10 Redeeming Elements In Otherwise Awful Movies
1. John Williams - The Star Wars Prequels (1999 - 2005)
Arguing the case for the prequels as individual films is futile. They would probably be seen as just fun pulpy (and ultimately disposable) Space Opera films if they weren't Star Wars. But they are, so they have to be the worst thing ever created by Hollywood. In reality, they're just a mediocre oddity - they feel like the first table read of a first draft screenplay that Lucas happened to film in front of blue screens and set to music.
But what music! George Lucas gets a lot of flak as a storyteller, and rightfully so - he has done more than any human being to tarnish his own legacy - but there is one area in which he succeeds admirably: His use of John Williams. Audiences loved The Force Awakens, but J.J. Abrams doesn't have the same kind of working relationship with Williams that Lucas did.
Case in point? The Force Awakens uses Williams Iconic "Force Theme" a frankly alarming number of times (only one of which was truly necessary - this one), while the prequel trilogy reserves it for key moments.
The Prequel Trilogy is stuffed full of themes that rank among Williams' best work. Perhaps the most notable is "The Duel of the Fates", but the other chapters have memorable scores as well, that help elevate the films they were composed for. Anakin Vs. Obi Wan on Mustafar is a fairly overproduced and ludicrous sequence, but with this soundtrack backing it, it's almost possible to forget how contrived it all is.