Until a few years ago think about the prequels of starwars It didn’t bring back very good memories for the fans. The forced jokes of Jar Jar Binks, the fall of Padme on Geonosis or the death of Mace Windú are worthy of a Razzie. Nevertheless, George Lucas’ latest trilogy has a lot going for it and Ewan McGregor thinks she’s underrated.
In a segment of Agree to Disagreethe protagonists of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, reunited to revive old times. Both recalled moments from the Star Wars “new millennium” trilogy, such as the fights with the lightsabers or why Darth Vader is the best villain of all time.
When asked if the prequels are underrated, the actors agreed. “Underrated at the time, by critics and those people,” said Ewan McGregor. the actor of Obi-Wan Kenobi assured that in the absence of social networks – the prequels were released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 – reaction was fueled by film criticswho decided they weren’t as good as the original trilogy.
Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen believe that the prequels were well received by fans of starwars. “They just needed a little bit of time, you know, to permeate our popular culture,” Christensen said. “I think they were appreciated at the time by the generation we made them for,” said McCregor, emphasizing the power social media now has.
Social networks could help (or destroy) the prequels of starwars
One of the important points of the conversation is the role of social networks to magnify the opinion that fans have about a series or movie. “There was no social media, we didn’t hear his voice like we do in movies now,” says McGregor. The voice of the audience is stronger now, no doubt, though that too has had negative consequences.
Yes Episode I: The Phantom Menace had been released in the Twitter era, it is possible that it would lead to harassment similar to that of Episode 8: The Last Jedi. Almost 20 years ago Ahmed Best, The actor who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequels considered suicide due to the harsh criticism of the media and fans towards his character.
The actor received death threats from fans who accused him of “ruining his childhood” and at one point considered jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge to end his pain. In recent years bullying has returned starwars when Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico) deleted her Instagram account due to racist comments. Daisy Ridley, the main character of the new trilogy, also left social networks due to bullying from some of her fans.
A trilogy in the Disney era was enough to realize that the work of George Lucas was not so bad
Although Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen believe that the prequels were well received, the reality is different. Social networks did not exist at the beginning of the new millennium, but if blogs or forums where essays by angry fans could be read. Jar Jar Binks pranks, poor Christensen or Natalie Portman performances and the too much green screen are some of hundreds or thousands of criticisms of the work of George Lucas.
The reality is that yes, Episode I it’s badbut if we analyze it in detail not far from the current Disney formula and his forced comedy that generates billions of dollars at the box office. The return of starwars He also left us pleasant moments in theaters, such as the battle against the droidekas, the pod race or the moment in which Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon face Darth Maul with Duel of the Fates in the background.
Something worth mentioning is that George Lucas always had the idea of doing something different from the original trilogy. “He didn’t set out to redo what he had done in the ’70s,” said Ewan McGregor, referring to the criticism he received for the prequels at the time. In contrast, JJ Abrams tried to win back the fans with The Force Awakensa film that feels like a decaffeinated clone of Episode IV.
Maybe Hayden Christensen was right and we just needed to wait a while for the prequels to permeate popular culture. Forgive us, George.