It’s no mystery that when the Star Wars Prequels were released, opinions were divided. On one hand you had fans that seemed reasonably happy with the films, and on the other, you had a very vocal group of fans who despised the movies and believed them substandard to the Original Trilogy.
There’s been a lot of Star Wars buzz on the web lately. From the planned re-release of all six films (if they perform well) in 3D format, to the upcoming release of the films on Blu-Ray with deleted scenes and other bonus materials, to latest news bytes about the developing live-action series, it seems that there’s always stuff out there for Star Wars followers.
Unfortunately, when it comes to reporting a lot of Star Wars content, it seems that facts of projects or news as they come to light continue to get tainted by the negative opinion some writers have of the prequel trilogy.
Don’t get me wrong. You are welcome to have your opinion on the Star Wars prequels. I’m not saying that’s the problem.
The problem is a grating development among some blog writers where they begin to perceive and tout their opinions as ‘facts’. You’ve probably noticed it”¦ in fact you may have noticed this at some sites writing about movies other than Star Wars too (the most recent victim being Green Lantern — they start hyping it up before its release, then crucify it when it comes out). Some of these writers (who believe that they are professional critics because they may have posted a review on the internet) have developed an elitist superiority complex about these opinions of theirs.
What seems to be forgotten is that a majority of these movies they cry “RAPE” over are just fun popcorn flicks. Some of them, like the Star Wars saga, are designed as multi-generational tales, but aimed specifically at children. These individuals hold utter contempt towards these movies, because they scrutinize and dissect them, searching for deeper meanings, or evaluating performance or direction.
While that is totally cool for contemporary popular films with a lot of deeper meanings and metaphorical representations on screen, Star Wars (and other movies like it) is created specifically for fun.
Sure, if you are a geek like myself, you may have a tendency to look further into the in-universe aspects of the franchise (books, comics, games, etc.) and steep yourself into the lore of the Force and the Jedi and the Sith and so on”¦ but once more, that is part of all the fun.
So when I read articles where a big shot jumps up and down over and over again about how much The Phantom Menace sucks, and attempts to secure that viewpoint as a fact instead of an opinion, I get both angry and confused.
What is the point? The movie came out 12 years ago!
These blog writers also make big fusses about news like the 3D releases of the Star Wars movies, or the release on Blu-Ray. Any news that comes out relating to the prequels becomes a target by these elitists to cyclically propagate their message that their opinions are facts and you must accept them. But you don’t have to endure them — you have your own opinion on movies.
And yet, they continue to berate the prequels in a “George Lucas raped my childhood” method. Again, allow me to point out: The Phantom Menace came out 12 years ago — we heard your opinion the first time. I am not sure why it’s such a big deal to these people. They clearly don’t enjoy the prequels, and they have a predisposition to only highlight the negative comments about them.
So don’t watch them. Don’t involve yourself. Go watch a different movie. It’s not for you.
Now, let me be clear. You might be reading this and have a negative opinion of the prequels. And that is fine. I’m not saying your opinion doesn’t count — it does. What I am saying is that it’s my position that these writers have developed a superiority complex when it comes to these movies, and that, in and of itself is, really, getting old.
We get it. You hate them. But just because you can’t stand them, doesn’t mean that you’re “right” or “correct.” It just means you dislike them.
There are plenty of the rest of us that love the movies and enjoy them.
Comment by Emagination24 — June 26, 2011 @ 12:32 pm
I agree for the most part, older fans take this stuff far to seriously. But I’m a dad, & I let my son watch the prequels, and that was a big mistake. Aside from the wooden acting, the clunky script, the sluggish directing, and the generally charmlessness of the prequels, they raised the amount of gratuitous violence to R-rated levels. These movies have decapitations! One of them is of a dad in front of his child. Another is by the protagonist, because his boss said “Do it!”
I’m pretty mellow parent, but George Lucas clearly wants to have his cake and eat it, too. He could at least have the decency and taste to imply this level of violence and not show it. There’s not a young boy alive that didn’t leave Ep. II thinking ‘He cut that guys head off! COOL!’Â and then go on to try and re-enact it in the playground.
Lucas could have made the prequels for adults, and said ‘Eps IV-VI are for kids’, but he wanted to sell toys.
You raise some excellent points, Steve. I don’t necessarily agree with you about the violence though, as there are other similar rated films with far more graphic violence – but I totally respect your opinion, especially from the perspective of a father. Thanks for posting your thoughts, I appreciate it!
“You are so blind! You so do not understand! You weren’t there at the beginning! You don’t know how good it was, how important! This is it for you! This jumped-up firework display of a toy advert! People like you make me sick! What’s wrong with you? Now, I don’t care if you’ve saved up all your 50p’s, take your pocket money and get out!” — Tim, Spaced.
Well, I think people can hate the prequels all they want. That’s fine, if it’s their opinion that they suck, I am fine with that. What I take issue with are those who posit their opinions as “fact”.Â
While I agree with you about taking movies for what they are worth (fun popcorn movie) there are times when I do feel like my childhood is being raped. Â Remaking Footloose? Really? Is Hollywood that creatively bankrupt that they have to remake a cult classic?
But what I really feel like George Lucas and LFL are raping is my bank account. Â From all the re-releases of the Ultimate SuperDuper Extended Director’s Cut Final Nevah Evah going to be touched again DVD/Bluray/Technology X editions to repackaging of figures to moving the Celebration convention up to 2 years when it has been established as a once every 3 year event I feel like Lucas cares about one thing and one thing only . .. more money.Â
Yes, but you don’t *have* to purchase those things, you *choose* to. It’s not like how you MUST pay an electric bill or something like that. My point is that if you feel negative about your conclusion that Lucas only cares about money instead of quality, then why give him more money?
I respect your opinion, just disagree with it. For example, the whole Footloose thing is a joke. Why remake it? It doesn’t make sense to me. So I’m choosing not to get upset about it by NOT participating or giving these people any of my money.Â
Jada,
Love you to peices, but it’s ALWAYS been about money for Pappa George. He made sure he’d be set from the very start, from taking the licensing rights to the first movie in lieu of a director’s fee (genius) to editing E2 to have the factory sequence inserted sacrificing story for ‘action’.
George has taken a fair share of my bank account over the years (granted, a great majority of my ‘collectible toys’ were subject to a massively freeing ‘opening spree’ some years back, and subsiquently have ended up in the hands of a young man who actually *plays* with them now) and I STILL have my life sized standee of E2 Anakin looming over my desk as I type, but my love of the films has never diminished. I own two versions of the series – the unadulterated VHS versions (Yay for Han Shooting first!) and the DVD’s (and will eventually spring for the Blue ray -probably when he comes out with the ‘choose your own adventure’ version) and of course, have my hotel reserved for C6 (yep, over 15 months ahead of time) but aswith all things, Star Wars is what we take from it willingly. The Prequals are what they are, and if people don’t like them they can follow the path that myself and others take when it comes to the EU – EG – Vader died at the End of Jedi, the Empire was defeated once and for all, and ther rest of it veres off where MY imagination took it – not Del Ray or any other published material.
Star Wars is a Buffet – Viva la differance, and pass me an Ewok sandwich! *Yub Yub*
I sort of come down in the middle. The three prequels are not bad movies at all, and are quite rewatchable to me. They have many good moments. But they easily could have been MUCH better without the annoying aspects & bad dialogue, and aren’t nearly as good as the “first two” (1977 and 1980).
Let’s have some perspective here… “Star Wars” and “Empire” are considered among the best movies ever made and it was always going to be a challenge for Lucas to come close to that quality with the prequels. He surrounded himself with yes-men and made bad creative choices and he ultimately did not succeed.
I won’t bother buying the Blu-Rays. Not because of prequel-hate. Because the Blu-Ray will not include the non-Special Edition original theatrical versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back. I have them on those crappy non-anamorphic DVDs. It’s my choice to continue to line Lucas’s pockets or not, I choose not, if he’s going to refuse to acknowledge that the original versions exist.
I tried so hard to love the prequels, I own them and spent multiple times in the theater watching them. I just wanted to love them as much as the original. I looked at every angle, Anakin as a child isn’t a whiny brat, he’s a future Sith Lord…blah, blah, blah.
What Lucas did wrong was write and direct them. Look at Empire, which is by far the best of the original. Larry Kasden directed it, Jedi had a lot more Lucas in it(Ewoks instead of Wookies?) but the final duel between Luke and Vader is epic.
Where is that in the prequels? The dialog just sucks. How many of you have resisted someone and about to die say “I love you..deeply”.  Lucas should have written the blueprint and have someone else taken care of it,Â
I’ll buy the Blu-rays cause I love Star Wars but what about releasing the original theatrical release on them as well? George Lucas was once a great visionary but is now no different than us. And at least I’m good at my job
Comment by Necrobutcher — June 28, 2011 @ 12:05 am
Awesome piece brother. I’m still kind of a relative newb to the whole blogosphere thing and I definitely notice how super serious people take their work because they can open up a blogger account. I sort of feel the same way about the crystal skull. Tremendously hyped….well reviewed….then crucified and accused of childhood raping. The prequels didn’t have the magic that the classics had, but kind of hard to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Nice work again.
You may have noticed that we're now AD FREE! Please support Geeks of Doom by using the Amazon Affiliate link above. All of our proceeds from the program go toward maintaining this site.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
To the prequel haters, in summary: GET OVER IT.
Comment by Emagination24 — June 26, 2011 @ 12:32 pm
I agree for the most part, older fans take this stuff far to seriously. But I’m a dad, & I let my son watch the prequels, and that was a big mistake. Aside from the wooden acting, the clunky script, the sluggish directing, and the generally charmlessness of the prequels, they raised the amount of gratuitous violence to R-rated levels. These movies have decapitations! One of them is of a dad in front of his child. Another is by the protagonist, because his boss said “Do it!”
I’m pretty mellow parent, but George Lucas clearly wants to have his cake and eat it, too. He could at least have the decency and taste to imply this level of violence and not show it. There’s not a young boy alive that didn’t leave Ep. II thinking ‘He cut that guys head off! COOL!’Â and then go on to try and re-enact it in the playground.
Lucas could have made the prequels for adults, and said ‘Eps IV-VI are for kids’, but he wanted to sell toys.
Comment by Steve Dowling — June 26, 2011 @ 6:21 pm
You raise some excellent points, Steve. I don’t necessarily agree with you about the violence though, as there are other similar rated films with far more graphic violence – but I totally respect your opinion, especially from the perspective of a father. Thanks for posting your thoughts, I appreciate it!
Comment by Greg Davies/cGt2099 — June 26, 2011 @ 9:05 pm
“You are so blind! You so do not understand! You weren’t there at the beginning! You don’t know how good it was, how important! This is it for you! This jumped-up firework display of a toy advert! People like you make me sick! What’s wrong with you? Now, I don’t care if you’ve saved up all your 50p’s, take your pocket money and get out!” — Tim, Spaced.
Comment by Anonymous — June 26, 2011 @ 11:09 pm
Well, I think people can hate the prequels all they want. That’s fine, if it’s their opinion that they suck, I am fine with that. What I take issue with are those who posit their opinions as “fact”.Â
Comment by Greg Davies/cGt2099 — June 27, 2011 @ 2:33 am
While I agree with you about taking movies for what they are worth (fun popcorn movie) there are times when I do feel like my childhood is being raped. Â Remaking Footloose? Really? Is Hollywood that creatively bankrupt that they have to remake a cult classic?
But what I really feel like George Lucas and LFL are raping is my bank account. Â From all the re-releases of the Ultimate SuperDuper Extended Director’s Cut Final Nevah Evah going to be touched again DVD/Bluray/Technology X editions to repackaging of figures to moving the Celebration convention up to 2 years when it has been established as a once every 3 year event I feel like Lucas cares about one thing and one thing only . .. more money.Â
Comment by Jada Hope — June 27, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
Yes, but you don’t *have* to purchase those things, you *choose* to. It’s not like how you MUST pay an electric bill or something like that. My point is that if you feel negative about your conclusion that Lucas only cares about money instead of quality, then why give him more money?
I respect your opinion, just disagree with it. For example, the whole Footloose thing is a joke. Why remake it? It doesn’t make sense to me. So I’m choosing not to get upset about it by NOT participating or giving these people any of my money.Â
Thanks for posting, Jada.Â
Comment by Greg Davies/cGt2099 — June 27, 2011 @ 2:20 pm
Jada,
Love you to peices, but it’s ALWAYS been about money for Pappa George. He made sure he’d be set from the very start, from taking the licensing rights to the first movie in lieu of a director’s fee (genius) to editing E2 to have the factory sequence inserted sacrificing story for ‘action’.
George has taken a fair share of my bank account over the years (granted, a great majority of my ‘collectible toys’ were subject to a massively freeing ‘opening spree’ some years back, and subsiquently have ended up in the hands of a young man who actually *plays* with them now) and I STILL have my life sized standee of E2 Anakin looming over my desk as I type, but my love of the films has never diminished. I own two versions of the series – the unadulterated VHS versions (Yay for Han Shooting first!) and the DVD’s (and will eventually spring for the Blue ray -probably when he comes out with the ‘choose your own adventure’ version) and of course, have my hotel reserved for C6 (yep, over 15 months ahead of time) but aswith all things, Star Wars is what we take from it willingly. The Prequals are what they are, and if people don’t like them they can follow the path that myself and others take when it comes to the EU – EG – Vader died at the End of Jedi, the Empire was defeated once and for all, and ther rest of it veres off where MY imagination took it – not Del Ray or any other published material.
Star Wars is a Buffet – Viva la differance, and pass me an Ewok sandwich! *Yub Yub*
Comment by Paulie — June 27, 2011 @ 9:34 am
I sort of come down in the middle. The three prequels are not bad movies at all, and are quite rewatchable to me. They have many good moments. But they easily could have been MUCH better without the annoying aspects & bad dialogue, and aren’t nearly as good as the “first two” (1977 and 1980).
Let’s have some perspective here… “Star Wars” and “Empire” are considered among the best movies ever made and it was always going to be a challenge for Lucas to come close to that quality with the prequels. He surrounded himself with yes-men and made bad creative choices and he ultimately did not succeed.
I won’t bother buying the Blu-Rays. Not because of prequel-hate. Because the Blu-Ray will not include the non-Special Edition original theatrical versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back. I have them on those crappy non-anamorphic DVDs. It’s my choice to continue to line Lucas’s pockets or not, I choose not, if he’s going to refuse to acknowledge that the original versions exist.
Comment by Chris — June 27, 2011 @ 10:52 am
I tried so hard to love the prequels, I own them and spent multiple times in the theater watching them. I just wanted to love them as much as the original. I looked at every angle, Anakin as a child isn’t a whiny brat, he’s a future Sith Lord…blah, blah, blah.
What Lucas did wrong was write and direct them. Look at Empire, which is by far the best of the original. Larry Kasden directed it, Jedi had a lot more Lucas in it(Ewoks instead of Wookies?) but the final duel between Luke and Vader is epic.
Where is that in the prequels? The dialog just sucks. How many of you have resisted someone and about to die say “I love you..deeply”.  Lucas should have written the blueprint and have someone else taken care of it,Â
I’ll buy the Blu-rays cause I love Star Wars but what about releasing the original theatrical release on them as well? George Lucas was once a great visionary but is now no different than us. And at least I’m good at my job
Comment by Necrobutcher — June 28, 2011 @ 12:05 am
Watch the Plinkett reviews.
Comment by Wippleton — June 29, 2011 @ 2:56 am
Awesome piece brother. I’m still kind of a relative newb to the whole blogosphere thing and I definitely notice how super serious people take their work because they can open up a blogger account. I sort of feel the same way about the crystal skull. Tremendously hyped….well reviewed….then crucified and accused of childhood raping. The prequels didn’t have the magic that the classics had, but kind of hard to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Nice work again.
Comment by Mark Alan — July 8, 2011 @ 6:46 pm