... No, my dear friends, I haven't gone mad. I still think that the Star Wars prequels are mostly an abomination of excessive CGI, wooden acting, terrible writing, and egregious retcons.
But with The Force Awakens coming out soon and the spirit of the holidays (holiday special not included), I wanted a reappraisal of the Star Wars prequels, seen through a different lens.
So, for this thread, rather than focus on any of the negatives of the prequel series, I want us to focus on the positive stuff. The good stuff. And, yes, even the GREAT stuff that the prequels accomplished.
So let me start off with a controversial bang with the most hated and misunderstood character of the whole Star Wars universe:
JAR JAR BINKS
He's not a comedic character. He's a TRAGIC character. He's the crying clown, the mentally and physically abused joke who struggles to just get through the day and take each step one at a time (these steps sometimes involve poop).
We laugh at his misery and misfortune. His "comedy" is at the further expense of his self-respect and dignity and physical well-being.
But against all odds, he manages to survive a war and even earn the respect of his peers! Hurrah for the little man, right?
... Except it's all downhill for Jar Jar at this point. His heroics put him in a position of politics and leadership he is sorely unqualified for and when we next see him, his enthusiasm, joy, and energy have been sucked away.
And we know, like the simple-minded fool that he is, he's easily manipulated by the villains into giving the Emperor the power to seize control of the whole Senate and then the galaxy. He sets this in motion. His kindness and naivety exploited by men in power to create the worst oppression and government the galaxy had ever known... and he helped instigate it.
Jar Jar Binks started off as the funny-talking, ill-respected goofball of the series... but his story arc doesn't end with personal redemption or rising above his status... No, the last moment we see Jar Jar is here...
...at the funeral of one of his dearest friends, a woman whose death he helped pave the way for, while his other dearest friend has become a monster who slaughters children.
This is the final moments of Jar Jar's character... broken, depressed, grieving, and utterly insignificant. His desire to help and save those he cares about availed him naught. His goofy antics and feeble attempts to amuse and entertain are distant memories.
He is a broken and scarred Gungan, one who ends the series in tears and misery, having lost everything and everyone dear to him.
... Jar Jar Binks. The most misunderstood and despised character in Star Wars... and arguably the greatest tragedy in the entire saga.
So, what other elements of the prequels are far better than we give them credit for? What action scenes? What musical scores? What twists? What character reveals? What lore? What aspects of the prequels, through hindsight and through a different lens, rise above the faults?
Let's find out.
But with The Force Awakens coming out soon and the spirit of the holidays (holiday special not included), I wanted a reappraisal of the Star Wars prequels, seen through a different lens.
So, for this thread, rather than focus on any of the negatives of the prequel series, I want us to focus on the positive stuff. The good stuff. And, yes, even the GREAT stuff that the prequels accomplished.
So let me start off with a controversial bang with the most hated and misunderstood character of the whole Star Wars universe:
JAR JAR BINKS
Jar Jar Binks is stupid. I don't mean the idea behind him is stupid. I mean he's an actual simpleton in the movies. He's a clumsy, oafish, uneducated buffoon intensely disliked by every single character he comes across. Yet he's got a good heart and wants to help people, even at the cost of his own life. He's a pariah, an ostracized embarrassment among his people with no family or friends who gets wrapped up in the largest galactic conflict of all time. He's a little man lost in a sea of powerful despots and galactic rulers.
He's not a comedic character. He's a TRAGIC character. He's the crying clown, the mentally and physically abused joke who struggles to just get through the day and take each step one at a time (these steps sometimes involve poop).
(yes, laugh. Laugh at Jar Jar's pain and suffering.)
We laugh at his misery and misfortune. His "comedy" is at the further expense of his self-respect and dignity and physical well-being.
But against all odds, he manages to survive a war and even earn the respect of his peers! Hurrah for the little man, right?
... Except it's all downhill for Jar Jar at this point. His heroics put him in a position of politics and leadership he is sorely unqualified for and when we next see him, his enthusiasm, joy, and energy have been sucked away.
(he's mellowed out, man)
And we know, like the simple-minded fool that he is, he's easily manipulated by the villains into giving the Emperor the power to seize control of the whole Senate and then the galaxy. He sets this in motion. His kindness and naivety exploited by men in power to create the worst oppression and government the galaxy had ever known... and he helped instigate it.
Jar Jar Binks started off as the funny-talking, ill-respected goofball of the series... but his story arc doesn't end with personal redemption or rising above his status... No, the last moment we see Jar Jar is here...
...at the funeral of one of his dearest friends, a woman whose death he helped pave the way for, while his other dearest friend has become a monster who slaughters children.
This is the final moments of Jar Jar's character... broken, depressed, grieving, and utterly insignificant. His desire to help and save those he cares about availed him naught. His goofy antics and feeble attempts to amuse and entertain are distant memories.
He is a broken and scarred Gungan, one who ends the series in tears and misery, having lost everything and everyone dear to him.
... Jar Jar Binks. The most misunderstood and despised character in Star Wars... and arguably the greatest tragedy in the entire saga.
So, what other elements of the prequels are far better than we give them credit for? What action scenes? What musical scores? What twists? What character reveals? What lore? What aspects of the prequels, through hindsight and through a different lens, rise above the faults?
Let's find out.
