How would you do the Star Wars prequels/sequels?

[viper37]

So this now seems like a p common geek discussion: how would you have done the Star Wars prequels to make them not terrible, and what made them terrible?  Where do the sequels go from here?

les CGI for video game action sequences.  The pod race in #1 disapears.  The fight in the droid factory in #2 disapears.  The fight on platforms floating over laval in #3 is gone.

Start with Anakin as early teenager, just before the clone wars.  Make him 12-13, a boy.  His first crush, Padme.  At 8 years old, it's doubtful you'd fall in love with a 17 year old girl so much that you'll think of her constantly for 8 years.  Make him lose his mother right there, so that the fear of losing someone he cares for deeply is constantly there.

End the first movie with a first strike by the Seperatists (or even better: make it the Revan scenario, fight a very strong ennemy who lives only for war) that leaves the Republic scarred.  Don't kill the bad guy in #1 yet.  Make #2 similar to what it was, with the Republic being manipulated into finding an army of clones but don't end on this, make it happen mid-way through the movie.  By #3, Anakin is more dedicated than ever to preserving peace at any costs.  Sliding into the dark side should be gradual, not instantenous.

[Eddie Teach]

To be frank up until the prequels I always assumed that Owen and Beru weren't Luke's actual uncles, just some friends of Kenobi who had taken care of the kid at his bequest.

Beru was his aunt. The viewing public wasn't ready for gay marriage in 1977. 

[Barrister]

To be frank up until the prequels I always assumed that Owen and Beru weren't Luke's actual uncles, just some friends of Kenobi who had taken care of the kid at his bequest.

Except Episode 4 is pretty clear that Owen doesn't like Obi-wan.

[celedhring]

It just doesn't make a iota of sense that they would "hide" Anakin's son by giving him to his step-brothers. The whole plan is just a Vader nostalgia trip away from failing miserably.

[MadImmortalMan]

A lot of the unnecessary scenes in the prequels were likely put there specifically to mirror scenes from the OT at that point in the films and to echo things like C3PO being dismembered. It was a "poetic choice" for Lucas.

[Berkut]

This really isn't much of a discussion.

The way to do 1/2/3 right is pretty obvious. The core of the story is compelling, the characters are fascinating, and this should have been a slam dunk.

Just execute it properly, with good writing from actual good writers, not Lucas thinking he is a writer.

[Monoriu]

I enjoy the prequels.  Maybe a little rough around the edges.  Maybe not as good as the original trilogy.  Maybe they could have done something better.  But they are good, enjoyable movies. 

[MadImmortalMan]

I enjoy the prequels.  Maybe a little rough around the edges.  Maybe not as good as the original trilogy.  Maybe they could have done something better.  But they are good, enjoyable movies.

Okay so the Mono question is---Did you see the originals first as a kid? Did you see the originals first?

There does seem to be a divide between people who experienced the movies__as experiences in time__and people who only know CGI.

[Monoriu]

I enjoy the prequels.  Maybe a little rough around the edges.  Maybe not as good as the original trilogy.  Maybe they could have done something better.  But they are good, enjoyable movies.

Okay so the Mono question is---Did you see the originals first as a kid? Did you see the originals first?

There does seem to be a divide between people who experienced the movies__as experiences in time__and people who only know CGI.

I saw the originals as a kid.  I saw Return of a Jedi in theatres when it was first released.  Over the years, I probably saw the original 3 films over 5 times each.  Including the special editions with enhanced effects. 

Then I saw the prequels, liked them, and found out that everybody else hate them 

[Camerus]

I didn't find the prequels *that* bad, merely far worse than they could have been given the material.

[The Larch]

In this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y) there's a guy explaining how he'd improve the prequels. That's the video for the 1st one, there are other videos for the other two movies.

He claims that the movie should have a lighter and more playful mood, be clearly centered around Obi Wan, making him the clear protagonist. He'd also remove Jar Jar (duh!) and mentions of midichlorians (double duh!), make Anakin older (not a child but at the very least a teenager), replace Naboo with Alderaan, remove C3PO and Yoda from the film to be introduced later in the trilogy, plant a seed of a love triangle between Padme, Anakin and Obi Wan, remove some of the pointless battles at the end (no wonderkid Anakin flying a fighter destroying the Trade Federation blockade) and focus on the Qui Gon Jin & Obi Wan Vs. Darth Maul, keeping the same ending but with Darh Maul surviving and staying as the Big Bad of the trilogy, like Vader in the original ones.

Video for Episode II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbug3AhYmw
Video for Episode III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKqH6vlGHU

[Admiral Yi]

That was interesting.

My ding ding ding moment was when he talked about the lack of playfulness.  The prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious.

[Kleves]

That was interesting.

My ding ding ding moment was when he talked about the lack of playfulness.  The prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious.

I think more playfulness (like in VII) may have helped, but I don't know that the problem was that the prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious. I think part of the problem was that there were so inconsistent - they would veer between Jar Jar stepping in poo and Anakin slaughtering children. The parts that were meant to be enjoyed by little kids couldn't be enjoyed by adults, and the parts meant for adults couldn't be enjoyed by kids.

[CountDeMoney]

I would deal with the prequels by punching them in utero and pushing them down the northeast emergency stairwell of the Chrysler Building.

Like The Godfather Part III, Billy Ray Cyrus and the 1991 Ford Taurus Police Package, the prequels were pure abominations, unforgivable affronts to both man and God that never should have seen a moment's breath of life.  And the franchise would have been the better for it.

[Monoriu]

I would deal with the prequels by punching them in utero and pushing them down the northeast emergency stairwell of the Chrysler Building.

Like The Godfather Part III, Billy Ray Cyrus and the 1991 Ford Taurus Police Package, the prequels were pure abominations, unforgivable affronts to both man and God that never should have seen a moment's breath of life.  And the franchise would have been the better for it.

Why Northeast emergency stairwell?