7 Criticisms of the Star Wars Prequels (And Why They're Total B.S.)

I love Star Wars. It was a huge part of my childhood and I've continued to be a fan of the franchise in all its forms. And when I say "Star Wars", I mean the whole series. Not just the original three but the prequel trilogy, as well.

It's at this point that people scoff and question my taste in movies. I really wish I understood why, because very rarely do they even come up with a reason as to why they don't like them. On that rare occasion that someone does, I can't help but roll my eyes at what they consider to make the prequels "bad". In the years that I've come across these people, there seems to be a consistent list of criticisms. Roughly around seven. Let me be frank when I say that these criticisms are crap and, more often than not, aren't particularly consistent or well-thought.

Here I will spend this entry deconstructing each of the top seven and explain why they're unfounded.

#1 "They're just a special effects show."

This is an absurd thing to say when you consider that the original trilogy was renowned for pushing the envelope of visual effects and setting the standards for what we appreciate on screen, Star Wars or not. It should also be noted that while the prequels were praised for their visuals, they were eclipsed by other films at the time. The Matrix beat out The Phantom Menace for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards.

I think the real criticism here is that George Lucas has chosen CGI to bring his visuals to the screen. Going back to the original films advancement of special effects, these were the best things available. Lucas used the best effects at the time and he used the best effects for the prequels. He was never pleased with the cantina aliens in 1977, thinking them fake and clumsy-looking. It's totally justified for him wanting to use technology that best represents what he wants on film.

#2 "The acting is terrible."

Before I start, I want you to see these first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcbbnHHDpTg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X66jntR0MVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwvnRneMHiY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wntX-a3jSY

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjP2GBTr9U (Around 3:33 to the end)

I'm sure I could find more, but I think I've made my point. There's a trend here. The Star Wars films are George Lucas's love letter to the science fiction and fantasy films and stories of his childhood. Stuff like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and John Carter of Mars. These shared an over-the-top, almost theatrical style of acting. The score by John Williams punctuates the action with its operatic orchestration.

I'm not about to defend Jake Lloyd or the "Star Destroyer Guy" (Hobbie Klivian is his in-universe name, FYI). That acting is clearly bad. But look at the films of Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen and you can see that they're both competent actors. Watch American Graffiti or THX-1138, both films of Lucas's, and you can note that the acting is not stilted and more naturalistic in its delivery.

You could argue that the performances of the original trilogy, for all their flamboyance, are much more understated. And I agree with that. But I also think that as a stylistic choice it makes sense for the acting of the prequels to be larger than life. The overall story is Faustian and a more theatrical approach seems appropriate.

#3 "They're too self-referential."

Too self-referential? Have you ever even seen Return of the Jedi? Let's see how many things it re-hashes from Star Wars:

Dramatic arrival with Darth Vader having a conversation that more-or-less introduces the driving force of the plot? Check.
The droids walking through the deserts of Tatooine? Check.
Room full of colorful aliens? Check.
Family talk with Obi-Wan? Check.
Death Star? Check.
Battle plan with computer image of Death Star? Check.
Lush, green planet?
Cute little aliens? Check.
Hero choosing not to fight Vader? Check.

I rest my case.

#4 "The writing is clunky."

This kind of goes back to what I said on the subject of acting. It's space opera. It needs to be melodramatic. If you've ever seen Romeo and Juliet, on-stage or not, you'll probably find the lines to be overly flowery and not particularly realistic. I'm not equating Lucas's writing ability with the Bard's, but things need to be taken in proper context.

#5 "Jar Jar Binks makes me crazy."

Congratulations. The character accomplished what he was written for. He does the exact same thing to the characters around him. He's supposed to be obnoxious.  He's not Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation where the character should be likeable but instead makes you want to push him out an airlock. Jar Jar Binks is a character that appeals to children, as he's meant to. Star Wars is for kids, first and foremost. C-3PO is an obnoxious character, too, but he also serves a purpose.

And for crying out loud, he's only a major character in one film. Take a trip to Hoth and chill out.

#6 "Midi-chlorians are stupid."

I can see where people might find that this concept sort of undermines the mystique of the Force, but its presence is marginal. The Force is regarded as an "energy field", which sounds sort of scientific, so it's not without precedent. It should also be noted that George Lucas had the idea of midi-chlorians as far back as 1977, using it in his guidelines for authors hired to expand on his films. 

#7 "There's too much politics."

I've been hearing this one a lot as of late. Being something for kids, you'd think that this sort of stuff wouldn't be highlighted so much. I do feel that The Phantom Menace slows to a crawl once they're on Coruscant, but the politics are an important part to showing Palpatine's rise to power. It could've been handled better, perhaps, but I don't think taking it out entirely would've made for nearly as interesting a plot or even the Palpatine character.



So here we are at the end of our journey. The prequels aren't perfect but they're not any sort of travesty. They're solid films in their own right and should be given their due. They didn't ruin the films, they enhanced them. It added new layers and themes to appreciate and gave us another reason to have a marathon while quoting along with the films and pretending you have a lightsaber. Most importantly, it gave another generation of kids something to call their own. And really that's all that matters.