Mark Hamill Shares His Thoughts On The Prequel Trilogy
The Star Wars prequel trilogy is, at best, a source of heated debate among the fan base and, at worst, one of the most hated parts of the saga. In recent years, however, opinion of the prequels has started to change. Many fans have begun to understand and focus on the good things in the movies. This has certainly been aided by people like Dave Filoni, who is a huge fan of the prequel trilogy. His love shows in his work set in the same Clone Wars era. Now the prequel trilogy has another major fan on its side, and he also just so happens to be one of the greatest Jedi to ever live, and one of the stars of the original trilogy.
Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, recently revealed his admiration for the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He recently spoke about the films during an interview for J.W. Rinzler’s new biography about The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark producer Howard G. Kazanjian. In the interview, he talks about how the prequel trilogy stands out from the original trilogy with a slightly darker story:
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity. They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of Star Wars films, but across the board.”
Hamill does have has a point. The prequel trilogy does have a lot of exposition, and dip into dark places. After all, it is telling the backstory, and the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. The films deal with heavier and more intricate topics that a lot of kids, and some adults, might not be initially interested in. Some fans feel differently though. There is a portion of the fans, myself included, who never quite understood the hate directed at the prequel trilogy. Dave Filoni has been a huge proponent of the prequel trilogy, and he has been able to shed new light on the its intricacies. It seems Hamill might fall into this bracket as well, and that is surprising considering it is technically the story of how his father abandoned him.
All jokes aside, there are still a lot of people who utterly despise the prequels. Marcia Lucas, the editor of the original Star Wars trilogy and George Lucas’ ex-wife, admitted her complete distaste for the trilogy. She disliked almost everything in the prequel trilogy, from the story all the way to the casting. She disliked it so much that it “brought her to tears.” There are also quite a few Star Wars fans that still vehemently hate the prequel trilogy.
The prequel trilogy may be a prime example of film series that ages into fame. Some films were initially met with critical or financial failures, but have now grown to become classics. The prequels are gaining more and more love from fans. This is not to say that the films are without fault, and constructive criticism is a part of any artistic piece. However, it seems there was a sort of mob mentality directed towards those films for a long time that is unfair and undeserved. The Clone Wars series helped to expand upon several ideas that the prequels introduced, and which helps fans see them in a better light. There are core ideas and moments in the prequels that get slightly more philosophical or political than Star Wars was originally known for upon its release in the late 1970s, but now these ideas go hand-in-hand with the Star Wars saga. Maybe in several years, the prequel trilogy will be regarded as some of the best Star Wars films available. For now, Luke Skywalker himself likes him which is enough for me.
READ NEXT: Marcia Lucas Speaks Out Against The Sequel Trilogy
Source(s): CBR