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What do you think of the Star Wars prequels? I think the overall plot, of Star Wars Episode 1-3 feels a little rushed, and it leaves something, to be desired. The new Star Wars trilogy is basically just a special effects extravaganza, nothing more nothing less.
I actually like them a lot. They are far from perfect, and dialogue is a real weak point for them, but they're still pretty influential and heavily copied just like the original trilogy.
It seems pretty much all the story Lucas wanted to tell was in Episode III though. The other two were like fillers.
I still adore them. I can see why people hate them, but I love them :jess:.
George Lucas should just retire before he completely ruins his reputation. If it's not too late.
it's too late. but Ep III was pretty decent.
I agree, I think E III was the main movie of the three and the others just thrown in. But I did enjoy II even though acting was sub-par.Quote:
Originally Posted by LunarWeaver
I liked all three and dont see anything wrong either of them...
Though i still love the original trilogy...btw did you hear that rumour that he was gonna make a sequel trilogy? I think he's kinda abandoned it becuase of his age now though...:(
I actually like the new ones better than the classics.
I think if George Lucas is interested in making a sequel trilogy he should have somebody else direct it and write the script. Somebody like Tim Burton because Batman (1989) & Batman Returns were pure fantasy adventure films.Quote:
Originally Posted by omegaweapon2005
It's not really a Tim Burton-ish movie. Plus, he'll be too busy directing my movie....
Plus Tim Burton, as much as I love him, would probably do something to spit all over the Star Wars characters and universe, kind of like Batman (I like the movies, but the portrayals of the characters are horrible. I really don't think he understood them that well).
Although I mostly enjoyed the prequel movies, I agree they left a lot to be desired. I can't blame the bad acting on anything other than poor dialogue and directing on Lucas' part though. No member of the cast in these movies should be putting in performances as bad as we saw unless the material itself is bad (which it was). I have to give Ewan Mcgregor credit for doing as good a job as he did with what he had though. Hopefully if anything else happens in the Star Wars universe Lucas will have the sense to let someone else direct and write it. I have no problem with him handeling the overall story since the series is his baby, and he can actually handle that. His dialogue and directing however lead me to believe he's never actually interacted socially with another human being. Ever.
Well if Christopher Nolan directed the sequel trilogy he would probaby want to do a realistic take on Star Wars and I don't know if that would mesh well with the Star Wars mythos. I know Batman and Batman Returns are completely different from the comics but I think the reason why Tim Burton directed those films that way is because he wanted originality.
For me part of the problem with episodes 1-3 (apart from poor scripts and acting) is that the originals are consired such classics (partly because its popular to like them IMO) that the new ones would never have been able to live up to some peoples expectations.
Also the fact you know how its going to end can't help either. Taken purely as a set of films (ignoring the original ones) i feel they are ok, not great but ok. That said i hated the third one, it was nowhere near as good as i hoped it would be.
Watch The Empire Strikes Back and then watch The Phantom Menace and you will wonder what the smurf happened.
The prequels had so much potential, as there was a giant question mark everyone wanted answered. But it was too large of a question mark for just three sub-par movies, which lead to a rushed story and many other things felt lacking because of it.
And don't even get me started on the script in The Revenge of the Sith...
I liked the prequels but they're nowhere near as good as the original trilogy. Episodes I and III were pretty cool but I wasn't overly fond of Episode II. I'd have to say that out of all the prequels, 'The Phantom Menace' was my favourite. The other two seemed too much like they were there just to show off the special effects. The other thing that I disliked about II and III was the fact that there was lightsaber fight after lightsaber fight (especially in III). I remember when I was little watching the original trilogy, that the lightsaber fights were my favourite part of each movie, and I always waited in anticipation for them to come. They were like the climax of the movie (with the exception of IV, where the lightsaber fight was crap). But anyway, back to the point, II and III just had too many saber fights (But I must say that the fight with General Grevious was damn awesome). But apart from that they were pretty cool. More of a history lesson than an adventure, but still cool.
Hayden Christensen is dreamy.
Out of all the cast of the three prequels I'd say Hayden Christensen was the weakest link as most of the other main parts were from well established famous actors such as Cristopher Lee (Count Dooku).
The irony is, Hayden (like pretty much everyone else who gave a performance you'd expect from a block of wood) is actually a pretty good actor.Quote:
Originally Posted by omegaweapon2005
That's not irony, it's personal opinion. And a wrong one at that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vivi22The irony is, Hayden (like pretty much everyone else who gave a performance you'd expect from a block of wood) is actually a pretty good actor.Quote:
Originally Posted by omegaweapon2005
One word : Midichlorians... :cry:
The flaw inherent in that statement hurts infinitely more than the statement itself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supergyration!
The first two of the prequels were especially miserable. The writing was cheesy and shoddy, and way below what the cast was capable of in all three movies. I enjoyed Episode III the most, but it sure as hell wasn't anything great. The Phantom Menace makes me particularly sick.
Original trilogy ftw.
Frankly, the original trilogy had just as poor dialogue and scripting as the new ones did. The difference that put it at such a higher level - for me - was one thing: character.
Princess Leia was a sarcastic bitch. Lando was amiable, bright. Han Solo managed to be extremely dislikeable yet impossible to hate at the same time, and the chemistry between him and Chewbacca was always entertaining. Even smaller characters, like the Jawas, Ewoks, and droids were amusing.
It's the characters - not the plight - that make the audience care, and the new trilogy failed to catch on to this. Everyone in those movies may as well have been the same character, played by a different actor. All of them delivering the same self-important, overly formal lines. The only unique characters were those borrowed from the original trilogy - Yoda, C-3PO, R2-D2 - and much of their lines were recycled. They took theirselves too seriously, and in the end I didn't care about a single one of them.
The only redeeming qualities were seeing the empire in it's early stages and how it evolved. They were also very pretty movies, and great to watch under the influence of something.
Meesa oopsies. Ani?
Are you an angel?
Anakin, I love you like a flowing river of love. love love love love.... err, what?
At least Ewen McGregor's acting was a somewhat redeeming factor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Germ Hamee
You forgot to mention Luke Skywalker.
That's exactly how I feel about Knights of the Old Republic II. The first KOTOR is like the original trilogy it had likeable characters and the second KOTOR is like the prequel trilogy it had characters you absolutely don't give a smurf about.
I think both trilogies are of equal quality with Episode 4: A new hope being the worst one (kinda corny ending and a overly nieve Luke)...The problem with most people is that they put the first trilogy on a pedestal because of all their childhood dreams and memories being tied to those 3 film's. With the new trilogy however people watch it when they are adults and the magic is gone for them...making it seem not as good or just different somehow form the first movies because time has removed the magic and majesty from the series for them...
that thar's some bad writing with some excellent effects and money thrown in.
Oh that totally ruined it. The force was supposed to be some mystical power and in one scene it was degraded down to a simple tool to be measured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxx Power
I had the impression with the prequel that everything was both forced and rushed. Come on, Yoda meeting Chewbacca? And Darth Vader crying out, "Noooooooooooo!"
The only new idea that I actually cared for was the evil Jedi that Christopher Lee played. I cannot remember the name of that character to save my life :mad:
Count Dooku.Quote:
Originally Posted by fantasyjunkieOh that totally ruined it. The force was supposed to be some mystical power and in one scene it was degraded down to a simple tool to be measured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxx Power
I had the impression with the prequel that everything was both forced and rushed. Come on, Yoda meeting Chewbacca? And Darth Vader crying out, "Noooooooooooo!"
The only new idea that I actually cared for was the evil Jedi that Christopher Lee played. I cannot remember the name of that character to save my life :mad:
I consider OT superior to the PT, but I certainly enjoyed all the PT films as well. There are some stunning visual effects, I really enjoy all the machinations that go on in politics, and the lightsabre fights and other battle scenes are quite impressive. Jango Fett, General Grievous and Mace Windu are badass, and the other characters are quite interesting as well. John Williams's score is quite good too, but unfortunately his thematic development doesn't quite reach the heights of the OT scores although it comes close. Still, there are some excellent new themes such as Anakin's Theme, Trade Federation March, Duel of the Fates, Across the Stars, Grievous's Theme, Battle of the Heroes and the Lament Theme to mention a few.
The dialogue and some of the wooden acting don't bother me that much, and I tolerated the romantic and comedy elements as well. The plot jumped around a bit too much in the PT, and I think it might've been better had the story been told in a different way (maybe starting from the beginning of the Clone Wars and exploring Anakin's fall more in depth, as well as developing the villains and other characters more). Still, I enjoyed the PT and although it doesn't quite reach the magic of OT, it's still an interesting trilogy with some standout moments for a Star Wars fan like me. :)
Being (most likely) one of the only people my age to watch all of them for the first time (besides III) in the same day, I really have to stress that there is little difference in any of them. They are ALL very cheesy.
That being said, Star Wars is my favorite movie saga, ever.
As LunarWeaver stated, the dialogue was the problem. The actors would've been fine, but the awful lines they were given were most likely too difficult to act properly.
Otherwise, I love Star Wars, it's so great :)
Darth Maul kicks ass
Darth Maul kicked ass, and has not been duplicated in amazement since.
What did they do to up the talent in the subsequent two sequels in the PT?
episode 2: flipping muppet, and a 2v1 light saber duel
episode 3: a CGI robot with not two, or three, but 4 light sabers. Obi Wan however instead of spending some 20 minutes dueling him cuts off his hands right away and it's suddenly a chase followed by a gun fight
"So uncivilized"
Granted episode 3 had a pretty extensive final 1v1 dual with no gimmicks. That was very good to watch
ps: "Obi Wan" copied Ryan Wieber's stance multiple times in the movie
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8NE5elL30w4
2:58-3:00
I didn't mind the prequels. They left me sorta disapointed because it looked like what happened was that they spend 80% of the budget on CGI and almost no time on a script. Ep2 was probably the best, because there was a sort of love interest between Amadala and Anikin, there was Ani struggling with his emotions, etc. You know stuff that made me give a crap about them.
There were really only two things wrong with the prequels. First off, they kept interrupting the thin plotline to introduce characters from the OT. I don't mind Yoda, but by the time you've introduced Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, and a 10 year old Bobba Fett, not to mention a totally contrived scene where Yoda travels to Wookieland and "just so happens" to meet a Wookie named "Chewbacca", it's old. Nobody smurfing cares about Owen and Beru. Chewbacca didn't even have to be born yet, nor did Bobba. Stop the fanservice. The other thing was the feel. It felt like a 2-hour tech demo, with the plot only serving to set up the next action sequence. I honestly never expected to be bored of lightsabers and space battles, but since the plot and characters were so thin, there was no one that you were really cheering for. The effects were good, but you just never cared if the Jedi won. There was nothing at stake.
Episode III and Episode II need less action, better dialog, more story and less special effects. I don't know what could be done with episode I...no jar jar doesn't seem to be enough. Maybe just a total re-write and re-invention.
The only one I deem worthy is episode II.
As far as star wars goes. No. Just no.
Entertainment value is through the roof. But the acting, and dialogue was terrible. The love story was so bloody painful, I actually skipped all the scenes with anakin and padme acting all "ooo i lovey-wuvy too you pumpkin face *smooch*" Piss off with that you prigs.
Granted, the original trilogy wasn't much better, as far acting & dialogue goes (except for Harrison Ford, who really made those movies. Best actor in the whole 6 movies), but as it was said before, it was the character. Great, the way that the characters were portrayed, was fantastic, and couldn't have been done any other way.
The 1-3 characters were over acted, Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu was just an embarassment to the series. He was the worst for over acting.
I hope they make 7-9, but with a different director, and writer. It has some great potential, but with Lucas going all batsh*t insane, he can't do it anymore.
Oh well. peace out.
-Proxy
I agree that it would have been much better to start at the beginning of the Clone Wars. The Clone Wars were (albeit only slightly) familiar, as it had been mentioned (fine, only one line) in the original trilogy. A lot of the stuff that happened in episode I was really just an extended set-up for the events in the Clone Wars. As much as I'd hate to see Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Niesan is awesome) and Darth Maul cut out, the series wouldn't be totally lost without them.
The prequel trilogy tried to cover too much ground in three movies and the story got spread thin. Anakin's fall should have started sooner (the brief scene in episode II turned out to have nothing to do with the reasons for his inevitable fall). I mean, let's face it, the original Star Wars trilogy was never really about Luke Skywalker. I do believe that Lucas himself has said that the whole series is about Vader. I think the prequels should have reflected that more and given Anakin's descent into darkness a little more development instead of throwing it all together in the third movie.
On another note, I don't blame any of the cast for the poor acting in the movies; there was very little they could do with the crappy dialogue. That's really what did it for me. Then again, the dialogue in the original trilogy isn't exactly spectacular either. I agree with Hamee's assessment of the big difference between the originals and the prequels. The characters in the original trilogy were just better. Very few characters in the prequels came off as anything interesting. Anakin should have been far more interesting than the typical angsty teenager, Padme was annoying (and I love Natalie Portman), and the villains weren't anything spectacular. It's absolutely terrible when the best villain from the trilogy is the guy who had more lines in the promos than in the actual movie.
I think the late River Phoenix probaby would've been a better Anakin Skywalker than Hayden Christensen.