8 Filmmakers Who RUINED Their Movies By Explaining Them

8. George Lucas - The Phantom Menace

There's nothing that could possibly ruin Star Wars - not in an irredeemable fashion, and especially not the Original Trilogy - but even while the Prequels are enjoying a nice little resurgence, one thing most fans can agree on is that George Lucas dropped the ball with midi-chlorians.

The Force as it was described in A New Hope made it seem as though it was this grand, mystical, cosmic energy that some could tap into if they had faith. There was no numerical value to determine a given character's proficiency with the Force or whatever - it was just that they had belief enough to wield this power.

This theme would eventually be expanded upon in the Sequel Trilogy, but not before the Prequels had made an about turn in order to detail Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side. Things became less metaphysical and more biological, as midi-chlorians - microscopic lifeforms that reside in all creatures - now denoted a given Jedi's power.

Anakin's fall could've been handled very differently, but there were still positives to be gleaned from the Prequels overarching story. Midi-chlorians, on the other hand, serve no purpose other than to explain what didn't need explaining. Star Wars is better off without them.

[Ewan Paterson]