Read on Twitter
Time for a thread. This one is about my opinions of the most infamous of movies: the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and how they're really NOT all bad.
(Side note: this is what happens when I actually take time off work.)
1/?
(Side note: this is what happens when I actually take time off work.)
1/?
I'll say up front, the Plinkett reviews are my favorite critiques of the prequels (minus a lot of the gross skits) but I think they can compel me to dwell too much in the failures at large. I'm also not saying Lucas should be immune from such criticism. OH no...
2/?
2/?
I'm also not going to try and shove something equivalent to the "George W. Bush administration rehabilitation" narrative that seems to have happened in the last 4-5 years. I'll try and balance so I'm neither a hater nor an apologist. But let's get on with it.
3/?
3/?
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
I unironically love the Podracing scenes and concept. I'm an avid Episode I Racer collector. I own 3 different versions for N64, the Dreamcast & Game Boy versions, Anakin's pod Lego set, a load more on order from Limited Run Games, and so on...
4/?
I unironically love the Podracing scenes and concept. I'm an avid Episode I Racer collector. I own 3 different versions for N64, the Dreamcast & Game Boy versions, Anakin's pod Lego set, a load more on order from Limited Run Games, and so on...
4/?
The podracing culture is so well-crafted and feels so natural, I genuinely get invested into it every time I see it. The racing scenes in KOTOR wove the racing culture into the fabric of the SW Extended Universe. Some day I **will** own the Episode I Racer arcade machine.
5/?
5/?
I really like seeing Coruscant's depiction of a planet-scale city because I've been smitten with ecumenopolises since I first read Asimov's Foundation series, and Taris and Nar Shaddaa in KOTOR sealed the deal for me in the Star Wars universe.
6/?
6/?
I thought Ewan McGregor brought exactly the right energy to young Obi-Wan, and the inclusion on a one-movie basis of Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon was actually really cool, and let's face it: despite being designed in part to sell toys, Darth Maul is badass.
7/?
7/?
The CGI was genuinely mind-blowing for me, and it was the first DVD I personally owned. Is some of the acting wooden? Sure. Is Jar Jar annoying? Hell yes. But there's a lot to enjoy here aside from these issues.
8/?
8/?
The parallels to politics in the 2010s and 2020s was very astute, and I do appreciate Lucas for what he tried to do, even if it didn't land perfectly. But again, I won't dwell on the Bush admin and 9/11... (can you tell I came of age between 1998 and 2005?)
9/?
9/?
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
DISCLAIMER - I first watched this one when my mom had cancer, and she actually died (downstairs) about 3/4 of the way through watching it (upstairs), so seeing the good points in it is extremely difficult, even nearly 18 years later.
10/?
DISCLAIMER - I first watched this one when my mom had cancer, and she actually died (downstairs) about 3/4 of the way through watching it (upstairs), so seeing the good points in it is extremely difficult, even nearly 18 years later.
10/?
That said, spending so much time in the grittiness of Coruscant really tickled my ecumenopolis love. The CGI really evolved and matured in this movie, and seeing things like the Death Star planning meeting with the holograms was really neat.
11/?
11/?
As many folks similarly feel, I really didn't like the awkward "getting to know you, getting to know all abouuuuuuut youuuuu" scenes with Anakin and Padmé. They were clunky and left me wondering the whole time why they ever fell in love in the first place. Stockholm?
12/?
12/?
A great thing came of even those scenes, though: the Anakin Hates Sand meme, which has become my favorite meme from the whole SW universe. The picture is all I have to say. It's going to be my Twitter profile banner again now.
13/?
13/?
I really enjoyed seeing Anakin and Padmé's battle scene on Geonosis. Her costume and kicking of butt effectively sets the stage for how much her daughter Leia will later kick butt.
14/?
14/?
Obi-Wan's journey to Kamino was EXCELLENT. Seeing the Jango Fett setup & how the Fetts tie into, well, everything was fan-servicy, but I still liked it. Kamino was exciting to me because of the ocean planet concept, which love was cemented forever for me in KOTOR's Manaan.
15/?
15/?
Overall I think this fell a lot flatter than Episode I, and I've only seen it twice for the aforementioned reason, but it's still not all bad.
16/?
16/?
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
By the time this came out I was reaching adulthood and had less obsession with the Star Wars universe. KOTORs 1 and 2 had come and gone, the Clone Wars cartoon didn't suck me in, so Star Wars was at an all-time low for me.
17/?
By the time this came out I was reaching adulthood and had less obsession with the Star Wars universe. KOTORs 1 and 2 had come and gone, the Clone Wars cartoon didn't suck me in, so Star Wars was at an all-time low for me.
17/?
As a result I've only seen this one thrice. But the first time was with my then-girlfriend/now-wife, so there's fondness still. 
Memorable parts that stand out for me are the silly as hell Palpatine transformation fight, & the excellent Obi-Wan/Anakin battle on Mustafar.
18/?
Memorable parts that stand out for me are the silly as hell Palpatine transformation fight, & the excellent Obi-Wan/Anakin battle on Mustafar.18/?
While I didn't care much for *this* as the Darth Vader turning point, & was disappointed to see the abrupt change in Padmé's character growth + personality from Episode II, I thought it was still a competent & plausible story (within its own universe's context, of course.)
19/?
19/?
I also think the role of entitled, insecure, corrupted, petulant anti-hero was played better by Hayden Christensen than Adam Driver's Kylo. Don't @ me.
This is a great thread with more on the subject: https://twitter.com/failnaut/status/1332837743253184518?s=19
(Also, I *do* like Adam Driver as an actor.)
20/?
This is a great thread with more on the subject: https://twitter.com/failnaut/status/1332837743253184518?s=19
(Also, I *do* like Adam Driver as an actor.)
20/?
Regarding Planets:
If you can't tell I'm smitten with facts about the Star Wars universe. I've devoured all the lore there's been to consume from encyclopedias, the EU material, KOTOR, Dark Forces, Jedi Academy, and more... Planets fascinate me in particular.
21/?
If you can't tell I'm smitten with facts about the Star Wars universe. I've devoured all the lore there's been to consume from encyclopedias, the EU material, KOTOR, Dark Forces, Jedi Academy, and more... Planets fascinate me in particular.
21/?
That's why I remember all of them by name and call them out most fondly. The prequels do nothing if not deliver TONS of planets, most of them interesting.
22/?
22/?
