Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 12 Reasons It's Better Than The Prequels
7. No Forced Romance
Attack Of The Clones is by far the worst Star Wars prequel, primarily because a large majority of the film is devoted to a love story that doesnt work. Lucas attempted to replicate the Han and Leia romance from Empire, but between the lack of chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman and the unconvincing, god-awful dialogue, he failed. To say the romance was forced is an understatement. It was also incredibly rushed, with the characters instantly falling in love, even though they showed no emotional connection and merely had a physical attraction. Sure, two attractive single people living in close quarters to each other on a lush and romantic planet helps set the mood, but that typically leads to one-night-stands, rather than getting married to somebody you've known for a week. The true emotional connection between Padme and Anakin was never felt, and the wedding never felt earned. We see very little romance in The Force Awakens, but there are some hints. John Boyega and Daisy Ridley have great chemistry, and their characters grow over the film to become genuine friends. Finn clearly has an immediate attraction to Rey, as seen by his boyfriend comment, and there are some genuine cute moments between the two of them. Their relationship was more of a friendship than a romance, and the closest it got to the latter was a kiss on the forehead from Rey to Finn. However, a genuine connection and bond was formed, and if a romance were to blossom in Episode VIII, it would feel completely natural and earned.
