The Star Wars Prequels

The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith. What comes into your mind when you hear those titles? The endless memes? Over reliance on CGI? Mostly wooden dialogue? Of course these things come to mind, but I believe there’s a brilliance in these films. Here’s just a few examples of well-executed aspects of these three films that I believe many fans enjoy, as well as my own interpretation of the overarching story.

The Battle of Coruscant

WAR! What a great opening to Revenge of the Sith. The height of the Clone Wars, here we see why Ben called Anakin “The best star pilot in the galaxy” in Star Wars (A New Hope). They threw everything in here INCLUDING the kitchen sink. No, literally there’s a kitchen sink Easter egg. The CG holds up quite well too. It’s just pure fun!

Sound Design

Ben Burtt, the man who made almost all the sounds in the Star Wars universe, is the best he’s ever been. My favorite sound effect ever is in Attack of the Clones. The seismic charges that Jango and Boba Fett drop in the asteroid field above Geonosis is music to my ears. The sudden silence and then BANG! Pay closer attention the next time you pop in Clones.

John Williams’ Score

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, mentions “Duel of the Fates” as one of the most memorable aspects of the Prequels—yes, it is in all three of them. But there’s several other tracks on these soundtracks that are some of Williams’ best work, “Battle of The Heroes,” “Across The Stars,” and “March on the Jedi Temple” being just a few of my favorites.

Begun, the Clone Wars has.

In Clones we see the start of the war, in Sith we see the end. But threads are sewn together if you re-watch both of these films after you've watched the animated series. I believe you will find a new appreciation for these characters and care for their motivations in Sith after watching the show. Heck, even Jar Jar is better in that series, that's saying a lot on its own. Even though I love the non-canon 2003-2005 mini series Clone Wars, the canon show ties together with the trilogy nicely.