I know that adult fans of Star Wars at the time this was released had a very negative reaction to the film. I was only 7 when it came out so I was the target demographic and thus really enjoyed it. It was a smart marketing strategy by the executives because they knew the Star Wars fans would see it but they wanted to lock in another whole generation of fans at a young age. Clearly it worked as the film grossed over 1 billion dollars worldwide and 2 more films were made. So the question is, do I still enjoy it or are fans of the franchise justified in their dislike for it?
The Good-
The big selling point of this movie has to be the visual effects. There are some truly exhilarating action sequences that look great. The entire end action sequence is very enjoyable as we get a large land battle, a space battle and a memorable lightsaber battle against fan favorite villain Darth Maul. The Pod Racing sequence I remember was a big selling point at the time (I remember there being a video game) and it still holds up pretty well. There are a lot of interesting characters that are introduced as well such as Darth Maul, Mace Windu and Captain Panaka although they are not used enough. This also features a fantastic score by John Williams that I remember buying right after the film came out.
The Bad-
The premise of the film is really bland as it essentially boils down to a dispute over the taxation of trade routes that escalates to war. I understand that in the larger context of the trilogy this is just a part of the Palpatine's master plan but this is the least interesting part of it. The lack of a central character to follow is another stumbling point and makes it hard to get invested in the story. There are also a lot of terribly written characters, Anakin is an annoying brat and the actor playing him is awful, Jar Jar Binks may be the most irritating character ever conceived in the history of cinema and Qui-Gon Jinn is a surprisingly incompetent Jedi despite being played by Liam Neeson. All of the kid humor in the film is really irritating and makes it tough to watch at times. This is also where George Lucas's poor story decisions really become problematical as he diminishes "the force" to simply being a something that lives in our cells (wtf?) and he completely misuses Darth Maul and kills him off too quickly.
Summary-
This is a film that is full of poor writing, plotting decisions and acting that feels directionless at times. That being said it has just enough entertainment value from the action sequences and John Williams score to keep me interested and thus I can't hate it. It is more of a disappointment than anything else as I feel that there was probably a better story they could have done. All in all this is a very mediocre entry in the franchise.
MY RATING-
3 out of 5
I have very mixed memories about this film. I remember thinking that the action scenes were pretty cool with some bad ass moments for cool characters (Mace Windu, Jango Fett etc.) but I also remember being bored by the romance aspect of the story. I was never as excited about this film as I was about Episode I though. Its Box Office success would seem to reflect that as it "only" made $649 million worldwide while Episode 1 grossed over $1 billion. Is this the inconsistently entertaining entry in the series that I remember? You are about to find out.
The Good-
The action sequences are much improved from the first film. I particularly enjoyed the speeder chase on Coruscant, the Obi-wan Jango Fett fight and the big final battle. These action sequences seem much more polished than what we saw in Episode I with much improved visual effects. The film feels much more mature and does not feel like it is targeted towards kids as much. The characters are much more compelling this time around and there continues to be very intriguing secondary characters (ex. Jango Fett). The main reason I found this a more interesting film to watch is that the story was much more interesting. It is all about the buildup to the start of the Clone Wars, Anakin growing into a powerful Jedi but also the warning signs of what is to come and the beginning of the Emperors plans to take over the Republic finally coming to fruition.
The Bad-
George Lucas just sucks at writing dialogue! For every moment of fun, there is an equally horrendous amount of bad romance dialogue between Padme and Anakin. That entire story arc just takes you out of the movie because it is so cheesy and annoying but at the same time taking itself way to seriously. I also just did not like the actor playing Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in the first place and it really took away from my interest in the character. Natalie Portman was not particularly good in this either but I think there is only so much she could have done because her character was so poorly written. The film also lacks a good lightsaber fight which I think is necessary for a good Star Wars film. There are a number of good action sequences but the only lengthy lightsaber fight is at the end where Count Dooku cuts off Anakins arm, wounds Obi-wan and then fights Yoda and flees. It was cool to see Yoda fight for a few minutes but watching his CGI character constantly flipping around got annoying after a while. It seems like one of those ideas that sounded really cool when they were writing it but just flops in actuality.
Summary-
This is such a frustrating film, at times it is exciting and entertaining and at other times irritating and borderline unwatchable. I think the story was heading in the right direction as some of the casting was spot on and it features another fantastic score by John Williams. Where the film really falls apart though is Anakin's story arc which is unfortunate because the entire purpose of the prequel trilogy is to tell his story. Lucas miscast the character yet again and never seemed to have a good grasp on how to write him. So while this movie has its moments I'm not sure I can rate it any higher than Episode 1.
MY RATING-
3 out of 5
This seems to be the only film of the prequels that people respected. I remember this being the first film of the prequels to have that "epic" feel that the original Star Wars films had and the critics would seem to agree. While it still did not top Episode 1 in the box office, it still did quite well raking in over $848 million worldwide. Was this as good as I remember it? Obviously you should continue reading to find out.
The Good-
As I mentioned above, for the first time in the trilogy there is an "epic" feel to the story. From the opening scene you are instantly hooked, as we see an epic space battle occuring over Coruscant and Obi-wan and Anakin attempting to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. This was probably the most exhilarating sequence of the prequels although there are other moments that come close in this film. There are also a number of good lightsaber fights (Anakin killing Count Dooku, Mace Windu against the Emperor, Yoda against the Emperor) but none come close to the big one between Anakin and Obi-wan. I think it is the best lightsaber fight of the prequels and is in the discussion with the ones from the original trilogy. The pacing of the action sequences is spot on and the visual effects are the best of the series. I also enjoy this film a lot because the Emperor gets a lot of screen time and he just has such a commanding presence (not to mention he is my favorite character in the series). So this film clearly features the best action sequences and plot of the prequels but it also finally is able to connect on an emotional level that they had been unable to do in the previous 2 films. The movie just has a lot more weight to it and thus the viewer is much more involved in the story.
The Bad-
There are still a lot of dialogue issues that bother me but significantly less than Episode II. While I don't particularly like Hayden Christensen as Anakin, he definitely turns in a better performance. There are a some minor nitpicks of things that happen in particular scenes or plot continuity issues with the original trilogy but nothing that detracted from the experience to much.
Summary-
I really enjoyed this film and it is clearly a vast improvement from the previous films in the series. Sure there are still things I don't like about it but in comparison to Episodes I and II this is a freaking masterpiece.
MY RATING-
4 out of 5
OVERALL SUMMARY-
So are the prequels worth going back and watching? I think they are but only if you are going to watch them with the Original Trilogy as well. I don't think they hold up well as a standalone series but rather as additional content to watch if you are in the mood for Star Wars. What do you guys think? I would love to hear your thoughts on the Star Wars prequels in the comments below! Thanks for reading!
-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart
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