1. They Forge Their Own Identity
If there's one thing that can be said about the prequel trilogy, it's that it's unique. I don't just mean that in a smug, condescending way, either. Sure, they were at times (many times) uniquely terrible, but they absolutely forged their own identity. It's difficult to know where to start... so I'll start with the bad guys in The Force Awakens. The bad guys were Stormtroopers. They flew TIE Fighters. There were Nazi-esque generals in a big, round base that shoots a laser. I'm not saying that these things weren't great to see they absolutely were but it's undeniable that The Force Awakens leaned very heavily on elements from the original trilogy. Compare that to the prequels, which see standard battle droids, rolling Destroyer Droids, Clone troopers, General Grevious' cloaked guards (hell, Grevious himself). And while there are many amazing creatures in The Force Awakens, most of them are background elements (not you, Maz Kanata you were great). The prequels contain a bunch of unique creatures as main characters, including Watto, Boss Nass, Jar-Jar (okay, strike Jar-Jar), the reptilian Dex Jettster, again fleshing out the world. Then there's the many unique and varied settings, from underwater cities to swamplands to a planet-wide metropolis. There's planet-specific hobbies and sporting events, details on the Jedi hierarchy, details on one of the universe's governments, new ships, a Queen, new weapons... the fact is, uniqueness permeated nearly every facet of the prequels. In The Force Awakens it was sprinkled here and there on-top of familiarity. Using the fact that The Force Awakens is connected to the original trilogy isn't a particularly interesting or valid excuse, either the prequels were connected to the classic movies too, yet they didn't rely on a blend of similar elements. You can prefer The Force Awakens over the prequels all you want (it's very tough not to) but as it stands, the prequels are currently so much more their own films. What did you make of The Force Awakens in reference to the prequels? Share your take on this controversial issue down in the comments.
Brian Wilson
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Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
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