Originally Posted by
Kale
I have a hard time looking on the prequels as much more than a flop in terms of storytelling.
I realize I'm in a minority, but I believe that TPM was decent. I liked finally getting to see a Master and Padawan in action on screen. The Padme storyline, while predictable, was executed very well. Aside from the question of why Naboo seems to think adolescent girls make the best heads of state, I could believe the character as a girl in a terrible situation doing her best to help her people. TPM told its own story, which was something neither of the other two prequels did, and I think it came closer than either of the others to the sense of fun and adventure that characterized the original trilogy.
AotC is by far the worst, and I really can't stand to watch it anymore. It does nothing to advance the story beyond the key plot points we all know had to happen anyway. We get no reasonable appreciation for Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin. We're told Anakin is a promising Padawan and really never see any evidence of that. Padme's character becomes completely flat. For every cringeworthy moment in TPM, there's at least one in AotC to match it -- try Dexter, or any of the romance scenes, or "He's holding me BACK!", or that terrible factory scene. There are two bright spots -- Obi-Wan's duel with Jango, and the asteroid battle. The climactic battles at the end drag on too long and are generally uninspiring.
I was impressed by RotS the first time I saw it, mainly because of how much better it was than AotC -- but, still, I hesitate to put it very far above TPM. I could never shake the feeling that Lucas was just finishing off the story we all knew rather than telling us a new one. As a result, we still have a lot of plot details that are painfully forced -- the Jedi's stupidity, Anakin's gullibility, and his remarkably quick change of heart ("Kill a bunch of children? Sure!"). Even Yoda demonstrates an appalling lack of observation and sensitivity when he blows off Anakin's confession, turning what could have been a great, complex scene into another naked plot device.
When I look at the prequels, I see a lot of wasted potential. I think the biggest problem is Episode II. It obliterates any continuity from I to III and leaves far too much of the story untold. So by the time we get to III, we have an unnuanced and hurried narrative of the events we all knew had to happen anyway. RotS makes up for some of those shortcomings with some beautiful visuals and powerful emotional moments, but those just don't make up for a story I find largely uncompelling.
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