The Prequel Trilogy General Discussion and Appreciation Thread

[Brem]

For a moment there, I did have an image of Nute Gunray and his adventures with his pal. Would make for a great Saturday morning cartoon.

I love how it happens. I really do. Honestly, when I saw Phantom Menace, for some daft reason, my mind never connected the dots. I never saw Palpatine as the Emporer. Then of course, the robes came in and I realised, but throughout the entire film it never clicked. He never felt evil, outside the obvious scenes. Even his surprise at being nominated felt genuine, which makes that betrayal even worse.

I feel it's Attack of the Clones, very early on after Padme is attacked at the start, he feels a little.. Off? Then later, you can see the pawns being moved around the board. Revenge of the Sith, he's not even trying anymore. He knows he's going to come out on top. You can tell he feels comfortable. I think that's the only thing I do hate about the Prequels. The seeds were sown, that much is obvious. Anakin never seems sure of himself, even before his dreams, but it's never delved into as much as it could have been. My only wish was that they had not made it primarily about his dreams.

But yeah, I just love how Palpatine clearly came off as a good leader, a warm, kind man and gradually over the three films he gets a little older, a little cockier, a little more comfortable and everything falls in place. That moment in Attack of the Clones when he gets his post extended because of the coming War.

t: And yuss. Much love for the Jedi in action. Nothing like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in Phantom Menace, and OH MAH GODS! The arena battle in Attack of the Clones. Not even the fight, just the "this party's over-" bzz. Lightsabers.

 

[OcStat]

I've been watching the movies for the first time in ages, this might even be my first post in the Star Wars forum...

So far the missus and I watched Phantom Menace and we are half way through Attack of the Clones. I don't think I've seen AotC since it's theatrical release. My girlfriend remembers watching them but doesn't remember the details so for both of us it is kind of like watching them for the first time.

It's weird watching the series in chronological order as opposed to release order, there's definitely things glossed over in Phantom Menace that it seems you are expected to know from seeing the OT hundreds of times, like what Jedi actually are for example. But the movie is not without its merits. The podrace is the most thrilling scene in the film and the final battles are entertaining as well.

Attack of the Clones is already a more interesting movie, I'll have to comment further when we finish it. Looking forward to Revenge of the Sith as I remember enjoying that one the most out of the three.

 

[OcStat]

Finished the prequels, Return of the Sith was easily the best of the trilogy, pleased to find I still enjoy that movie. The CGI improved leaps and bounds and it is immediately apparent in the opening battle over Coruscant.

Going to take a little break before starting the OT, if my girlfriend let's us. Haha, i think it would be good to wait a bit to let that long passage of time in the narrative sink in but she really wants to see what happens next.

For all who like to bag on the films, not to imply that all criticisms are invalid, but the missus enjoyed the PT quite a bit having never seen any Star Wars film in its entirety. She was sold on the downfall of Anakin and seems to be thoroughly invested in the arc of the character.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

I mean, the upside of watching them in order 1 through 6 is that it just keeps getting better (with the possible exception of ESB to RotJ, but it's only a slight decline depending on your taste).

 

[Brem]

Finished the prequels, Return of the Sith was easily the best of the trilogy, pleased to find I still enjoy that movie. The CGI improved leaps and bounds and it is immediately apparent in the opening battle over Coruscant.

Going to take a little break before starting the OT, if my girlfriend let's us. Haha, i think it would be good to wait a bit to let that long passage of time in the narrative sink in but she really wants to see what happens next.

For all who like to bag on the films, not to imply that all criticisms are invalid, but the missus enjoyed the PT quite a bit having never seen any Star Wars film in its entirety. She was sold on the downfall of Anakin and seems to be thoroughly invested in the arc of the character.

Maybe I just don't understand what is and what isn't possible when re-releasing films, but it is a shame - though I don't often feel need to complain, because it doesn't bother me that much - they haven't tried to give the CGI an update upon re-release on Blu-Ray. Even minor touch ups to bring it a little more up to date. It can be jarring going back to Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and seeing those moments that just look off because the physical isn't connecting well with the digital.

I feel the same with The Hobbit. No update on the Blu-Ray release, and no update with the Extended.

 

[DyeLorean]

I'm not a die-hard fan of Star Wars. I remember I rented all original movies many, many years ago, and watched them all back-to-back and I really enjoyed them. I can definitely see the appeal and what generates around the world. Since then, I've rewatched it a couple of times, everytime appreciating each film a bit more (Empire Strikes Back is still probably my favorite).

What I like about the prequels... or, let me rephrase that. What I started to like about the prequels is that they are much more political than the original trilogy. I know that is not as interesting as what the OT was about, and many people hate the prequels precisely because of that, but it does differentiate itself and gives you an idea of the larger canvas in which this characters and worlds play. It goes a bit deeper into how this complex societies work. I like how imaginative they are and how they keep exploring places and ideas. The writing and the acting is not good, but everything else is just a treat for the eyes and ears. And sometimes, that's enough.

The Force Awakens, however, looks to be the perfect mixture of both: the technical achievements of the prequels and the character-driven adventure drama from the original trilogy.

All in all, I find all six films fascinating in their own kind of way. Lots of highs, a couple of lows, but certainly a very special and rare cinematic achievement.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I rewatched all 3 today and it really disappointed me with how useless Padme was during Revenge of the Sith.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

Just finished the prequels. I still think The Phantom Menace is my favorite since it felt more like the original trilogy than anything. Revenge Of The Sith is a close second. Attack Of The Clones is my least favorite Star Wars film.

Man that ending to ROTS was much more powerful knowing that on Saturday I'll be watching The Force Awakens. Just knowing that Luke's path had just begun there in that moment made that scene much more memorable.

Gonna watch A New Hope and Empire tomorrow night. Return Of The Jedi on Friday and The Force Awakens on Saturday. Can't wait!

 

[QuantumBane]

I just watched The Force Awakens not long ago,episode 3 is still my favourite.

 

[Filmfan93]

So, after I've seen TFA 5 times now, I can say that it's better than all of the prequels. The OT is better as well. However, I grew up with the prequels (born in 1993) and they will always have a place in my heart.

First of all, TPM. This one is my first memory of visiting a cinema as a kid. I remember that I was very excited about it and loved it back then. I still have it at home on VHS. However, I saw it recently and man, it hasn't aged well for me. Jar Jar, the emphasize on politics and the Senate and some of the sets (I really don't like the Battle of Naboo) bring it down for me. However, there is also good stuff like Ewan as Obi-Wan (he is one of the best characters in the prequels), Neeson as Qui-Gon, the duel at the end (bringing a martial artist in the face of Rey Park was a game changer and the fight was brilliantly choreographed. Also, Williams' "Duel of the Fates" track was terrific) and the pod race sequence. However, the bad overshadows the good stuff, in my opinion. The movie just feels... boring to watch. However, when I'm doing a marathon, I always watch it and try to ignore the new "Lucas"-ed stuff.

AOTC: I have a better memory of seeing this one back in 2002. I remember being even more excited than before the TPM. I really loved the movie back then, but I was 9 at the time, didn't do a research before seeing it and expected Anakin to turn into Vader in this one. I was very disappointed when it didn't happen haha. While I like the movie better than TPM, it still is a disappointment for the franchise. Hayden's acting was wooden, the romance subplot was dragged and overly long and going digital and green screens really hasn't aged the movie well. Good things: Again, Ewan as Obi-Wan, Dooku was a great villain as well, and the arena scene was also very entertaining. The problem is that, besides the last 30 minutes, nothing really happens in the movie (with the exception of the awesome Obi-Wan vs Jango Fett fight on Kamino). I really expected the Clone Wars to be more...mystical and epic as well. The duel at the end wasn't as memorable as the Maul one from TPM and throwing a fully CGI Yoda with a lightsaber didn't help. I remember that seeing Yoda taking out a lightsaber was a "WOW, this is so awesome" moment in the cinema for me, but now, it isn't anything special. However, the Coruscant chase was awesome, as it showed the planet from a different angle and the last sequence of the Clone army assembling with Palpatine observing from the terrace, followed by Anakin and Padme marrying with "Across the Stars" playing on the background was epic and a perfect setup for Ep.3. Unfotunately, I find the movie rather boring when watching it now.

And lastly, Episode 3. Easily my most hyped and most favorite from the prequels. Hayden was much better here, the chemistry between him and Ewan was terrific and there was a step up in the visual effects department. The execution of Order 66 was done brilliantly and the last 30 minutes were pure Star Wars and a perfect setup for ANH. The duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan was very good, although there were some unnecessary and flashy lightsaber movements. Showing the Yoda vs. Palpatine duel at the same time was a very good approach, as it showed the high stakes that both of these duels had. As I mentioned, the ending was terrific and I didn't mind the "Nooo" scene with Vader. My 2 most favorite scenes from the ending are probably the Vader suit and helmet assembly, and the Star Destroyer scene with him and Palpatine observing the construction of the Death Star. This scene was so "New Hope"-ish and I think Lucas did a great job there. All of these make the movie very good for me and I still love it to this day. There are minor negatives for me, like Grievous being thrown in the movie without any background (still haven't seen the Clone Wars series) and the unneeded Chewie cameo on Kashyyk. However, here all the good stuff outshines the bad for me. When I walked out of the cinema, I was so excited, but so sad because I thought we would never get a new SW movie.

I am so happy that I was wrong...

Final thoughts to sum it up. I love ROTS and love and hate TPM/AOTC. They are very flawed, but they are part of Star Wars and canon. As a big Star Wars fan, I will always try to find the good things in them and close my eyes on the bad ones. I can't help it, they are part of my childhood and while the OT is clearly better and superb, I won't completely ignore the prequels. They are still part of this whole thing for me.. I think the problem with them was that Lucas got overly confident with the advance in technology and forgot how to write a good story and dialogue.

I am happy that Disney took the franchise and couldn't have been happier with TFA. JJ did a very good job on bringing the old feel and atmosphere of the OT, and I can't wait to see where Johnson and Trevorrow will take the series next.

 

[Young Superman]

I love ROTS.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

I love ROTS/TPM, AOTC is.....it has moments.

 

[GuestStar2004]

ROTS is underrated IMO

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

I enjoy them a lot.

All the movies are definitely a far cry from what they could have been, and there's a lot of obviously terrible points, but after getting past that disappointment, there's still a lot to enjoy.

There's so much imagination on display, a fantastic score, and Anakin's story is captivating, even if it's a fraction of how well it could have been told.

 

[Broseph44]

I love ROTS/TPM, AOTC is.....it has moments.

I agree. I'd rank the PT for me best to worst Sith, Menace and then Clones. Clones has some things and moments in it that I do enjoy but overall just not my favorite or one I would choose to watch a lot. TPM leaves a bad taste in a lot of fans mouths. Not really for me, yes I hate Jar Jar and there's other stuff I do dislike but there's a lot more that I enjoy that outweighs the negatives for me.

And ROTS is still awesome and my favorite of the PT for sure. Like most a lot of my problems with the PT are certain acting performances and character choices and plot points or scenes that are unecessary.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

I don't crap on the PT for acting like a bunch of other people. George has been notorious about actors just being a necessary evil to get the story told, and considers Star Wars akin to a silent film....also, sorry not sorry, everyone but Ford and Guiness was horrible in the OT as well lol

 

[Paradox1]

I rewatched the PT again for the first time in years. In particular Sith's ending carries more weight knowing the characters so much better in Clone Wars. The first time I saw it Commander Cody's betrayal didn't have that sting that it has now.

 

[Bim]

Yes, i agree. I'm really happy that Clone Wars gave us the chance to get to know the clones better. Males their betrayal even more powerful. Order 66 always made me sad, but now it's really sad

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I enjoy all the Star Wars films. The prequels are the lesser movies, but the quality of the two Clone Wars animated series more than makes up for a lot of their shortcomings, and fleshes everything out.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

I'm rewatching the prequels (I've watched TPM and AOTC sof far) now that I have them on Blu-ray and while not as great as the OT, they're not as bad as many make them out to be. The main issues I find are the CGI backgrounds and characters look spotty at times and the story is very muddled or poorly thought out in certain areas, but other than that, I have found them entertaining after not seeing them for over 10 years.

 

[Brem]

I'm re-watching The Phantom Menace now, myself. I can safely say, as I've always said, I really don't dislike it. It isn't a flawless film - and I also maintain the claim that neither are the original films - but it still has heart and it's still fun to watch.

Jar Jar just doesn't bother me. I don't find him annoying so much as he is unnecessary. I find him far worse in The Clone Wars and he features in my least favourite episodes simply because of his presence, but in Phantom Menace, I don't mind him.

I've seen far worse in recent years, and there are characters out there that are far more irritating than Jar Jar Binks.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

The point about Binks is....he's supposed to be annoying. There is literally whole scenes of characters being annoyed by him. I'll take JJB over Finn any day.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

ROTS is underrated IMO

I find it goes both ways with this film. On virtue of what most people think of the prequels, RotS is usually considered the best prequel. Then there's the fact that RotS itself is a prequel, and a lot of people dump on it as a bad film because how they view the prequels as a whole. Personally, I agree it isn't given its due. Wile I don't hate TPM, and as I've gotten older I don't care too much for AotC, I find RotS a good film with way more to enjoy than to hate.

 

[Bim]

Have you guys read this theory? https://www.retrozap.com/padme-didnt-die-of-a-broken-heart/ . I've read a few theories and debates about this issue, and i gotta say, this one's intriguing. Hadnt thought about Padme's death in this way.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

She didn't die of a broken heart to begin with, the droids never even mentioned such a thing- just her when confronting Anakin lol. I dont know why people say that. But yeah, that's my theory. How else would Sidious know of her death?