The “Star Wars” fandom is divided on several things at best. Some love the new movies being done by J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, and some hate them. Some love the animated series that have been released, and some hate them. Some love the stand-alone movies, and some hate them. There are things that most every “Star Wars” fan will agree on. The first is that the original trilogy is magical and fantastic in every way, and the second is that the prequel trilogy is a mess of a series of films. I wouldn’t cast the first stone so quickly, though.
I hear a lot of the same complaints when it comes to the prequel trilogy of “Star Wars.” “Anakin is so annoying and whiney and brooding.” “There is too much CGI in those movies. "Where are all the practical effects?” “Jar-Jar is absolutely awful!” I understand a lot of these complaints, but I don’t think these detract from the film and story itself enough to ruin the movies or “Star Wars” in general. People also tend to overlook the really great parts of those movies and solely focus on the negative aspects.
One of the major things I think people overlook is the amazing set piece scenes that are given in the prequels, and the fact that they were just not possible with the original trilogy. I mean the opening scene of “The Revenge of the Sith” is a beautiful and action-filled space battle. It really gives a sense of what aerial dogfights are like in space. The pod racing scene in “The Phantom Menace” is a crazy, fast circuit race with futuristic vehicles going well beyond conventional speeds. “Attack of the Clones” has an entire set piece of Obi-Wan and Anakin racing through Coruscant jumping between flying vehicles. These things were just not possible with the technology available in the 70’s and 80’s.
I have mostly talked about what the new technology allowed beyond the original trilogy, but there is another major complaint I hear that I do not fully agree with. A lot of people seem to complain about the stories told in the prequel trilogies. I understand that “The Phantom Menace” is a little slow, but there are tons of first movies and first acts that are, too. I think it does its job though. It introduces us to a world that the Jedi are still a prominent figure in. “Attack of the Clones” has a great mystery story that unveils more of the “Star Wars” universe we had yet to see, and “Revenge of the Sith” shows us the end of the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. I know the stories aren’t perfect, but no story is. Even the original trilogy has a few story issues. The stories in the prequels serve their purpose and can stand on their own two feet.
I know “Star Wars” is a franchise that means a lot to so many people, and people are just critical of it because they care so much. In the end, I think people had so much time to predict how they thought the prequels should go. There were so many high expectations that, when the movies did something different than expected, the fans felt wronged, and I completely understand the feelings a lot of the fans had when the series veered off an expected path. There is still a lot to love in the prequels and, together with the original trilogy, they make up the saga we have all come to know and love.
