What I Love About the Star Wars Prequels Part 1
Everyone who is familiar with the Internet has probably heard of a guy called RedLetterMedia. He has recently posted reviews on all three of the Star Wars prequels on his website. I am plain up going to tell you right now that I enjoy his reviews, they are funny and are very intriguing to watch. But some of the things he has said about the prequels are in my book, very harsh and uncalled for. He says that all people who like the prequels are drooling idiots and children and says that the prequels failed to carry on the same impact as the originals. As a reviewer of this material, I can honestly say that the prequels did not carry on the same impact, but rather, an impact of their own. It’s quite fine to like these films because there is nothing really horrific to dislike about them. Sure, Jar Jar was a bit of a nuisance but if you look at the prequels as a whole, and what was really brilliant and exciting about them, they were just as fascinating and breathtaking as the classic films, carry on the same message and impact that was just distributed in a different matter.
All people who nitpick about these films mainly focus on what they didn’t like about them. Jar Jar, the midi-chlorians, the bad acting, the “crappy and unrealistic” special effects, it has all been said several hundred times by all critics spanning the internet and television. But the prequels, like the originals, had a lot of moments with tension and suspense, and has a lot of people wondering what will happen next. The lightsaber duel with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul was probably the best lightsaber duel in the entire saga. The stunt work that was pulled off in that classic scene had me on the edge of my seat, and never had me suspecting that Qui-Gon Jinn would be dead at the end of that duel and Darth Maul sliced in half and tumbling down a reactor pit. Seeing Yoda pull out his own lightsaber and take on Count Dooku had my jaw on the floor. To see a classic character fight in such an erratic manner really was exemplary, especially considering that fact that Yoda is a very old jedi master that shouldn’t even be fighting with a lightsaber because of his health. It’s interesting and unique stuff that has never been done on film before, not even in the originals. And I would be a fool not to mention that I absolutely loved the podrace with Young Anakin Skywalker in Episode I. Sure, it was fast and predictable, but that is what made it good. I never knew Anakin was a mechanical and racing genius in his early days. The gungan battle at the climax of Episode I was also interesting. To see the dim witted gungans clumsily take out battle droids and droid tanks, it was exciting and hilarious at the same time.
RedLetterMedia states that the characters in the prequels are less memorable than the characters in the originals. If that’s so, than why do people get excited when a character from the prequels, like Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn and Shmi Skywalker , appear on the Clone Wars TV show. Once again, the characters of the prequels don’t leave the same impact as the original characters, but an impact of their own. Who doesn’t like Darth Maul? He is a very iconic and well received character even if he was killed off quite quickly. Who doesn’t look at Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and see Luke Skywalker? Who doesn’t like iconic jedi characters like Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Ki Adi Mundi, Aayla Secura and more. I can’t help but see the characters of the prequels mirroring the characters of the originals. They are briefly shown on screen and developed in a different way, but they still stick out in our heads, and a lot of SW fans’ favorite characters are from the prequels. The characters are also developed differently than the characters in the originals. Anakin Skywalker, we see throughout each of the three films, becomes very powerful to the point where he wants to become the most powerful jedi ever and save people from dying. It is quite similar to the story of Luke in the original trilogy, although, as we all know, Anakin’s story would become very tragic. Seeing Anakin’s thirst for prominence and manipulation by Palpatine turn him into the mechanically breathing maniac we all know and love in the originals was a very powerful moment that left such a powerful impact. A lot of people say he is too whiny, but that’s the point. In order for Anakin to ultimately turn to the dark side, he has to become arrogant and angry inside, that’s the way all great villains start out. They are heroes that are blinded and guided in the wrong direction which ultimately leads to their downfall.
The whole point of the prequels is to explain things. They are meant to take the same ingredients that made the originals the most well acclaimed movies all of time and re render them to explain why things are the way they are in the classic films. People think George Lucas rushed through the scripts of the prequels and just wanted to make “crappy” special effects on his computer. That’s not the case. George Lucas developed the prequels right around the same time he did the originals, If George Lucas released the prequels first, this is how he would have done, and I can almost guarantee you that Star Wars would have still made the same impact. The prequels are laid out and worked on for a very long time. Why do you think it takes 3 years for a new Star Wars film to see release. The story of the prequels does make sense, you just need to look at it from a different perspective, not the mention that some of the stories in the original films were also intriguing, but still just as brilliant. The impact of the originals is what makes the impact of the prequels. To see Anakin build C-3P0 was mind boggling and to see the Death Star plans in Episode 2 makes the prequels just as memorable, and who can forget Chewbacca’s unforgettable appearance in Episode 3. These appearances of things from the classic films tie the 2 trilogies together, and in my opinion, and in a lot of other people’s opinions, it makes the original films even better. Now we know who is within that Darth Vader suit. Now we know why the Emperor has a face like a gorilla’s behind. Now we know why Yoda is living on Dagobah. It’s all because of the stories told in the prequels.
And the SW prequels still take elements from other films and roll it into something new just as the original films did. They even take elements from the original films themselves, something RedLetterMedia talked about in his review. But’s that is what makes it good. That is what makes the Star Wars Prequels the Star Wars Prequels. SW fans can immediately compare the scenes to the scenes in the originals, and once again, it makes the originals all the better because it proves that the physics and dynamic abilities as well as the Force are all part of the same universe, and that the characters are quite identical to each other. Padme wears white just like Leia wore white. C3-P0 is broken apart just like he was in Episode 5. Luke looses his arm just as Anakin lost his arm in Episode 2. It’s like two tellings of the same story with different endings, and like the originals, I can help but see the stories of the Bible, mythology and other classic material within the prequels. The settings, the space ships, the species, the character development, it’s all just as good in the prequels as it was in the originals, you just need to look into it with an open mind to understand it. And the main reason why I think the prequel films are vastly underrated is what I will explain next.
I got into Star Wars because of the prequels. I remember when Episode I came out and how big it was. There were fast food promotions, action figures, contests, even a Jar Jar Binks sippy cup. It was a major release in motion picture history. But the hype of the film proved too much for the film to handle, and the film was met with a lukewarm response. Myself on the other hand, loved the film, and I still do. It was the first Star Wars film I ever saw and I was just blown out the window by it. The special effects, the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul, the acting, everything I enjoyed, and this is what motivated me to continue my exploration of the Star Wars films in the near future.It wasn’t until the release of Revenge of the Sith that I really settled down and watched the original films thoroughly for the first time, and from watching the prequel films first, I could come to enjoy the original films even more. And the fact that George Lucas restored the original films with references from the prequels really made the SW films one whole story. I thought it was brilliant to see young Anakin at the end of Return of the Jedi, and it makes sense. Anakin Skywalker, redeemed or not, died when he became Darth Vader, and since he killed the Emperor and fulfilled the ancient Jedi prophecy, he was rewarded by spending eternity in the netherworld of the force as a young man. It makes perfect sense why George Lucas would do that, for George wanted to make the prequels and than use the actor who played Anakin as the force ghost at the end of Return of the Jedi, something else that would make the whole Star Wars saga one whole story. It was amazing to see what I saw in the prequels in the restored originals, for it proves that the characters are all the same characters, and the settings are all the same settings, and who cares if George replaced some of the scenes with CGI, that is what makes the universe more consistent and imaginative. Watching all six films in order really is an amazing experience, because you can understand what Star Wars is all about, and you can come to understand the mythology and ethics George Lucas was trying to get out to the world.
And put it this way. If we didn’t have the Star Wars prequels, Star Wars would have become a thing of the past.The prequels is what made Star Wars the prominent franchise it is today. It kept the universe alive just the Star Trek: The Next Generation kept the Star Trek universe alive, and the brilliance of the prequels is what inspired an infestation of EU material, including both Clone Wars TV shows which further made the prequels better in a lot of people’s books. It set in stone what Star Wars really is, a universe full of treachery, wisdom and temptation. And this is Star Wars for a new generation of viewers. There is no question in my mind that with the SW films being released in order in 3-D next year, it will continue to captivate many more children and adults alike with it’s wonder and glorification. “The appeal of Star Wars has become greater than I have ever imagined” quoted George Lucas, and he is absolutely right. And it’s all thanks to the beauty of the prequels, the films that ultimately defined Star Wars and made it the ultimate franchise it is today. These films relate to real life and the struggles humanity faces everyday, in politics and relationships, as well as the morals and lessons taught with in the Bible like temptation, redemption and how to cope with certain perils. As a Christian man, I can see the tales of the Bible through Star Wars and relate the characters of the Bible to characters of the Star Wars universe. Anakin is in many ways like Jesus, a person of virgin birth who has to one day fulfill a prophecy (Anakin was conceived by the Force, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit). And who can’t look at Palpatine and see the Devil, tempting people to turn to the Dark Side just as the Devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread in the forest. It’s every epic story in the Bible rolled into something new and original, and if you ask me, this is prominently seen within the Star Wars prequels, tales of betrayal and deception. That my friends is why I like them so much because it shows that all people, even people in a galaxy far, far away have issues, and it will take some drastic measures and sacrifice to get through these horrible times.
The Star Wars Prequels did change cinema, very different from the impact of the originals, but still very prudent. And I honestly feel great sympathy for George Lucas, who is constantly panned by many critics for these last three films, because they simply can not see what he was trying to get out with these prequels. And surely, these films will still be horribly panned for many years to come by RedLetterMedia and many other critics, but it’s good to know that there are those who can understand why these films were made and see what they were trying to get out to the world. Thank you, George Lucas, for keeping the SW universe alive, and inspiring many other film makers, like J.J. Abrams to release several epic stories that would captivate the lives of millions. And many years from now, we can look back at the onslaught of films that have come throughout the years and say, “The Star Wars Saga, the prequels, they started it all!”
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