“Pod racing was unnecessary.”
“There was too much CGI.”
“I
never wanted to see Darth Vader as a little kid.”
And on
and on. I've heard all of this, either from friends or from what I’ve read online.
And I’m here to prove to you that you have all been misled. The prequels are
valuable, important, and amazing movies. Hating them doesn't make you a “true”
Star Wars fan; it just makes you like everyone else.
Preface: If you really
honest-to-the-Force hate them, that’s alright. I’m here to open your mind and
reach those people who secretly like them but felt like it’s not acceptable. By
liking the prequels, you don’t take anything away from your love of the
original trilogy. I think fanboys and girls are pressured into critiquing the
prequels to the point where they can no longer enjoy them. Ok, back to the
post.
I’ll start with my hardest sell:
Jar Jar wasn’t as terrible as you think. Yes, he was clumsy and goofy, but so
is everyone. He is the epitome of not fitting in with the cool crowd- now who
can’t relate to that? Despite his quirks, Jar Jar was extremely important in
battle and diplomacy. He contributed to saving and in many ways uniting Naboo!
Hatred of Jar Jar is universal- a
German friend I’ve made on a gaming website hates him as much as my American
friends- yet so is love of the infamous Gungan. Children relate to him because
they often feel like they don’t belong. They like that he has a funny accent
and is always getting into trouble. When
I was younger, I loved him! Now that I am older, I appreciate him- as a
character and as the reason so many children get interested in Star Wars. (For
me, it was Chewy and then podracing, but for many, he’s it!)
The complaint about Jar Jar that I
don’t understand is that he wasn’t serious enough. I LOVE the original series…
but those movies are not entirely serious. The prequels are much more philosophical. The original series had witty comments, goofy costumes, and the
wonderful comic relief of R2-D2 and C3PO. Jar Jar was a form of comic relief
for the prequels, which was desperately needed, considering the dark concepts
they explore.
I believe that Lucas planned to
make Jar Jar a more prominent character in the other movies but changed that
due to everyone’s negative reactions to him. I have no way of knowing this, but
it just always seemed weird to me that he was only in the other two films for a
few minutes and had only a few lines. If we had seen this (hypothetical)
character development, I bet less people would hate him. For now, his inclusion
on the Clone Wars series can do him some justice.
On to the next topic: The prequels were filmed over 20 years
after the original trilogy. Why wouldn't they look different?
In regards to the use of CGI, it
doesn't bother me- I can’t even distinguish what is CGI and what isn't most of
the time. Visually, these films are beautiful. With this technology, we are
taken on a journey to the Gungan world (my personal favorite) and introduced to
many species in the Galactic Senate.
Technology didn’t ruin Lucas’s
vision- it allowed it to happen. It took two decades, but technology allowed
his vision to come to life.
The plot and themes of this movie
are dark. Pod racing lightens it up a bit. Star Wars is fun, just sit back and
enjoy all of the action.
Perhaps the worst complaint is that
no one wants to see Darth Vader as a child. For me, seeing Darth Vader as a
human is the most important aspect of the entire series. (And if you didn't
know, humans are children before they are adults.)
It is easy to see a villain like
Darth Vader and pretend that he’s different than you. It gets significantly
harder to separate yourself from the “villain” when you see him as a child. Who
was sold into slavery. Who doesn’t have a father. Who is taken away from the
only person he loves- so he can have a chance at a life he could be proud of.
Anakin is the protagonist of the
saga. Without information about his childhood, the audience wouldn’t have
become as emotionally attached to him or understand his later decisions.
I love to analyze Star Wars in order to understand all of its life lessons. Overall, Episode
I teaches us that there is always more to someone than it seems.
Jar Jar teaches us not to overlook
the outcasts, as they might become instrumental to creating change.
Understanding Anakin’s childhood allows us to understand his future actions. Pod
racing allows us to once again root for the underdog- an ode to the original trilogy.
The
Phantom Menace does not exist in a vacuum; it is a crucial part of the
series. One of its most important themes in this movie is the blur between
light and dark.
Its title alone says so much about
the series, and therefore about life. (For me, Star Wars IS life, but that’s
another story.)
Although the meaning behind the
title could be debated, I believe that it refers to Darth Sidious concealed
behind the appearance of an “honest” politician (wait, isn’t than an
oxymoron?). Episode I shows how the dark side lurks all around us, even when we
aren’t expecting it. The world is so much more complicated than any of us could
ever believe and because of that, it’s so difficult to know who to trust.
The prequels are more political
than the original series, but that makes them even more interesting. And I’m
not just saying this because I once spent an entire Comparative Politics class
discussing Palpatine’s rise to power and everything else in the movies.
In real life, dictators rise to
power. Otherwise innocent people commit atrocities because they were following
orders. People are manipulated by others, even if they only intended to do what
is right. Countries support evil leaders because there are no other
alternatives.
Perhaps maybe the reason so many
Star Wars fans dismiss the prequels is because they don’t want to face these
truths. Instead of dismissing The Phantom
Menace, let’s enjoy it.
Let’s learn from it.
