Is the PT really all that bad?

Yes, Hayden Christianson is amazing! I probably butchered that spelling...

 

THANK YOU LUKESTARBUCKER! Finally someone gets that!!!!!!!!!

 

Haha! Yes! Hayden played the only jedi Anakin I know

 

You're not the only one who thinks this; there are quite a lot of Hayden fans.

But, I'm going to challenge you by asserting that the dialogue isn't actually as bad as it seems.

It is very much on-the-nose dialogue that does not employ subtext as the way to tell you how characters feel; very true.

However, flip your perspective in attention when you next watch it and you might be surprised. Watch the background, color, framing, position, motion, and listen to the music. What you'll notice is the dialogue is the subtext, and the background stuff is the "text".
In other words, the characters tell us quite bluntly how they feel and their motives, but what that means is buried in what you see and musically hear.

For example, Anakin confesses his frustrations to Palps about the Jedi, and Palps reveals he is Sith.
What you hear them say starts off politically telling each other how each feels, and why, and then they exchange talk of feelings about each other's moral positions after that.

It all sounds rather flat.
But, look at everything behind the dialogue.
They start out in a very worldly centered location of computer displays, the outside world alive and buzzing. Anakin enters in decent to a sitting and receiving Palp. Colors are grey and black-modern and minimalist.

Then Palps rises and moves Anakin to the hall, where the tone shits to reds and browns as the leading colors; art is more twisted instead of straight lined in this area.
Down the way, we can see the other room is all red.
The further down the hall towards the red room they go, the more Palps moves the conversation to the dark side.
Palps eventually starts circling Anakin, back and forth we see the grey and black sterile political room, and then the warm red and bronze spiritual room.
Anakin circles Palps in return.
When Palps turns his back on Anakin, the grey and black political room is behind him. The red room is in front of him.

The 'text' of the background is what you would normally write as dialogue.
"Our world of justice and order seems to be failing us."
"Yes, but we have higher orders, more noble orders, than those which are failing us now."
"How can we abandon our ways?"
"Because they are a lie; half of the truth."
"The other half is evil."
"Know all sides before choosing right and wrong."
"I must stick with my allegiance."
"You must follow your faith. I must follow mine. Wisdom will be our guide."

I don't even have to put who's saying which. You can already tell because it's so loudly screamed in the background. You just don't really think about it.

So it's not actually "bad".
It's basically flipped from normal. All of the "feel" is in the text, while all of the "say" is in the background/subtext.
We're used to the other way around, and putting feelings as dialogue as being poor form.

So next time, try looking at the background information as you watch the PT, and then you'll almost start to hear the dialogue like it's a sort of musical backing to what you're looking at. It's kind of weird and experimental...because...well...Lucas.

Cheers,
Jayson

 

Wha???

 

Did you mean that you don't understand, or that you're surprised?

Cheers,
Jayson

 

At this point Jayson, I don’t know!

--- Double Post Merged, May 31, 2020, Original Post Date: May 31, 2020 ---

Well, I don’t understand and I am in awe...

 

For starters, try turning off the sound and watching the Prequels and see if you can still understand what's being said by the film. Not what the characters are saying, but what the film is communicating in a scene.

Lucas designed Star Wars, in part, around the philosophies of silent film.

Cheers,
Jayson

 

Heh heh, Jayson is our very own, in-house mind-blower. His analysis and insight are, IMHO, frighteningly good! So get used to be awed

Or as Francis Dolarhyde would say: "Fear is not what you owe me..."

 

Haha! Will do...

--- Double Post Merged, May 31, 2020, Original Post Date: May 31, 2020 ---

Ok, I will do so

 

@Jayson wow! That post was absolutely amazing, I love your ‘translation’ of what the settings are conveying. Yeah Palpatine wasn’t exactly subtle, donning himself in sith robes, placing sith sculptures in his office -He was exuding dark side. Did he have a tab open of the Death Star plans when Anakin walked in??

 

you are a genius, and you should make a movie.

 

Yes!

 

It's definitely not perfect but hey at least it is more consistent than the new Disney films plus watching the prequels with 2003 clone wars in-between the films helps the story a lot.

 

it wasnt but it has 20 years to grow on us and fill in the story, later the ST wont be bad either everything needs a little time.

 

TPH ruined it for myself and many others. ATOC was alright but EPIII made up for the first two.

Remove the pod race, Jar Jar and the entire underwater Naboo stuff and EP1 wouldnt be half as bad.
The Pod Race in itself only confirmed what Kenobi said of Analin in EPIV "was the best star pilot in the Galaxy"...

The big mistake was killing off Maul. Had Maul replaced Dooku in EPII and then lost his head to Anakin in EPIII would have elevated Skywalker status as a gifted and skilled Jedi.

 

Something I’m surprised by is the fact that people were bothered so much by Snoke and his sudden death, when all three of the main antagonists in the Prequels, not including Palpatine, died relatively quickly and unceremoniously. If it weren’t for The Clone Wars series, Maul, Dooku, and Grievous would be nothing. (Though even with Clone Wars, Grievous still gets no depth of discernible character.) This is coming from a guy who doesn’t even like Snoke haha.

 

No. People say it's bad only because others say the same thing.

 

I've already posted about this in this thread but just want to add that while the prequel films have a lot of issues, so much of the hate seems like negative hyperbole! The clone wars has really helped it as well and the era in general.

People like to sh*t on prequel actor performances or the characters but eh..

Liam Neeson/Qui-Gon Jin
Ewan McGregor/Obi-Wan
Ian McDiarmid/Palpatine
Samuel L.Jackson/Mace Windu

Are among my favorites in the whole franchise from their performances to their characters! There's issues with Anakin and Padme's characterizations and dialogue but I don't find Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman's acting completely bad most of the time as some like to make it seem. Anakin talking usually isn't a great thing but him silently in his jedi outfits and sabre dueling..is badass!

Another thing I love is Coruscant! I am so fascinated by it in the films and clone wars. I wish there was an open world star wars game set in different eras and we could go to Coruscant and explore!

 

The prequels are absolutely brilliant in my opinion, they blew my mind as a kid and that will never leave me.