Some Thoughts On The Star Wars Prequels
As I write this I am a 31 year old married father who has wanted to write a piece like this for a while now. I was first introduced to Star Wars at around three years old by my parents and it has been a part of my life ever since. Today I am going to do something somewhat controversial I am going to defend the Star Wars prequel Trilogy. Whoa put down your pitch forks and broken glass bottles, and hear me out. Being serious please read on before judging me, and I will tell you why I enjoyed all of the prequel movies.
I missed out on the original movies when they were first released obviously, but I did watch them on VHS so many times that my copy of A New Hope simply would not work anymore. I did manage to see the Special Editions when they were released in theaters in 1997. But for me the Phantom Menace was the first time I was seeing a brand new Star Wars movie in the theater.
When it was released in 1999 I was 17 years old and I went with two of my best buddies. To say we were hyped was an understatement. I am sure that all Star Wars fans in 1999 were giddy with excitement. Each advertisement, each trailer, was pure agony, and I just wanted the movie to start.
I know that these days it seen as the thing to do to hate the prequels, but once this movie finished, my friends and I were of the impression that it was amazing. Now I know that in 2013 there are a thousand YouTube videos of people picking apart every little thing that the prequels did wrong, and I admit that these movies are not perfect, but I still enjoyed all three of them. Actually some of these videos do make very interesting points.
I love the original trilogy if I had to pick between the two, and I would of course say the original trilogy every time, but that does not mean that the prequel trilogy are not good movies in there own right. I feel these days many people cannot just go see a movie and enjoy it, but they have to pull it apart at the seams and over analyse every little thing. Sometimes it feels like people are looking for a reason to hate things.
Yes, these movies do have things wrong with them. Jar Jar after each viewing did get more and more annoying to the point I think I am numb to him now. However Star Wars to me has always been full of some out there characters. As a kid I loved the Ewoks, but my dad certainly did not. While there are a couple of things that on repeat viewings have made me think wow really, for the most part I hand on heart do not see why so many people hate these movies with such a passion. I sometimes (and I do not want to offend anyone here) feel that some Star Wars fans in a way think it makes them bigger fans of the original trilogy to hate the prequels.
If you hate the prequels then that is fair enough, and I am certainly not meaning to sound like I am right you are wrong. Different strokes for different folks I guess, but I would love and be very interested to read your reasons why.
A New Generation Of Star Wars Fans
I have always liked all six movies, but when I had a kid of my own it actually gave me more appreciation for the prequels.
You see like many parents I had the dilemma of how do I expose my kid to Star Wars? Do I get him to watch the original trilogy first like I did? Or is it better to watch them 1-6? Well I thought it would be better to watch them 1-6, and this kind of proved to be a big mistake.
You see my son actually liked all six movies, but from the point of view of a child there is no way in hell that the original trilogy can compete from a spectacle point of view. The best example I can give is Episode III, my son will watch the lightsaber battle between General Grievous and Obi-Wan over and over again, and the battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan also with good reason. Even the most anti prequels person must admit that the lightsaber battles are amazing in the prequels.
The first time we watched A New Hope I had really built Darth Vader up. Probably a little too. Anyway you should have seen the look on my sons face when Darth Vader first wields that lightsaber as he prepares to take on Obi-Wan. He was so excited to finally see just what Darth Vader could do. He was finally going to see why his old man thinks Darth Vader is so cool, and of course in comparison to what he had seen in the prequel trilogy this was a huge let down. This as it was the first time he had seen it, and he was watching it after he saw Revenge of the Sith. This was the big re-match between Anakin and Obi-Wan to him and it was no where near as good.
He actually asked me if that was it. I was kind of stunned, I mean how could he not have thought that Darth Vader was awesome, but then I thought about it, and I started to see that it made sense. He just the day before had seen Obi-Wan and Anakin (who he now knows is Darth Vader) battle in the most spectacular fashion, and I know that if I were his age that I probably would have liked the battle in Revenge of the Sith better as well.
It has been a couple of years now and I think together we have watched the whole saga (and a ton of Clone Wars and that Lego Star Wars movie) a few times now. He, like most kids I am sure, do like all six movies, but I guarantee if I asked him if he just wanted to watch one that he would pick either Revenge of the Sith or the Phantom Menace each and every time. To a child going from General Grievous, Darth Maul and Jango Fett to the original trilogy has to be a huge step down.
As a parent I cannot wait to see what Episode VII has to offer, and perhaps even more importantly it will be the first time I get to go with my son to see a Star Wars movie in a theater.
Do I Really Like The Prequels?
Yes I do. They are not perfect movies at all, but I can still sit back and enjoy them every time I watch them. Even after multiple viewings I still enjoy them. But what about you guys? I would love to read some thoughts on how you feel about the prequels, or if you have kids, if they prefer the prequel trilogy over the original trilogy.
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