Why The Star Wars Prequels Aren't As Bad As You Remember
7. The Action Still Holds Up
Even though lightsaber battles have always been a huge draw of Star Wars, the duels in the original series had pretty basic choreography. While watching Obi-Wan Kenobi shuffling around during his face off against Darth Vader in A New Hope, it's hard to believe this Jedi knight was once feared across the galaxy for his fighting prowess
Although the prequels failed to capture the same magic as the original Star Wars, The Phantom Menace was the first film to depict the Jedi in their prime. As entertaining as the action sequences are in the prequels, it was the lightsaber fights that had us in awe.
The recent Star Wars sequels decided to go a different route by making the lightsaber battles more brutal and visceral, to avoid looking too polished and choreographed.
Although you have to commend this decision, there's no question the battles in the prequels left a far larger impression. If you haven't seen the movies in years, you are still more likely to remember Darth Maul taking on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan or Yoda battling Darth Sidious than almost any action sequence in the more recent entries.