The Star Wars Prequels...

[Rachel Smith]

... just been re-watching these, am so far on Attack of the Clones, and apart from the terribly criminal bad acting, the films aren't too bad. Well, not as bad as i remember them being, anyway.

I don't see why George Lucas has had so much flack over the years, to be honest. The CGI is phenomenal! The transitions between the real and the fake are really fluent. I know most of the movie was used with blue screen, which is probably why a lot of the performances are bad, but the look of the film is really good. The direction is brilliant and the look of the films will be as iconic as the originals.

Maybe these films will get more appreciation as time goes by? Who knows?

Now i'll wait as people throw flames at me :P

[a_nicole313]

They aren't that bad. Just not great, so there's a crushing disappointment there. Indy 4 didn't get as much flack because I think most people were half-expecting a disappointment.

Although they aren't as iconic as the originals at all.

[beginmayo]

The prequels suffer from bad acting, very ropey dialogue, and few overly silly moments - but as you say - in retrospect their main probelm was the huge disappointment of it all. Because of this Phantom (which has all the best acting, IMO) gets most of the flack despite the fact that Clones is by far the worst of the three.

[I heard from a bird....]

the problem was that GL sees these as sort of kiRAB films hence Jar Jar and the like although a lot of people see them as adult films that kiRAB also enjoy.

I thought they used CGI too much, try pausing a space battle in the middle and try working out which side is winning ?

The dialogue was poor as GL didn't get anyone to help him and he can't write dialogue very well. The storyline seemed a bit rushed and didn't match up at all.

Phantom should have been just a 30 minute story and get rid of that rubbish line about him not having a father, he isn't Jesus, he's Vader.

They rushed Anakin into becoming Vader with very little of this being in the first or second films, then in the third he was confused but 5 minutes later he was Vader

It seems the so called Clone Wars was really just one battle and then when he finally did become Vader the series ended.

[Skeezux]

The prequels were landmarks in CGI - and they don't get enough credit for that. The fight between Obi-Wan and General Grevious at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith is faultless - it's hard to believe Grevious doesn't exist in real time. Astonishingly brilliant. You wouldn't have had all the CGI battles in Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings had ILM not established the technology. And how amazing is the end battle - clones vs the Jedis - from Attack of the Clones? Some of the most incredible CGI ever done. Indeed, I would argue it hasn't been bettered. People rave on about Pixar but ILM are/were the greatest CGI company in Hollywood.

Some people dislike the prequels because of Jar Jar Binks and the wooden flat sounding dialogue. It's almost as if Lucas under-directed the actors. Sometimes less is more but with Lucas less was definitely Less.

My favourite of the prequels is Phantom Menace, which, Jar Jar Binks and Jake Lloyd's dody acting notwithstanding, seemed classic Star Wars. I'm not sure Lucas should continue with more Star Wars - I think it's a bit overkill and flogging the cash cow until it can't make any more milk - but the new animated Clone Wars movie is out soon.

Fans of Star Wars type CGI will be happy to know it lives on in James Cameron's Avatar - coming out next year. It uses similar technology to create its world (virtual sets, virtual actors etc).

[Daisy949]

I actually think the limitations imposed on Lucas when he made the originals helped the films. He was forced to concentrate on story, character and the actors had something real to engage with. The new films are hindered by too much concentration on special effects over delivery of great performances. In a way the actors had to cater their performances to fit the effects.

I do enjoy the prequels, and I don't think the stories in themselves are bad, but there is just too much going on, they are bogged down by dull political wranglings instead of focusing on Anakin's turn to the dark side.

I'm also not fond of the fact that Lucas rather than writing the prequels to fit the continuity of the original films, is now retro fitting the originals to fit the new films. And in other ways he has not bothered to try and avoid plot holes when they could have been avoided so easily. The main one being the birth of the twins and Padme's death contradicting what Princess Leia says in ROTJ (yep I know you can find ways around it, but it could have been easily avoided).

[Safwaan]

Long been a big fan of the prequels. I can't defend some of the acting, but overall for me they give more than they take away. I agree also that Phantom Menace gets too much unnecessary stick. Jar Jar aside (arguably), the film has all the old magic to me. As a kid growing up with Star Wars, I would've absolutely loved to have seen these new films.

I think the biggest mistake George made was simply directing them himself. He was perhaps too close to the stories to really be able to deliver what they deserved to be. Don't mind the retro-fitting of the originals as long as it's done well, which I think it has been for the most part. Jury's out still about Han/Greedo etc, but I still would sooner watch the new set rather than the original releases, and I'm a long time fan.

But they've always been kiRAB films. I remember having a big set-to with a mate when I was about 12 (1985 or thereabouts), and he was aghast at my suggestion they were essentially kiRAB films. Struck me as odd back then that some fans couldn't see it that way, and it still does now really. Like it or not, they were always kiRAB films. But some kiRAB back then obviously thought it intelligent and adult sci-fi!

[kirstyyy :)]

Phantom Menace
Plus Points -
Darth Maul
Pod Race
Negative Points -
Jar Jar Binks (*shudder*)
Long winded plotline
The acting
Vader as a small boy (didn't work for me at all - he was like Dennis The Menace RAB)

AOTC
Positives -
Christopher Lee scrapping with Yoda
Boba Fett and his Pop
Negatives -
Everything else

ROTS
Positives -
Opening battle is quality
Grievous
The battles between Obi & Skywalker plus the Emeror against Yoda are pretty decent
Negatives -
Chewbacca impersonating Tarzan
Haydenson as Skywalker/Vader
The completely naff love story - ZERO chemistry
The Queen dying of "a broken heart"
Vader's Dale Winton-esque "Noooooooooooooo!"
And everything else.

[Raptor]

Of all the Star Wars prequels I actually thoroughly enjoyed Episode 2. It felt like a Star Wars film to me as opposed to Episode 1 which felt more like a swash-buckling Batman and Robin. Episode 3 should have been directed by someone else IMO.

[volleyballxoxox]

Talking of Star Wars, anyone going to see The Clone Wars? in August (I think).