Are you glad the Star Wars prequels were even made?

[Flexor the Mighty!]

If you went into the theater expecting something that was going to be as good or better than the greatest movie trilogy ever...well no wonder you are dissapointed. Or maybe you just didn't like them, I don't care. I enjoyed them quite a bit. I am dying to see Episode 3, it's easily the movie I've been most anticipating since 1997 or so when I learned he was making the prequals. The saber fight between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, & Maul was amazing, as were the saber fights in Ep2. But I have yet to see a sword/lightsaber fight that equals the power of the saber fight in Empire, and the final battle of Luke & Vader in Jedi. I get chills during the fight in Jedi. Simply amazing stuff.

I love Star Wars!!!!

 

[KidCthulhu]

Me, I resent the movies. Lucas made me his bitch, and I took it. He can talk all he wants about Ep 1 & 2 being for kids, but that doesn't justify the suck factor. Plenty of movies made for children are also good, quality films that adults can enjoy too.

I agree with what been said. He really overestimated his own talents, and gave us an inferior version of his dream because he couldn't delegate. And I really resent that missed potential. "could have been good" and "could be worse" aren't really what we deserve from Star Wars.

 

[Kai Lord]

If you went into the theater expecting something that was going to be as good or better than the greatest movie trilogy ever...well no wonder you are dissapointed.

I don't think anyone was expecting Episode II to be better than Lord of the Rings.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I would have thought it was obvious I was referring to the Star Wars Trilogy Episodes 4-6. Much more satisifying to watch and much more fun than the LotR, but that's not the point of this thread.

 

[stevelabny]

personally, i think answering any of these prequel-trilogy questions without seeing the third movie is silly. i think the third one will validate the making of the three movies, even if it doesnt change peoples minds about how good they are.

what i am really curious about,if ANYONE can help me, is why my opinions on phantom menace and clones are almost exactly opposite of other peoples.

i pretty much LIKED phantom menace. it started a little slow,and had a few things that were just bizarre but that was ok, because Jedi had a few scenes that made me cringe too.

Clones on the other hand was mostly awful. Shoehorning Boba Fett into the storyline in the most awkward way possible just to cater to Fett-fanboys, having your "villian" be a very unimpressive old man, the love story from nowhere "no anakin, no anakin, ok, i love you", having some of the worst special effects caught on film since the 80s, and the old-school crime-movie diner scene which I just can't sit through without mocking.

The only part of Clones I DID like was...anakin. I absolutely loved the way Hayden delivered his "they're animals, and i slaughtered them like animals" and all his stupid sappy dialogue to amidala. Of course, unless he's using the little-mentioned jedi-mind-rape technique, theres no way she would ever fall for him but that problem is with Amidala's script and Portman's cardboard acting, not anakin. Anakin was the only saving grace of the movie for me. And the part most other people say they hated most.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I didn't hate Anakin myself, I'm not so sure why he's so hated. But I don't think it would have ever met the expectations that had been building around it.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

"Yes, although I didn't enjoy them as much as the originals."

I reiterate the points above about lightsaber duels (which are so much better than the slow moving tiptoeing Ep 4-6 duels) and watching Jedis at the peak of their power is just great.

What the first three films really miss over 4-6 is the Han Solo equivalent. The character that isn't prepared to take it all so damn seriously all the time. Although putting one in would have altered the nature of the first three episodes considerably.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Hmmm...I thought the duels in Ep 4-6 had so much more punch and power than the admittedly more acrobatic stuff in Ep1-2. When Luke hears Vader say his Sister will do if he won't and attacks...well I am swept away. The score playing, Luke in a frenzy of anger and rage teetering on the edge of the Dark Side and oblivion...wow that's a saber fight*. Plus I think Vader and Luke didn't appear to waste a ton of energy doing flips and all kinds of other fancy, but maybe unnecessary moves. I don't recall Anakin doing a lot of that either, he seemed more to the point than flashy.

*Don't even get me going on the battle in Empire.

 

[Bass Puppet]

Can I chime in with "Glad they made the Prequel's, but wished somebody else directed them?" I know, I know, I haven't seen the last one, but should I chance it? I mean, it's been since 1977.

 

[Narfellus]

episode 2

Risk it Bass Puppet. Just don't watch Clones expecting a whole lot. I personally think that CGI is so so so so so overdone and sloppy looking that they shouldn't bother. On the other hand, it's wonderful experience for artists and technicians doing a craft i CAN'T do, and a lot of the CGI effects in movies are impressive, but never foolproof. I would be hard pressed to see a movie and say, "I couldn't even tell that was done by a computer."
If ILM can reach that point one day, that's cool i guess. But this has been said before, for Lucas, he wanted to push the effects as far as he could. I can only assume he was pleased with the end result. I for one was not. The animation still looks like a cartoon to me. I like the old-school blue screens and models and stop motion.