Post-Viewing: The Star Wars prequel hype cycle

We’re just a week away from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and I’ve been going back through the saga in chronological order. Those of you who have seen my recent reviews will know that I’ve been very critical of certain aspects of the prequels and this is the commonly accepted perception. Many Star Wars fans, particularly those who have been into the saga from the very beginning see episodes one through three as terrible films with no kind of redeeming qualities whatsoever. We can all agree that they can’t hold up against the originals, but they certainly aren’t awful films; I’ve seen plenty of cinematic tripe over the years that stoops below the prequels. Hopefully I'll try to figure out why George Lucas's presumably final effort into Star Wars is so infamous and how hype culture fed into that negative reputation.

So why do people hate the prequels so much? I think it comes down to both fan expectations and the jarring transition from one set of filmmaking techniques to another. When The Phantom Menace and the prequel trilogy was announced, people were going crazy for it. They had seen the original films, they knew how amazing the saga had been up to that point and couldn’t believe that they were going to be getting more feature films, straight from the man who started it all back in 1977. Not only that, but the marketing campaign exploded with merchandise, food, toys, books and more were all released simultaneously, further adding to the massive hype train that continued building towards the film’s release in 1999. It became so intense that fans even started paying to see other movies simply because they had a teaser or trailer for Episode I before the main presentation. It can be argued that there was no other movie more anticipated back before the turn of the new millennium and thousands of fans the world over lined up in droves to see it when it finally arrived.

Depending on when you were exposed to Star Wars, you’ll form differing opinions on each individual film. Given that I was born in the nineties and never saw the originals in theatres, I saw the films in a fairly random order both at the cinema and on TV every now and again. As a result the differences in filmmaking between the originals and the prequels weren’t nearly as pronounced or protruding for me. When you compare my perspective to that of someone who grew up watching episodes 4, 5 and 6, you begin to see why they hold such disdain for the newer films. The older movies utilized incredibly unique and creative special effects for their time and they were used to both compliment and build upon the already engrossing stories and lovable characters. The practical effects on the creatures, planets and other elements also sparked the imagination of thousands, creating images so iconic that they remain etched in fans memories to this day. When The Phantom Menace arrived, filled with all kinds of digital effects, those who saw the original trilogy couldn’t help being put off by every single shot having some sort of computer effect. In the nineties, CGI was still in its infancy and often it was used as a crutch; to have a film based almost entirely within computerized graphics came off as quite shocking for some, falling far below the believability of the first three films.

Early reactions to Episode I from the common fans were mostly positive; they wanted to believe that the film they watched was every bit as good as it had been over a decade ago. But after repeated viewings, discussion and word of mouth quickly spread over how disappointing the opening chapter was. Ultimately, all the hype amplified the disappointment from the fans; this in turn fueled the fires of apathy that the prequels now possess and the dislike the fans have towards them. This disappointment carried on through Attack of the Clones and even Revenge of the Sith to some degree.

In a way the same cycle of anticipation is repeating itself for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Tickets are mostly sold out at numerous cinemas all over the world, the action figures are already rolling out and the seeds are being planted for an even larger cinematic universe filled with spin-off films and other media. The sequel trilogy faces an even greater set of expectations; to not only sit on the same level as the originals but also avoid and rise above the mistakes George Lucas made with the prequel trilogy. Several creative decisions over the past few years such as the appearance of a fully practical BB-8 droid at film events, as well as the recent assurance that Jar Jar Binks will be unceremoniously dropped from the sequel trilogy appear to be highly geared towards the mega fans to keep them appeased before the first act finally drops. At the moment it’s looking quite optimistic for Episode VII, but I’ll reserve my judgement for when I finally see it. With the internet having opened the floodgates for legions of fans to voice their love or displeasure at every major release, the pressure has and will continue to mount for both Disney and the newly appointed directors to deliver and then some.

As for the prequels, all three of them have their flaws, but I feel it’s rather overzealous to jump on the hate bandwagon; they’re not the worst films ever made. They instead suffer from some bad decisions and a lackluster cinematic vision that dragged them down. Regardless of such, I’m looking forward to The Force Awakens, as well as experiencing the original trilogy once again in the lead up to its release.