George Lucas' Star Wars prequels remain one of the most maligned film trilogies of all time, but they are not without their defenders. Now, Mark Hamill has added his own voice to the chorus of fans who believe the prequels are not without merit.
Prior to the 1999 release of the first installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace, anticipation for the franchise's return to the silver screen after over a decade reached then-unprecedented levels. Unfortunately, The Phantom Menace debuted to a lot of fanfare but ultimately received negative feedback from critics and fans, a sentiment that would only continue, for the most part, with the later releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Much of the criticism directed towards the Star Wars prequel trilogy focused on the less-than-stellar writing, poor performances from otherwise talented actors, and an over-reliance on CGI over practical effects and sets. However, perhaps the biggest issue fans had with the prequels was the lack of adventure and fun that had been a staple of the original Star Wars trilogy. Instead, the prequels focused on political machinations and were relatively darker. While most fans were disappointed that prequels had very little of the charm that catapulted the original Star Wars films to financial and critical success, Mark Hamill recently defended them for having their own identity and noted that he was "impressed" by the trilogy during an interview for J.W. Rinzler's book Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life. "They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial," Hamill said. "It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films, but across the board."
Hamill is certainly not above criticizing the Star Wars films. Prior to the release of writer and director Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the second chapter of Disney's sequel trilogy, Hamill openly discussed his disagreement with the filmmaker over Luke Skywalker's characterization in the film. While Return of the Jedi concluded the original Star Wars trilogy with Luke becoming a heroic Jedi Master, The Last Jedi brought the character back as a bitter and distraught hermit who had exiled himself after failing to prevent his nephew, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, from falling to the dark side, which ultimately led to the dissolution of the new Jedi order. While Hamill has since regretted discussing his disagreement with Johnson publicly and praised the filmmaker for making a great film, many fans agree with the Star Wars icons assessment of how Luke Skywalker was written in The Last Jedi.
So, while some might dismiss Hamill's defense of the Star Wars prequels as a member of the franchise's family sticking up for one of their own, the man behind Luke Skywalker has not shied away from voicing his criticism in the past. Plus, Hamill is not the only one to credit the prequels for at least having their own identity, especially after Disney's sequel trilogy has been criticized by some for repeating the same narrative beats as the original Star Wars films.
Still, those who grew up on the Star Wars prequels are far more generous towards the trilogy, even while acknowledging their flaws. In fact, Leslye Headland has noted that she was inspired by the prequels when developing her upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte for Disney Plus.
The Star Wars saga is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: IndieWire