Star Wars Prequels vs. the Original Trilogy

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I remember describing the new movies to someone once. Someone who had no idea of what was involved with them, just knew that they existed and that they were popular. I told him that they had a lot more action in them than the originals, that the light sabre fights were way more intense, and that it was set back in the past when OB1 was young, and the Jedi flourished throughout the land.

I love the prequels. This was an awesome post. Thanks. :)

nice. its so true about not watching with the awestruck level like you did as a kid. i find myself feeling like that watching movies and even cartoons lol.

Hear hear. While I still find Episode I disappointing (mainly due to the stilted storyline), Eps II and III were up there with the originals.

And those who deride the special editions should bear in mind that that’s how Lucas would have done them originally if he had the technology.

the star wars prequels could never live up to expectation because they could never be anything like the breath of fresh air that episode iv was to popular culture

they needed more space battles though :p

I honestly think when making I guess the new 3 movies that he was gearing that more towards the younger star wars audience. Due to the simple fact that most of the people.

That wanted to honestly watch or even think that it was worth watching. Were more interested in the new good looking girl in the show. And a few of the female audience was more interested in who they were going to have play Luke.The other part were those in their teens.

There were few that were interested to see what it was that they thought would really come before The original star wars. I honestly thought that they could say nor do anything that could even remotely make sense nor be worth my time.

I honestly detested the entire new series. And thought anyone who honestly thought that their was any sort of substance compared to the original series had never really grown up with the series as a child. Cause like I said above most of them were not well old enough to really appreciate or enjoy the original trilogy who considered this new one to be even part of it.

Growing up watching Star Wars has absolutely nothing to do with cinematic achievement and compelling filmmaking. The original trilogy had those two qualities going for them; the new trilogy simply does not.

You can make a fanboy argument for the new trilogy, sure. That is your opinion, and that is your right. But making any kind of claim about the cinematic merit of the new prequel films will quickly put you on the bottom rung of any cinéaste’s ladder.

Simple experiment: Watch The Empire Strikes Back alongside another great film, say, The Godfather. Then watch Episode II. “Empire” is among the greats, meaning, the great films–films that are powerful and beautifully crafted, both technically and artistically. The same just cannot be said for any of the prequel films.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I appreciate things about the prequels and what Lucas did with the Star Wars story, but I cannot keep a straight face when I try to say they are good or great films.

Not a bad article & certainly well written but I don’t agree that they are anywhere near as good as the original 3.

The way they’ve been using fancy computer terminals etc to control their ships and they suddenly realise it doesn’t tie in & changes back to the basic ones from the originals.

I’m still waiting for the sequel trilogy.

When Star Wars first came out, Lucas said there was a prequel and a sequel trilogy. I waited for years for the prequel.

Yes, I agree! I enjoyed episodes 1 through 3 as much as 4 through 6. A lot of things were explained in the prequels. Also, it was interesting to see where Darth Vader (and eventually Luke Skywalker) came from.

When the Phantom Menace came out, I actually organized a large birthday party (it was on my birthday, in May) and I went to the movie theater with a large group of friends! So, that movie has a very special place in my heart as well. Not to mention, my email address is anakinjedi@hotmail.com and I’ve had it since 1999.

Thanks for the article!

I like the script of the old starwars, to bad that it doesn’t look as good as the new ones. In my opinion, episodes 1,2,3 are good looking, suck at content.

I prefer the storyline s in the the newer films, I feel they’re much more action packed and fast paced. Maybe I prefer this becasue I have a short attention span? who knows…

Altogether the star wars movies make one epic story and they all deserve as much credit as each other. If that makes sense.

Nice article, but I can’t say I agree completely. I wouldn’t say the prequels were terrible. In fact, I enjoyed them thoroughly after seeing them in theatres. The main problem I have with them is in their lasting appeal. I could and I want to watch the original trilogy over and over, but I don’ t have that same desire to watch the prequels a 2nd or 3rd time.

So what’s the difference? I feel the target audience is a key factor. While both trilogies have the same pg-13 rating, I can’t help but feel that the Star Wars universe was dumbed down for the prequels. The original trilogy on the other hand is intelligent and has characters that adults and children can relate too alike. Hans Solo for instance is a heroic figure to kids, but also a smarmy jerky kind of guy to adults.

I was about 16 when Phantom Menace came out and I loved it. I saw it like 4 times (2 in theatres). I thought Darth Maul was an incredible villain, and Qui-Gonn a very cool Jedi portrayal. But it just doesn’t hold up for me now that I’m 25. I think I’ve matured since then and I see the film just doesn’t have the appeal for adults that it does for kids.

I also feel the prequels have been overdone. There is just too much going on on-screen for the audience to get captivated. There’s lots of stimulation yes, but not meaningful enough content. It’s eye candy for the same of eye candy. The original did not have many scenes like that. Whether it was due to financial reasons or not, it was simpler and just better.

Finallly I just think they could have done a better job with the story. It didn’t feel like a Space Opera, nor like a great follow-up to the mythology laid down in the originals

Very well-written piece Rama, I couldn’t agree more. I watched Star Wars for the action, the awesome space battles, lightsaber duels, terrestrial mayhem, etc, and I have to say that Episodes 2 and 3 delivered in those areas more than any of the other Episodes. Episode 1 was definitely ruined by Jar Jar, Anakin’s huge age difference with Padme, and all that senate crap.

I agree with your last point, Ramakandra. I myself have not seen any star wars movies because all I’ve heard from my friends is negative feedback.

This article is making me consider renting the whole seriess…

Like my name says, I am a huge fan of the Original Trilogy. When I saw the Prequels, I didn’t really fall in love with the CGI. It made me feel like I was watching someone play a video game. Sure in the OT they used mini-models to make some of the scenes, but I actually find that way more appealing than CGI. Watching characters ride in CGI generated creatures and vehicles doesn’t appeal to me at all(I know not every single creature or vehicle was CGI, but a good number of them were). Call me ancient, but that’s my opinion. That’s not the only reason though. The lines and the acting didn’t hook me as much as the OT did. Sure the saber fighting scenes were great, but that alone isn’t enough to make me love the movies. But, I actually like the simpler fights from the OT more. Yes all my points can be argued, but I just prefer the OT more.

Also, the vast advancement in CGI makes even the technically superior (for the time) early Star Wars effects. The storyline is also pretty good.

I am not a huge starwars fan, but i did watch the whole series, and i think the prequels were good in my opinion. For the reason i like to know the whole story, from start to finish, and the prequels tell and describe how everything came to be in the end. Very nice article.

The first Star Wars movie was revolutionary. The second was a better film, but not the sea change that the first was. The third movie was bloody brilliant for the first 50%, and then the ewoks showed up and it all went pear shaped/toy selling/cutsie stupidity. The second trilogy is all ewoks.

Oh, on more thing, about CGI. Compare Yoda in Empire to Yoda in Phantom. Say the cooking scene in Empire to the council in Phantom. Notice the difference? Notice how in Empire Yoda seems more real? Notice how in Phantom his expressions seem over-exaggerated? Notice how he feels fake? It’s not that I am opposed to CGI, but the CGI in the new trilogy was over-blown, over-exaggerated, fakey, stilted, and much more poorly done than it should have been. Shrek had better CGI. Terminator 2 had better CGI.

While I did enjoy the new ones to an extent, there’s a certain nostalgia I (as many other people do I assume) get whenever I watch the original trilogy. I think this makes a good amount of the viewers of the prequel very biased. The original trilogy was revolutionary, so the prequels had a very high standard to meet.

Really, we’re talking about people’s opinions here. You can’t change our opinions by stating your facts or rationalizations.

I was a young man when the first Star Wars movie was shown. Those were exciting times indeed. I had Star Wars posters on my walls, etc.

I actually like all the prequels too. But the original 3 will always be the Best and Classical movies to me.

How refreshing: To read an opinion that contradicts popular reactionary conformity. Previous generations will, on average, prefer the original trilogy. That’s what connected with them at an emotional level. Future generations, however, have the joy of discovery the entire journey & building up gradually to the cult finale.

Agreed! I loved the prequels as much as the originals, but I found it very hard to find people who shared that view. (Then again, not many people I talk to actually know/watch Star Wars) It’s nice to know I’m not alone!

Still, you can obviously expect that the prequels wouldn’t have the same enthusiastic and exciting effect on people, since the world and the overall story was not as fresh as when the originals first arrived on the scene. That aside, I enjoyed them as much as the others.

Good points bought up there. I grew up with the Prequel and i saw all three at the movies and i love them. I don’t really care that the acting isn’t that great and the dialogue is rather wooden, but star wars really isn’t about that. I also like the love story in the Prequel too. If they ever made a new star wars movie in 20 years time or so, i probably wouldn’t like it and would be critical of it cause i’m used to the prequel, and it’s one of the movies from my childhood.

A very well written article by Ramakandra. I saw the prequels before I saw the original movies, and I agree with Ramakandra. Even though the original movies have a little bit better storyline, the prequels make up for it with great cgi and intense lightsaber battles. In my own opinion though, the Revenge of the Sith is the best of the 6 movies.

I quite enjoyed the new movies but I don’t think they will ever be equal to the first three. Like episode 1, it was a good movie but compared to say the empire strikes back it was just plain bad. So I geuss I’m saying that the original 3 hold a special place in my heart and while I enjoyed the later 3 they just don’t have much connection for me.

Really good article. I am one of those people who bash the prequel trilogy, and after reading the article, it made me think a little about why i disliked the prequel trilogy. I found everything awesome, except the love story, i just felt too much of episode 2 was taken up by it. I know it is a huge plot point, but i don’t know, i felt that it was just too much. Like i said though, really well written.

when the DEATH of the female hero doesn’t make anyone care or cry, that’s a pretty big failure. If the temporary freezing of Han Solo is more emotional, something’s wrong. the two sets of characters are not on the same level.

I was actually fascinated by the transformation of the little child Anakin to Darth Vader. I always wondered how that happened.

Complete nonsense.
Professional film critics and scholars with years of experience and expertise have judged these films and concluded, for numerous reasons, that the prequels aren’t as good as the original trilogy (and explained why). This isn’t a matter of having outgrown the saga. They have re-watched the originals and can judge them for their merits *today*, as adults (as can anyone). The critical consensus is that A New Hope is far and away the superior film, followed closely by TESB, then ROTJ and TPM, then AOTC, and lastly, ROTS. The dialogue of ANH is absolutely first-class. The *first* example of bad acting came in ROTJ between Fisher and Hammil on Endor but not everyone would agree. Han Solo may have been a weak character in ROTJ but Ford’s acting was fine. The first example of unquestionable bad acting in the saga comes in TPM with Jake Lloyd.
Personally I never found Jar-Jar Binks annoying. I took him as he was meant to be taken – as a comedic character intended to appeal to kids. I was far more annoyed by lame attempts at humour via implausible incidents with 3PO (AOTC).

The love story *was* lame and unbelieveable; there was nothing *to* love about Padme, not when she first walked into Wato’s shop or as a Queen decked out like a Christmas tree. The idea of justifying the naivety of the Anakin and Padme relationship on the grounds that they were just ‘kids’ (at 20 and 24) is a joke. There was enormous scope for this romance to develop far more intelligently with Ani’s Jedi-instructed disassociation from intimate attachments coupled with her likely worldly experience but nothing realistic was developed. They were like two 14 year olds holding hands in the school playground not knowing what to do or say and slowly discovering that they had nothing in common. There was more sexual chemistry developing between Luke and his *sister* in the first two films than was evident between Padme and Ani in their entire romance.
I haven’t the space or the patience to go on but suffice to say that the only quality that prevents the final two SW films from being *poor* films is the extraordinary art direction and SFX. This is so special that it would be insane to dismiss them as anything beyond outstanding and breathtaking but sadly effects do not a movie make. I can admire the lizard creature OB1 rides on as a technical and artistic marvel of silver-screen wizardry but why was it there? It’s just one obvious example of visual padding in films with little else to recommend them.

Deep Jedi is mean.

Eric Ellenberg is wrong. The Prequels are ALL ABOUT cinematic achievement. Really the only thing interesting George at the moment is DIGITAL FILMMAKING. The podrace segment was a great experiment in it, and it came off FLAWLESSLY. I think the CGI of the Clone Troopers and Droids on Geonosis came off FLAWLESSLY. I don’t know if I think that Episode III’s complete reliance on the new digital tech was even good, but that’s what it was.

Heck, even the new Clone Wars cartoon is all about establishing Lucas Animation as the standard-bearer in animation. PIXAR was a George Lucas creation for pete’s sake, and now Lucas Animation is making INCREDIBLE strides.

The biggest fault of George Lucas is, in fact, his ignorance of the craft of filmmaking when it comes to the Prequels. It didn’t matter to him to make a great story. What mattered to him was telling the story he thought should be told, and using his fancy new toys to do it. He’s always been about the visual art. Turn off the dialogue and just let the music and visuals become an opera for the mind.

Star Wars has always been very simple for me. One: Lightsabers? check. Two: John Williams’ score? check. The rest is all gravy.

I agree with you that the Prequel Trilogy is just as good as the Original Trilogy. However . . . did you just call Luke Skywalker a sissy/

The biggest fault of George Lucas is, in fact, his ignorance of the craft of filmmaking when it comes to the Prequels.

What ignorance? If anything Lucas’ craft in filmaking was just as good and pehaps slightly better (at least in storytelling) with the Prequels.

Point 1: So you are arguing that a seven year old should be perfectly satisfied with these movies, and so should we? Since when is saying that a movie has bad acting, bad script, annoying characters, and an over-emphasis on special effects not arguing about the content of the movie? That’s not avoiding the topic, that IS the topic. What is a movie if not a script about characters performed by actors? If all of those three things are bad, then the movie is bad – regardless of who is watching it!

Point 2: You’re right, and the battle between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul is one of the greatest fights in films I’ve ever seen. But after Darth Maul dies, there aren’t any ‘real’ Jedi battles. It’s all just people fighting Dooku – one of your ‘old men’ Jedis, and CGI messes with expressionless actors. After the battle with Darth Maul, the lightsaber battles cease to be interesting or well choreographed and just feature people holding a lightsaber while jumping around on wires an unusual amount.

Point 3: The story is never actually explained. Why is there a separatist group? Who are the Trade Federation? Why are these separatists attacking the Republic? Why is the Republic attacking the separatists? What exactly is this dispute about? Why does the senate vote to give Palpatine ‘emergency powers’ to pass a measure that they would never agree to pass in the first place? Just what the hell is a Sith? Just throwing politicians into a story doesn’t make it a story of political intrigue, you have to actually explain why these events are occurring. Everything in the plot is just a contrivance to move the story forward. Sure, you could look around on the internet to find out what these things are, but they were never in the movie. The movie outright refused to explain itself. I can’t begin to tell you how much this plot resembles swiss cheese. Again, this has nothing to do with attachment to the original trilogy, a badly written story is a badly written story.

Point 4: If you think this is a typical movie love story that contributes to the plot, I can’t help you. I dare you to name another movie that has as awkward and contrived a love story as these movies. At what point does she fall in love with him? Before or after he commits mass murder for the first time? Maybe it’s when he’s talking about becoming a traitor and instituting a dictatorship? People who think this passes as any kind of a romance have clearly never experienced a romance themselves, or even seen a movie that does one well. They are in love because the plot requires them to be, nothing else. It makes no sense because there is nothing about Anakin’s character that is in the least bit likable.

Point 5: It really actually creates a divide between the original trilogy and the prequels, because they don’t add up. Nothing seems to fit together. Huge plot devices in the prequel films are never mentioned at all in the originals. Where was Qui-Gon in the original movies? Why did nobody mention him? Why did Obi-Wan specifically say that he was trained by Yoda? What about this ‘prophecy’ that is so important in the prequels, why does nobody ever mention that?

But you’re right, we shouldn’t ruin the movie for the people that it was made for. It wasn’t made for the millions of Star Wars fans that have made George Lucas rich and gave him the ability to make these movies. It certainly wasn’t made to be a classic, award winning movie for critics and movie lovers. No, you’re right – it was made for kids. This entire series of movies was made to sell new games, new toys, and other new merchandise to a new set of walking wallets to fill George Lucas’ pockets.

I agree. I grew up with the prequels and they will always hold a special nostalgia for me. I became a fan with Episode I, a fanboy with Episode II and a nerd with Episode III. That’s when I realized I hadn’t ever watched the originals all the way through. I saw bits and parts on TV with my dad, but they never held any charm for me. A Star that can destroy a planet? A puppet Yoda? Ewoks? Everything just looked fake. But I never watched them all the way through. I watched the first one and something inside of me just clicked. I realized that thirty years ago, George Lucas had created a masterpiece that remains to this day. I started looking past silly things like the Death Star and special effects and learned to enjoy the films as I had the prequels. Now, these films hold a special place in my heart as well. I see Star Wars as Lucas intended it to be seen. One big saga, not two separate trilogies. I think they “balance” (sorry for the pun) each other out. For what the original trilogy lacks the prequels make up for. For what the prequel trilogy lacks, the originals make up for. I hope future generations will enjoy all six movies, not just three of them.

Lightsaber duels were way cooler in the prequels.

In fact, I always wanted to see Darth Vader use that lightsaber like he did as Anakin in ROTS, but in the suit. This is why I hope they turn The Force Unleashed into a film!

True, I did see the OT when I was a kid. It’s also true, however, that I also saw the PT when I was a kid.

I still like the original films; the prequels are anathema to me.

Your argument fails.

“Episodes 4, 5, and 6 don’t exactly read like Shakespearian sonnets.”

In fact, they don’t read like any type of sonnet! Shakespeare wrote 14-line, iambic pentameter sonnets with an alternating rhyme scheme, save for the last couplet.

And even if they did read like Shakespearian sonnets, would that have really fit? Can you imagine Hon Solo rhyming moments before he shoots first?

I know this is a picky point, but I think it just goes to show that a detailed look at this analysis reveals less of an argument and more of a shot at attention.

I’d like to congratulate Eric Ellenberg, Kevin, JJ Alexander, DeepJedi and OTLover on their well written, keen comments. Much like the Jedi during the final days of the Republic, you all are truthful and honest to the end despite the Lucas Empire you were sworn to love mass-producing disappointment.

Boba Fett is not a clone.

The whole prequel series is ridiculously bad! Acting, story, CGI madness! Watching episode 1 & 2 was torture , I asked to be paid to watch the third and honestly.. its was like a bad porn movie involving around a sci-fi plot but, with out sex! Just, terrible. English isn’t my fluent language so I can’t say with a total freedom of the mind how bad these films truly are.

I first saw Star Wars in 2005. I was literally dragged to see ROTS. I’ll admit, I negatively judged Star Wars for years but ROTS and watching the saga as a whole changed my mind. Since, I saw Star Wars as a whole in a short time span, my perception might be different than some others who waited decades to see the next SW movie. I went in with no expectations and was even negatively biased against it. No one was more surprised than I was to find that I actually enjoyed it. There are flaws in both trilogies. I don’t wear any rose-colored glasses or have nostalgic memories of a Star Wars filled childhood to dispute that. However, despite the flaws, I still like both the originals and the prequels equally. (This isn’t about which is better but what I personally enjoyed…in the end, it’s all subjective)

The prequels gave me this glimpse of a living universe filled with a working political system, a Jedi Order etc. Of course, we can’t really get that in the OT because the rebels are fairly isolated from the rest of the galaxy. I enjoyed the prequels because of the sword of Damocles that’s hanging over everybody. We all know everything’s going to go to hell in a hand basket but the characters don’t. They go about unsuspecting till it blindsides them. I find Palpatine fascinating. His machinations really sucked me in and as a poli sci/literature major, I loved the political disintegration along with the Greek tragedy aspects of it.

I hate black/white stories. The prequels are definitely not that. There are so many grey areas: Anakin’s many faults, the Chancellor’s shifting identities, the Jedi who’re so blind to the embodiment of evil that’s living right next door etc. I mean, for most of the prequels, the Republic/Jedi don’t even know who the true evil is! By the time they do, it’s too late..The flaws of everyone in the prequels that lead to their tragic ends is fascinating to me. This lack of gray area is probably why ANH is my least favorite of the originals. However, Empire is amazingly gray and I loved the darker themes.

I loved the originals for very different reasons. The way I see it, I love the prequels for the themes and I love the originals for the plot. And I don’t feel that I could love either fully without the other. If I had seen the originals first and seen Vader’s redemption, it wouldn’t have impacted me as much if I hadn’t known where he came from. The inevitable collapse of the Empire, the death of Palpatine wouldn’t be as satsifying. There are several silly things in Star Wars like the Ewoks and the Gungans but I just focus on what I like. As someone who would have never watched Star Wars without having seen the prequels, I hate seeing people bash it.

I liked it. I was 22 years old when I saw the whole Star Wars. I wasn’t a kid like some people derisively say that the prequels were made for. I don’t care about CGI or even lightsaber duels. I couldn’t name much of the ships/technology. The romance is secondary to me. But the characters and the themes of the prequels were what resonated with me. As for the originals, nothing beats the father/son storyline for me as I am a sucker for redemption tales. Nothing gets me like the last moments of ROTJ. This was super long winded but I had to say my piece.