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Are the Star Wars prequels truly good?

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Ten years in the past, nice jubilation arose among the many Star Wars trustworthy when Disney acquired Lucasfilm and subsequently introduced Star Wars sequels that includes the unique trilogy characters. Lastly, we might transfer previous the sins of the prequel trilogy — Episodes I, II, and III, all written and directed by George Lucas — with “actual” Star Wars motion pictures that might eclipse our blighted recollections of Lucas’ miscalculations. Certain sufficient, when The Drive Awakens debuted in 2015, followers and informal viewers alike proclaimed its constancy to the holy trinity of authentic Star Wars motion pictures. It may be a bit of by-product, however doggone it, it appeared like authentic Star Wars. Extra importantly, it felt like authentic Star Wars.

It didn’t take lengthy for people to vary their tune. Now the sequels — The Drive Awakens, The Final Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker — are a lot maligned for his or her lack of cohesive imaginative and prescient and their reliance on drained materials. In the meantime, the prequels have undergone recent appraisal, and the joy amongst followers is off the charts for prequel-related reveals like Obi-Wan Kenobi. After struggling 20 years of derision, are the prequels immediately thought-about good now? How did that occur?

Padme, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin in Episode I

They’re not good; we simply have selective recollections

I imply, come on, have you ever seen this stuff? I gained’t relitigate all of the carping from the final 23 years, however let’s assessment some key complaints.

None of this has aged nicely, not to mention improved, particularly in The Phantom Menace. However followers nonetheless extol the nice components: Darth Maul (Ray Park) and his double bladed lightsaber; the thrilling duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Maul, nonetheless among the many finest; John Williams’ terrific rating, particularly the traditional “Duel of the Fates” theme. It’s human nature to need to keep in mind the good things and so we do. It’s why folks say good issues about jerks at their funerals.

The prequel technology has come of age

Jedi Younglings in Attack of the Clones
Disney

As I wrote in one other article, Era X has change into very proprietary over Star Wars – claiming to know its true nature and what future installments ought to include. These followers who grew up on the unique trilogy took difficulty – loudly – with the prequels, for the problems described above, but additionally just because they weren’t the originals. In doing so, they typically uncared for to think about what Lucas has mentioned publicly and infrequently: Star Wars is for teenagers. Ten-year-olds in 1983 weren’t rolling their eyes on the goofy content material in Return of the Jedi – the Ewoks, the mélange of rubber puppets in Jabba’s Palace, which one way or the other grew to become even stupider within the late-’90s Particular Editions. We all know it’s all cringe-inducing now. And but, regardless of that, Xers nonetheless defend the unique trilogy in all its flaws.

Millennials and even some Gen Zers have all the time felt the identical defensive love for the prequels. It’s simply that now they’re sufficiently old and arranged sufficient in fan communities to articulate their appreciation. Obi-Wan Kenobi by no means would have been made — or change into the largest premiere but on Disney+ — with out that devoted fan love, one thing Ewan McGregor gratefully acknowledged. 9 mixed seasons and counting of the critically acclaimed The Clone Wars and The Dangerous Batch would by no means have been made both.

They appear higher by the extra canon-building

Anakin and Ahsoka in The Clone Wars.
Disney

Talking of which, The Clone Wars, The Dangerous Batch, Visions, Rebels, The Mandalorian, and a plethora of video video games, comedian books, and novels have all fleshed out and expanded the prequel narratives. Darth Maul is an instance of a prequel character who went on to, ahem, menace good guys in all the pieces from the animated reveals to Ron Howard’s Solo, which arrange Maul to be a serious character in a sequel that by no means got here. Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars animated sequence has been the jewel of this extra-textual materials, persistently incomes raves for its lush animation together with its willingness to discover themes in a grown-up method for animation.

The profusion of auxiliary materials deepened the characters, gave them fascinating new arcs, developed the already wealthy story world, and on the whole made all the pieces appear extra fascinating and well-rounded. Over time, our brains have lumped the acclaimed materials in with the subpar materials. Fan love for The Clone Wars and Rebels has elevated our appreciation of the prequels, in all probability with out us even realizing it. A rising tide lifts all boats.

They’re superior in comparison with new Star Wars stuff

Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace
Disney

Did anybody ever suppose {that a} Star Wars function movie could possibly be worse than The Phantom Menace? Welcome to The Rise of Skywalker. I might sit by a double function of the mid-’80s made-for-TV Ewok motion pictures, Caravan of Braveness and The Battle of Endor, with an appetizer of the Star Wars Vacation Particular — maybe probably the most maligned cultural artifact of our time — earlier than enduring The Rise of Skywalker once more, which lumbers in the direction of one more protracted climax that includes an enormous ol’ house battle and a good-versus-bad Jedi showdown, besides staged in probably the most incoherent and meaningless method potential.

Then there’s The Ebook of Boba Fett, which is about, nicely … nobody can say precisely. However in case you squint at your TV whereas passing by your front room, it appears to be like one thing like Star Wars. The primary season of The Mandalorian can also be, let’s face it, fairly tedious. Little or no occurs whereas the galaxy’s dullest man excursions random planets with a Muppet child in tow.

My level is, within the face of a few of this dreck, how might the prequels not look higher? They’re epic, they’re formidable, they’re fantastically photographed, they include plenty of thrilling motion sequences — inventively staged and shot by Lucas and Steven Spielberg — and so they have a story throughl ine that, whereas it could possibly be higher structured, at the very least climaxes in a purposeful and significant method.

Attitudes towards artwork and tradition change over time

Anakin and Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith
Disney

Revenge of the Sith is flawed, however it’s a visually gorgeous movie, teeming with the fervour and darkness that The Phantom Menace altogether lacks. Of the three prequels, it’s the one one I appreciated earlier than writing this text. As such, I used to be not wanting ahead to refreshing myself on Assault of the Clones, a film which frequently ranks close to the backside of lists of Star Wars motion pictures.

Nonetheless, I’ve all the time admired the opening, when Senator Amidala’s ship floats into the higher ambiance of the Republic planet of Coruscant like a type of gleaming, chrome, early-model Pan Am jetliners, then glides over the information of Artwork Deco-esque skyscrapers sprouting by pearly clouds like some historic civilization lengthy submerged by an alien ocean. The engines thrum like an previous prop aircraft (Lucas reminding us that Star Wars has its roots within the roar and buzz of World Conflict II dogfights) and the ship alights on a touchdown pad floating within the mist. The peace holds for a second, then is ripped asunder as a thunderous explosion blisters orange and black throughout the display screen, sending our bodies and items of ship hurtling. It’s a stunning second and I assumed nothing else within the movie matched its savage eloquence.

A ship flies towards Coruscant in Attack of the Clones

But, as I watched, I saved ready to roll my eyes, to be bored, to be embarrassed for Lucas and his worst impulses, and as an alternative discovered myself having fun with it. Obi-wan and Anakin’s evening chase by Coruscant skyscrapers ranks amongst Lucas’ best-realized motion sequences. Sure, the design owes quite a bit to Blade Runner (at this level, what doesn’t?), however Lucas masterfully controls modifying and cinematography to create the phantasm of dizzying depths. There are different sensible sequences as nicely, together with one during which Anakin and Padme stumble by an enormous robotic meeting line in a sci-fi homage to Chaplin’s Fashionable Occasions.

However probably the most gobsmacking revelation hit as I contemplated the long-ridiculed romantic dross between Anakin and Padme. Wait a minute, I lastly grasped because it unspooled … this cringe-inducing stuff is meant to be cringe-inducing!! Particularly post-#MeToo, it’s unbelievable to comprehend what a creep he’s, brazenly admitting that he obsesses over her, when he’s purported to be in her make use of (paging Jedi HR). “You’re making me really feel uncomfortable,” she says, when Anakin appears to be like deep into her eyes with lecherous intent. Anakin is, for lack of a greater phrase, icky. When a mere few scenes later, Padme can’t resist his advances, she hasn’t immediately fallen for his allure — he’s manipulating her with the Drive. I’m not the primary particular person to have this revelation, however I believe it’s honest to say, folks have been gradual to catch on. I positive was.

Anakin and Padme look at each other in Attack of the Clones.
Disney

In reality, most of Padme’s selections on this film solely make sense by way of her brainwashing. Why does she let Anakin kiss her so quickly after rejecting him? Why does she sit with him by the fireplace in revealing clothes at the same time as she’s clearly making an attempt to withstand him? Why would she marry him?? Once more, she’s not falling in love — he’s controlling her. Why else would she ever go away the security of residence after a number of assassination makes an attempt to accompany him on a harmful rescue mission on one other planet, then consolation him when that mission devolves into his vengeful genocide? It’s why she later proclaims her like to him in probably the most insipid, romance-novel phrases. Not as a result of these are her sentiments, however as a result of, in Anakin’s shallow and inexperienced fantasies, that is what love feels like to him. It’s not an accident that these moments happen when they’re alone, away from outdoors influences.

Just like how we learn this in an period extra delicate to harassment, gaslighting, and abuse (all of which turns into extra pronounced in Revenge of the Sith), youthful generations — who focus on, settle for, and self-diagnose psychological sickness extra brazenly — usually tend to learn Anakin’s conduct as narcissism or borderline character. These readings make the prequels so significantly better as a result of they make Anakin a lot worse. He’s not a hero who goes unhealthy. He’s a narcissist from the phrase go. Folks solely exist by way of what they will do for him – clearly a Vader-ian trait. Even at his mom’s funeral, he focuses on his personal failures and the way he gained’t fail once more. Padme — this gifted, caring, devoted chief — turns into simply one other of his victims. Lucas emphasizes this tragedy with a closing close-up during which she takes his robotic hand, affirming she hasn’t married a person, however a monster.

Anakin and Padme get married in AOTC.
Disney

Our responses to artwork change by new cultural lenses. One thing as soon as beloved involves be seen as hopelessly dated, whereas one thing as soon as reviled is now visionary, or at the very least seen as misunderstood. Maybe the prequels, and Assault of the Clones particularly, are present process such a cultural reevaluation. Or maybe the renewed appreciation for the prequels is because of one other of the explanations I counsel above (or all of them). Our selective recollections, generational shifts, and new materials — both prequel-related or in any other case — has made them look higher in several contexts. After all, one closing risk is that possibly they have been all the time “good” — particularly Revenge of the Sith, and fewer evidently, Assault of the Clones — and loads of folks appreciated them simply nice all alongside. Properly … principally anyway. The Phantom Menace continues to be largely indefensible.

You possibly can view most Star Wars-related content material on Disney+.  Sadly, the Star Wars Vacation Particular continues to be not on that streaming service.

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