What the Prequels did right

Austin Carey

In the new age of internet reviewing and cinema culture, insulting the Star
Wars Prequel Trilogy has become synonymous with a love of the genre itself.
Too readily do people negatively compare the Prequels to the Originals, with
no real consideration into the depth and complexity of Episodes One, Two and
Three and, while the Originals are quite definitively better, to say there is
nothing of worth within the Prequels demeans both the fan base, and indeed
the entire franchise.
Lucas himself has often said that the Star Wars saga is more like a story broken
up into six chaptersi, as opposed to six separate stories and it is in this humble
film critics opinion that even in the worst Star Wars film, there is still an
inordinate amount of good to be taken out. Its easy to praise the Original
Trilogy, they are undisputed masterpieces; where the critics job becomes
difficult; however, is in the defence of the new. So, without further preamble:
What the Prequels did right.
World Building
The first thing that jumped out at audiences
when they saw The Phantom Menace was
just how much detail had been put into the
backgrounds and the alien worlds within
which the story was set. The Original Trilogy
tended to lend itself to small environments;
the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star(s),
Jabbas Palace, and while this did lead to
incredibly intimate and layered storytelling, it also relegated the alien worlds
to a more two dimensional role within the framework of the overall narrative.
Tatooine, Endor, Hoth, these are all worlds that are defined by a single
environmental factor; one worlds nothing but a dessert, one worlds nothing
but ice, the list goes on. And while this does lend itself to some of the more
memorable moments of the Original Trilogy (Definitely the Battle of Hoth, one
of the most well-made and shot
sequences of Empire, wouldnt
have been the same without this
fact) it also gets a bit stale. The

Prequels, especially Episode One, saw audiences visit layered and multifaceted worlds. For the first time the environments took on an air of the
dynamic, with amazing shots such as the city of Otoh Gunga and the Naboo
capital: Theed existing on the same planet, yet still possessing the incredible
comparison of the utterly alien. Other worlds, such as the city-covered
Coruscant, the lava plains of Mustaphar, the elegant cities of Alderaan and the
vibrant and changing surface of Utapau serve to demonstrate this perfectly.
Even worlds that are only seen for a few moments, such as the energetic and
fungus forested Felucia add so much more detail and layered storytelling to
the Star Wars universe than the worlds of the Original Trilogy ever could.

The Action!
While a lot of the action and combat of the Original Trilogy was amazing, a lot
of it was also less so. The Duel in Cloud City between Vader and Luke stands
out as one of the most atmospheric pieces of action in all of film, and indeed
when we consider scenes like this its easy to view everything in the Originals
through slightly tinted glasses. Sequences like the duel between Obi-Wan and
Vader are, well, dull. Inescapably so. When compared with the fast paced,
incredibly atmospheric and emotional lightsabre combat of the Prequels, the
Originals (for the most part) fall down on their face.
No matter what calibre of Star Wars fan you
claim to be, virtually everyone can agree that
the epic Duel of the Fates in Episode One is
one of the greatest fights in all of cinema and
indeed, one of the most creative sequences
in the entire Prequel Trilogy. Other
sequences too: the car chase in the

beginning of Attack of the Clones, the delightfully fun fight between Jango and
Kenobi in the middle, the opening space battle of Revenge of the Sith, and the
larger-than-life duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin across the lava plains of
Mustaphar all stand as a testament to the mind boggling quality that modern
CG technology
can bring to film.
While other
sequences (see
Yoda engaging
in lightsabre
combat) may
not work in the
favour of good
storytelling, for
the most part,
the epic, large
scale and
impressively
edited combat
and action of the
Prequels is what defines them as some of the greatest space opera in recent
years, as well giving the Star Wars universe yet another complex and detailed
layer that the Originals couldnt afford too.
The Portrayal of the Jedi:
While a lot of fans (more often than not rightly) criticize the intensity with
which the Prequels focus on the politics of the Galaxy, there are several
instances in which it works perfectly. The politics of trade legislation may be
one of the more boring aspects of Star Wars lore, and the depth that we see
the Senate in is mostly un-necessary but where the politics work is in the
portrayal of the Jedi. Lucas had to tell the story of the downfall of the Republic,
and a lot of fans dont seem to realize that politics is quite a vital component of
that story. Throughout
the Originals, for
example, the Jedi
(despite their near
extinction) were held up
to be the absolute
highest moral calibre,
invincible champions of
the Force that were defeated only through the Empires treachery. No one
really considered that the Jedi themselves might have been partially
responsible for their own downfall, and the way Lucas presents it is nothing
short of brilliant. Mirroring the stagnation of dozens of ancient cultures, the
Jedi are shown to be lax, stalled, and arrogant in the moral certainty and blind
to the subtle going ons of the Galaxy they claimed to protect. With the Sith

gone for a thousand years (whoops) at the beginning of Episode One,

audiences can quickly see where this Jedi-centric view of the Galaxy comes
from, and how it contributes to their downfall ultimately helps dismantle the
idea of the Invincible Jedi, as well as making them all more complex, flawed
and relatable characters. Unfortunately, it would take until the Clone Wars TV
series for fans to see the story of the individual fallen Jedi told right.

Replacing a puppet controlled Yoda with a completely CG Yoda

This *might* possibly be one of the hardest ones to sell my readers on, but
bear with me. So many people are so quick to jump on the bandwagon of
insulting and condescending the heavy use of CGI in many films, that they
dont stop to consider when its used exceptionally well. Yes, there are always
going to be terribly CG rendered films (see every action film of the late 90s)

but there are instances when its used to amazing effect: and the portrayal of
Yoda in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith is one of them.

The Yoda of Empire Strikes Back wasnt badly made, by any means. But it was,
quite obviously, fake. Puppeteering was the
best option open to Lucas and Co when it came
to rendering the diminutive Jedi Master, but it
just falls completely flat when compared to the
incredible photo realism of Episode Two and
Three Yoda (it is important to note here that
Yoda was still puppet controlled in Episode
One). Even Frank Oz, the original creator of
Puppet Yoda in the Original Trilogy and the voice actor for him in the Prequels
said: You almost have too much potential, you (Coleman) can do things with a
generated Yoda that I could never do with a puppetii
Rob Coleman, the main animator of Yoda throughout the Episodes Two and
Three said that this shot (below) was one of the most important shots of Yoda
in all of Star Warsiii, and with the incredible, and realistic detail put into him,
its easy to see why.

Casting Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan

Casting has always been an issue with the Star Wars prequels (see Michael
Jackson wanting to play Jar Jar Binksiv) and its
definitely fair to say that some of the casting
decisions fell flat. Both Jake Lloyd and Hayden
Christensen deliver singularly annoying
performances as Anakin Skywalker and,
talented though he is, perhaps the delightfully
over the top Jackson wasnt the best choice to
play the deadpan Mace Windu. But, no casting

decision was more genius than choosing McGregor to fill Alec Guinnesss
sizeable shoes. Guinness brought such an amazing likeability and sense of
refinement to the elderly Jedi Master and, after watching the Prequels, its
impossible to think of any other actor besides McGregor (with the possible
exception of a certain Scottish Time Lord) as being the young Obi-Wan. In
terms of other instances of perfect casting well, an entire article could be
written about how casting Christopher Lee as the sinister Count Dooku was
one of the most brilliant decisions in the history fiction.
Connective Tissue
One of the biggest disadvantages the Prequels have over the Originals is that
the Originals were able to stand on their own as completely self-contained
stories. Much of the background and off-screen subplots of A New Hope,
Empire and Return of the Jedi would ultimately be explored in depth in the EU,
but when they hit screens they were able to stand completely on their own
merit. The Prequels never had a chance to do that. Not only did they have to
tell their own story while linking it all in with the canon of the Originals (which
to be fair is kind of implied in the title Prequel) they also had to serve as the
platform for future Star Wars projects. And not only did the Prequels
accomplish this, they accomplished it fantastically. While giving origins for
every character in the Original films may seem a bit forced (see Anakin building
C-3PO) the way the Prequels bridge the gap between themselves and A New
Hope is nothing short of
genius. From continual and
appreciated homage to the
techniques and themes of
the Originals to the
carefully interwoven plot
connecting the end of
Revenge of the Sith to the
start of A New Hope this, sadly overlooked, aspect of the Prequels is easily one
of its best.
The Prequels of course also served as the platform for many other loved Star
Wars projects to be born from. The look and feel of Coruscant led to the highly
praised Knights of the Old Republic games while the implied events between
Episodes Two and Three gave us the critically acclaimed TV series: The Clone
Wars. Indeed, the Prequels launched an unprecedented era of expansion in the

Star Wars universe, one that we can only hope will continue with The Force
Awakens.

The Characters
Star Wars is nothing without its recognizable, three dimensional characters,
and this is an area that every single Star Wars film excels in. The Originals,
ultimately, were nothing more than a cynical copy of everything that had
worked in film before, particularly Episode Four; what strung it all together
were the unique and endearing characters that audiences could relate too,
empathize with and watch over and over again. And certainly, while nothing
will ever beat Luke, Han Solo, Leia and Vader, the Prequels definitely gave us a
myriad of breathtaking new characters for the Star Wars universe.
The Originals, for the most part, did have to rely on human characters for large
chunks of the story. This wasnt because of limited effects or poor budgets, it
was just the story that Lucas wanted to tell: that of a human run Empire that
put aliens as second class citizens. And it worked, the simple storytelling of the
Originals is some of the best, and it works because of the simple yet complex
human characters and while the Prequels dont follow in this mould, they do
try to bring something new to the story: Aliens. The awesome alien characters
of the Prequels are too numerous to count, filling in positions as both primary
and secondary characters. Yes, some fell flat on their face (like a certain
Gungan I wont deign to mention), but for the most part the aliens of the
Prequels, and in particular the alien Jedi, looked awesome, and really told the
story of the Intergalactic Republic.
Another area where Star Wars excels universally is its portrayal of villains.
Every single piece of Star Wars entertainment, whether its the films or the EU,
gives audiences complex and multi-layered villains and the Prequels are no

exception. Darth Maul easily stands out as the most visually perfect villain, if
not character, in the entire Star Wars story, with his untimely death being
perhaps the worst decision of the Prequels. Count Dooku created one of the
more elegant villains that audiences hadnt really seen since Tarkin, Jango Fett
was pure concentrated badassery, General Grevious was a mastery of CGI
technology and impressive visuals and even the portrayal of the fallen Anakin
made made Hayden Christensens acting bearable.

And the heroes (again for the most part) are as equally on par. The portryal of
Obi-Wan was perfect, Qui-Gon Jinn was exactly what auidences wanted to see
and even Padme was a worthy succsesor to Leias might. Even the Clone
Troopers, those stockstandard screen fillers, gave us awesome stories, truly
coming into thier own in The Clone Wars. Ultimately the characters, for better
or worse, are where the Prequels shine through.

Do the Prequels still make a lot of stupid choices? Yes. Are they still bad
movies? Well, from a certain point of view (insert Empire Strikes Back Obi-Wan
here), yes. But by god do they still deliever. The Originals are still,
unequivocally better, but to just write the Prequels off as bad films without
considering the many many layers of good within them, demonstrates not only
an ignorance of the genre, but to the enteirty of modern film as well.

Directors commentary: The Phantom Menace; opening conversation

Directors commentary: The Attack of the Clones; around 20 minutes in, Palatines office
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Directors commentary: The Attack of the Clones; around 20 minutes in, Palatines office
iv
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jackson-wanted-to-play-jar-jar-binks-in-star-wars20150724
ii