Whew, I'm tired but I really feel the need to address some of these points, being the hardcore SW nerd that I am.....(this is in response to Official Jab....sorry man, I don't know how to individual quote).
Acting/casting: Even though Star Wars' scripts are never solid (true of the originals as well) the casts of the prequels carry it a long way. Liam Neeson, Ewan McGreggor and Hayden are all fantastic actors that are getting told to say some pretty bad lines, but they all made some of the scenes that would normally be the worst into good experiences. Neeson especially, is mostly what made Episode 1 my favourite. I'd say he's given the best performance by any actor in any Star Wars film. Ewan had to change a lot from 1 to 2, but did it well, he was an inquisitive and sometimes arrogant padwan and was great at being a convincing mentor to Anakin, especially in the scene outside the club. Then he topped them both in 3 when seeing his friend, like a son to him, turning to evil and completely forsaking him. He didn't falter a bit. Hayden finally, got incredibleflak for Episode 2 with fans complaining about Anakin being a crybaby, when the character leap to Episode 3 would have made no sense at all. He was an adolescent with lots of expectations and lots of troubles facing him. Hayden brought out his young frustration well. Lines like "not fair" and "he just doesn't understand" are juvenille, but so is the character, and to alter his performance a little would have muddled the character transitions far too much. Only actor I couldn't stand was the child Anakin. He was awful haha.
I would agree that the casting wasn't bad (aside from Hayden), however one crucial element was missing that was very apparent in the original trilogy: chemistry. All of the actors fed off of one another and complimented and/or compensated for the others' flaws/strengths in the originals, which consequently made them more likeable and therefor easier to care about them. There was very little chemistry between the actors in the new films. Also, the dialouge in the new episodes was for the most part terrible, not to mention nearly every single line felt forced. I agree that Neeson and Ewan were the highlights of the new films given what they had to work with, and also that Ewan played a great mentor, however Liam was nowhere nearthe best character in all of the movies by any stretch......Alec Guiness is simply unbeatable, there's no contest in my eyes. Hayden was plain awful, awful, AWFUL through the entire series. He did not carry the weight of the role at all, there was no burden or any real feeling of sincere conflict within him. He never really looked torn apart with conflict until the very end of the third film, and it was conveyed in very simple, superficial ways. Sure, there were scenes here and there that showed his propensity for anger ("I slaughtered them like animals!!!!"), but afterwards he seemed to not have been affected at all. For a man falling into darkness, he could have just as well been in mourning for his cat dying from what I saw.
Special Effects: Touchy since they are used everywhere in every move released since the originals, but it has to be covered, this is Star Wars, no? lol So, yes, the original's SE were covering new ground, but that does not make them instantly superior. The SE in the prequels allowed the movies in a futuristic, galactic age to be more than men in spaceships with laser guns. I'm not attacking the original's for the sake of the debate, that wouldn't be a fair fight =D. But the ailities of the artists working on the prequels allowed the universe to feel more full and immense, rather than just existing wherever the characters happened to be. There were worlds everywhere. The senate, the analysis archives, Order 66, we got to see the Star Wars universe in the prequels because things were possible that never were. It may be an old vs. new argument, but sadly, advancement is advancement. The pod race, the clone war, the final battle on Mustafar, would not have been possible without them.
Advancement solely for the sake of advancement is not always a good thing. I think the decision to use new CGI effects was a terrible decision, and personally would have kept CGI use to an absolute minimum. There was absolutely no continuity to the universe, and it felt like a different one completely. Sure, there were some areas and worlds that would need the assistance of CGI, however it should not have been exclusively CGI. There were all these wild shots that were completely unnecessary to convey what was needed. It was overkill. The old battle scenes and dog fights were so much more exhilarating to witness in the originals; they were better directed and tenser. The trench scene is still amazing to watch, and is so basic. In the new films, there were so many wizz bang effects. In the old battle scenes, there seemed to be more of a human element in the dog fights. I don't know how to describe it, but it was so much more focused. Luke racing down the trench with vader on his tail nailing the vent at the last second with his torpedoes was AWESOME compared to seeing 200 digital fighters swarming all over the place with bugs crawling over Anakin's ship while he quips one liners. There was not a single space scene in all three episodes that matched the asteroid scene in Empire Strikes Back (nope, not even the new one with Jango Fett). The models gave weight to the shots, did not look synthetic, were not out of the factory clean and were overall better designed.
Plot: The material covered isn't as easily comparable, but the intensity of the happenings are closer to equal here. The strong point of the originals ofcourse is Luke discovering the truth about Vader, and the prequels were about Anakin's growth and change from boy, to jedi, to the dark side. More plot lines don't make it inherently better, but depth of characters is important. The presence of the government and the politics in the prequels made a huge difference because again, it increases the scope to not only being about the main characters, but about the galaxy. You suddenly care about the fate of the galaxy when you can seeit in front of you. You see and hear about all the planets and who lives on them, and there are more consequences and more to experience than just Luke and co... The love interest may not have been a popular aspect, but it was important and led to a great climax: The landing pad on Mustafar at the end of Ep 3 had an incredible performance by all 3 actors involved, "Please just come away with me, I love you!" "Liar!" "Let. Her. Go, Anakin." "You turned her against me!". Though the lines may not be Shakesperean, the actors have the necesarry intensity to make you care about what they are doing.
Well, I can't much disagree with you here, as the plot is what makes Star Wars what it is. I especially liked the fact that Anakin ending up killing Padme by going to the dark side when he believed that by doing so he would be saving her. Irony at it's finest. But even given the depth of the plot, that depth of the characters and the universe can only be cared about if the actors playing their respective parts are able and capable to do their jobs well. The acting in prequels did not come close to accomplishing this. It was cringe worthy for the most part. I was trying so hard to enjoy the story and learn more about the galaxy and characters until their utter inability to perform convincingly pulled me right out of it. They can make a movie as in-depth as humanly possible, but if the tools to convey that depth are absent, it's all in vain. I would have loved to get more into the love story if Anakin and Padme's courtship (which was one of the main plot details) didn't come off like a brother and sister being forced to be together and then having them pretend to like each other. And don't get me started on Anakin's "acting" at the end.....ugh. The lightsaber fight in the end was "cool", but again, it held no continuity with the old films.
That's enough lol, this keyboard is so painful! I need to go ice my wrists or something! I didn't mean for my initial statement to be so 'final', sarcasm ofcourse doesn't traslate well without a word like zomg. It's all opinion but ^THAT^ is what makes me like the prequels FAR better than the originals. I really love that whole universe and episodes 4-6, but the prequels really hit me just the right way, and I couldn't accept the saga without those characters or scenes now.
Just wanted to put my opinions out there, I need ice as well. Sorry if I went on a rant, I just love discussing SW allll night long. :)
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