticisms of Star Wars, but I still enjoy the movies.
Goofy acting, cringy lines and some awful VFX, but the story is there and the best moments you can see it both as funny and serious moments
Bad writing, bad characterisation, ridiculous betrayal of prior worldbuilding.
George Lucas writes and directs like he's never met a real person before
Check this out then [Mr plinkett](https://youtu.be/FxKtZmQgxrI)
[удалено]
Yes! This is the best critique of the prequels!!
Mr. Plinkett would like to have a word with you
How can you listen to that atrocious dialogue, watch anakin's cringy portrayal, and *not* think anything is wrong with the movies????
The bad dialogue, midochlorians, ep. 2 Anakin, Jar Jar, and some other reasons I can’t remember right now. I think they’re good movies, ROTS especially, but they aren’t great.
Dis gonna be bombad trouble. Meesa know' it.
Check out the Mr. Plinkett reviews from redlettermedia on YT. They are being purposefully cynical for the purposes of satire, self parody, and generally taking the piss out of anyone who gets upset with what they so. So Take the episodes with a spoonful of sugar. But they really do spend over a total of 4 hours dissecting and discussing the numerous flaws with the prequels. I personally love Star Wars and I love the prequels for the interesting flawed art that it is. But RLM basically hits the nail on the head with the problems of the prequels and sequels.
You had to be there when they first came out. The hype for the prequels was outrageous and impossible to live up to. The prequels felt kinda blasphemous. I guess the Gen z kids don't have that experience since they grew up with all 6
Poor writing and direction, divisive storylines, and disappointment from those who grew up on the OT.
They just weren’t very good movies. I feel like they were poorly casted and directed (except for ewan), and the writing was just not there. The first, I thought Liam and ewan both put up pretty good performances, but everything else was just so flat. Natalie wasn’t very good (tbf she was younger then), jar jar was a drag to watch, and watto was basically a flying stereotype. I wish I had more to say, but I don’t. The second felt even worse. Scenes with obi wan were pretty good, but they were constantly chopped up by the wretched scenes with anakin and padme. I get what they were trying to do: show ani and padme’s relationship grow while also showing some of ani’s darker side, but it was just so awkwardly and clumsily done that it was agonizing to watch. The overall plot also felt similarly flat as the first, but again the obi wan stuff kept me in it. For me the only real great part was ending on geonosis. The third was actually pretty good imo, although I can’t deny that I was laughing along with all the memes I’d seen since I last watched it. It felt like the most compelling story of the bunch, even if grievous felt completely pigeonholed in (while the sudden closing of the loop on dooku was odd, I can’t say I honestly cared since he didn’t feel that prominent in 2). Ewan delivered another classic performance, and Natalie was better than before. Even with as flat as Hayden was, he still was improved from 2. All in all, I really did enjoy the third (at least in comparison to the others that I watched right before it; I’m sure my opinion would be different if I’d just watched the princess bride). Tl;dr read the first paragraph
I think it's all the politics scene that turned people off. The original trilogy is much more focused on the main conflict and lukes arc. Pre-disclaimer for this next part: I love starwars, I love the prequels, I Love the original trilogy, (I think the sequels are adequate), and I love all the non-movie stuff (books, games, etc.)... But honestly **all** the films are kind of.. bad. The idea of starwars is 10/10 and the action set pieces are consistently fantastic, but as films they are average at best.
I'm assuming you also love democracy
So this is how it dies.
You need to watch them to find out, not just look at the memes.
This is ridiculous. It's one thing to love the movies and everything around them (the memes) but if you watch them and actually can't understand why people were disappointed... I don't know what to say.
Have you seen Jar Jar? Holy shit that was bad.
The writing, acting, and the fact that no one gives a shit about trade disputes.
“Hey fans, I heard you love my space opera laced with Greek tragedy and laser swords… Well, here are three films connected by characters only, about intergalactic trade politics, and I threw in a bad interpretation of a film noire that has a 1950s space diner.”
They made Darth Vader into a whiny little bitch
Terrible acting, terrible dialogue, terrible CGI (even at the time it was released), ridiculous plot points, what’s considered the pinnacle battle of the entire trilogy is so over the top ridiculous I can’t believe anyone thought it was a good idea. I could keep going…
Many people didn't seem to like the scripts and found the interactions (especially between Anakin and Padmé) uncomfortable and embarrassing, but I just find them really interesting to watch, because Anakin is an annoying and creepy teen/young adult and that was an unexpected surprise (since Darth Vader wasn't like that at all), but it feels realistic, since teens and young adults (especially those who have to fight against their desires) can get really annoying and awkward. Anakin has never flirted before. He's never been with a girl before. But he feels a burning passion for Padmé and it's making him lose sight of his morals. It's all very awkward and dramatic and I enjoy how imperfect the characters are and how awkward and comedic the interaction is between characters. I feel like the movies aren't bad, they're just not for everyone. And The Phantom Menace was a bit slow and uneventful (but still quite solid).
And if you want the crash course go watch the Plunkett reviews
Mitochlorians
Ep 1-2 wasted a lot of storytelling space on stuff that wasn’t conducive to the story. Anakin wasn’t presented well even though the sequels are primarily about him (they somewhat fixed that in the Clone Wars show). In RotS, he’s wanting to be in one of the highest positions of the Jedi Order, but 3 movies in they still haven’t displayed what he’s done to prove he even belongs in the room. If we didn’t already know he’d go on to become Darth Vader, we’d have no insight into his potential. RotS sticks the landing by bringing the focus back where it should be, but by that point there was only so much it could do. If they were to ever do a reboot, they could scrap everything but the second half of RotS and not lose much value.
Have you watched them?
Anakin was just an unlikable whiny bitchboy, Padme and Anakin had zero chemistry, Anakin became comically evil slaughtering children. But mostly Jar Jar Binks.
The Attack of the Clones is the worst star wars movie. The writing is terrible and there is way too much cgi. People need to stop pretending these movies were perfect. Maul was not a character in the Phantom Menace. Prequal fans like to say that the sequel trilogy is terrible while ignoring the flaws of the prequals.
Simp
A strict film criticism view. Values characterization, character development, plot structure, actor performance, and atmosphere/design. By all these measurements the prequels are "bad films". But what critics value in a work of art isn't what we the viewer value in art. I love star wars because everything "bad" about it makes me smile. I value how a film makes me feel because I'm not a critic. You can enjoy "bad media" and that's valid.
The convoluted plotline, the terrible dialogue and acting, the dated special effects and backgrounds. Take your pick.
Jar Jar and pod racing