PT Rewriting the Prequels...

Overall, I enjoyed the PT quite a bit. The number one criticism seems to be the love scenes. I even laugh with videos like Honest Trailers where they really bring you the worst of scenes followed with "ewww" commentary. The funny thing is that Padme seems to be his first (and only) love interest. When I think back about my first love interest and how I went about turning it into a relationship, smooth would not be the adjective I'd use to describe my moves. So incredibly awkward first love might not be all that unnatural a depiction when all is said and done.

Then you have "kid Ani". I don't really have a problem with him being so young. However, I would probably reimagine his entire space battle sequence. When he was pod racing, he wasn't racing as a wide-eyed kid. He had an intense look on his face. The focus of an adult. So I'd keep that Anakin and ditch the yipee Anakin in the space battle. He wouldn't accidentally be forced into the battle via auto-pilot. He'd have the skills to simply figure it out and even fly with some "natural piloting" ability. He'd go simply because he isn't the type to sit on the sidelines when he thinks he can help.

He'd do relatively well in the battle, but eventually he'd take some serious damage. He wouldn't be the hero. He'd be severely injured and in a flash, his youthful innocence would be shattered by the reality that this is dangerous stuff and simply having good intent isn't a guarantee for success. Worse, the news of Qui-Gon's death adds to his rude awakening to life as an adult.

This would put the seed for Darth's turn to melancholy so his AOTC appearance would feel about where you'd expect somebody with dreams shattered at such an early age. It would enhance the "tragedy of Anakin" as his personality was shaped by early trauma.

 

More real deserts.

A proto Death Star in at least one movie.

Episode III needed Vader killing all the Jedi with no dialogue or plot.

It needed more 1977.

It needed less "flashy" swordfights and more realistic lightsaber and super powers fights.

Also needed to be rated R.

 

How about you eliminate the Trade Federation from The Phantom Menace, it needlessly delayed the Clone Wars and honestly, for a series that is not always famous for realistic villains, those baddies really took the cake in terms of unbelievable and eye-rolling villains, and this is coming from a guy who not only generally tries to avoid sounding petulate, but also doesn't even hate the prequels that much. Just kick off with the Confederacy of Independent systems, it's not going to change the plot that much.

 

Don't forget... Vader's wife should be pregnant already at the start of Episode I. And the Jedi should all dress like Luke in ROTJ, because that's of course a Big Freaking Deal as we all know. Also the Jedi have to be perfect with no flaws at all.

It also has to be filmed with 35mm film. The grainier the better. It doesn't even have to be color. And probably James Cagney should've played Dooku.

 

I'd actually embrace those slavery overtones to make people realize that something is wrong with the way the clones are treated, to raise questions about the value of human life, even if it came about artificially.

That being said, I'd gleefully embrace everything you suggested!

 

I'm rewatching the prequels again. TPM used to be at the bottom for me, but it's now close to RotS. Jar Jar doesn't really bother me that much as before, though he still does...but the movie actually isn't super poorly directed. It's not great or anything, but it is pretty classic George and fine.

It's AotC that has now taken bottom spot and while I was quick to blame Lucas for the sitting around direction style...I've changed my mind. Yes, at the end of the day, the man's accountable for everything, but I can't blame him as a director as much as I presumed to before. The pacing and editing are what earns this movie the bottom spot and no other reason. The clunky dialogue actually works even with the actors including Hayden. I noticed the discrepancy is between scenes where it's just human beings and no or minimal CG going on versus completely created CG scenes where it was all that one guy in charge whose able to convince George to go along with what he says, based on the behind the scenes stuff.

Prime example of scenes that work. Tatooine. All of it. Whether with Watto or Schmi/Sand People or at the farm with the Lars. Every single scene flows and the dialogue works - because George was actually directing people on sets with objects to interact with. Even Watto.

This isn't a war on CG nor CG vs practical. I love CG and the attempts to use and learn from it in its usage.

The scenes that don't work. Every single one is when it's an entire environment that has to be created. The earliest ones: Obi-Wan and Anakin on an elevator. Obi-Wan and Anakin talking in a fake apartment. Obi-Wan and Anakin in the speeder. The dialogue itself is still very George and Star Warsy. It's that when these scenes were all shot, even though there were humans interacting with each other, the whole scene was put together with minimal George or even anyone with a directorial capability. George even talks about this great ability to create entire scenes in post. That's great; the problem is the guys fooling around and creating the scenes never really had that skill and were just creating a piece from parts. So the human parts and any back-and-forth rapports were gone because they were not very skilled at pauses and flow. The editing and pace seemed way off because these guys broke apart the line deliveries to fit their purposes...some I suspect to fit already existing parts of the score made available to them.

So many pregnant pauses in AotC. Not so much a rewrite, but I would be very interested to see a skilled director/editor take a crack at redoing the entire movie. The score would be the hardest thing to synch, but sure let's try it. I have all the faith in Ben Burtt, and though I bring up editing and pacing, I don't really blame him at all. That guy is a master. He had to put together the film along with George with the score. It's not his fault that most scenes were already constructed prior to his hands touching them.

I'd love to see what could be done with all the very soap-opera shot scenes, everything. I bet that even with the sand dialogue and such, every single scene would flow much better once someone with an understanding of how people just...talk...is handed the keys. Again, Tatooine scenes, some of the Anakin and Padme scenes, even characters talking in a circle scenes...they're totally fine!! I really feel strongly that this has to be the reason for it - that the scenes didn't have to be created really; they were pretty much just done and FX and other CG added in around and within them as opposed to shots and snippets of actors' performances inserted as elements of a scene. In other words, a scene that exists on "film" doesn't carry a flow any more like a timeline or chronology, guiding where and when other elements can be inserted to expand, enhance and be enrich the presentation. Instead, it's an actual blank canvas with nothing but a script and no one resembling even an animation director (in essence with an actual storytelling talent/skill) to direct a scene; they instead had experts in ILM magic and mastery, which is great, put together what's in the script, storyboards and animatics...but they're lacking that "eye" and even ears of experiencing...a scene of interest that is engaging.

It's far too late to reshoot actual scenes, even if everything is green-screen chroma-keyed environments - reiterating that the process wasn't ever really the problem. It was the shooting just stuff and elements from a checklist. But with what materials and resources that they do have, and I admit that this approach is pretty much exactly the same complaint I have, I think that with a proper guiding hand, AotC recreated can instantly become a way better film than it is.

ITA: Rob Coleman - That's the guy I think should be held most accountable for the weaknesses in AotC and RotS. He's really not a very good storyteller.

 

Id put everything into two movies.
1) Anakin is ~33 years old. The Clone Wars time. Focus on numerous Jedi deaths - > Anakin becomes more and more violent avenging them - > Council more and more alienate Anakin cause of that - > Palpatin becomes more and more like a father figure for Anakin. Romance with Padme blossoms. Anakin and Obi-Wan acts like a battle brothers on various missions. Main villain is Count Dooku. Movie ends on the Palpatin's kidnapping.

2) Basically RotS plus flashbacks from Anakin's past (death of mother). Given the context of the first movie Anakin's turn to the Dark Side would look much more believable and logical. Anakin is more brutal guy, honorable but engulfed with hatred towards Confederation, doubts in Council who alienated him and tried to make him a spy, fear of Padme's loss and realizing that he is too violent for a Jedi. All of that made a crack in his morality barrier and let Palpatin to turn him into the Dark Lord. Honorable man fell cause of war, fear, egoism and help of Papatin/Council. Ofc, Benicio Del Toro as Anakin could be a great choice.


It can also be easily made into a trilogy, but then the first movie would be about exclusively Anakin's youth(loss of mother of course to make RotS free of flashbacks)+ Obi-Wan's investigation of the Clone Army's creation. Anakin is ~18 years old and have some warm feelings towards Senator Amidala.

I think the large part of TPM and AotC was a waste of time. One of the prequels should have been totally devoted to the Clone Wars. Its a good place for Anakin's development as the Tv-Series shows.

 

• No TPM, start immediately with Episode 2
• Replace the Dooku character with Darth Maul
• No Qui-Gon, in the OT Obi-Wan makes it clear Yoda taught him. I see no reason to change that
• Don't introduce the concept of a "Sith". This is ticky-tack, but Sith aren't mentioned in the OT
• Extensive re-writes of dialog, specifically anything involving the love story.
• Do a better job with the "immolation scene". Have Obi-Wan actually win the battle, not just jump to higher ground.

That's all I can think about for now.

 

I've posted in this thread before a long time ago, but I never quit thinking about this topic. I've re-written the PT several different times in multiple different ways. In doing so, it's really interesting how many things GL got so brilliantly correct in crafting this story. You can see the kind of contextual limitations that he operated within when creating the PT.

Unlike the OT, certain things "have" to be done. And they have to be done in a certain order. He was so, so close. I truly think George out-smarted himself in making the PT. He was over-ambitious and it bit him when certain casting and environmental factors didn't pan out. But the general blueprint was very sound (aside from making the *entire* first film an extended prologue), and the visuals couldn't have been better.

I also think GL writing this story at this particular time in American history caused him some major problems. That's a completely different thread, but the real way you write the PT from a political perspective is a centralization vs. de-centralization (federal vs. local) narrative. And that was basically impossible in the American context because in the American historical context the States' Rights crowd (i.e. classical republicanism) is associated with racism and slavery while the U.S. Centralizers (Lincoln, TR, FDR) are widely celebrated. It's difficult to craft a story in which Palpatine is most closely analogous to Abraham Lincoln.

This out-of-universe reality seriously muddled what GL could do in his in-universe GFFA story. The bad guys like Palpatine pushing for Centralization (Empire) should have been starkly opposed by the forces of home rule (republicanism or States' Rights) and it should have been a reoccurring theme the audience felt over and over and over. That's what the basic fight is about. But that didn't (or couldn't) happen, and it's majorly confusing when you watch the PT because the Republic itself already seems like an Empire that's simply missing a centralized military. It's already broken. We don't get to know why the Republic is revered or special in the first place because it already seems like it sucks, so when it falls it doesn't hurt.

I think GL realized this about the United States in the 1990s but couldn't craft a workable way to explain it in 6 hours of on-screen time.

Anyway -- the main changes I'd make to the PT really revolve around the bigger issues of the trilogy.

• The same actor (a different one) would play Anakin for all three films.
• Anakin would be 18-20 years old in Episode I.
• Episode I would be a "Top Gun in Space" sort of story. The invasion of Naboo...the Queen fleeing...all of that can stay. Anakin should have been an ace pilot at an elite academy who they encountered that helped them. And in doing so, he meets Amidala and Kenobi and is introduced to Love and the Force. And they journey goes from there.
• The Clones would be the clear-cut baddies from the very beginning of Episode I. No Droid Army -- Clones vs. Republic throughout. Palpatine still controls both sides.
• The Jedi would be mysterious and secretive. No public presence on Coruscant. The Temples would be on a remote and hidden world...away from the center of power and politics. The Jedi are mythical to the people of the GFFA too.
• The Republic would be portrayed differently -- not as a centralized Empire-in-Waiting. The Senate would be filled with "Star Systems' Rights" (local control) idealistic statesmen...not a corrupt body of push-overs.
• The Army of the Galactic Republic would be sanctioned for creation at the end of Episode I in order to fight the Clones.
• Palpatine would be granted emergency Imperial Executive powers at the end of Episode II after the Clones devastate Coruscant.
• For all three films, General Grievous (renamed without Grievous) would be the leader of the Clone Army and be the public face of evil for people in the Republic -- he's Napoleon under the bed or Hitler at the doorstep, as far they're concerned.
• Darth Maul (renamed with no Darth) would be the behind-the-scenes assassin of Palpatine that engaged the Jedi. Anakin would tap into his own anger and the Dark Side to slay Maul at the end of Episode II.
• The gorgeous Royal Starship from TPM would be the "Millennium Falcon" of the trilogy...serving as an iconic "home" base/ship.
• Jar-Jar was a brilliant concept....re-work him so he's a respectable character and not an annoying clown.

I won't bore anyone (who has bothered to actually read this far!) with the extensive drafts, but these are the basic points of the story that could have been rethought to produce a more engaging and effective trilogy in my opinion.

 

TPM
-Make Qui-Gon a supporting character, or don't have him in the films at all.
-Darth Maul lives and is the villain for the next few movies
-The duel is between Obi-Wan and Maul
-Jar Jar completely revised, doesn't accompany the heroes throughout the movie
AOTC
-Dooku plays a role similar to Grand Moff Tarkin. Maul and Sidious are the two Sith.
-No Tusken Slaughter
-Duel at the end with Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Maul
ROTS
-Maul killed by Anakin
-Dooku dies on Utapau, no General Grievous
-Anakin's turn isn't so quick

 

Guess this thread works. I just can't help imagining Obi-Wan and Anakin in this scene from X-Men First Class. And not just because James McAvoy totally looks like a young Obi, and Michael Fassbender would totally pass as a young Vader. From 1:21 onwards especially I could totally see that as a young Obi and Ani talking.

 

Funny...I always thought Fassbender could have been a great younger Obi Wan!

 

Really, McAvoy would be kind of perfect

 

11-4D Yeah...I can see that

I give you...

 

DP sorry

 

Yeah, I guess. I think he's more suited as Vader. Big imposing manly dude, with a powerful commanding voice.

Damn, now I actually want them to redo the prequels with these dudes.

 

A lot of the people here listing the changes they would make would really like Rebels. Essentially, I see it as the general old school fan's love letter to what they were hoping for in the prequels.

There's the feel, combined with looking at Ezra as Anakin and Kanan as Obi-Wan...

 

George shouldn't have written these films. He is good at crafting stories but terrible at screenwriting. The problem is: people respected Lucas.. too much. There are rumours that Carrie Fisher and Frank Darabont were approched to write the script but both declined, saying "oh Lucas you should write the movie you are so genious!" Lawrence Kasdan also turned down for the same reason.

In a parallel universe I'm sure there are alternate versions of us discussing what is so brilliant about the prequels.

 

hes so terrible he got nominated 2 times for an oscar for best screenwriting.

 

And Crash won Best Picture against Fargo.

 

I think Fargo lost to Crash because it came out eight years too early to be considered in the year that Crash won Best Picture.

 

...

Wait, then what the heck am I thinking of?

...

Ok, it was the English Patient, not Crash.

Sue me.

 

^ I'll see you in court then.

 

1. Oscar means nothing.
2. He had a lot of help when writing A New Hope. The first drafts of The Star Wars presented a confusing story, too much characters, so many things going. Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck rewrote the bad aspects of the script. Also, Harrison Ford improvised most of his lines.

 

1. I agree, looking at you Nolan.
2. Not really, Lucas wrote a few drafts (I strongly believe that the technical limits of the 70s were the reason he changed so much) and then asked his buddys Katz and Huyck to improve/sharpe dialogue. And Ford improvised one scene with the imperial officer on the DS. And he did the same on Empire with the "I know" Line.

I also wanna mention that Kasdan turned down working on the Prequels, or TPM at least, because he a. wanted to make his own movies (Mumford & Dreamcatcher)and b. Lucas asked him only a few weeks before principal photography if he can do the same like he did on Empire and Jedi...... improving the dialogue/relationships between the characters.

Source: The Baltimore Sun