10 Reasons You’re Wrong About The Star Wars Prequels
2. The Backlash Is Just Boring At This Point
Whether it's a decade's worth of memes having finally rehabilitated their image or not, can we all just agree that hating on the prequels is... well... really boring at this point?
Look, I get it. There are clear aspects of Episodes I, II and III that categorically do not work. That said, can we please acknowledge the toxic effects this kind of backlash has had? Ahmed Best, who brought Jar Jar Binks to life in the prequels, was driven to depression by the hate that went his way. No one needs to hear your sh*tty Jar Jar joke, especially when the character was intended for younger audiences in the first place.
Jake Lloyd, who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, retired from acting partially because of negative coverage of his performance. Hayden Christensen also received a barrage of abuse, and while Lloyd's personal circumstances have not improved, it is genuinely moving to see Best and Christensen welcomed back to Star Wars with open arms.
At the end of the day, these films are approaching two decades of existence and they're as much a part of Star Wars as any of the other films. If you don't like them? Fine. But the insipid response that used to dominate internet discourse grew tedious a long time ago, and that goes just as much for the sequels too.