What do you like about the Prequels?

Thank you for contributing to the thread entitled "What do you like about the prequels?"

 

Geez, give a guy a second to edit. LoL
Look at the post, sir!

 

(Some of these have already been said, but I thought I'd throw them out here anywhere)
- As many have said, Ewan McGregor was amazing
- The pure tragedy of the whole thing, especially RotS, we know how it has to end, even as we desperately hope it doesn't
- The score: Duel of the Fates is my favourite piece from all of Star Wars, and Across the Stars is beautiful as well.
- It took a risk and adopted an entirely new tone as to what Star Wars could be.
- And finally (similar to my last point), it opened up an entirely new era for us to explore. We see the Jedi as an actual Order and the Republic as a governing body, which helps put a lot of events in the OT in a new and (in my opinion) more interesting light.

 

Here's my random list... No order

• Ewan McGregor as Obiwan, with throwback lines
• Ian McDiarmid makes Sidious deliciously evil
• Samuel L Jackson and a purple light saber
• All the light saber battles.
• Musical score: duel of fates #2, funeral themes that haunt you #1
• Yoda fighting. Didn't reach for his light saber, just uses the Force to call it to his hand before fighting.
• Padme is a hottie.
• Christopher Lee as a villain
• Darth Maul in general
• Anakin podracer breaks down near the end, and he still recovers
• Obiwan visiting Jango , always a pleasure to meet a Jedi
• Yoda training younglings
• Anakin as a completely tragic character
• ROTS space battle at the beginning
• Opera scene between anakin and Palpatine; not from a Jedi...
• How haunting Anakin uses Padme as bait in ATOC, then Leia as bait in ESB.
• How haunting it is to see Palpatine touch Anakins burnt forehead in a similar way as Obiwan did in ANH.
• How Jar Jar, in fact, is responsible for ruining the galaxy.
• How Yoda discovers there's a connection with the cosmic Force from Qui Gon.
• Darth Sidious taking out three Jedi without breaking a sweat.
• How Palpatine was reviewing Death Star plans just before the Jedi attempt to arrest him.
• Order 66
• Wookie planet
• We discover Yoda knows Chewie.
• Anakin killing Dooku, and making the exact opposite choice Luke has the make with Vader.
• R2 hiding from Super battle droids
• Obi wan Jedi mind trick on death stick guy; and getting a drink
• Padme secretly seeding the rebellion with Mon Mothma.
• Anakin fixing stuff at Lars homestead, like Luke.
• We see the creation of Darth Vader

 

Great list.

 

Qui Gon and Obi Wan, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, Lightsaber Duels, battle droids, Dex, Kamino, Senator Palpatine, new lightsaber color, Watto, Podracing, Curoscant, General Grevious

 

Qui Gon and Obi Wan, everything else stunk

 

I must say there is a lot more that I dislike about the prequels than I like, but having just re watched ROTS, I was shocked that I actually got chills at one point during the movie. During the scene where a now deformed Palpatine is proclaiming his new empire, there is a tremendous music cue by Williams as padmé says, "so this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause". I don't know why it struck me so much more this time around watching it. Perhaps it's all the imagery coming out from TFA so much resembling the Third Reich propaganda and what not or me just actually paying attention for once I'm not sure either way but I do love that quote now.

 

There are a few scenes in ROTS that have undeniable emotional impact, it's that scene you mentioned. Also the silent moment between Anakin/Padme before he goes to fight Mace Windu. The scene between Anakin and Kenobi after he cuts off his legs. Could have been a great movie if it wasn't plagued by overwhelming majority of bad decisions.

 

The same could be said about the entire PT unfortunately. The bones of a great three film story arc were there, but the execution sadly was not.

 

The environments and planets, the wardrobe, the music, the characters (Darth Maul, Dooku, Qui Gonn, Ki Adi, etc.), the lightsaber battles, the casting (fight me), the special effects.

In Episode I, the integration of CGI and models was much better than people purport it to be. If you look at production photos you can clearly see models and blue screen. The Duel of the fates is amazing and iconic. The casting of Obi-Wan was amazing however he didn't have as many story responsibilities as I would have hoped.

In Episode II, the musical compositions are amazing and perhaps the best in the prequel trilogy. The theme for Anakin and Padme is both haunting and beautiful. Melancholy and hopeful. Also, I love the environment they built on Coruscant with all the districts (entertainment, etc.)

In Episode III, I thought it tied everything together as well as they could have considering some of the story limitations. The music is again amazing and during the final battle between Obi Wan and Anakin, the composition is almost symmetrical to the Duel of the Fates in Episode I.

 

I do think a lot of people lump tpm in with 2 and 3 as far as effects are concerned, which is to bad because there was a lot more there then anyone realizes any more.

 

I like most that Lucas got to finish "The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker" -- the story he always wanted to tell. I think he'd be the 1st to admit it wasn't perfect (partly resolved with his portrayal of Anakin in TCW). But that story's completion allowed him to sell the franchise so that new films could be made. Without the PT, this great website doesn't exist.

 

McGregor as Obi Wan and Nesson as Qui-Gon. The former was particularly good and I feel is part of the reason why the others (i.e. Christensen) are seen so badly.

The music - Duel of the Fates is up there with Williams' best work.

Darth Maul was a fantastic villain, although criminally underused, as was Count Dooku. You could have done so much more with them and avoided the clunkiness that came from all of the politics.

 

I like almost everything in them. I can not help myself, I'am a Star Wars fan.

 

I love how the prequels' aesthetic was completely different from the OT. It was something new that we haven't seen in Star Wars before.

I also like how most of the aliens in the PT are considered well mannered and respected, where as in the OT (with a few exceptions), they are always seen as scum. It's shows that the Empire are discriminately mistreating them as inferior beings, thus they are forced to live a life of poverty and crime.

 

Revenge of the Sith - almost everything about it apart from the at times hammy dialogue. I loved Ian McDiarmad in it and Ewan McGregor (In all three). I loved the opening space battle. I loved the ending with baby Luke on Tatooine and Vader, Tarkin and Sidious on the Star Destroyer wathcing the beginning of the construction of the Death Star. Order 66 was one of the stand out moments of the saga. I also loved the scene where Palpatine tells Anakin about Plagueis and Anakin/Vader killing the younglings.

AOTC - The opening scene. Seeing a bit more of Coruscant. Yoda ribbing Obi Wan in front of the younglings for losing a planet. The battle of Geonosis.

TPM - Darth Maul, Qui Gon being a bit of a renegade Jedi. The big three way lightsaber battle and the duel of the fates accompanying music.

 

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The lightsaber battles.

It's not the only think I like, but it's the only attribute of the films that can be seen as an unquestionably great addition to the saga.