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[Ushojax]

Don't forget Padme losing the will to live after giving birth to her newborn twins. I'd say that was the most ridiculous thing in the entire trilogy. For some reason Lucas didn't want to make dark side Anakin out to be a bad guy for actually killing his wife, but couldn't come up with anything better.

It's not like we needed to have a god damn robot tells us that she had lost the will to live, women die in childbirth all the time. It boggles the mind that George thought we needed an expository line from a medical droid to explain why a pregnant woman who just got choked by Darth Vader would die after giving birth to twins. George forgot the basic rules of cinematic storytelling.

Also the characterisation of Anakin is just wrong, it's impossible for the audience to want this guy to be redeemed. We never saw a noble Jedi worth saving, nobody that was worth Luke risking his life for on the second Death Star. Padme should have tried to defend Obi-Wan from Anakin and been shoved out of the way in a jealous rage, using the choke on her was too much. Why would she believe there was good in him after everything he did? There are vague allusions to Anakin's belief in the greater good of an authoritative dictatorship, but we are never given enough evidence that he is a good person and has good intentions, that he truly believes in the Empire as a way to fix the galaxy's problems. He's just a murderous imbecile.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

What did the kids do? Were the women raping his mom too? Was everyone in on the raping thing, or was it just one scumbag Tusken Raider who kept her in his hut as a secret?

Well it wasn't one Tusken Raider who abducted her, that's for sure.

 

[Lothar]

I love the prequels, but the romance stuff in the final two films are awful.

Until this thread, I didn't know there was a single person that loved the prequels. What's to love about them? It was all awful not just the romance stuff.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Don't forget Padme losing the will to live after giving birth to her newborn twins. I'd say that was the most ridiculous thing in the entire trilogy. For some reason Lucas didn't want to make dark side Anakin out to be a bad guy for actually killing his wife, but couldn't come up with anything better.

While also forgetting that Leia supposedly remembered her mom, if only for a little bit.

It could have been like some Sophie's Choice situation which she has to choose to kid to let stay with her while Obi-Wan takes the other into hiding, and she's left there broken with her remaining baby. You could come up with literally any excuse with the Force you want, like "if they're kept together, it'll be too easy for Vader to sense and find them with The Force".

But nah, "lost the will to live" works too...

 

[Monocle]

Not to take away from your other points, but Anakin didn't just go on any killing spree, he went on a killing spree of bloodthirsty savages that were starving, torturing, and raping his mother.

He did mention that he killed the women and children too, so...

(And it wasn't "females and young" or something. He humanized them by literally calling them women and children.)

 

[Roders5]

Is it fair to say they are the biggest disappointment in movie history? Taking into account the love of the franchise x the huge gap x the hype to what we actually got as the final product I can't think of anything else that would match it. Therefore the hate is completely justified.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

Don't forget Padme losing the will to live after giving birth to her newborn twins. I'd say that was the most ridiculous thing in the entire trilogy. For some reason Lucas didn't want to make dark side Anakin out to be a bad guy for actually killing his wife, but couldn't come up with anything better.

It's not like we needed to have a god damn robot tells us that she had lost the will to live, women die in childbirth all the time. It boggles the mind that George thought we needed an expository line from a medical droid to explain why a pregnant woman who just got choked by Darth Vader would die after giving birth to twins. George forgot the basic rules of cinematic storytelling.

The characterisation of Anakin is just wrong, it's impossible for the audience to want this guy to be redeemed. We never saw a noble Jedi worth saving, nobody that was worth Luke risking his life for on the second Death Star. Padme should have tried to defend Obi-Wan from Anakin and been shoved out of the way in a jealous rage, using the choke on her was too much. Why would she believe there was good in him after everything he did?

While also forgetting that Leia supposedly remembered her mom, if only for a little bit.

It could have been like some Sophie's Choice situation which she has to choose to kid to let stay with her while Obi-Wan takes the other into hiding, and she's left there broken with her remaining baby. You could come up with literally any excuse with the Force you want, like "if they're kept together, it'll be too easy for Vader to sense and find them with The Force".

But nah, "lost the will to live" works too...

I remember when RotS claimed that Padme died of a broken heart!

...Oh, that didn't happen?

Well, it's the most reasonable inference, isn't it? It's not like there's a more plausible explanation for why she died, is there?

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Are there any good scripts out there that completely redo the PT?

 

[Shaanyboi]

Well it wasn't one Tusken Raider who abducted her, that's for sure.

So the women and children kidnapped and raped her too...

Got it.

 

[Wil348]

Once the sequel trilogy wraps up, we'll all look back on the prequels much more fondly.

By that point we'll all have forgotten that there was a prequel trilogy.

 

[Javaman]

The only parts I truly hated were the mitichlorians and Anakin attacking the padawans. The latter was so out of character at that point and should have never happened or at least been done much later.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

So the women and children kidnapped and raped her too...

Got it.

Did I say that? Am I defending Anakin's killing of innocent women and children in a blind rage?

No.

 

[SuperEpicMan]

Without getting into the story and script, I think the movies could have easily been better by simply having more practical effects and better CGI in most places, as well as better direction and acting. Obviously this doesn't solve all of the problems they had, but I feel it would at least make them more viewable.

I actually think that is a large part of why I enjoyed ROTS more than the first two as the CGI seemed vastly improved.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Drawing comparisons to films from other genres that had similar character arcs, I don't see how the story of Anakin's rise and fall could have been believably told in a PG (even PG 13) setting, to be honest. Not sure if any writer or director could have pulled that off, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

[Fat4all]

Without getting into the story and script, I think the movies could have easily been better by simply having more practical effects and better CGI in most places, as well as better direction and acting.

I mean, what you just listed is pretty much everything but cinematography and casting, both of which were pretty bad as well.

I suppose the music and sound mixing were fine, but yeah, the rest could of been easily scrapped.

 

[SkywardBeam]

I mean, what you just listed is pretty much everything but cinematography and casting, both of which were pretty bad as well.

What was so terrible about the casting? Sure, there were some highly debatable choices like Hayden Christensen, but overall, the PT had an absolutely amazing cast.
You normally can't go wrong by casting Neeson, McGregor or Lee, and if they disappointed in the movie, they're definitely not to blame for, but only the poor script and directing.

 

[Liamario]

The trailer made me cringe so hard. There is a defence force for everything.

 

[Fat4all]

What was so terrible about the casting? Sure, there were some highly debatable choices like Hayden Christensen, but overall, the PT had an absolutely amazing cast.
You normally can't go wrong by casting Neeson, McGregor or Lee, and if they disappointed in the movie, they're definitely not to blame for, but only the poor script and directing.

Honestly, I think most of the casting was bad, even given the shite scripts. The good actors didn't try with this film, like at all, except for Ian McDiarmid. Maybe Neeson, Lee, Jackson and McGregor were told to act like robots, but nothing they did elevated their performances in any notable way.

I'd say Natalie Portman was the worst actor across all three films.

edit: Hayden was whatever, but not nearly as bad as Portman. He had a few good face grimaces.

 

[Liamario]

Once the sequel trilogy wraps up, we'll all look back on the prequels much more fondly.

With one movie, they've already got a better trilogy than the prequels.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Honestly, I think most of the casting was bad, even given the shite scripts. The good actors didn't try with this film, like at all, except for Ian McDiarmid. Maybe Neeson, Lee, Jackson and McGregor were told to act like robots, but nothing they did elevated their performances in any notable way.

I'd say Natalie Portman was the worst actor across all three films.

Seems to me that is also on the script and director. If you are given a bad script and direction, there is only so much an actor can do.

All those people have done amazing performances in other productions. Just not here. Now I can get that one or two might be having a bad time or just didn't care. But all of them? Then there is something more going on.

 

[Kilrogg]

Too much hate? Sure. Too much love? Yup. Not enough apathy tbh.

The problem is mainly that people just keep talking about them. Take away the name and make it an ordinary dumb and poorly-acted scifi trilogy and nobody would care enough to still be shitting on them or praising them. They'd be dusty DVDs at garage sales and people would go "oh yeah I vaguely remember those. Huh."

These aren't good movies, and it must be sad for people who really like them to keep hearing from people who hate them how bad they are. But I seriously hope this trailer is a joke or some kind of metacommentary. If not, this takes fanxiety to heretofore unknown levels.

Bingo.

When it comes to mass-market movies like the Star Wars movies - because that's what they are, let's not kid ourselves -, my barometer for how good they are is how much people talk about them.

Not just fans like people in this thread - myself included -, but the general public. And unless I've got blinders on, I don't hear people talk about the prequels all that much except for the occasional Jar-Jar comment or Darth Maul memorabilia. People just don't care about Episodes I, II and III it seems, and that's a surefire way to tell that they were bad movies. By and large, people have forgotten about them. To be fair, it's pretty much impossible for any Star Wars movie to not stand in the shadow of the original trilogy and how groundbreaking it was back in the day, but still. By the way the same is gonna be true of the sequel trilogy if the Episodes VIII and IX reference the structure and tropes of the original trilogy as much as Episode VII.

What about people who were kids when the prequels came out? Do they talk about them as much as we talked about the original trilogy?

 

[DeathyBoy]

If you think someone can be great as a boring one-dimensional monotone character that's sole purpose is to see/express people's potential in future/past movies, sure.

You mean did I also think Alec Guinness was great? Yes.

Some people can sell non stop exposition.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

No, sorry. Scientific theories change. We come across new ways of thinking, new modalities. Species evolve, humans linger closer to destruction...

... And the prequels will always be some of the worst films to grace the silver screen.

 

[True Savior]

ROTS>TPM>TFA>AOTC

 

[120v]

Without getting into the story and script, I think the movies could have easily been better by simply having more practical effects and better CGI in most places, as well as better direction and acting. Obviously this doesn't solve all of the problems they had, but I feel it would at least make them more viewable.

I actually think that is a large part of why I enjoyed ROTS more than the first two as the CGI seemed vastly improved.

the CGI was pretty hot shit for it's time, particularly for TPM in 1999

that said yeah practical has proven to be more timeless

 

[firehawk12]

What a random dig at Star Trek there.

Like if the choice is between the prequels and Star Trek, is there even a choice? lol

 

[Liamario]

ROTS>TPM>TFA>AOTC

.......
No.

 

[Sanjuro]

ROTS>TPM>TFA>AOTC

 

[Fat4all]

wow, that's a very new gif

I love it

 

[Yukinari]

Once the sequel trilogy wraps up, we'll all look back on the prequels much more fondly.

Joke post?

Rogue One isnt even out yet but all of the footage we've seen so far completely shits on the prequels.

 

[Boney]

Must be pretty embarrasing to be that old lady from the trailer speaking about looking and finding symbolism.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Speaking of which, have RedLetterMedia released their review of Plinkett covering The Force Awakens yet? It's been months since they teased that.

 

[DeathyBoy]

Speaking of which, have RedLetterMedia released their review of Plinkett covering The Force Awakens yet? It's been months since they teased that.

It's coming soon

 

[Sorcerer]

Well it wasn't one Tusken Raider who abducted her, that's for sure.

There's supposed to be irony in this scene, to show how far Anakin has fallen. The opening pages of the Phantom Menace novel have kid Anakin rescuing a Tusken Raider and returning him to his homestead.
The Clones scene would have been more effective if that TPM book scene was filmed. But I guess it wouldn't work because the payoff is 3 years later for the audience and would have slowed TPM down a bit.

 

[Regiruler]

Hell no. Camera work and acting along TFA already shits on every scene from the prequels.

It's sound and world design is 3 tiers below them.

 

[Funkyhamster]

The aspect of the prequels that I really think excels compared to TFA is their imagination. They're so much more creative with the characters/aliens/sets. I get much more out of watching a movie that's different, even if it's poorly executed at times, versus a movie that nails the standard blockbuster formula.

Once the sequel trilogy wraps up, we'll all look back on the prequels much more fondly.

I agree completely. It still baffles me how much everyone loved TFA.

the only prequel which needs defending is atoc.
It had some good moments but the whole romance shit was awful.

TPM & ROTS are legit fun good flicks.

Spot on. TPM is definitely aimed more at kids than the others, but I still love it (possibly because I grew up watching it). As for ROTS, it seems to me like an objectively good movie, and I don't get why everyone lumps it in with the first two in their prequel hating.

 

[gutter_trash]

saw Kevin Smith... stopped watching. The man already confessed to Lucas for liking Phantom Menace; he has to own his words for the rest of his life

 

[Sorcerer]

The aspect of the prequels that I really think excels compared to TFA is their imagination. They're so much more creative with the characters/aliens/sets. I get much more out of watching a movie that's different, even if it's poorly executed at times, versus a movie that nails the standard blockbuster formula.



I agree completely. It still baffles me how much everyone loved TFA.



Spot on. TPM is definitely aimed more at kids than the others, but I still love it (possibly because I grew up watching it). As for ROTS, it seems to me like an objectively good movie, and I don't get why everyone lumps it in with the first two in their prequel hating.

I think I see the problem with TPM right here. Its aimed at kids with Jar Jar, but what kid gives 2 shits about a Trade Federation blockade in space?
The movie trys at once to be dark and adult, and at the same time it tries to be extremely kiddy. The tone of the movie is never established and it kinda sucks.

 

[gutter_trash]

Imagination and taking a chance on "different" is courageous but the pacing, character assembles and story telling aspects of the Prequels are terrible

 

[Michael F. Assbender]

The aspect of the prequels that I really think excels compared to TFA is their imagination. They're so much more creative with the characters/aliens/sets. I get much more out of watching a movie that's different, even if it's poorly executed at times, versus a movie that nails the standard blockbuster formula

Yeah, that 50s diner and that one Jedi who looked like the penis-headed ghost of Hamlet's father were imaginative as fuck. And let's not forget the dozens and dozens of CG backgrounds like the Jedi Temple and the Senate building that we see over and over and over again.

The rush by an odd minority of people to support shit just because it came from George Lucas, while shitting on a vastly superior film just because Lucas was kept far, far away from its development, is baffling.

 

[TDLink]

I think at best, you can argue some good things came as a result of the Prequels. But the prequels themselves are absolute garbage with a totally nonsensical story that was never thought out properly.

Basically this.

Kids growing up watching the prequels and thus getting more enjoyment out of them/having more nostalgia for them is a weak argument. Because kids will do that with anything they watch growing up. It doesn't speak to the quality of the films at all.

The Clone Wars series was fantastic though and we'd never have it without the prequels.

 

[mnannola]

AOTC is absolutely horrible. It's straight up boring. The other two are at least watchable.

 

[JB1981]

Nope nope nope and NOPE

 

[Aaron Strife]

lol

People are free to enjoy what they do, but the prequels are garbage. This isn't bandwagoning, I actually think TPM has its moments, but there's plenty of reasons why the films simply don't work. The counter narrative that the prequels are good and you have to like them or at least accept them is just silly.

The plot is meandering and never goes anywhere until Revenge of the Sith, the dialogue is atrociously bad (the OT has its share of clunkers but it never comes near AOTC levels), the latter two reek of Ow the Edge and characterization and motivations are poor and change at the drop of a hat. Anakin's turn to the dark side is so sudden and poorly motivated that it's more stupid than tragic. And yes, a lot of it is boring. The films spend so much time on meetings and space politics and it's simply not interesting.

 

[Sanjuro]

Basically this.

Kids growing up watching the prequels and thus getting more enjoyment out of them/having more nostalgia for them is a weak argument. Because kids will do that with anything they watch growing up. It doesn't speak to the quality of the films at all.

The Clone Wars series was fantastic though and we'd never have it without the prequels.

Not fully. The situation is exacerbated by the many having older family/friends exposing them to the franchise from their nostalgia.

 

[NyMartin90]

I liked them. I liked the war that AOTC set up (wish we got an actual live action Clone Wars movie, it would've been cool). The opening of ROTS is amazing. I liked how ROTS bridged both arcs together. Also they gave us an actual war, its Star WARS.

It didn't focus on a small band of rebel resistance it gave us a WAR with battles of millions of soldiers on thousands of different planets.

Heck the prequels expanded the diversity of planets we got to see in this universe and our understanding of it.

Also Clone Wars Arc as a whole

 

[Liamario]

I liked them. I liked the war that AOTC set up (wish we got an actual live action Clone Wars movie, it would've been cool). The opening of ROTS is amazing. I liked how ROTS bridged both arcs together. Also they gave us an actual war, its Star WARS.

It didn't focus on a small band of rebel resistance it gave us a WAR with battles of millions of soldiers on thousands of different planets.

Heck the prequels expanded the diversity of planets we got to see in this universe and our understanding of it.


Also Clone Wars Arc as a whole

These read like the words of a ten year old tbh.

'The prequels gave us cool graphics and explosions.....!!!!'


Why don't you defend the terrible script/story/acting/CG?

 

[EVOL 100%]

I have no emotional attachment and I can tell you that the prequels suck donkey balls.

They're just mind numbingly boring and incoherent. Watching one of the prequels is like watching a Michael Bay movie. Just throw lots of CG shit on the screen and hoping that people will eat it up

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I can never get more than 5 minutes into any of the Prequels.

Even Episode 3, which opens with a crazy and beautiful space battle (my favorite - I love epic space dogfights) and the movie spends a good three minutes watching R2-D2 fight off little buzz droids, with Anakin and Obi-Wan talking to R2-D2, giving him support, and I'm just like, what the hell is going on? There's no sense of place in this battle, no sense of direction or fight or anything and I'm already insanely bored and irritated by how bad this is and how much time is being spent on irrelevant nonsense. There's no weight, no feeling like they're fighting towards something, no context or intensity. It's incredible how bad that scene is.

I love The Force Awakens, it's so much better. At all times you have a physicality and understanding of the characters, the placement, the motives, it's all very coherent.

 

[NyMartin90]

Why don't you defend the terrible script/story/acting/CG?

I admit there were problems but I liked them, doesn't mean I HAVE to hate them. I found them enjoyable, to each their own.

I said nothing about cool graphics, the world/ universe has more to it with the Clone War (which was central to the Prequels). It showed us other races and how the universe was before the empire.

Also on the story I said I liked how it attempted to bridge both arcs, again to each their own.

I wish they used Dooku lamenting about Qui Gon's death and the corruption to bridge 1 and 2 but hey in retrospect we'll always see problems that can't be fixed.