I am a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise. The action, the humor, the drama, all mixed into a fun little sci-fi package. Unlike a lot of people though...I like the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Is it better than the originals? Absolutely not! Is there some dumb things in there? Yup! But that doesn't mean that it was 100% bad. There were some great things that either are in or came spiraling out of the prequel trilogy and that's what were going to cover today in honor of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens! As always this is just my opinion on the matter, but let us begin!
5: Lightsaber Combat
Look me in the eye and say the lightsaber battles in the original trilogy are better than the ones in the prequels. Lets face facts: While the lightsaber battles of the originals could be emotionally impactful, they were kind of boring to watch. I'm not saying those aren't bad things. Its a universe without the skill of the original Jedi or Sith for the most part. The prequels took advantage of the fact that this is the prime of the Jedi and Sith and as such should show off some of the techniques that made them so legendary. The prime example of this would be in episode one with our two Jedi going up against Darth Maul. They're movements are so much more fluid and action packed than the lightsaber fights of the original trilogy. Where the plot maybe thin, the fights were certainly pretty to look at.
4: Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan
If there is anything people say about the acting in the Prequel Trilogy, it is very wooden, stiff, and just plain bad. However there is one actor who was able to pull of his part extremely well making it a reason to watch. Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan throughout the prequels and not only did he perform extremely well, but we actually see an arc for him. In Episode 1, we watch him being reckless and you begin to wonder what happened to turn him into the warrior we first meet in Episode 4. Over the course of the prequels we see him grow both as a character and as a Jedi, only to have it all fall apart at the end of Episode 3, which by then you find him as the war-tired veteran he was destined to become.
3: Clone Wars and Rebels
You know what I love as much as Star Wars? Cartoons! Back in 2003, Cartoon Network aired an animated series that would bridge Episode 2 to Episode 3. It was silly at times, dark at others, and more often than not just a bad ass continuation. It became so popular that it was continued, now as a CGI anthology series. Time moved forward, and a year after its final season an sequel series was made to bridge Episodes 3 and 4 in the form of Star Wars Rebels. These were perfect for the franchise as the entire universe was full of characters and planets that can be explored. It is practically like having a Star Wars movie on a weekly basis!
2: The Villains
Darth Vader is without a doubt one of the best villains in cinema history. That being said think of all the villains that came out during the Prequels. Darth Maul might not have had a long film life, but when you actually take the time to find the other appearances through the Clone Wars, Novels, and Comics, he is shown to be something resembling a devil that truly never dies. Count Dooku is the best personification of Separatist; He was once a Jedi, but the moment he realized what could be gained through the dark side, he creates the ultimate army, gathering a few apprentices along the way(Also having him played by Christopher Lee is also a plus)! Then we get to what I consider one of the coolest characters in the prequels, General Grievous. When he first showed up in the Clone Wars series you see him kill Jedi with ease and take their lightsabers; SOMETHING WE THOUGHT AS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A NON-FORCE USER! The villains may not match up to Darth Vader, but they still are evil as they are bad ass.
1: New (and Interesting) Worlds
Desert, Forest, Tundra, Swamp, Space Station. Those five settings are basically all we got in the Original Trilogy. Sure we got some neat looking architecture on occasion, but they were relatively simple...Look at the planets that came out from the prequel trilogy. These planets just seemed so much more fascinating, well thought out, and relatively more pretty than the originals. Coruscant is a planet that is one giant city, and has layers all the way down, each serving a different function. Kashyyyk not only is a forest, but the trees are on their world are huge, on islands, and the perfect mixture of native and scientific. Then of course there is the planet of Naboo, where you can find beauty in the plains outside the main city or in the hidden Gungan City. Where The Originals introduced us to the universe, the prequels opened up the rest for the imagination.
That's it for this weeks Top 5 Friday! Hopefully I opened up your minds a little to the prequel trilogy! Now stop reading this and go see Star Wars. May the force be with you!
You know what I love as much as Star Wars? Cartoons! Back in 2003, Cartoon Network aired an animated series that would bridge Episode 2 to Episode 3. It was silly at times, dark at others, and more often than not just a bad ass continuation. It became so popular that it was continued, now as a CGI anthology series. Time moved forward, and a year after its final season an sequel series was made to bridge Episodes 3 and 4 in the form of Star Wars Rebels. These were perfect for the franchise as the entire universe was full of characters and planets that can be explored. It is practically like having a Star Wars movie on a weekly basis!
Darth Vader is without a doubt one of the best villains in cinema history. That being said think of all the villains that came out during the Prequels. Darth Maul might not have had a long film life, but when you actually take the time to find the other appearances through the Clone Wars, Novels, and Comics, he is shown to be something resembling a devil that truly never dies. Count Dooku is the best personification of Separatist; He was once a Jedi, but the moment he realized what could be gained through the dark side, he creates the ultimate army, gathering a few apprentices along the way(Also having him played by Christopher Lee is also a plus)! Then we get to what I consider one of the coolest characters in the prequels, General Grievous. When he first showed up in the Clone Wars series you see him kill Jedi with ease and take their lightsabers; SOMETHING WE THOUGHT AS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A NON-FORCE USER! The villains may not match up to Darth Vader, but they still are evil as they are bad ass.
I'd like to put the music up for consideration. "Duel of the Fates" became the official sword-fight theme music of the early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would be #5.5
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