Why are the SW Prequels horrible?

POSTED BY: V
UPDATED: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 16:00
VIEWED: 13816
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Originally posted by SimonB:
Personally, I don't think Leia's line about remembering her mother was a mistake - Leia is Force Sensitive and she was the last one taken out of the womb, so in mind mind she empathically picked up her mothers feelings, plus also she's looking back with her memories and feelings, and time can distort those perceptions. Ok, That's just my take on things, but it works for me. As for Luke being their last hope, at that stage he was the only one openly embracing the Jedi path or even aware that he had powers.

Plus, I don't think the prequels do disrupt the continuity that much....or perhaps I'm just good at rationalising things to make them fit. But it worked for me.

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Yeah, I do tend to fill in the blanks too sometimes.
My thought though when I first heard that Padme dies during childbirth was that Leia must remember her adoptive mother, but I did hear something similar to your explanation before and thought that made a bit more sense - even if I do have the nagging feeling that Lucas didn't know that when he did Jedi, and now he is making excuses for himself, if we're not doing it for him.
The second bit, well I'll admit I threw in there. I didn't give it much thought in the first place but when I heard that point argued I thought "yeah, I suppose". I also heard that there is a contradiction with the twins, and who was born first - but I don't recall hearing whether Luke or Leia was older before, so I ignored it. Might have been in one of the novels.

If you're willing to hear something really take the mick out of Episode 3, then I recommend you listen to the "Abridged Script" http://www.geekson.com/audio/Star_Wars_Ep_3.mp3

You can read the script here: http://www.the-editing-room.com/?script=revengeofthesith though it's funnier to hear it acted out

Be warned though, theres a fair bit of bad language courtesy of Samuel L Mother****ing Jackson





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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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I think we are doing some of the work for him, yeah! lol

I guess it was tricky for George, having to write something that hit all markers he'd laid down in episodes 4-6 and keep it fresh and exciting whilst essentially making it up from scratch (I could be wrong, but the impression I got from the DVD extras is that he had a vague idea of the background, but nothing solid when he started) - so I guess some excuses and fudging on his part are only human.

I have no idea about the 'order of birth' for Luke and leia, but isn't it said in Star wars that 'continuity' of the novels is over-ridden by anything he states in the films? Or is that just me gibbering?

Thanks by the way for the Ep3 spoof! brilliant!

(also yeah, if there is a Star Wars TV show, they really should let Joss do one episode...or several....or all! I'd love to see what he comes up with. Bet it would be awesome, though probably half the characters we come to love will be killed in it....lol)



- Shiny. Let's be bad guys.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by SimonB:

I guess it was tricky for George, having to write something that hit all markers he'd laid down in episodes 4-6 and keep it fresh and exciting whilst essentially making it up from scratch (I could be wrong, but the impression I got from the DVD extras is that he had a vague idea of the background, but nothing solid when he started) - so I guess some excuses and fudging on his part are only human.

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That was my understanding too as far as backstory goes
And to be fair, Lucas has had a rough time - he did after all have the weigh of trying to satisfy millions of fans from different generations whilst trying to appeal to a new generation all on his little shoulders

And to satisfy everyone would be impossible - if the wait for new movies had been 5 years it would have been bad enough but 16!
You can see it either way - for fans that had been waiting that long, then those films couldnt have possibly lived up to expectation, but then at the same time you're thinking, well if he's got 16 years, surely he could have made them close to perfect.

But like you said - he's only human. I still think though, that, even if he is the big boss, he could have had someone go over the dialogue and someone at his side helping with directing.
Yes he had Jonathan Hales polish up the scripts to 2 and 3 and I imagine having someone "helping out" may be considered more of a hinderence than help, but if you look at Empire and Jedi - both only had a story by Lucas, the actual scripts were written by others as was the directing.
And IMO, they were far better than Star Wars

Well I've rambled long enough

As for the novels, you're right - the movies are the definitive story, and novels merely elaborate (though are not necessarily official)


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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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Was gonna put a quote from you in to this reply, but it'd be me copying the whole thing, so why bother? lol

Just to say, couldn't have said it better myself! (bows to Needy)

It's not a job I would have wanted - making new Star wars and trying to keep everyone happy (hmmm, no pressure!) and also, the fans of the originals themselves have aged since they were kids - they would have grown up with Star Wars, so their perceptions of what Star Wars is will have grown and changed with them.

Still, as you said, he needed to get someone to help with his scripting!

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough too. But it's good to know there are others out there who like the prequels to (can get awful lonely out in the black....) lol


- Shiny. Let's be bad guys.

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LOL

We are definitely in the minority, us lovers of prequels, but the next generation will grow up with them being the first step into SW

My sister for instance is 18 now, and so grew up with me and my brother watching the movies, but never liked them herself.
But she liked the prequels a lot, and so the last time the originals were on Tv (either just before or after Sith came out) she watched them with an open mind and now she likes them too.

...

Just a little tale I thought I'd bore you with


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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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Much 'preciated, thank you.

- Shiny. Let's be bad guys.

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I really didn't care for the prequels. Thought Episode I was an okay start. I enjoyed the Podrace scene and Darth Maul was so badass. The only reason I own the movie on DVD is for the lightsaber duels. Ray Park is awesome and he makes Liam and Ewan look better (as do their stunt doubles). I found that last duel with Maul fighting Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to be the best fight of the series. Killing Maul was the worst idea in the history of bad ideas. Imagine if, when he knocked Obi-Wan down into that chasm, some Palace guards start firing on him from a distance, making him go for a quick escape (he assumes his side lost and makes a tactical retreat). Then in Episode II, we get a great, passion-filled rematch between him and Obi-Wan. IMO, it would've been better to keep Maul around instead of bringing in the boring Count Dooku (worst name ever).

Episode II, I just couldn't stand. Bad dialog, mundane plot, the Jedi look dumb (Obi-Wan can't figure out that someone deleted a planet from the database, Dooku tells Obi-Wan who Darth Sidious is and the Jedi don't even consider it for one moment ), Anakin is a whiny brat who looks more like Boy Band Vader than a serious Padawan in training, and to top it all off, Obi-Wan is in a diner. A diner! This is not Star Wars. It's some practical joke Lucas was playing on people. At least, that's what I thought when the movie was over. I was actually sitting in the theater with my head in my hands as the credits were rolling by. I was stunned at how awful the movie was. Also, I hated seeing Yoda fighting. It looked ridiculous and just wasn't necessary. Yoda, to me, should be a figure of wisdom. Someone who, in his younger years, was a fighter, but now doesn't fight because he knows he doesn't need to. We should never have seen Yoda fighting. It should've stayed implied that he was a great warrior. Honestly, the only scene I actually liked from Episode II was the Obi-Wan/Jango Fett battle in the rain. That was cool. I hated the space battle, though. Little Boba was so annoying. "Get him, father!" Shut up. Please.

Episode III was actually pretty cool. I liked Anakin's look. Palpatine was a great villian up until he became deformed and started cackling far too much. I liked how he seduced Anakin into switching to the Dark Side. I just liked the movie. I thought the Darth Vader scene at the end was cheesey and should've been left out, though. Oh and a Jar Jar death scene would've been much appreciated.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the prequels. I didn't go into them with any expectations. I'm not a Star Wars fan although I'd seen the Trilogy a few times growing up and I thought they were good films with some very memorable scenes. Sadly, all I found memorable about the prequels were Darth Maul and Natalie Portman.

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Originally posted by NEEDY:

Quote:

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Originally posted by SimonB:


The ending of Episode III really got to me though - the death of Padme, and the end of the Jedi (especially Mace!!!!) Ki-Adi Mundi and Aayla Secura.

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The death of Padme... well is a bit touch-and-go for me (no jokes about me wanting to touch her and go). I thought it was nicely acted and all, but the line "She had lost the will to live" seems off (so she's just going to give up, despite her newborn babies?). I could have gone on and believed that its was Anakin's choking her that did it, but that line throws it all out.

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I don't know if this is supported by actual Star Wars canon, not being that deeply involved in it, but my take on that scene is that they were wrong. It wasn't that she had lost the will to live, but rather, that Palpatine was stealing her life force in order to save Darth Vader. Her despair simply would have made that easier for him to do. Padme's death, at his own hands, after the promise of immortality had been falsely dangled in front of him, was the final essential step in Anakin's corruption, and Palpatine used the opportunity well.

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