5 Things The Star Wars Prequels Did Better Than The Force Awakens

5. Creating A Visually Memorable Villain

Visually memorable villains are hard to come by. Hannibal Lector, The Joker and Darth Vader are three examples of villains who are instantly recognisable by their unique and iconic design. Darth Maul wouldn’t be out of place on this list.

Everybody remembers the moment from the trailer, when the demonic face of Maul is revealed, before he ignites his double-sided lightsabre. It’s a moment imprinted on the minds of even those who despise The Phantom Menace and everything it stands for.

Now, Kylo Ren is a good villain: he’s menacing, powerful and emotionally complex. He isn’t visually memorable, though. In fact, non-fanatics are more likely to mistake Kylo Ren for Darth Vader than recognise him in his own right. And who could blame them?

Clad in black robes and with a very familiar mask, Kylo Ren does look extremely like Darth Vader. Whilst this is almost certainly intentional, it means The Force Awakens lacks what both the original and prequel trilogies had; an instantly recognisable bad guy to fans and non-fans alike.

Some have suggested that Kylo Ren’s cross-guard lightsabre was an attempt to recreate the reaction to Maul’s. It failed. People were too busy arguing over the logistics of it to see it as 'cool'. Perhaps that’s a result of the internet, but it shows the difference between the overall response to the visual designs of Ren and Maul.

The former was muted; he looked good, but no different to any other of the numerous Star Wars villains. Maul, though, was something entirely alien, a true triumph in character design who became an, unfortunately brief, highlight of The Phantom Menace.