Star Wars Sequels Have The Opposite Problem To The Prequels

Star Wars Sequels Have The Opposite Problem To The Prequels

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Star Wars prequels have been compared to Disney’s sequels because of their divisive nature despite having opposite issues compared to each other.

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Star Wars Sequels Have The Opposite Problem To The Prequels

Due to their divisive nature, the Star Wars prequel and sequel trilogies are often compared to each other although they have opposite problems. After the surprising success of the original films, creator George Lucas found a way to build on the space opera by coming out with a new series that takes place before the Battle of Yavin. It focused on Darth Vader’s origin story, becoming Jedi and eventually seduced by Emperor Palpatine to the Dark side to become his apprentice. The films were highly-anticipated, but highly criticized for their use of CGI, controversial takes on the characters, and complicated political themes.

Years later and following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, it was announced that a new trilogy set decades after Return of the Jedi were in the works. Aside from bringing back the franchise’s legacy characters, Luke, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, it also introduced new key players in Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren. There’s also a new manipulative villain in Supreme Leader Snoke. J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens had generally positive reviews, but it noticeably borrowed a lot of elements from the original Star Wars film. This was fine initially, but as the trilogy went on with Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the fan backlash only increased.

In terms of narrative, Star Wars prequels and sequels have very little in common. In fact, the new Disney trilogy barely acknowledged Darth Vader’s origin as Anakin when utilizing the character as Kylo Ren’s ultimate idol other than being his grandfather. Granted that both have Emperor Palpatine as their big bad, that’s also the case in the original films. They’re often compared with each other, however, mainly because of how they divided the fan community although having different issues.

The Star Wars Prequels’ Problem Was Execution, Not Ideas

Star Wars Sequels Have The Opposite Problem To The Prequels

Like the original trilogy, the story for the Star Wars prequels came from the mind of Lucas. However, while he passed directing duties to other filmmakers for The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner) and Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand) after helming the original film, he took it all on for the next set of films. So aside from simply cracking the narrative for Anakin’s origin, not to mention the state of the universe during the Old Republic where the Jedi were still active in the galactic affairs, he also needed to work on the execution of his vision. Lucas has proven himself to be capable of being both a writer and director through American Graffiti and Star Wars, but the prequels were massive disappointments.

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Instead of focusing on the best way to translate his story to the big screen, the films overly focused on CGI and green screen. While Lucas was attempting to do something technically groundbreaking, the VFX work overshadowed the actual story of the films for many people. Complicated dialog, wooden acting, and poor pacing are also major criticisms. Ewan McGregor’s young Obi-Wan Kenobi was highly praised, especially when compared to Sir Alec Guinness’s version from the original trilogy, but Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padmé Amidala’s (Natalie Portman) romance didn’t get audiences investment in the way Lucas wanted. In the end, the Star Wars prequels had a great story, and occasionally, bits and pieces of it shone through; unfortunately, it just wasn’t told properly.

The Star Wars Sequels Suffered From A Lack Of Planning

Star Wars Sequels Have The Opposite Problem To The Prequels

Unlike the prequels, the Star Wars sequels’ story execution was phenomenal. Everyone gave terrific performances — from the returning characters to their contemporaries. All three movies were also stunning, with VFX work being far more invisible and less jarring. Of course, it’s also worth mentioning that filmmaking technology is so much better now than when Lucas made the prequel films.

However, the sequels didn’t have a cohesive story mainly because Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t have a concrete plan. Despite its similarities to A New Hope, The Force Awakens introduced enough new mysteries and plot points that could’ve been interesting to tackle in later films. But due to having no set overarching narrative, the director and/or writer brought in for each installment was able to take the narrative in any direction they wanted. Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been criticized for this as it killed storylines that were initially deemed important in the long run like Supreme Leader Snoke’s identity and Rey’s mysterious lineage. But whether or not one’s a fan of the creative choices he made, it’s unfair to lay the blame on Rian Johnson since he was given full control of his movie, and that’s how he wanted to move the story forward.

Then again, the only reason why Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker felt indirectly connected to The Force Awakens was because it was also written and directed by Abrams; this wasn’t the plan, however. Colin Trevorrow was originally tapped to helm the trilogy-capper, but due to production woes stemming from various reasons, he had to leave and be replaced. This was compounded by the untimely death of Carrie Fisher, whose Leia was going to be the focus of the Skywalker saga’s final installment. So when Abrams came on board to finish the sequel trilogy, he mostly picked up on the plot points he planted in the first film so The Rise of Skywalker can function as an ending.

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Why The Sequels’ Problem Is Worse Than The Prequels

While both have issues that resulted in fan-backlash, the sequels’ lack of story is a much bigger problem than the prequels’ failure at executing its narrative. Getting through the wooden dialog and jarring CGI is a challenge for some, but the period movies offered a strong origin story for Darth Vader that made his redemption in Return of the Jedi so much more meaningful. It also enrichened the space opera’s lore as a whole. It offered new information about the Jedi and made people more interested in their core principles, not to mention their relationship with the Sith. It’s also such an interesting time in the galaxy with many fringe factions at play.

With the right execution, the prequels could’ve had the same prominence as the original Star Wars movies. The beloved animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars which was set just after Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones and leading to Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith is proof of this. Interestingly, given how much time has passed coupled with the struggling recent trilogy, fans have softened up their stance on the prequels and appreciate it for what it did.

Solving the prequels problems would be relatively easy: get a director that could effectively bring Lucas’ ideas to life. Amending the issues for the sequels, on the other hand, would be trickier as it would force Lucasfilm to go back to square one. The fact that The Force Awakens borrowed a lot of elements from the original Star Wars movie was an indication that there’s a lack of original ideas to build the Disney trilogy on. It doesn’t matter how well-done the production of the movies was, if it didn’t have a strong narrative, fans wouldn’t be inclined to get invested in it. In essence, the issues of the prequels were mostly cosmetic, while the sequels’ issues run deeper.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/star-wars-sequels-prequels-problems-plan-opposite/

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