Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Analysis/Review
Preface:
I have little-zero nostalgia for either the prequels or original trilogy. I was not old enough to have it for either sets, but I did…engage in merchandise procurement. LEGOs and such.
I (re)watched them in blu ray on a 4k TV.
Although I am looking at the prequel trilogy, I will reference the Clone Wars TV show as it is part of the Prequel plot thread and it really adds to the entire experience. It’s a great show.
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS TO THE SHOW IN THIS ANALYSIS. Also the movies themselves, but if you haven’t seen them I can’t help you.
Anyway. I’m going to work through specific likes/dislikes/conclusions of each episode and then wrap it up with a general conclusion of the entire trilogy.
Let’s do this.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
The one that gets all the hate. I went in with a clear mind, because I’m not going to let the hive-mind rule my opinion and taint a movie. Screw that.
Likes:
- The CGI holds up really well. Like, if it came out now, I would think it was a lower mid range budget movie. The only problem with it is in some scenes Jar Jar or the other mainly CG characters don’t look blended into the surroundings that well. There are some scenes where they do, however, so it is pretty hit or miss. The battle droids look good.
- The pacing is actually pretty solid, in my opinion. There was a clear act structure and it felt very standalone. The other Star Wars movies have plots/structures that rely on one another, but the Phantom Menace might actually hold up the strongest without support from the others to explain it. Its story-line is pretty tightly contained within its run-time. Whether that is good or to be desired in a Star Wars movie is up to you.
- Pod racing. I liked it, okay? It’s fun. It is memorable.
- Darth Maul. I mean, he looks awesome. His character is great, too. His sagas in the Clone Wars are some of my favorite parts. His development is superb, and how it ties back in with Obi-Wan — just great.
- The music is excellent. Everyone talks about Duel of the Fates for good reason. This movie had a damn good score.
- The aesthetics. The costumes looked cool. The design of the worlds of the galaxy were more fleshed out than in the Original Trilogy, in my opinion. There was a better sense of what the galaxy is like in Phantom Menace. It added to the world in a textural sense.
- Qui-gon Jinn. Wise, unorthodox, and sort of pragmatic. He knows what is up. He is actually very important even after death, with teaching Yoda/Obi-Wan about becoming a force ghost. The master that transcended death.
Dislikes:
- Jar Jar is kind of annoying. I don’t nearly find him that offensive as other people. He is a childish comedic relief character. Stupid? Sure. World ending? I don’t think so. His scenes were a bit long and drawn out. I scoffed a little bit, but I didn’t want to walk out or anything.
- Stilted dialogue. The dialogue was okay in some places and really terrible in other places. Looking at Shmi and Padme, for the most part. There were elements of heavy-handedness in exposition.
- Lack of focus with primary ‘big bad.’ You got Darth Maul being imposing on one end, and the true villain/problem of the trade federation blockading Naboo. Sure, Maul kills Qui-gon Jinn in an epic duel, and he gets sliced in half (to be salvaged later), but the point of the plot is to save Naboo from the droids and stuff. Which they do through diplomacy, but the end is not all that satisfying because the bad that they triumph over is the Trade Federation that was not set up well in the movie.
Conclusion:
Not nearly as bad as people say. But was it good? Maybe. Not great. Not terrible. Substantial in the enjoyment derived.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Ah, Attack of the Clones. If any of the prequels deserve hate, it is this one. But it gets salvaged in concept by begetting Clone Wars. Its like the really mediocre appetizer to an awesome entree.
Likes:
- The CGI is overall pretty solid. The monsters in the arena did not look that dated. Geonosians, droids, clones, and the Kaminoans all looked pretty convincing to me.
- Jango Fett. I have a poster of him. He actually accomplished things on screen. Unlike his ‘son,’ Boba Fett, who only gets feats in the Clone Wars and jossed EU novels. And maybe a future movie.
- Yoda dueling Dooku. Basically worth sitting through the entire movie. Iconic scene, in my opinion.
- Also iconic, to me anyway, is the Jedi Order fighting in the arena and Yoda coming with the clones, beginning the first battle of the Clone Wars effectively. So bombastic.
- Padme’s outfits. Ugh. They are so beautiful. Costume designer wins points.
Dislikes:
- The terrible romance subplot between Anakin and Padme. The writing is…terrible. The acting…is…nonexistent. So much run-time dedicated to it. But it did give us one of the most memorable lines of the entire series:
I hate sand.
- Pacing was really meh. It picks up in the last 20–30 minutes, but the rest of the time is slow and plodding. In the bad ways. Like get on with it.
- The hair. Obi-Wan gets the worst of it. Whatever thing he has going on is just plain distracting.
- Lack of soul-searching on the Jedi Order’s part. Morality and fighting the war and so on. This is developed better in the Clone Wars, but I wish there was some of that in the movie that precipitates it.
- Anakin’s actor could have been a little better, but he did play whiny, awkward teen pretty convincingly. As one would cringe at Anakin in real life, I cringed at the portrayal.
Conclusion:
There were good ideas in it. Great ideas. The movie failed spectacularly to execute them and instead wasted time on Oscar Worthy material such as I hate sand. Though we got Clone Wars out of it, so maybe that balances its karma out. Nah, probably not.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Here we are. The end of the prequel trilogy. Where Darth Vader is born. The supposed promise of the entire set.
Likes:
- The CGI is still good. Mustafar was the most wobbly. The blending was questionable at those points. Grievous was done exceptionally well, though.
- The intro scene is, I think, one of the ‘coolest’ moments. You got a huge battle over Coruscant, Dooku, banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Grievous, and, to top it off, R2-D2 being a badass. It has everything. Definitely in one of my top Star Wars moments.
- General Grievous. His character design is so good. I love it. The first time I saw him all those years ago, I was like this guy is a boss. Is he a boss? No. That is established pretty well at points, but he is fun to watch and fail.
- The Utapau sequence is another moment that I hold dear. Especially when Order 66 happens and Cody orders a hit on Obi-Wan and he falls into the water. Beautiful.
- Obi-Wan and Anakin’s duel/the lead up. It felt right. I can’t really explain it any other way. Ewan McGregor did an excellent job as Obi-Wan, in my opinion.
- Palpatine vs Yoda. Do I need to explain why?
- Order 66. Excellent execution and heartbreaking, especially, 10x as much, if you have seen the Clone Wars and grew to care about the Clones and the Jedi Masters slain.
Dislikes:
- Padme and Anakin. Again. Their relationship is just not convincing in the movies. What they should be, and are in reality, is fleshed out much better in the Clone Wars TV show. They are actually made likable and compelling. Gasp. But in here they are…ugh…unreal. But we get another killer line from them:
You’re going down a path I cannot follow!
- Commander Cody breaking under the power of Order 66. Yes, I know the clones had chips in their brains, but I wish there was a moment of struggle before he lost out. Not all Clones succumbed! RIP Fives. Also a certain trio in Star Wars Rebels.
- More clones in general.
- Padme’s death. Like okay, she gave up. Ugh. I think that scene needed to be done better. Or maybe have actually have an actress in it.
- Anakin’s, ugh, actor.
Conclusion:
I liked it. There were a ton of memorable moments in it. It was super memorable. Even the bad parts I could remember well! It is very definitive.
The Prequel Trilogy on a Whole
It was one hell of a ride. Some damn good parts and some terrible parts. The highs were high and the lows were low. Averaged out, it becomes well, something like average.
They do not nearly deserve the hate they do. They have flaws. Glaring ones. But people forget all the good stuff they did and what they brought to the table. Good uses of CGI, aesthetics, interesting plot (in theory,) world building, Clone Wars, and so on.
The Prequels are iconic in their own way. We remember them for maybe not the same type of things we do for the Original Trilogy, but, just like their predecessors/successors, they have ingrained themselves into popular society.
And so there are my thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
My other reviews of the series:
