What Do You Think of the Star Wars Prequels ?

[BAYLOR]

First one dreadful - the kid was annoying and it looked like a video game.
Second one even worse - Hayden Christensen was terrible, zero chemistry between him and Nathalie Portman, and the story...
Third, better but still only 'OK'.

I also preferred not knowing exactly why Anakin became Vader (and the reason the films showed was very weak), and liked the mystical explanation of the force.

Also I'm sure I read (many years ago) that Luca$ said he wanted to wait before doing any other Star Wars films until special effects developed enough to make the films look good. But, ironically, to my eyes the spaceships, in particular, look far more convincing in the original trilogy. I assume this is because they exist as actual objects (albeit models of course) rather than computer rendered.

Anykin weak-minded dolt , I felt no sympathy for him at all.

 

[Glaysher]

The prequels are terrible but at least they gave us the Clone Wars which was far superior. The last episode was the best Star Wars that I've seen in years.

 

[BAYLOR]

The prequels are terrible but at least they gave us the Clone Wars which was far superior. The last episode was the best Star Wars that I've seen in years.

Fair point.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Not a fan. It's as though they traded good storytelling for special effects.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I think for me the worst thing was the dialogue. How on Earth can the man responsible for so many memorable phrases in IV-VI be responsible for none at all in the prequels? I still can't believe just how bad the dialogue was in those movies, especially Phantom Menace.

 

[CHB]

They got a lot of weakness (clone wars happening off-screen aka TV show), but they tried to push the envelope and resize the box for a new Star Wars. Since Disney took over I almost appreciate their failures, because something we all probably did not see back then was how Lucas took a risk with them, by making them a beast of their own without serving nostalgia.

 

[BAYLOR]

Not a fan. It's as though they traded good storytelling for special effects.

Lucas kept adding more and more special effects to no purpose at all.

 

[Vince W]

Lucas kept adding more and more special effects to no purpose at all.

I thought the purpose was perfectly clear. To cover massive plot holes and dreadful dialogue.

 

[BAYLOR]

I thought the purpose was perfectly clear. To cover massive plot holes and dreadful dialogue.

There were still visible space on the big screen , so he didn't succeed.

 

[Vince W]

There were still visible space on the big screen , so he didn't succeed.

Lucas forgot his Adams.

“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.”

 

[Glaysher]

I thought the purpose was perfectly clear. To cover massive plot holes and dreadful dialogue.

To be fair I think he wanted to push the boundaries of what is possible with special effects. He just forgot that plot and dialogue are important.

 

[Lumens]

George Lucas has never been a good director. I think he has a fantastic imagination and is a great world builder. The general storyline of the prequels is also fascinating, as it deals with politics and the move towards an empire. And of course, how Darth Vader came to be. If done properly, it would have been spectacular.

Star Wars IV was a bodge job at best, saved by some very clever editing. He should leave the directing to others, like he did with the next two episodes, V and VI. Not that I could have done any better though...

 

[BAYLOR]

George Lucas has never been a good director. I think he has a fantastic imagination and is a great world builder. The general storyline of the prequels is also fascinating, as it deals with politics and the move towards an empire. And of course, how Darth Vader came to be. If done properly, it would have been spectacular.

Star Wars IV was a bodge job at best, saved by some very clever editing. He should leave the directing to others, like he did with the next two episodes, V and VI. Not that I could have done any better though...

There is no question that George Lucas caught lightning in a bottle with Star Wars. It made him rich enough so that he could stop directing entirely and found his own company, Industrial Light and Magic and, thus enable him to make even more money doing special effects for other movie studios. He also continue to successfully produce and co produce other films . And, he briefly went back to directing, making millions and millions more on the three Star Wars prequels and then , on top of all that, made billions more when he sold the rights to Star Wars to Disney . George Lucas is a very smart businessman whose overall contributions to the film industry can''t be understated, underestimated or lightly dismissed. He pushed special effect technology to new heights . gave us Star War and Indiana Jones and, with Steven Spielberg and others , helped give the Hollywood movie industry a boost that it needed at that time.

 

[CupofJoe]

He also directed and co-wrote American Graffiti [which I think is a pretty good film].

 

[Rodders]

Has your opinion of the Prequels changed after you watched the Sequels?

 

[BAYLOR]

Has your opinion of the Prequels changed after you watched the Sequels?

Not in the least .

 

[BAYLOR]

He also directed and co-wrote American Graffiti [which I think is a pretty good film].

Also TXH 1138

 

[CupofJoe]

Not really, but I wasn't a fan of the prequels or the revamped original films. There was too much not very good CGI. The last three were decent enough films technically. but for me they were all too slow and repetitive [or is that derivative?]. I only watched the last one to see what Rey's big secret was... And Ho'boy was that a let down.
I've fallen out of love with the Stars Wars 'verse. Even in the stand-alone films they have become too safe and nerdily self-referencing. I haven't been shocked or even surprised while watching any of them. It's over 40 years and eleven movies but there is still no scene to match Luke discovering the burnt remains of his aunt and uncle.
Now we have BB8, and Poogs [and whatever that other little robot was called] seemingly only there to be a merchandising opportunity.

 

[Lumens]

THX is a good film, yes. I had forgotten about that. American Grafitti didn't need much directing, it sort of flowed on its own in a nice way. IMO, of course.

George Lucas is definitely a genius, no doubt, but even actors that respect him deeply have complained about his directing. Or at the very least made a bit of fun of it.

I don't know... I don't feel that passionate about it all. I enjoyed watching all of them to the end, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies. No doubt Disney will issue several remakes in the coming decades.

 

[Parson]

American Graffiti didn't need much directing, it sort of flowed on its own in a nice way.

Isn't this the very definition of a brilliantly directed movie?