Old vs New: Star Wars Prequels vs Sequels
The Star Wars Prequels are generally reviled. The Sequels, on the other hand, polarize fans. For most, though, it’s a case of diminishing returns. Many loved The Force Awakens, are divided over The Last Jedi, and most agree The Rise of Skywalker is a mess. I think they’re all terrible. I don’t believe the Prequels are great movies, but they do have great moments. They also have great Star Wars moments. The Sequels don’t have any. I can easily find a handful in each of the Prequels. For example, when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are trying to get through the door to accost the Trade Federation leaders in The Phantom Menace:…
JJ’s Wonky World Builds: Number 3
After JJ Abrams had decimated the Star Trek universe, he ran afoul of the franchise’s merchandising department and thus turned his depredations elsewhere: Star Wars. I thought he might be able to pull it off. Star Trek has always been intellectual science fiction. JJ totally mishandled that. But the action scenes looked great, so maybe his talents could be monopolised in science fantasy for Star Wars with The Force Awakens (2015). By now, we were all familiar – and in some cases very familiar – with the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy in that galaxy far, far away. This is important to keep in mind. When the Original Trilogy first…