Were the Star Wars Prequels really that bad?

[PaladinBash]

Jarjar becoming a Sith lord would have redeemed his character and made him a classic. Bonus points if he slowly stops talking like a retard, starts talking normally and then smiles a sadistic smile and cackles. Would have mindfucked everyone and been great.

Dialogue was really shit in a lot of places, particularly with Anakin. Torn between Anakin's actor and dialogue being worse as I'm not sure he would have seemed shit if he had better lines.

Clone Wars was infinitely superior and Anakin there isn't a useless little shit. That leads me to believe that the prequels were mediocre rather than awful and could have been a lot better. Didn't hate them, just wish they had done lots of shit better. Bad dialogue is bad dialogue, can't argue with that. Other than that it was fine for the most part.

[vipers]

on part 2 and 3 movie worst of the movie is emo anakin

[Crillam]

My guess is that since Darth Edge didn't completely slaughter her before the planet blew up she's a mary sue

But Kylo had just been hit by Chewys bowcaster, which in earlier scenes had demonstrated what it does to people. So that Kylo is even standing up is BS.

[Fabinas]

Go back to my post, and re-read it. Your question is answered in the very same post you quoted.

There's nothing in your post. One of us is an idiot. I'll let ppl to decide who is.

[Logwyn]

Darth Maul who was killed off way too early

How do you advance Obi from a Padawan to Jedi Knight if he doesn't kill Darth Maul.

[Ivanstone]

How do you advance Obi from a Padawan to Jedi Knight if he doesn't kill Darth Maul.

How do you sell more toys if there's only one Sith apprentice??!?!? Besides Tyranus > Maul.

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Anakin is a young adult male that actually is not in control of his emotions at all. His emotions rule over him.
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Gotta give into your anger and hate. Its like Wheaties for Sith.

[Sodka]

Personally, I did not care for the prequels all that much. Here is some of my reasons why:

• The acting by the majority of the cast were sub-par at best.
• How they explained where 'The Force' originated from just wrecked the mystery.
• The love between Anakin and Padmé was not believable.
• In the Revenge of the Sith, how easily Emperor Palpatine converted Anakin over to the dark side.
• Also right after Palpatine made Anakin his new apprentice, Anakin said he would do anything to save Padmé life. Palpatine said that to cheat death, that power has only been known to one and we would find a way together. Up until this moment, Palpatine promised Anakin that he would save Padmé life, and now he pretty much said he can't do it by himself. Anakin went to the Dark Side on the false promise of bringing back Padmé, and Palpatine laying about his powers to Anakin would, for me, not trust Palpatine at all with anything he says from that point on.
• Jar Jar Binks. His character was a lot more annoying that comical. Personally I like the fan theories that Jar Jar was actually an Sith Lord himself, and he was acting the way he was, to hide behind that buffoonery. Sort of what Yoda was doing when first meeting Luke on Dagobah.

There are a lot more reasons to list, but here was just a few reasons why I did not really care for the prequels.

[Ielenia]

There's nothing in your post. One of us is an idiot. I'll let ppl to decide who is.

I wrote, and I quote: "The movies would have worked just as well if Qui-gon Jinn has just "sensed" Anakin's strong connection to the Force, and nothing would have been lost."

Y'know, like they have always sensed the Force, before?

I think it's obvious who is what, in this case.

[Mahourai]

The moment you ascribe a "natural" characteristic, something measurable, to an entity that is supernatural, it stop really being 'supernatural'. It's like a friend that you believed has always spoken the truth to you, but suddenly you find out said friend told you a lie. Then you start thinking: "what else could my friend be lying about?"

It's almost like this serves a narrative purpose itself.

[Fabinas]

I wrote, and I quote: "The movies would have worked just as well if Qui-gon Jinn has just "sensed" Anakin's strong connection to the Force, and nothing would have been lost."

Y'know, like they have always sensed the Force, before?

I think it's obvious who is what, in this case.

Sure. Just a vague way to recruit force sensitive ppl. "I sensed it". Some are angels and some are just human beings. When the discussion was for a way of gauging if they were good enough for training. QCJ already new Anakin was tapping at the force.
Such thinking creates Mary Sues like Rey.

[zephid]

Yes, really bad.

[Orahei]

The crowd that shits on the prequels is the same crowd that praises TFA for its originality.



Not gonna lie... no one liked Jar Jar... he's definitely a black spot on the trilogy and the genre as a whole. But at the time very few people HATED it like they claim to now.

It's pretty easy to hate on something almost 20 years later, but if you look at the awards the movies won and/or were nominated for, it gives a much more objective viewpoint on how they were received at the time. Its far superior to the anecdotal tales of hatred coming from every self proclaimed fanboy that fancies himself to be Roger Ebert.

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I don't think people believe the new trilogy is original, but the acting, writing, actors, and direction are much better. Its not perfect, but the acting and writing in the prequels was absolutely horrible.

I actually saw The Phantom Menace on opening night in a completely packed theater (luckily I had won tickets from a radio station). When the opening music started, people were yelling and screaming with excitement. By the time the movie ended, and the credits were showing, the whole theater was absolutely quiet, and I could look around and see everyone with the same look on their eyes: what the hell have we just watched? It was just horrible. Jar Jar was bad, midiclorins was ridiculous and unnecessary. The kid who played Anikan couldn't act and was out of his depth.

That being said, I think Lucas was trying to write a very complex sci-fi political story, and I think the story could have worked (and to an extent it did in episodes 2 and 3). I just think there were too many people not willing to say that certain things weren't working.

[A dot Ham]

I don't think people believe the new trilogy is original, but the acting, writing, actors, and direction are much better. Its not perfect, but the acting and writing in the prequels was absolutely horrible.

I actually saw The Phantom Menace on opening night in a completely packed theater (luckily I had won tickets from a radio station). When the opening music started, people were yelling and screaming with excitement. By the time the movie ended, and the credits were showing, the whole theater was absolutely quiet, and I could look around and see everyone with the same look on their eyes: what the hell have we just watched? It was just horrible. Jar Jar was bad, midiclorins was ridiculous and unnecessary. The kid who played Anikan couldn't act and was out of his depth.

That being said, I think Lucas was trying to write a very complex sci-fi political story, and I think the story could have worked (and to an extent it did in episodes 2 and 3). I just think there were too many people not willing to say that certain things weren't working.

10 LOVED IT
7 LIKED IT
2 HATED IT

I'm going to call bullshit on your anecdote. In the theater I was in the entire theater clapped.

That's my entire point here. Most people enjoyed it at the time... it wasn't even until after Revenge of the Sith, that people started to bash on the prequels as they do today. Not saying your points aren't valid. But at the time it was pretty positively received.

At the time Roger Ebert gave it 4.5 stars
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/s...om-menace-1999

B+
http://www.flipsidearchive.com/phantommenace.html

An honest, mediocre review.
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?...56c0a96f958260

Novel that came out a month before with 4.3 stars (oops the internet forgot somewhere to drop hate)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sta...s/1101959702#/

[RobertoCarlos]

phantom menace had its flaw but its a decent big blockbuster movie from that time. It had a lot of positives among the jar jar memes

It started to come off the rails after phantom menace though with CGI backflipping Yoda

Now we have Disney propping up diversity and bringing back the old stars from the original so they can laugh their way to the bank and make another billion dollars. It is what it is.

I just hope among the disney movie spam we get one decent story akin to knights of the old republic video games. Story like that might peak my interests

[Ielenia]

Sure. Just a vague way to recruit force sensitive ppl. "I sensed it". Some are angels and some are just human beings. When the discussion was for a way of gauging if they were good enough for training. QCJ already new Anakin was tapping at the force.

Again, they could "sense it". People with a connection to the Force aren't called "Force sensitive" for nothing. The writers could have just written that Qui-gon Jinn sensed Anakin's particularly strong connection to the Force, and thanks to the prophecy, continue with the movie's story, and nothing would be changed in the movie's overall story. Nothing of importance would have been lost.

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It's almost like this serves a narrative purpose itself.

What an irrelevant post. I'm not talking if it "serves a narrative purpose" or not. It's irrelevant. For the same thing they could say the Sith group was founded by a jedi who one day got so angry because he stubbed his toe. It would be a shitty story, but, hey, "it would serve a narrative purpose".

[Mahourai]

Again, they could "sense it". People with a connection to the Force aren't called "Force sensitive" for nothing. The writers could have just written that Qui-gon Jinn sensed Anakin's particularly strong connection to the Force, and thanks to the prophecy, continue with the movie's story, and nothing would be changed in the movie's overall story. Nothing of importance would have been lost.

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What an irrelevant post. I'm not talking if it "serves a narrative purpose" or not. It's irrelevant. For the same thing they could say the Sith group was founded by a jedi who one day got so angry because he stubbed his toe. It would be a shitty story, but, hey, "it would serve a narrative purpose".

Your first paragraph is talking about how midichlorians can be eliminated from the script with nothing lost. Your reply to me implies you both know it does serve a purpose - meaning that it cannot be eliminated from the script - and that you don't care, because it's "irrelevant" - meaning that it does not serve a purpose and can be eliminated. This is a very confused reply.

Destroying the mysticism of the Jedi Order and revealing it as a decaying and impotent group of space cops is a critical part of the narrative of the Star Wars prequels - and the original movies, for that matter - and revealing that they measured the Force with radar guns is a key part of that.

[Ielenia]

Your first paragraph is talking about how midichlorians can be eliminated from the script with nothing lost. Your reply to me implies you both know it does serve a purpose - meaning that it cannot be eliminated from the script - and that you don't care, because it's "irrelevant" - meaning that it does not serve a purpose and can be eliminated. This is a very confused reply.

Destroying the mysticism of the Jedi Order and revealing it as a decaying and impotent group of space cops is a critical part of the narrative of the Star Wars prequels - and the original movies, for that matter - and revealing that they measured the Force with radar guns is a key part of that. Y

Except... it doesn't. I fully admit I may be remembering things incorrectly, but as far as I recall, other than being used as a plot device to put Anakin into Jedi training, midi-chlorians are never used again. I actually don't think they're even mentioned again after Qui-Gon Jinn goes against the will of the Council and decides to train the boy. That is the only "narrative purpose" of the midi-chlorians: an excuse to start training Anakin.

Which is why I maintain that this whole "midi-chlorians" nonsense could be removed from the movie-- no, removed from the franchise-- and nothing of importance would be lost. The story would still progress just as well as it did.

[Mahourai]

I fully admit I may be remembering things incorrectly, but as far as I recall, other than being used as a plot device to put Anakin into Jedi training, midi-chlorians are never used again.

There doesn't need to be a scene where Obi-Wan says out loud "Wow, I can't believe we were so stupid as to pick out the Chosen One using a radar gun to measure his power level" for it to be a part of the narrative.

That is the only "narrative purpose" of the midi-chlorians: an excuse to start training Anakin.

This is what happens in the plot, yes, but the movie is more than just a summary of events that occur in it. The Wikipedia entry for Star Wars contains no quotations in its plot summary, but that does not mean that all dialogue in the film is inessential or irrelevant.

[Dasharin]

I loved every single movie.

But...LOL...everyone on the internet thinks they are professional film critics....LOL

The more people hate...the more I usually like the movie

[Mormolyce]

Except... it doesn't. I fully admit I may be remembering things incorrectly, but as far as I recall, other than being used as a plot device to put Anakin into Jedi training, midi-chlorians are never used again. I actually don't think they're even mentioned again after Qui-Gon Jinn goes against the will of the Council and decides to train the boy. That is the only "narrative purpose" of the midi-chlorians: an excuse to start training Anakin.

Which is why I maintain that this whole "midi-chlorians" nonsense could be removed from the movie-- no, removed from the franchise-- and nothing of importance would be lost. The story would still progress just as well as it did.

Honestly I don't think it's even necessary from a plot point of view, why Quin-Gon Jinn can't simply sense his latent force power when standing right next to him was always a mystery to me. Vader could sense Luke's connection to the Force from the cockpit of his TIE Advanced.

George Lucas just actually thought it was a good idea to imply a "scientific" explanation for the Force.