Summary
- The prequels lack opportunities to show the might of the Jedi as a whole, failing to exhibit them fighting in large numbers.
- The prequels overshadow the Clone Wars with minimal exploration, overlooking a crucial conflict in the galaxy’s history.
- Excessive reliance on outdated CGI, particularly with overuse and under-emphasis on practical effects, detracts from the prequels.
The Star Wars prequels have experienced a period of renewed love after years of harsh criticism, but there are still several elements of those movies that could stand to have a facelift. George Lucas intended the prequels to “mirror” the original trilogy, providing backstories and origins for the characters and events that audiences came to love back in 1977. Following the future Anakin Skywalker through his youth as well as the action-filled missions of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the prequels told a much different story than the tale of Luke Skywalker.
Initially, the prequels faced a lot of backlash online from fans who had been expecting something different from the new movies. Even though time has passed and brought with it a renewed love for episodes I, II, and III, it’s hard to deny that several things in those movies are better in theory than in their execution. Here are ten things that just haven’t aged well.
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11 The Jedi Don’t Shine As A Whole
Show Off The Knights!
By the time of the original trilogy, the Jedi have been largely extinct for almost two decades. When Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke about his time as a Jedi, Luke is in awe. The Jedi are legends in the galaxy, even if they no longer exist as an institution. The prequel trilogy is the first opportunity to give audiences a look at what looked like when the galaxy was filled with Jedi Knights. Yet, the Jedi miss their chance to really show off their might. Beyond the Battle of Geonosis, there isn’t a chance to see the Jedi fight together in large numbers.
Ironically, the prequels lack balance in this regard.
George Lucas wanted to prick the bubble of nostalgia for a perfect past by revealing the flaws of the Jedi. The problem, though, is that it feels a little overdone; it set Star Wars down a path in which the flaws of the Jedi are pretty much all that get discussed, rather than their strengths. Ironically, the prequels lack balance in this regard.
10 The Clone Wars Gets Overshadowed
All The Action Happens Offscreen!
When Obi-Wan tells Luke about his history as a Jedi, Luke is quick to ask about the Clone Wars. Though it isn’t mentioned in depth in the original trilogy, the way Luke talks about it implies that it was a well-known and influential time. The prequels provide the perfect opportunity to explore that conflict in greater detail, yet it isn’t until the TV show that the Clone Wars really get much attention.
The Clone Wars begin at the tail end of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones after a complicated set up, and take place almost entirely offscreen. There’s a lot going on in the plot already, and it provided the perfect chance for Star Wars: The Clone Wars to really dive into the details years later, but it still feels like the prequels skip over an important time in the Republic’s history.
9 Too Much Reliance On CGI
You Can’t Beat A Cool Puppet
There’s no denying that the CGI of the 90’s and early 2000’s lacked the sophistication that movies have access to today. Unfortunately for the movies released during this time, the new technology seemed incredibly exciting and even “lifelike” to moviegoers who weren’t used to seeing computer-generated animations in live-action movies. This led to blockbuster movies like the Star Wars prequels being overly saturated in CGI that frankly only looks worse with time.
One of the reasons the original trilogy has aged so well is its use of practical effects. The prequels leaned too heavily on the computer animated aspects of the story, and it becomes distracting during rewatches. Many scenes feel like they linger too long on certain characters for the sole purpose of showing off CGI that has quickly become outdated.
8 George Lucas Didn’t Commit To Jar Jar Binks
Just Another Pathetic Lifeform?
Though he’s been embraced by fans in recent years, Ahmed Best’s Jar Jar Binks was a polarizing character from the beginning. His role as a comic relief character often felt contrived, and he ultimately seemed to serve no larger purpose. His introduction in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace set him up to be important, but he quickly fades out of the spotlight as the trilogy goes on.
There’s a theory that George Lucas intended Jar Jar Binks to be a Sith Lord, an evil mirror image of Yoda in the original trilogy. But when audiences reacted so negatively to the character, any such idea was scrapped and Binks became a background character. Even if he wasn’t intended to be a Sith, Binks would have served the story better if he had at least retained a glimmer of importance.
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7 The Skywalker Lightsaber Has Less Significance
The Sequels Have Made It Awkward
Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber goes on to become his son’s first Jedi weapon, so it’s understandable to expect it to make an appearance in the prequels. In a funny twist, it’s revealed that Anakin tends to have bad luck with lightsabers, going through several in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones alone, not to mention the ones he lost off-screen. His legendary blue saber doesn’t even appear until Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
The fact that Anakin went through multiple lightsabers doesn’t diminish its importance to Luke, nor does it make it a less effective weapon. After all, Luke loses that lightsaber himself two movies into the original trilogy. But with the added significance to the lightsaber in the sequel trilogy, it feels a little odd to go back to the prequels and watch Anakin give such little thought to it.
6 Few New Planets Are Featured
It’s A Big Galaxy Out There
The rich Star Wars galaxy has infinite possibilities when it comes to the different environments and cultures that can be explored. The original movies introduced a few, but with the new trilogy coming out, there was a brand-new opportunity to expand the audience’s familiarity with the galaxy. Several new planets are added as settings, such as the bustling Coruscant and serene Naboo, but the trilogy spends so much time revisiting the same worlds that the galaxy feels small.
Tatooine, Naboo, and Coruscant all make multiple appearances throughout the trilogy, taking away from the other planets that get introduced. Tatooine in particular feels oddly overused, because – bar Lucas’ famed rhymes – it simply wasn’t necessary. Many of the other planets repeat the same desert-like or high-tech scenery, which takes away from the vast opportunities offered by interplanetary travel.
5 The Sith Apprentices Don’t Thrive
The Bigger Fish Got All the Attention
During the prequel trilogy, the Sith were believed to have been extinct for so long that the Jedi are hesitant to make moves against them. The singular Sith Lord who is pulling all the strings remains hidden in the shadows, while assorted apprentices and other villains take on the Jedi throughout the movies. The only problem is that each Sith apprentice only gets a battle or two to really show what the Sith can do. The prequels could have used those three movies to really let their Sith villains shine.
Darth Vader had been the only Sith apprentice to have had screen time by the time the prequels were made, and he was a formidable enemy. He played a crucial role in the originals, and the idea that he was only the apprentice only made Darth Sidious more terrifying. Darth Maul and Count Dooku are incredible antagonists, but neither of them seem to stick around long enough to make their marks on the trilogy as a whole.
4 Qui-Gon Teases A Different Kind Of Jedi Without Follow-Through
He Almost Redefined The Jedi
Qui-Gon Jinn is a bit of a renegade when compared to the other Jedi. He is forbidden by the Council to train young Anakin, yet he makes the call to do it anyway. Though he’s an excellent Jedi Qui-Gon is known for acting outside the expectations of the other Jedi. Obi-Wan makes the comment that if his master only behaved himself, he would have a place on the Council. Qui-Gon has inspired many theories that he might be a true Grey Jedi, adhering to the Jedi teachings without committing to their strict Jedi Code.
Sadly, Qui-Gon is only present in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and after his death, he disappears from the movies until Yoda mentions to Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon can train him further as a Force Ghost. The prequels don’t address how Qui-Gon learned the secrets of reappearing after death, nor do they explain his status as a Grey Jedi, and it feels like a waste of an interesting character who could have shed light on new aspects of the Jedi.
3 The Dialogue Gets Clunky
You Really Have To Read Between The Lines
One of the biggest complaints about the prequel trilogy is that the lines of dialogue tend to sound a little stiff or goofy. Anakin is particularly at risk of saying something awkward since the prequels focus on his time as an uncomfortable and lovesick teenager. These lines have inspired a thousand mocking memes – who can forget Anakin’s surreal chat-up line about not liking sand?
The cringe-worthy lines camouflage the real meaning behind the scenes, distracting audiences from the emotion behind the words. Anakin’s flowery and dramatic lines about love, greatness, and sand are meant to remind the audience that even Darth Vader was a mopey kid once upon a time. Unfortunately, it’s so bogged down underneath all the complicated dialogue that it becomes too hard to focus on the meaning.
2 The Layered Politics Can Get Confusing
But Still Worthy of Thunderous Applause
Star Wars is no stranger to complicated politics, but the original trilogy takes place in a time in which the galaxy is already split between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It’s a classic good-versus-evil simplicity that eases the audience into battle plans and combat without the need for much background information. The prequel trilogy, by contrast, is saturated in complex alliances and senate meetings.
With most of the action taking place in government buildings, it’s very important to pay close attention to what the Senate is discussing and how the Jedi are involved. The conflict between the Republic and the Separatists grows more complicated as it spirals out of control, with many of the movies’ plot points revolving around specific motions championed by certain senators. The movies are brilliant fun, but many of the important details can go over one’s head if you aren’t careful.
1 It’s Hard Not To Resent Padmè’s Death
She Was Alive… I Felt It!
Padmé is notably absent in the original trilogy, so it’s no surprise that she needed to be effectively removed from the storyline before the end of the prequels. Her death was the final nail in Anakin Skywalker’s dark side coffin, removing the very thing that Anakin became Vader in order to save. Still, she’s a strong-willed and influential character that feels wasted on a death dictated by the plot. For some reason, the best cause of death George Lucas could give her was simply “losing the will to live.”
Deleted scenes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith confirm that Padmé played a pivotal part in founding the Rebel Alliance. Taking that out of the final cut minimizes her role, boiling her role to Darth Vader’s doomed wife instead of the brilliant strategist she is. The fact that there is no clear reason for her to die makes Padmé’s death one of the harder things to swallow when rewatching the Star Wars prequels.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
3.5
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.
