PT Is it just me or do the prequels seem to be "cool" again by people? (see warnings on pgs. 9-12)

Well other than the obvious Ray Park appearance, who always gets a pass as being the only thing of interest from the prequel era, and the appearance by Hayden and a couple video messages by prequel actors at the 40th Anniversary panel, I was struck with how the prequels got about as little attention at Celebration 2017 as they did at Celebration 2015. If anything, I've felt the opposite of the PT becoming cool again. With this new resurgence of SW and the release of six films in consecutive years starting in 2015, the feeling I've gotten is more or less that the PT can finally be brushed under the rug a bit, even by LucasFilm and Disney, and the focus can now be realigned to the ST and Anthologies. I've never heard this being overtly stated anywhere, it's just a feeling I've gotten now having been more involved in the SW community over the last couple years. In 2015 I figured, okay, trying to keep the focus on the OT which leads into TFA. But this past Celebration, again, very little, noticeably little, PT presence at Celebration. Ian McDiarmid touches on it a bit in his panels, Daniel Logan and Temuera Morrison get some notice, some Padme or other PT character cosplay, a few battle droid models, Ray Park obviously, and that was pretty much it along with Hayden's appearance, and even that seemed like it was more for the 40th than it was to represent the PT. And I think the only reason Hayden got such an ovation was because he is Darth Vader himself before he became Darth Vader. It's more an appreciation of the character he played and the central role that character has in the SW saga. But even amongst fans and all the SW discussions taking place, not a whole lot of discussion that involved the PT. So maybe what you've seen is just that people have begun to categorize the PT like they do with shows like the Clone Wars and Rebels. Some like it, some don't, but it's there, it's separate, and nobody's really against it. Maybe it's not exactly that it's becoming cool again to like them, perhaps it's more that it's not as cool anymore to hate them, and thus, people have let their guard down about them and are more okay with them than they have been before. Which might seem like people like them more. I don't know.

 

Hate has simmered down, the people who were mad at Lucas for not following the exact same narrative of the OT are satisfied that the ST seems to be following it 1:1 with very little originality thrown into it. The generation that grew up with it are now old enough or are getting old enough to have a voice in the fandom. Someone said everything is balancing out and that's a perfect way to look at it. Prequel hate was always overblown by the fandom as a whole.

 

I'd say prequel hate percolated across the internet and a very misleading impression was given that everybody or most everybody hated the prequels. That was never true but the illusion was a strong one. PT fans are getting older and are more willing to admit they liked/loved the prequels and the attitude promoted by RLM has indeed faded or receded somewhat.

 

I think it has to do with the millennial generation coming of age and being nostalgic for their childhood too. TPM is my least favorite Star Wars but man the build and hype and seeing that movie still resonates with me even though the movie doesn't hold up at all.

 

It's the old adage: You don't really appreciate something until it's gone.

Plus, because Lucas is no longer the controller/overseer of the whole shebang, he can't actually be blamed for anything as he was non-stop in the "prequel"/pre-sale era.

The animus toward Lucas has died down; and that in itself has a softening effect, I think. Lucas is no longer "holding people back", to pseudo-quote Anakin, from enjoying the prequels in a fuller way. The beam has been removed from the crotchety, prequel-resisting mind's eye.

And then there is the sense (the corollary of what was just described above), as rpeugh alluded to...

Now such "excesses" look more like quirks or arabesque hints of a man ahead of his time. Intimations of personality and creativity perhaps less detectable in the new crop of movies from a big corporation that have suddenly been met (for the most part) with roaring acclaim. But hey, hang on, this grey-haired, bearded, round-spectacled, flannel-shirt-loving fellow... maybe his movies are actually a touch artistic??!!

People are kind of allowing themselves to enjoy the prequels and explore or release a latent fondness for them; and letting formerly suppressed feelings float more freely to the surface. Jar Jar. Was he really so bad? Anakin. Maybe he really does have a well-defined character and background! Padme. Dignified and sadly compelling. Qui-Gon. A Jedi badass. The planets, the ships, the action scenes. Imagination station! The political storyline? OMG... There actually *is* one!

For the first time ever, I think some people are now beginning to see the prequels in all their Technicolor glory. The rainbow light is breaking on through. It is time for the prequels to be embraced and for everyone to paint the world Jar Jar.

 

It's all r/PrequelMemes, they're the one's doing it.

 

We need a prequel version of "Cool Japan":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Japan

 

They're the vocal internet generation now, the younguns' that were in elementary when TPM came out. Those of us that were in our 20's have kind of moved on from the RLM videos, script re-writes and hateful arguments.The camps are divided and the lines are drawn. The new battlefield will be the ST, but the "you probably like the Prequels!" attitude rears it's head pretty quickly.

 

Much of this hate comes from ignorance. Haters don't understand the filmmakers mind. Lucas was alone doing the prequels, it's not because he was evil and wanted to make the worst movie ever. Remember Lucas directed and wrote A New Hope, a good movie.

 

Same as he directed and wrote Menace, Clones and Sith, also good movies, well... the second and third certainly are. It's still legal to not really love TPM, but if you dislike AOTC or ROTS you will never ever be taken seriously as a true SW fan and will be legally banned from any further SW fandom
We prequel appreciators are becoming more and more powerful and vocal, so haters better watch out. The days when you could spew your hatred and even had people applaud you are over, once and for all. Your supporter and "new hope for SW" Jar Jar Abrams has proven that he is utterly incapable of making an even marginally acceptable SW movie. He has failed you!! So now it's time to re-evaluate what is good and what is crap SW. Be prepared for the revenge of the prequels!!

 

I'm pretty sure that the majority of SW fans would disagree.

 

Let them! Let's just wait another couple of years and us prequel fans might just end up being the majority. Time will tell!

That was satire by the way, not to be taken TOO literally!

 

Prequel trilogy will never be good. People will like it perhaps for pity. It will forever be critically panned.

 

In my case, this admiration or the prequels took about a decade or more. There are still parts of the films I dislike but I've come to appreciate George's dedication to their creation. And I love Episode One now. It wasn't that way back in 2000-2004.

 

Oh, so you are prescient? Wow! I remember back in the 70s there were similar negative attitudes concerning Jaws or ANH. They were sure those movies would be failures. Reality proved them wrong. As we can see from this thread the prequels have come up with a pretty solid and increasing fan base. So don't be so sure how future generations will regard them. Many predictions in the past have turned out to be hopelessly wrong.

 

I mean, technically they aren't critically panned. TPM and AOTC have mixed reviews at worst, and ROTS was critically acclaimed.

Panned is more like the Transformers movies or Batman vs. Superman (another film I think is critically underrated).

 

^ Actually the first Transformers movie was somewhat critically acclaimed. I think the big excuse among most critics was that the movie "at least knew that it was crap". Which is my most hated defense of a bad movie.

 

From my perspective at the time, the hate seemed to be coming from people that were only casual (if that) SW movie goers to begin with. The friend you invited to the Special Edition releases and only went because you went to some of their movies you didn't love. Then a whole new trilogy came out and they had to put their foot down. They *did their time* with your Special Edition rewatch. Now they just had to come straight up and tell you "SW just isn't that great for me."

All the friends I grew up with loving SW loved the prequels. Even the RLM dude has been dropping hints he was never really a SW fan.

As far as a change? The people that mercilessly trashed the PT are still doing so. Those that loved/liked yet had some issues with the PT might be pulling a Darth Vader and looking at these people now and thinking "Ya know what? You're just kind of a miserable dick. Who holds such a strong grudge over a movie they don't like to this degree for almost two decades? Down the shaft you go."

 

ugh......

They never were critically panned. Some of the most prominent big name critics gave them ALL good reviews.

 

My goodness! We have prophets in this forum that know the future of the cinema industry. I‘m amazed.
Now if I‘m serious, is better first to know the present. Like for example the fact that the internet rant is not the same as critical arguments against these movies and they are indeed few as others already pointed out.

 

I don't think so because everywhere I go , I get dirty looks when I say I love the PT

 

Do that many people even care? My experience is that most of the non hardcore fans are mostly indifferent.

 

Emperor Ferus well I exaggerated , I suppose. But most of the time when I meet a Star Wars fan & I say I enjoyed the prequels they are shocked

 

Makes sense. It's a shame that liking a movie can turn people against one another.

 

I agree, Emperor Ferus. I'm an opinionated person but I never treat others different over a movie.. Especially if it is Star Wars