Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 8 Things The Prequels Did Better

8. They Appreciate The Severity Of Character Death

In general, Harrison Ford's inclusion in The Force Awakens was brilliant. His reprisal of Han Solo was far from a half-assed cash grab, with Ford throwing himself into the role with passion and enthusiasm. Somehow, despite the passing of nearly three decades, he was able to recapture the spirit of one of science fiction's most beloved characters. No, it wasn't the inclusion of Solo that was disappointing €“ it was how they treated him. After he dies there's a rather cursory scene between Rey and Leia, with Chewbacca trundling off in the background (although we do see a couple seconds of Chewie looking sad straight after). The scene between Rey and Leia is nice, but it's far, far too short, and why on earth wasn't Chewbacca included? After all they'd been through, you'd think Leia would find want to share some time with the big walking carpet. The prequels, on the other hand, respected nearly every big character death. The Phantom Menace sees a sombre, emotional response to Qui-Gon Jinn's demise, with many of the key players mourning the Jedi at his funeral (the scene also includes some genuinely haunting music). We see the same respect paid during Padme's funeral in Revenge Of The Sith, and the death of Anakin's mother in Attack Of The Clones is substantially weighty. Of course, Solo's body wasn't available for cremation like Qui-Gon, but for a character who is regarded as a legend both in the universe of the films (see Rey and Finn's reaction to meeting him) and to the audience, it struck a weird chord how only a mere minute was spent on sending him off.