This will be my last thread asking this sort of question at least for a while as for what i think of the Star Wars prequels i love them they're my favorite Star Wars movies but what do you think?

 

They're really, really bad.

 

All the vehicles, planets, tech and all that stuff was/is way better than the movies themselves.

Anakin/Vader was handled really, really badly.
The Mustafar duel was like a level from one of the Super Star Wars platform games for the SNES.
That "Padme? NOOOO!" bit was beyond cringe.

I don't like how the Jedi have yahoo super duper powers like super speed and all that either.

That said, I was an adult when they came out and they are still miles ahead of 7,8 and 9

 

They've got a lot of problems that I'm sure that others would be willing to go into in detail, but I enjoyed them as "popcorn movies" if nothing else. I personally didn't think the CG was that bad or distracting when I first watched them, though it's certainly dated now.

On a more "serious" level, I once saw someone write that the CG Clone Wars series (and possibly some other material) kind of retroactively makes them better, and I tend to agree.

 

Decent idea of a story told very badly, directed very badly, and edited very badly. It's the bad parts of Return of the Jedi turned up to 11, because Lucas is allowed free roam surrounded by yes-men. There's no attempt to reign him in, which the OT had.

That said.

The prequels have great ideas, designs and world building. These are Lucas's strengths. He's an idea guy. It's why all the videogames and media that followed tends to be good.

But what ultimately redeemed the prequels for me is the fan edits, which I searched out after being severely disappointed with the sequel trilogy. I recommend the Hal 9000 fan edits. It cuts out all the Jar Jar antics, makes Anakin's Phantom Menace ship assault against the trade federation look deliberate, limits the harmful introduction of midichlorians, and really just tightens everything up, makes the story more logical and removes all the obvious cartoonish goofiness. So much so that I really enjoy the prequels now, and Attack of the Clones is my favorite of the three(well the fan edit version of it at least). If Lucas had some(any?) no-men in his circle back then, I'd expect the prequels to look more like these fan edits.

I used to be a prequel hater.

 

Eh, they were alright. I liked them more than others, less than some.

They were made better by the sequel trilogy.

 

Of course. Why not end the year with another stupid ass thread like this. I'm sure before the day is over we'll get a what does everyone think of the Star Wars original trilogy thread.

 

When you care enough to post that you don’t care...

 

Phantom Menace - meh
Attack of the Clones - good
Revenge of the Sith - okay

EDIT: mispelled Stih instead of Sith

 

I did a re-watch of all the Star Wars movies recently, and it was actually the most I’ve ever enjoyed the prequels. I still have issues with them, overall, but over time, I’m finding more to like.

I do feel like Phantom Menace is largely wasted time — we could have and should have started with an older Anakin and jump right into the Clone Wars (at least by the end of Ep 1 instead Ep 2). The fact that Obi-Wan is completely side-lined on Tatooine, while Qui-Gon meets Anakin, still perplexes me. I don’t understand the story-telling point of Padme having a double pretending to be her.

Something that I learned about myself, surprisingly, is if I ignore all of the scenes that I hate and only focus on the scenes I like, then AOTC is actually my fav of the prequels, as I really enjoy everything on Kamino through the space-chase to Geonosis. But again, I need to ignore a lot to get there.

ROTS, usually considered the best of the prequels, and I get why, but it’s always disappointed me that it only got gradually better. To me, the last one was the most important, because that’s where we would finally see Anakin’s turn to the dark side — arguably, the whole point of the prequels was to get to that. And sadly, it doesn’t stick the landing, imo. I still don’t fully buy Anakin’s reasons for turning. And my last viewing was the most I’ve ever liked/enjoyed/accepted it, but it still didn’t quite click for me.

The nicest thing I can say about the prequels is that I’m thankful that it spawned the Clone Wars series.

 

The prequels were technical marvels for their time, and modern filmmaking owes a lot to them. But, as pieces of storytelling, they're mostly dull and uninspired.

You had your "What does everyone think of what does everyone think" moment and the resounding response was you need to grow up and get over it. Maybe you should read the room.

 

The Phantom Menace is a guilty pleasure, mainly because of nostalgia (I would frequently watch it on VHS along with my tapes of the Original Trilogy). It also has Darth Maul as well as one of my favorite lightsaber duels.

Attack of the Clones is probably my least favorite of all the films (yes, I like TLJ and TROS more than AOTC, sue me). The Anakin/Padme scenes are just too much for me, though I did enjoy Obi-Wan's quest sideplot (I mean, it was the only thing actually driving the plot). It also introduces Jango Fett and Dexter Jettster, so even if it's my least favorite, it's definitely not all bad.

Revenge of the Sith is my favorite of the prequels and I would place it in my top 5 favorite SW films. Ian McDiarmid is just a blast and it has what I feel are some of the most iconic scenes in the saga (Order 66, Anakin vs Obi-Wan, even Anakin killing the Separatist Council).

 

I might rewatch some this weekend.

 

I guess I like them overall, some of that is nostalgia since "Phantom Menace" was the final movie I saw in theaters with my father and brother together before they both left the family. Phantom is weak by itself, and I don't agree with a number of decisions, but I think all 3 together make a tighter story and served as a prequel than the sequel trilogy did for it's job. It absolutely has some memorable and still quotable aspects to it, even if some fans don't want to admit it, the current Anakin/Padame "Really??" memes being an example.

 

I think they're extremely flawed, but not the awful atrocities that a lot of people made them out to be before the Disney stuff started. I also don't think they're the hidden masterpieces that a lot of people claim they are now. I grew up with them and will always love them because of nostalgia, but I do admit they have a lot of problems.

To me the trilogy lacks a lot of what made the OT great...everyday relatable characters, tangible lived-in environments, and fast paced adventures. The Prequels feel very stiff and formal, and don't really have that Flash Gordon adventure quality. I do appreciate that they tried to do something different, but I'm not sure it entirely worked. I can kind of see in my head how they could have found a better balance.

On the flipside, I like that the Prequels do feel like they have something to say, and exist for a reason. The ST is the exact inverse...they're nothing but Flash Gordon pulp without having much to justify their existence. I do like the story of Anakin's fall and the Republic's transition to the Empire, at least there's a story being told there, even if the execution was questionable.

 

And the Solo and Rogue One sidestory movies

 

But it gave birth to a GLORIOUS meme.

GLORIOUS!!!

 

I went to type "I have a lot of fondness for them mainly because of the circumstances of their release", but that actually applies to all of the post OT movies tbh.

They're not great. They make me smile, and they're excellent comfort watching because I was a kid when they came out... but they're not great.

I love that they're uniquely and singularly Lucas's vision, but that doesn't make them good unfortunately.

This just about covers it for me.

 

They’re ok.

My biggest gripe was that I went into part 3 super hyped to see more of Christopher Lee as Count Dooku, and he didn’t even make it past the first 10 minutes.

I don’t hate them though. They’re ok. But for my money, nothing beats the original trilogy.

 

The first two were ok. I loved the third and one though.