10 Simple Fixes That Would Have Saved The Star Wars Prequels

5. Cast A Much Better Actor Than Hayden Christensen

For such an important role, the prequel trilogy failed when it chose an actor that could not deliver the emotional depth of Anakin Skywalker's fall from grace. Hayden Christensen might have been able to carry those truly tortured moments - he was capable of delivering something very dangerous in those eyes - but in general his performance was largely wooden throughout both of his films. His 'romance' with Padmé had zero chemistry, which was shocking considering how much fun the Original Trilogy had had with Han and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back. The talk of her skin feeling soft, not like sand, is still mocked to this day and his relationship with his mentor Obi-Wan was not much better. He came across as whiny and brattish and not in the good Luke Skywalker kind of way. Even his 'evil' Darth Vader period in Revenge Of The Sith came across as forced. As harsh as it might seem, the casting of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker was one of the worst decisions in the prequel trilogy. He makes Jake Lloyd look good.