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Multimedia => The Prequel Trilogy => Topic started by: Brian on March 4, 2004, 03:14 PM

Title: Originals vs. Prequels
Post by: Brian on March 4, 2004, 03:14 PM
I know there gets to be a lot of OT vs. PT debate, and this topic has been discussed before, but I was just thinking about this a little bit today.  I too am one of many of you who believe the OT is infinitely better than the PT, although I do enjoy the PT movies for the most part as well (especially looking forward to III).  I'm not a big fan of Phantom Menace, and honestly, if it wasn't Star Wars...I probably wouldn't ever watch it really (I rarely do anyways).  I enjoyed Attack of the Clones a lot when it first came out, and do think it is a good Star Wars movie...its just not quite the same for some reason.  Nostalgia might be a big part of that, but for many of us there is more.  What do you think the Original Trilogy had, that the Prequels are missing (for you personally)?

There are many things that we can point to probably, the "magic" and story being two main ones.  We'll cover a lot of them I'm sure, but I thought I'd bring up something I have been thinking about...characters.  I was thinking today how so many characters from the OT are iconic.  Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, R2, 3PO, Vader, Yoda, Fett, Lando....these characters are all, for the most part, common knowledge in the world today.  Plus, one thing that might have helped this is that...with the exception of different clothing, they were the same character...age wise, etc.  With the prequels, we have Anakin as a boy, then ten years later (with a different actor), and now leading into Episode III (which will probably be our favorite version of Anakin from the prequels).  It seems that with many of the characters, there is too much jumping around (Maul..Jango...Dooku...Sidious).

Another thing about characters is the fact that in the prequels, many come and go.  We had Darth Maul (who many really liked), but then at the end of the movie, he's gone.  Next we have Jango, then he's gone.  Dooku appears, and by his absence in the OT...he's most likely gone as well.  We'll also have another baddie in Episode III, that I'll leave out of the discussion because of spoilers.  In the OT, you associated "evil" and "bad" with Darth Vader.  The character, the costume, the music, etc.  I think it is hard to build that association with some of the prequel villains, for the main fact that they aren't around long enough too.  Much can be said of the "good guys" too, although I do think they (and Ewan McGregor) have done a nice job with Obi-Wan Kenobi in these movies.

I guess maybe it is unfair to compare them, because in a way...they are different trilogies.  The OT seemed a little clearer-cut "good vs. evil" movie, while the PT becomes more blurred with Anakin's transition, much of the behind the scenes "secretive" stuff (Palpatine), and maybe isn't quite as cut and dry.  Although I enjoy the entire saga, and really look forward to Episode III.....something just isn't the same with these prequel trilogies.  Since I'm an NBA fan, I often use this analogy to my friends who ask me what I think of the movies:  To me it is like Michael Jordan...I was a huge Jordan fan when he was with the Bulls...he was just the greatest to ever play....then when he came back with the Wizards, I followed him again...and still liked him, he was still good (but older), but it just wasn't the same.  Sorry for my extended ramblings, one of our servers is down at work so I don't have much to do right now...and this is just something that I've been thinking about.  I'd be anxious to read any of your opinions/suggestions.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: MisterPL on March 4, 2004, 03:41 PM
Some say the PT lacks humor. Others point to the terrible direction and lousy performances of talented performers.

My biggest gripe is that I just don't care about any of the characters.

Maybe it's because I know how it all ends. There's no suspense, no anticipation. But I can't help feeling that if this story had been written ten years ago, fine tuned by a really good screenwriter, and handed over to a competent director instead of a control freak, this could be a really cool story.

Visual effects don't "wow" audiences like they used to. Expectations are much higher and audiences are generally more sophisticated when it comes to eye candy. (I know my son is.) But a good story with compelling characters can be successful and popular with or without jaw-dropping visuals.

Even though some of the characters are the same in the PT, I care even less about them now:

Obi-Wan: "Certain point of view," my ass. I didn't like him then, I like him even less as an arrogant YOUNG fool.

Yoda: Almost as bad as Obi-Wan. And watching him bounce around like some Mexican jumping bean didn't help his image any.

Anakin: Was I really supposed to like him in Episode I? Or sympathize with him in Episode II? Big surprise; Luke's daddy used to be a whiner, too!

Padme: Yet another hot chick who falls for a jerk. And she's supposed to be smart and mature enough to be ELECTED queen?

All these main characters do NOTHING for me. The only reason I'm looking forward to Episode III at this point is because - like the Special Additions - it'll be fun to se some OT stuph up on the big screen again.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Brian on March 4, 2004, 03:50 PM
That's a lot of the same thoughts I have too MisterPL.  I find it hard to "care" about the characters as much.  Also, it seems like I like each movie a little more, mainly because there are a few more recognizable things from the Original Trilogy (a few more in AOTC), and likely even more in Episode III.

I also agree with you about the visual effects.  I am someone who really thinks they are done well, just watching a few seconds of Phantom Menace the other night on Fox...it does (with the shadowing, etc.) actually sometimes look like those battle droids and gungans could really be there.  But, at the same time, it is just too overdone.  Maybe I was just a stupid kid, but I really didn't have any problems with Yoda, Jabba, etc. just being puppets back in the day.  I believed it I guess, and I actually think they still look pretty realistic...at least as much as aliens can.  The story should have been the main focus, and the acting....and the visual effects are secondary and will take care of themselves.  A good example of this is the Lord of the Rings movies.  These were all tremendous films, and had a lot of visual effects (and great ones)...but it wasn't the focal point of the movie because the story and acting was so great.  Great points MisterPL, enjoyed reading them!
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: SilverZ on March 4, 2004, 04:48 PM
Well where to start. I totally agree with you guys. The characters are weak, and they're wrapped up in convoluted political drama that simply isn't interesting to watch, much less care about. There's a few other areas that I think robs the PT of a lot of the charm of the OT:

Clear heroes and villians. Like you guys said, this is the biggest downfall. There is no clear (or compelling) villian that is a threat to the heroes. Palpatine doesn't count. The fact that the Jedi run around TPM and most of AOTC without any sense of danger, doing super-jumps, blocking lasers, defeating hordes of battle droids, and speed-dashing away when things get tough, robs the movies of any tension at all. And, who are you supposed to be rooting for? Anakin? He hasn't shown any signs of being a likeable guy, and you know where he ends up. That leaves Padme and Obi of the main three. Padme is a cardboard political idealist with dull stately opinions. Scratch her. Obi-Wan sits out TPM, and begins to show signs of life in AOTC, finally voicing some opinion on the world around him in the end, but mostly walks along a path he's instructed to be the Jedi Council. Not too interesting or much to root for either. Bah!

Efficient storytelling. I swear the best thing about the OT was its budget, and the people that had to keep ropes on George Lucas to finish the movie on-time and within that really small budget on ANH. It meant that every shot had to count, whether it was dialog or SFX. Every action and event had to move the story forward, simply because they hadn't the time nor the money to futz around with experimentation or questionable dialog without purpose. Both ANH and ESB are lean, concise, and free of pointlessness and sloppy exposition. ROTJ starts to suffer from it. TPM and AOTC are all about it. I personally feel its because there is no one there like Gary Kurtz telling GL that a scene isn't working, or to try harder, or tell him something is a waste of precious money better used on something that tells the story. The PT lacks a strong producer that will speak his mind.

Craftsmanship. Mosnab nailed it, I think. In the OT, whatever effect they used, either puppets, models, stop-motion, you believed what you saw, and everything was in fact special. So many things were innovating about the first movie. The fact that the dogfight at the end of ANH was visualized by editing WW2 dogfight footage, and how that translated into the FX shots in the final film, is still amazing. The fact that AT-ATs were painstakingly filmed one frame at a time to produce something that looks so absolutely real also still amazes. There was a consistent bar of quality and continuity from all involved. It shines of collaboration from the whole group that made a unique series of movies. The PT wreaks of a one-man show, of a singular person that has overall say over all aspects of the production, where it certainly looks like many **visual** aspects didn't come close to what they could have been, because people were too busy making what they thought GL wanted instead of what they really thought was the best **they** could offer. It's not that any of the work in the PT is crappy, but it simply lacks the love and personal investment that showed on screen when the OT rolled.

My big personal beef on that point is with Doug Chiang. I don't know what it was that GL saw in his work, but it's wildly, wildly inappropriate for Star Wars. That's just my opinion. But I think that the Manga-meets-Flash Gordon look he drove really stinks. Boo to him and GL for that mess. Hopefully the new lead swings things back to a SW feel for EIII, like he did with the back end of AOTC.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Mister Skeezler on March 4, 2004, 05:55 PM
What's missing? Harrison Ford.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: JediMAC on March 4, 2004, 07:04 PM
I could yap about this all day, but I think the easier question is:  What's missing from the OT that makes it that much better than the PT?

I'm sure you all know the answer.  C'mon, say it with me now...
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: MisterPL on March 4, 2004, 08:52 PM
...or more specifically, The Empire Strikes Back.  ::)
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Morgbug on March 4, 2004, 11:06 PM
I could yap about this all day, but I think the easier question is:  What's missing from the OT that makes it that much better than the PT?

I'm sure you all know the answer.  C'mon, say it with me now...

Cute adorable creatures that add nothing to the story?  Trust me all you Ewok lovers, Ewoks begat JarJar.  You liked the cute ****, you get more cute ****.  

THis could take forever to write, but the short version is passion and campiness.  When the OT was made, it was meant to harken back to the days of FLash Gordon and Saturday afternoon serials.  It didn't take itself too seriously.  The interplay of humour between Luke, Leia and Han was a fantastic dynamic.  Padme is stiff as a board and I don't mean that in a juvenile sense.  For heaven's sake, she's what, a teenager to early twenties?  Would you date that?  For one night until you found out how hideously boring she was.  Ever been to a party Padme?  oh dear, no, that wouldn't be proper *sniff*.  And there is no humour between the main players.  

Passion?  Hi Anakin meet the mannequin.  Look, we know they hook up, have babies and blah, blah, blah.  We don't need Titanic, thank you very much.  Sorry, the love interest type of scenes from Ep II scarred me deeply.  

Camp?  No, not bloody likely.  GL is so damn serious it's boring.  

Bah, too frustrating.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Darby on March 4, 2004, 11:25 PM
I think you guys hit it pretty much on the head: character.

There isn't any.  The OT characters were stock archetypes but what made them enjoyable as opposed to their counterparts in the PT is any sense of dimension.  Part of it is the writing, part the direction.  If Lucas had invested half - just half - the energy he spends on effects into making these characters come alive, these films would rival the LOTR trilogy.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Ben on March 5, 2004, 02:10 AM
Character is the issue here, like everyone's said.

All the characters we loved in the OT aren't yet alive in the PT, save Chewie or 3PO and R2, to an extent. Luke, Leia, and Han aren't around.

And, with all these changing villains, battle droids, different colored Clones, and spaceships, they begin to feel like two-hour toy commercials.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Rob L on March 5, 2004, 08:57 AM
I’m going to go out on limb here and say that the prequels are actually getting worse…and further away (in spirit) from the OT.

For me AOTC is larger of the 2 crimes against the purity of my childhood love. As most have noted, the lack of characters worth caring about is the most serious omission. What is worse, is that GL has in the past said that character and story is of primary importance…so what’s with the PT then, George? Rick? Anyone? But at least with TPM there are some excuses: Anakin IS just a kid, Amidala is stuck in a straight jacket role, and Obi-Wan is only an apprentice. I personally really enjoyed the character of Qui-Gon, and the lightsaber duel at the end is still the best of the series so far. Overall a poor start, with lots of missed opportunities, but still quite fun, and I was enjoying being a kid again.

Then came ATOC… “what a piece of junk” as someone once said. Dialogue and acting were worse, all the “characters” were grown up, so no excuses for the cardboard-cut-out personalities this time. They had “developed” into fully formed stereotypes. No humour or humanity was invested by the actors at all. Did GL have the skill to draw out decent performances even if he tried to do so? Probably not. And the arena battle…I’m sorry but (and this is a hard phrase for me to use) who gives a rat’s a**? In ROTK the battle was exhilarating because I cared about those involved . When someone died I was sad because I’d previously got to “know” them. Hell, I was even worried about the fate of Gamling. Get this, George: SECONDARY, characters worth caring about ;)

So I see no evidence that Episode 3 will be getting more of the OT spirit back.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: MisterPL on March 5, 2004, 09:58 AM
Make room on that limb, Rob, I'm joining you.

You speak of missed opportunities. That is the most frustrating aspect of the PT. Such opportunities are so obvious to us yet Lucas is oblivious to them.

Yes, Anakin was a kid, but not JUST a kid. He was supposed to be "the Chosen One," yet there was no indication he was special beyond a couple lines we were expected to take at face value. I would have expected an effects lover like Lucas to DEMONSTRATE Ani's raw force abilties during the rigged pod race, not only to exhibit his powers but to reveal his penchant for revenge. But no, any reference to Ani as anything but a sweet little boy was left out, including his fight with Greedo.

Padme IS straight-jacketed as Queen, but why as a decoy? Even in Episode I, Lucas had an opportunity to show two sides of the young Queen; the elected official and the inexperienced child. This duality could have lent itself VERY well to Anakin's ultimate sense of betrayal by someone who was always comfortable being duplicitous. It could even justify his decision to ditch his identity as Anakin to become Vader. Will Lucas use that in Episode III? Doubtful.

Obi-Wan is only an apprentice, but Lucas ignored his own story. When Yoda referred to Luke as "reckless," Ben countered with, "So was I, if you remember." Apparently this recklessness manifested itself PRIOR to Episode I because I see no indication of it in the PT. Instead, Lucas painted Qui-Gon - and later Anakin - as the bold one. It would have made more sense for Obi-Wan to continue be the prideful daredevil while his own young apprentice craves order, especially as a former slave who grew up with no freedom of his own.

The real disappointment in character development is Jar Jar. I can accept Binks as the hapless fool in Episode I, but I expected his character to mature a bit in the ten years between Episodes I & II. While that was ILM's goal when recreating him as a regal senator, Lucas poo-pooed the notion saying he looked stoned. He didn't want Jar Jar to change. So it's official; Jar Jar Binks is retarded, a character stunted by his own creator.

And Lucas is doing the same thing to the movie franchise.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: CloneF13Y35 on May 6, 2004, 01:50 PM
Well I'll add my .02 worth.
With TPM I didn't mind a 10 year old kid as anakin but I wondered since nothing special was happening with him, why start at that age? I think that the introduction to Anakin would have been better around the AotC time frame, of this young jedi padawan who shows exceptional skill and ability - so much that masters yoda and windu can't explain his abilities. IMHO tpm is essentially pointless to the over all star wars saga. It had cool parts like the podrace and final lightsaber tri-duel between qgg, obi and maul. But I remember thinking when I first saw it, 'it doesn't seem like "star wars" to me'.  But 16 years of expectations is hard to live up to. I think AotC was much better - story, acting and dialoge (though still not on the level of lotr or matrix) but way better than tpm. But the acting and dialoge in the OT weren't shakspear either. Oh well it's just a movie.  ;)
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Hemish on August 14, 2004, 10:32 PM
I think the fact that most of the background charachters were puppets guys in suits made them "real" to me in the fact that they were there, they were actually in that space, look at charachter interaction in the cantina versus say when Obiwan first meets Jarjar and where he is looking, his line of sight was completely out of whack.
Also that most of the sets were real , not so much blue screen or green screen or whatever they use these days.
I knew the place in cloud city where Luke and Vader were fighting was real "constructed" not filled in later by computer, Jeff Goldblooms charachter in JP said it best , "just because you can do something doesn't mean you should"
I think thats the case , what were the chances of robots playing American football in outer space watching it in a bar???
That scene really annoyed the crap outta me, i could accept the races both pods and animals but not the football.
Like many have said before there is no-one there i care about.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Mike16 on August 27, 2004, 03:41 PM
Some great points in this thread. One thing you have to remember is that although the script and a portion of the acting do seem quite rigid and unemotional, the time in which the film is set sometimes means it has to be that way. The OT had a main cast of a young farmboy, a very eager princess, a slackjaw pirate and a host of other original characters. This is because we're seeing the battle against the Empire mainly from the Rebels point of view. This group aren't a galaxy wide force, whereas the Empire are.

Now in the PT, we're seeing the story mainly from the dominant presence in the Galaxy, the Republic. This is by far a more formal and structured system than the Rebel Alliance. So, with the main characters being Jedi and Senators the script and acting will take a more 'serious' note than a group of rag tags from the Alliance in the OT. This, I think, may be reason for why the script and acting can seem less fun than the OT. Hence, we end up not caring for the characters enough.

And lets face it, we all complain about the amount of CGI in the PT, but thats how George wants it and if the OT had been made now it would have been just the same. We should think ourselves lucky IMO that the OT was made when it was because they would be very different films had George had 'better' resources back then. Hes proving that by still changing the OT for the DVD release but if I don't like them, I've still got my old copies. There his films, so let him play all he likes.





Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Hemish on September 1, 2004, 01:30 AM
Well i just won a copy of the OT dvd's on ebay
They might be copied from laserdisk but i don't really care
I wanted them this way from the start and when they started showing up on DVD i was like nah i'm waiting for the proper dvd's but after whats going on i couldn't stand it.So i needed a copy of them the way they were meant to be seen.
 
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Famine on October 16, 2004, 10:34 PM
Wow. It's amazing to see how much my oppinion of Anakin differs from you guys. Of course, the angry teenager part may play a role. I think Anakin was a good charachter from Episode I and evolved into a great charachter in Episode II, by displaying his emotion. I'm sure I'd feel that passionate to disobey orders given the new freedom I had found as a Jedi, to help rescue the man who saved me from slavery, and to help find my mother. I'm sure I'd have reacted the same way to her death. Off with their heads, I say.

The love aspect I see as believable, especialy when you have a young stud jedi, and a hottie senator who are both young and naive.

Ah well, I love Anakin, and can't wait to see him evolve onscreen in Episode III.

Kevin
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Jesse James on December 20, 2004, 07:17 AM
So may as well tack something onto an older thread...

What's missing from the PT I miss from the CT?

-Military Structure...  There's almost none.  The story's not focused on a main group really, but kind of jumping around.  IN the OT you've got the Alliance and Empire...  2 clearly defined sides from start to finish, embroiled in a galactic conflict.  Instantly focused story.

With the PT you've got what starts out as a planetary milia/police force who seemingly are automatically overrun without even finghting against an unknown military.  The Trade Federation, being the unknown military, are a corporation or business organization...  not a military.

Then you throw in the Gungans...  Whole other thing.

Then there's Episode II which starts to establish some military basis, and thus a real "Star Wars" kinda theme, but it barely starts it off and the military action we do see at the end of the film is hap-hazard, confusing, etc...  it's not structured and realistic so much as it's fast and eye-candy.

-Another thing missing between the two, for me, is quality acting.  Yeah, Hammil and Fisher weren't winning oscars but out of the prequals I feel lackluster performances have come from:  Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, and Hayden Christensen. 

Not much excuse for 3 main actors in the two prequals to deliver undoubtebly bad performances in my view.  I'd say that, of the 3, Christensen has the best showing, with Portman having the worst (only because she's older/more experienced than Lloyd). 

Only so much can be put on the dialogue and Lucas as far as blame...  To me the actors need to hold their own too.  They're paid more than enough to warrant some blame. 

-Forgettable characters...  It bares saying, but the classic trilogy you simply don't forget the characters.  Even background characters stick in your mind.  Jabba was genius at the time, Yoda's an unmatched piece of pop-culture, Tarkin's incredibly developed in depth, the droids are amazing, Chewbacca's everything he's intended to be...  The list goes on.

With the prequals, you're slapped with Jar-Jar Binks immediately, and not only is he simply forgettable, but you find yourself striving to forget him.  I guarantee if you take out 50% of his dialogue, give him subtitles instead of slave-speak, and you've got yourself a 100% improved character that intrigues people more.  Hell, even the stepping in poop joke had its merits, but little else did.

Don't make him suddenly adept as a soldier and leading an army either.  God that whole thing pissed me off...  He's a numbnuts through the whole show then suddenly he's Patton at the end.  Don't do that.  Make him just a tag-along with Tarpals, and make Tarpals actually HEROIC...  Show him kick some metal ass and DEVELOPE HIM.

Same goes for Panaka...  Don't just leave the character with a couple lines, but actually show him kick some ass with the droids...  Kill a Neimodian or something.  Or...  God forbid, kill the dork off while he defends the Queen!  There's a novel idea, and one that would give the character more importance...

Episode 2 shares some of this too, though less.  I'd say that Dexter Jetster (besides suffering from a piss poor last name) hurts for character development. 

The Outlander Club's an ideal place to recreate the Cantina, to an extent, and wow the crowd/new viewers to the series...  Do so!  And don't breeze through the sequence really fast with little footage of the background.  It's like a watered down Cantina with nothing of real interest in it.

-Don't cheapen military situations...

Combat should never be dumbed down or "cheapened".  This goes for the Geonosis battle, The Trade Fed/Naboo Battle, the Naboo Space Battle...  None of it.

Geonosis is the best of the prequal lot...  Lots of action, nothing's really "funny" in it, though Amidala/Anakin exchanging witticisms while fighting is asinine and 3PO's bobblign around (while funny to me) wasn't needed.

The Naboo battle(s) are the worst though, as Anakin miraculously pilots a fighter, and dumb luck finds him destroying the TF's ship.  I cry BS on that one...  Either have the kid more in control of the ship and displaying actual SKILL and ability rather than luck, or have him simply not be a part of the conflict really beyond maybe helping knock out some fighters who are after the REAL heroes (God forbid we develope Ric Olie into a deep character who is the one that takes out the TF ship ala an old Wedge ANtilles). 

On the ground, the human battle could've been bigger...  Show an organized military engagement, with lots of troops...  The whole thing was simply too contrived and silly to me.  The Gungans should've been seen getting offed by the dozens, and the humans should've had simply more people there getting offed by the dozens too...  Give a sense of loss for God's sake.  The guy did it better showing 2 Ewok's get blasted than he could with an entire CGI army.

Pathetic.

The irony is I enjoy the prequals, I just think these are some of the things missing.

BTW I'd have had the young Anakin be played by someone older and simply bumped the ages around.  Have him be a teen so perhaps you have a deeper pool of actors to pick from who can do the job.  Screw that little freak Lloyd and his now gargantuan cranium, because I think he is a plague on the Vader character.  The proverbial zit on Vader's butt, forever there.   ::)
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: JesseVader08 on December 21, 2004, 01:51 AM
The Naboo battle(s) are the worst though, as Anakin miraculously pilots a fighter, and dumb luck finds him destroying the TF's ship.  I cry BS on that one...  Either have the kid more in control of the ship and displaying actual SKILL and ability rather than luck, or have him simply not be a part of the conflict really beyond maybe helping knock out some fighters who are after the REAL heroes (God forbid we develope Ric Olie into a deep character who is the one that takes out the TF ship ala an old Wedge ANtilles). 

Truer words were never said.  As annoying as Jar Jar was, I could tolerate him.  But when Anakin basically wins the entire Naboo battle BY COMPLETE FLUKE, I was seriously pissed.  You could say: the force guided him to destroy the power in the control ship.  Well then at least make it appear that he felt the force guiding him, rather than just randomly shooting.  So he accidentally destroys the ship, which shuts down the battle droids, which wins the Battle of Naboo.  All Fluke.  **** off, give us something more intelligent to work with Lucas.  The presence of a believable climaxing battle is the number one reason I like AOTC better than TPM.

And OK, so Jar Jar is there for comedic relief so that the kids can laugh.  Hey, I laughed at him a few times too.  (Let the flames fly).  But I hate it when the blundering fool can continually destroy battle droid after battle droid.  OK, once is funny, but again and again - it gets old in a big hurry.

The biggest drawback to the prequels?  Emotion.  In TPM, there is rarely any expressed, or when it is, it seems so forced that it's not believable.  In AOTC, Anakin's anger with Obi-Wan is what I expect to see, but Hayden manages to come off as too whiny rather than enraged.  I sure hope he can improve on his ability to project this rage in ROTS.   :-[
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Angry Ewok on December 21, 2004, 04:51 PM
I wish there was some sort of Phantom Menace Extended Director's Cut (as in, he's cut from the production), because there are so many spots within TPM where we're really left to use our own imagination with what is going on.

The problem is that Lucas has taken the war out of Star Wars.

Not that Star Wars was ever that gritty in terms of the war.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: CHEWIE on December 30, 2004, 05:41 PM
I'll go back and read everyone's comments when I have a little more time, but before I do so I have to say that here are my overall grades of each film so far -

TPM - C+
AOTC - A-
ANH - A+
ESB - A+
ROTJ - A

 :P
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Nicklab on January 10, 2005, 02:00 PM
I think the issues of character and story are what set apart the OT and PT.  I think it's actually pretty easy to see why there are such differences between the two.

The OT deals with (somewhat) everyday people.  Meaning people who are NOT Jedi.  As a result, we've got a story full of people who are struggling to make a better life for themselves, and it tends to make them a little saltier. 

-Leia is an adept political operator who will resort to unorthodox methods. 
-Luke is a dreamer trying to follow in his father's footsteps. 
-Han is a loner who is mainly wrapped up in his own problems and has a scurrilous past. 
-Chewie is his loyal sidekick.
-The droids are the comic relief
-Obi-Wan & Yoda are the mystical guides
-Lando:  a traitor/scoundrel who redeems himself
-Vader is the villain who seeks greater power, hunting the heroes to serve his own purposes.
-Palpatine is the overseeing evil genius.

This is where things differ greatly from the PT.  Everyone has some sort of overriding motivation.  The PT is quite different in contrast.

-Padme/Amidala is much like Leia, but probably more idealistic
-Qui-Gon Jinn is something of a Jedi rebel, but he still serves the Jedi Council loyally.  His story needed to be further fleshed out.
-Obi-Wan Kenobi has developed slowly from an apprentice to a master, but is still a Jedi.  Hence, no ordinary personal conflicts arise for him aside from the master/apprentice relationship between him and Anakin.
-Anakin is the dreamer in the PT.  He seeks to become a Jedi and does.  His ambition, attachment and quest for power are the source of his undoing.
-Jar Jar Binks is something of a loyal sidekick, but really more comic relief in TPM.
-R2-D2 seems to have taken on the Chewie role of loyal sidekick in the PT.
-C-3PO is more of the comic relief side of the droids.
-Darth Maul is the malicious villain with very simple motivations:  destroy the Jedi.  In other words, a very one dimensional character.  None of Maul's backstory is important, and we don't even see his ambition to destroy his own master.
-Count Dooku:  the traitor.  Someone of great power and knowledge who has turned on the Jedi.  This is somewhat similar to Lando's role, since Dooku is used by Palpatine to get to Anakin, much in the same way Vader uses Han, Leia et all to get to Luke.
-Darth Sidious:  again, the evil mastermind.

Even though there are numerous parallels in how the characters function in the stories, the key differences are their own personal motivations.  How are they so drastically different?  Easy answer.  In the OT, our heroes are constatnly on the run from the evil authorities.  In the PT, they're part of the authority system and they're also part of something of a religious order, but they don't see that the system they serve is evil until it's too late.  This makes for a more subtle kind of story, and I think that's why it hasn't taken root as well with many fans.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Darth Delicious on May 10, 2005, 07:27 PM
I think you've all made great points on the acting and character development of the PT...but I think we've forgotten something else that's lacking, and that's a strong, narrative focus.

Now while I would have liked to not have to have seen Anakin as a child (especially with Jake Lloyd's static reading of lines) I'm going to leave that out and say the trilogy could have been produced in the same series of three films, but with a twist. Anakin's character should have been a kid that, while basically good, was becoming somewhat brooding and resentful under the yoke of slavery. Then the Jedi come along and save him, and his future is bright...but being held under the tenets of the Jedi Order smacks of a different kind of slavery to him. Still, he tries to do his best to live up to the expectations placed on him. Then finally, when driven to his choice, he makes his bid for freedom...for the selfish indulgence of the Dark Side...and ends up being even more a tragic figure, because he ends up in the ultimate bondage to the Dark Side and The Emperor.

That makes his sacrifice for Luke in ROTJ all the more poignant; because he's finally realized his life only truly has meaning when you give of yourself freely to help others, something he never understood while a young Jedi.

That's a simplification of the whole thing, but there it is. It ties in nicely with the religious undertones of the whole saga as well.

-DD
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 21, 2005, 08:11 PM
Gary Kurtz, plain and simple.

Everyone can write and analize why the PT is substandard from now until the end of time, but the true difference between the OT and PT is all Gary Kutz.

Gary Kutz knows how to make what is inside George Lucas's head work, and if Lucas didn't let him go for pushing Lucas into excellence, ROTJ and the PT would be every bit as good as ANH and ESB.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Herbert_Ackermans on May 22, 2005, 10:26 AM
Gary Kurtz, plain and simple.

Everyone can write and analize why the PT is substandard from now until the end of time, but the true difference between the OT and PT is all Gary Kutz.

Gary Kutz knows how to make what is inside George Lucas's head work, and if Lucas didn't let him go for pushing Lucas into excellence, ROTJ and the PT would be every bit as good as ANH and ESB.

Turn that around, and you can say Rick McCallum is one of the greatest causes for the PT to suck big time, also the SE's and DVD-versions.

That man wants us to believe he is the number 1 SW-fan, that he is down with all that is SW. That he is deeply rooted into SW/lore and history.

Shut the **** up with your fat-ass, Rick.

All he did, is let Lucas go wild with his ideas, and never ever did anyone on a substantial issue object. YEah, details, but not the bigger picture.

Didn't Kershner bitch with Lucas about scenes, didn't Kershner threaten to quit if Lucas held on to his opinion on certain scenes? Didn't Lucas back down and hence, TESB became what it is?

Now, we have Lucas unleashed, and see how the PT turns out to be, what he did to the OT and what he undoubtedly will do in the future to the PT.

What will happen with the TV-series? How God-awful can that become?
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels - What is Missing from the PT?
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 29, 2005, 11:01 AM
Humor. Has anyone brought up humor?

I think that's what the PT is sorly lacking. The OT had many a great moments where humor was generated because of the inherant conflicts between our heroes, thus creating tons of memerable lines. I can't think of one fun moment like this in the entire PT.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels
Post by: Brian on September 19, 2008, 03:19 PM
I was thinking about this lately, and was going to start a topic in the "Star Wars Universe" thread - but remembered we had one here that was already fairly similar.  I should change the original title a bit, but basically OT vs PT - why do you like one or the other more (if you do)?

I've just been thinking about this lately.  Like I've said before, there is something I enjoy about each of the movies in the Saga - and I'm not someone who "hates" the Prequel Trilogy.  However, I still vastly prefer the Original movies, and find myself still watching and re-watching them more than the PT, even though they are pretty much memorized at this point.

Anyways, the main thing I keep coming back to is that although they are all Star Wars, the "feel" of the trilogies is just totally different to me for some reason.  Its a lot of what's been mentioned in this thread already (character, humor, etc.), and there may be some nostalgia to it as well.  I think some of it might be the relative simplicity of the OT.  It has better "quiet" moments, the action is great even without all of the technology of today, and in some cases I even prefer the suits/puppets for aliens compared to all the CGI creations of today.  Again, it might just be the "legendary" status of the OT movies - and the way they changed movies in general, but things from that trilogy just seem more iconic in general.  The number of things that the average Joe would recognize is pretty high, even going beyond things like Vader, R2, the Falcon and more.  Even things like the landspeeder, Taun Taun, and Admiral Ackbar have their place in the public lexicon to some extent.  It doesn't seem to me that the PT has that as much, and there are probably some average non-fans that couldn't even name characters like Dooku, Grievous, and Mace Windu.

Anyways, again this isn't meant to be a "bash the prequels" thread, I was just curious to see how other people view the Saga.  Its one big story, but in some ways, it also isn't.  Its Anakin's story, but very distinctively different trilogies (in many ways, on purpose I'm sure).  What do you like about the OT or the PT, and is there anything one or the other could use more of?
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels
Post by: Daigo-Bah on October 17, 2008, 11:13 AM
This is a fascinating thread to me, Brian, and I want to go back and read every response when I have more time.  I'm writing an "essay" if you will, that I want to eventually post somewhere and have you guys read.  I bring up a lot of why I feel the prequels should never have been made at all, or at least be dramatically different than what they were.  If I had to cite one major issue, then it would be the combination of unlikely interactions between the trilogies' characters (like C-3PO being built by Darth Vader, R2-D2 serving as both Darth Vader's and Obi-Wan's astromech droid, and Yoda being friends with Chewbacca among many others) and the reveal of too many OT "secrets" in the PT (such as Anakin being Luke and Leia's father, what Yoda looks like, and of course that it is a Skywalker that becomes Darth Vader).  If it were up to me, and I absolutely had to make a prequel trilogy, I would focus it on Palpatine and other new characters, with only mention of Yoda and so on.  I still feel that the OT did such a great job on exposition of the saga history that prequels were unnecessary to the story.  Perhaps stand-alone films with various new characters would have been better than an actual history of the OT.
Title: Re: Originals vs. Prequels
Post by: CookieeMonster on January 10, 2009, 03:13 PM
I did something similair over on Yakface, but I said what would you change in the movies and listed all of them 1 through 6, these are the changes I would make to the movies.

Ok things I would change.

Here are some ideas:
Ep. 1
1) Change Naboo to Alderaan - it would make the whole story make more sense, and it would make Alderaan an important target again, but this time for the Trade Federation.
2) Introduce Bail Organa and Owen Lars at this movie -- these are the people who brought Luke and Leia up, they're important, I would do a homage and make Owen and Beru know Anakin Skywalker - ALA A New Hope cut scene with Biggs and Cami and Fixer.
3) Make Anakin a little older (and a better actor) and give him a personality
4) Keep Jar-Jar as is but make him less of a bumbling fool, similair to the new Clone Wars.
5) I would have C-3PO and R2-D2 as part of the Alderaan Royal Court, so they would be together from day one.
6) I would make Obi-Wan the Jedi Master and Qui-Gon Jinn the Apprentice, and then Obi-Wan could have been taught by Yoda, and then he looses the Qui-Gon Jinn Padawan to Darth Maul, and Starts to Train Anakin as his new Padawan.
7) Darth Maul should have been used more, and kept around till the second movie, and have dooku be his apprentice.
8) Change the Pod Race and get rid of all the CGI Aliens, and use Aliens Already Established from the WEG RPG Books (this means using established alien species long before the PT Aliens appeared on screen), in other words make it better and similair to the Races in the Droids Cartoon, hell even use Thall Joben and Jord Dusat.
9) Anakin should not save the day here, it should have been Obi-Wan and the forces of Alderaan.
10) No midi-chlorins more mysticism
11) No virgin birth, however keep Mysterious Birth (to latter be explained away or not)
12) Make Breha Organa the Queen of Alderaan, with Princess Padme Organa as her younger Sister and show both in this movie.

Ep. 2.
1) More development and back story of Obi-Wan
2) Better back story for Boba Fett
3) More about the Jedi and the way they train and work
4) Better Actor to portray Anakin - Hayden cant act
5) Have the death of Anakin's mother as the first scene of the movie, thus making it significant to Anakin's state of mind throughout the next 2 movies.

Possible idea: Obi-Wan wishes to negotiate with the Sandpeople. Anakin goes against this idea and attempts a failed rescue. Anakin blames himself and Obi-Wan and the Jedi for not being able to do anymore and not acting quicker. Palpatine gloats over Jedi indifference to family, and starts to use this to sway Anakin over to his side, by stating if he had only known he would have intervined. This would give Anakin's decision to switch sides more grounding, this would come from the fact his mother had died and the way the jedi handle emotions.

Ep3
1) Anakin should not walk away when he finds out who Palpatine is because by this time Palpatine should have been able to seduce Anakin with the promise or power and greatness, but keep reminding Anakin that the Jedi would not allow this (basically letting the dark side take control off Anakin)
2) Obi-Wan should not be responsible for leaving Anakin to burn and die, this isnt in his character, hell they were considered to be brothers - would you walk away and leave your brother to die.
3) More about the Fledgeling Rebellion and Padme's role as one of its co-founders.
4) A more respectable death to Padme, and a more heroic one.
5) More screen time for Vader in suit - I would have the scene where Obi-Wan and him Fight earlier on and have Obi-Wan try to bring him back over to the light side, believing its not to late, like he tells Luke "I once thought like you but hes more machine than man now" or something along those lines.

Ep. 4-6
Remove all re-release additions to the movie except cool scenery, and some of the more interesting Aliens.