What did you LIKE about the Star Wars prequels?

[Numbers]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buXz4BYS8kw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buXz4BYS8kw</a>

I feel like there's some merit to pointing out the good in a bad situation. Not because I'm an optimist, but because I'm a contrarian, so going against popular opinion is the norm for me. As stated in the video, the hate for the Star Wars prequels is no longer relevant because there's nothing negative you can say about them that hasn't already been said (see the Twilight franchise for a more recent example). So enough with the bashing; what did you actually like from the prequels?

I have a soft spot for Grievous. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because he's so much funner to watch than Dooku, who easily wins the award for Most Boring Sith Lord Of All Time. Also, I'm with the Critic when he points out that Obi-Wan and Palpatine are pretty much the best characters from this set of movies. Not so much on his side with Anakin being played by Hayden Christiansen; if your actor looks better acting with his eyes rather than his voice, you should probably get a different actor.

[snabbott]

I actually enjoyed the prequels for the most part, but I think my expectations were different from a lot of people's. And I did enjoy seeing Anakin's transition to Vader.

[icarus]

I resently discoverd that Shakespeare had written Star Wars

[snabbott]

I resently discoverd that Shakespeare had written Star Wars

[stika]

The videogames and rise in popularity in the franchise. I mean think about it. Would we have had games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Battlefront and Jedi Academy if the prequels didn't exist? I'm thinking they either would not have existed or would be massively different.

[Numbers]

Yeah, the first KOTOR, the second Battlefront, and Jedi Outcast (which came before Jedi Academy) have all gone down in history as being some of the best Star Wars games ever made. We've also got The Force Unleashed--say what you will about the second one, but the first was pretty good.

Also...Duel of the Fates.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZY8Fz9GGU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZY8Fz9GGU</a>

[stika]

I haven't played the Force unleashed games yet, but yeah, despite not being a fan of the prequels I like to think they brought more good than harm. It introduced a new generation to the saga and made Star Wars popular again. Or at the very least it rekindled that connection the general audience had with Star Wars.

P.S. Duel of the Fates is awesome!

[Bludshot]

I still really like the podracing....certainly has nothing to do with the stellar N64 game focusing on it.

[GrahamRocks!]

It's funny that you brought that up, because I like it as well. I never had a problem with it nor the special effects nor Jar Jar Binks.

I know, I'm a terrible person.

[Numbers]

The fight choreography is still superb to this day, even if you barely see it in some areas, like the blatantly unfinished Darth Sidious fight scenes. That Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon/Darth Maul saber fight is a crowning achievement in a sea of mediocrity, given that the actors didn't use doubles, nor did the film speed their scenes up--they actually were fighting that fast in real life with real metal poles that could've caused a concussion if they had been less careful.

Obi-Wan always seems to get the best fight scenes; whether it's Jango Fett, General Grievous, or Anakin, his scenes are incredible to watch.

I also found it amazing that Christopher Lee as Count Dooku did all of his own stunts during his fight scenes as well, given how old the guy is. He may be up there in age, but he's a badass when it comes to fencing.

The only real mistake with the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight scene at the end of episode 3 is...well, there's dialogue during the fight, and it's not very good dialogue, which is par for the course, but besides that, it goes on for almost fifteen minutes. That's a long time to stay invested in one fight scene. Even martial arts movies which are all about fight choreography usually wrap up their fight scenes at around half that running time.

[stika]

I still really like the podracing....certainly has nothing to do with the stellar N64 game focusing on it.

Get the Dreamcast version. Trust me on this

The only real mistake with the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight scene at the end of episode 3 is...well, there's dialogue during the fight, and it's not very good dialogue, which is par for the course, but besides that, it goes on for almost fifteen minutes. That's a long time to stay invested in one fight scene. Even martial arts movies which are all about fight choreography usually wrap up their fight scenes at around half that running time.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this. The fight choreography and cinematography in the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight left much to be desired. The final battle between Luke and Darth Vader was not very impressive from a combat point of view, but the dialog and tension made it all worth it whereas the final battle in Episode 3 felt more like I was watching a videogame cutscene.

[Numbers]

The Darth Maul fight was a similar length to the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight, but the choreography was more beautiful to watch, and there were mostly practical effects at play there. It helps that there's no dialogue throughout the entire encounter, save for Ewan McGregor's "Big No" that actually sounds a lot better than any of the other "Big No"s in the series.

The finale to episode 3 involves Yoda fighting Darth Sidious, which is almost completely CGI, and Anakin and Obi-Wan constantly moving from one CGI location to the next; their fight choreography isn't as fun to watch, as it's mostly just the two of them wailing on each other like animals. At some points, the sabers are moving almost too fast for the eye to see, which makes one wonder just how much of the fight was practical and how much of it was souped up in digital effects to look better.

It kind of reminds me of a certain other lousy prequel trilogy...



Peter Jackson, your Hobbit action scenes are slapsticky, unrealistic, overly lengthy, and just all around disappointing. I couldn't believe that the same director who brought us that Aragorn vs. Lurtz fight at the end of Fellowship of the Ring went on to film complete duds like...well, just about every action scene in The Hobbit trilogy. You used too much CGI, Mr. Jackson, and you don't know when to cut down your scenes. You got melodramatic and phoned-in performances from your new actors. You used horrible comic relief. You wrote and directed each movie poorly. In other words, Peter Jackson has made all of the same mistakes that George Lucas did.

EDIT: 666th post. It's time for me to pay my dues to my lord and savior Lucifer.



There you go, you creepy b@st@rd.

[stika]

I actually never liked the Lord of the Rings movies... or the books. The only thing I liked are some of the games. So I'm pretty meh on that.

And agreed, the final battle between Obi-wan and Anakin had no intensity, no weight to it.

[Numbers]

What's funny is that John Williams' score for Episode 3, particularly during the Order 66 sequence and the final battle, is absolutely superb. Those scenes could've been massive tearjerkers if they had been written better. It just goes to show that even if one thing is done perfect, it won't be able to sustain the weight of the project if it fails flat in other areas.

[stika]

Oh definitely, the the soundtrack is amazing, the games we've gotten are amazing and the general public's renewed interest in Star Wars are the main reasons why I don't mind the prequels.

[Numbers]

Slight necropost, but I wish the fight choreography in the prequels was done by these guys:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfa-Pa5IQLg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfa-Pa5IQLg</a>