PT 3 changes you'd make to each prequel, to make the PT nearly universally-loved?

It's the year 2018. An alien lands beams into your room. The alien declares he's from the future and says that the survival of humanity, Earth, and all life in the universe, is at stake. The only way to save everything is to go back in time, and bring a Star Wars fan to aid George Lucas in 1996-2005, in order to make a nearly-universally-loved Prequel Trilogy. The criticism of the Prequel Trilogy that we all know, through the butterfly effect, sets off a chain of events that will eventually destroy us all. This is the only way, and the alien chose YOU to be the Star Wars fan to go back in time and focus on assisting George Lucas for those 10 years. You are invisible to everyone else, only George Lucas can see you or hear you, but he agrees to follow any advice you give him. There can still be a little criticism, they can be imperfect, but almost everyone ends up loving them anyways despite any flaws they'll still have, unlike in our current timeline.

What are the changes you'd make to each prequel, in order to make the PT just about universally-loved?

For focus and clarity, let's narrow it down to only 3 big changes you can make per episode.

Also for focus, you still have to stay true to the original Prequels, and try to change as little as possible to make it universally-loved. You can't make it completely different.

Episode I changes:
1.
2.
3.

Episode II changes:
1.
2.
3.

Episode III changes:
1.
2.
3.

Go!

 

Change the prequels to please almost everyone? I would say simply impossible. Opinions on how the prequels should have been like are just too radically different and polarized. No matter how they had turned out, there would always have been a huge amount of hate/criticism by OT fundamentalists. Now if that alien asked ME, I guess I would make some slight changes to TPM, like remove some of the sillier Jar-Jar slapstick stuff, change the way he talks, acts in the battle etc. AOTC would be tougher, possibly remove that diner setting - not scene, but its look (too earth-like for my taste), though I personally don't have a problem with it. The rest of the movie I'd probably leave completely alone, maybe improve some of the effects. I don't think I'd change anything about ROTS, again except maybe slightly update some of the effects. Otherwise I'm fine with the prequels.

 

I'd leave them as is.

 

"Hey George, add more of those CG ducks to TPM. Oh, and about eventually selling your company..."

 

So you'd allow everyone to die?

 

Yes. But I'd probably ask them first how fan aid leads to universally-loved art.

 

Hire a better script writer

Hire a better director

 

With the benefit of hindsight, and who knows about all the discussions and debates, and what a lot of other fans didn't like even if you personally did.

 

Episode I changes:
1. Make Obi-Wan a more central character who goes through a significant arc.
2. Try to not include the blood test scene as an expository way of telling us how powerful Anakin is.
3. Put a visual to "our people are dying, Senator" to better convey the threat.

Episode II changes:
1. Explore more of Anakin's political ideology and his opinions about being powerful.
2. Improve the romance dialogue
3. Instill some sense of urgency into the movie (the beginning and ending have this, but the middle feels like it's meandering). I can't think specifically of how this could be done since it would require a structural overhaul.

Episode III changes:
1. Continue to explore more of Anakin's political ideology and his opinions about being more powerful.
2. Have Anakin's turn to the dark side better incorporate three different angles: his desperation to save Padme, his political ideology, and his desire to "want more" even though he knows he shouldn't (referring to power).
3. Have Vader be angry at hearing about Padme's death, but don't have him scream "Noooo!".

I've suggested a lot of changes, but without a lot of "how". And that's because.....I'm not a screenwriter! Making movies and telling stories is difficult. I do think these things would make the movies better, and while some of them are simple changes, others require a lot of thought to actually incorporate. Taking these ideas and making coherent movies out of them is the real challenge.

 

TPM

1. Have Anakin and Padme closer in age and a more developed friendship .

2. Change the Gungans , just something not so awful .

3. change the roger-roger droids , have something that actually seems a bit dangerous .

 

TPM

1. Have Ric Ollie in it more
2. Everything Muppets
3. Justin Roiland voices everyone

AOTC

1. Have Ric Ollie in it more
2. Everything Muppets
3. Justin Roiland voices everyone

ROTS

1. Have Ric Ollie in it more
2. Everything Muppets
3. Justin Roiland voices everyone

 

I do love the PT. Bu they needed an acting coach. And that's not an insult to the actors as lots of films use them because a given director is not always good at seeing and pointing out that a particular delivery can be better or different.

 

@I Are The Internets well I suppose having Ric Ollie in it more and having him in all three movies would remove the necessity of having a George Lucas commentary track

hmmm, this is difficult but I'll try to play along.

TPM

1. I'd make Naboo to be the planet Alderaan.
2. Jar Jar is fine. But I would remove him from going with Qui-Gon and Padme on Tatooine. Not only is he unneeded but I would suspect a reptilian alien who lives in mainly aquatic habitats wouldn't last long on Tatooine to begin with. And it bothers me that Qui-Gon has no problem with Jar-Jar (a self confessed clumsy gungan no less) coming along, but doesn't want a capable handmaiden going along? k...
3. I'd probably include more Maul dialogue. His silence when having Obi-Wan hanging by a thread and when getting cut in half is slightly jarring to me.

AOTC

1. less chastising from Obi-Wan to Anakin, throughout this film I got the feeling Anakin was more of a burden and an annoyance to Obi-Wan more than anything else.
2. reinsert the scene where Dooku wields two lightsabers against Yoda (for typical fan-boy reasons)
3. have less Jedi dying in the arena. We've seen two Jedi take down almost a legion of battle droids without a scratch.

ROTS

1. have the film either be longer or in two parts (yup I know this breaks tradition but I think there is a lot of stuff going on that needs more time explore than 2 hours)
2. More Dooku instead of GG
3. Have the whole Sifo Dyas plot explained

That was actually pretty difficult

 

is this because you like Withnail and I ?

 

3 changes to the trilogy would be
1. Get someone else to write the screenplays, love GL but he's more of a world builder
2. More Maul, have him escape at the end of TPM injured but alive. Less Binks.
3. Agree to split up ROTS into 2 films to make Anakin's fall more believable.

 

Episode 3: It would have been really cool to have Palpatine slowly degrade rather than an instant transformation, like he's this vibrant stud of a senator like we see him in episode 1, then a little more pale, sickly in episode 2, like he's stressed, then worse off in episode 3. You can still have his eyes start to glow after his duel with Mace, but never put on the monster make-up during the prequels. I think that would have been much better, more subtle, and leaves it up to our imagination how he further degrades in the intervening years.

Well, I guess that covers all three. That's all I got.

 

It is difficult! But I really like what you came up with.

 

More Maul would have been great!

I definitely agree the film could have benefited from better writing of the relationship between Obi Wan and Anakin. From his first comment of "Why do I get the sense that we've picked up another pathetic life form" Obi Wan gave me the impression that he didn't want anything to do with anything or anyone he didn't deem worthy of his time for lack of a better way to phrase it. I've read alot of complaints about Anakin's back talk to his master but Obi Wan had some disrespectful lines to Qui Gon IMO.

I would have loved more action, more of the heroics and recklessness of Anakin during the Clone Wars in film rather than getting them in a cartoon series. Showcase his power and skill with the Force more in the films. Anakin reasonably could have just as easily mastered force stasis.

I also think someone needed to help George on the romance script. I get that he was going for literature type love story but it just didn't convince me, especially Portman's portrayal and delivery of several of her lines most notably the "truly deeply love you" one.

The last one for me would be Dooku. I felt like the Jedi placed too much faith? trust? in Dooku. Just because he was a former Jedi didn't mean he was incapable of lying, manipulating, murdering, etc. Windu's comment to Padme about assassination not being in his character immediately made me go WTF?

 

Honestly, I am OK with Obi-Wan being cold to Anakin in the beginning of the trilogy. As a trilogy, we see their relationship evolve (it's irrelevant IMO whether we see it on screen as SW and character development has mostly been a film to film thing. For example, mediocre Jedi-in-training Luke in ESB to badass Jedi Knight in ROTJ). Though we do see their relationship develop in ROTS with their final meeting. (And arguably in AOTC where Obi-Wan praises Anakin's tactics with "Good call, my young Padawan," Anakin accepting his duty as a Jedi, and Anakin protecting Obi-Wan from a strike, and Obi-Wan throwing his blade to give Anakin an advantage. These at least show roots to a more productive relationship now that Anakin has a war to prove himself in.)

However, back to my point, I think it gives Obi-Wan a more clearer arc that he's reluctant to train Anakin as a young man, but at the end of ROTS, fully accepts to watch over Anakin's son and train him. Shows development in his mindstate on how he will approach Luke's training. The reluctance to train Anakin that rooted in the father's relationship will no longer be a factor with the son.

 

oh I don't disagree with the essence of your post @Deliveranze I would have just have liked it diluted a bit in AOTC. It seems that EVERY comment he made about Anakin was a bit overkill. At least to me but opinions vary and all that

And indeed AOTC is still my fave out the saga *thumbs up*

 

@theMaestro and @Dandelo pretty much read my mind

 

I did rewatch AoTC this weekend and caught all the points made by @Deliveranze but I was still cringing just about everytime Obi Wan spoke to Anakin- the kid could just barely do anything right at all.

Something else I realized while rewatching it was that I didn't seem to notice this about Obi Wan in the film 16 years ago. It's only come up in recent repeat viewings.

 

I don't think Obi-Wan's frequent scolding of Anakin in AOTC stems from any sort of reluctance to train him. He had reluctance in TPM because the council sensed some kind of trouble in the future for Anakin's training. But in AOTC, it seems that he's scolding Anakin a lot because of a personality clash: Obi-Wan likes to follow the rules whilst Anakin likes doing things his own way.

I do question how much the arguing added to the overall narrative though. On the one hand, having arguments is human nature and showing a satisfying resolution to the argument can be endearing, kind of like how it was done in TPM between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. In AOTC though, I don't get that same feeling between the two. Even the pickup that was shot to "rectify" this (the elevator scene) shows Anakin seeming kind of irritated despite the intended playful tone. Personally, I wouldn't remove the arguing altogether, but a more healthy mix between arguing and endearment would've been nice.

 

Interesting....

I generally enjoy the PT, there's only a few things I'd change so this could work (for me at least).

TPM:

-Eliminate Jar Jar. Other than telling Padme he had an army, his part was completely unnecessary to the plot other than comic relief for kids. Didn't mind the Gungans though.
-Give Darth Maul more dialogue, especially in the final duel. There's lots of interesting things that could've been said there-about the Sith having been in hiding all this time, etc.
-Dialogue performed a bit "faster, more intense."

AOTC:

-Keep all Padme's home visit scenes in. This fleshes out Padme's character, as well as helps develop the Padme/Anakin love subplot.
-Rewrite the fireplace and "Before I die I want you to know" love scenes. There were much better ways those could've been handled-which would've made it work better.
-"Faster, more intense" dialogue. Certain scenes just have a feeling of...lifelessness.

ROTS:

-Reinsert the "Seeds of Rebellion" scenes. After all the "dark times" material being released with this newcanon (Solo, Rogue One, Rebels, etc.) it would mean much more now.
-Redo the "Noooooooo." I get why it's in there, but IMO it being done better would avoid much criticism.
-Not sure how this would be done, but perhaps finding more scenes to include Darth Vader in his Suit...?

 

By the time of AOTC, no, but I look at Obi-Wan's development as a process.

In TPM, a young Obi-Wan doesn't want anything to do with Anakin. He doesn't care about Anakin as a person, nor as a Jedi, and only accepts to train him because he gave Obi-Wan his word.

In AOTC, I believe Obi-Wan cares about Anakin as a person, but doesn't have faith in him as a Jedi. He's half the man Qui-Gon was (who cared for Anakin on both levels). Even symbolically, people notice Obi-Wan's look in AOTC mimics Qui-Gon's.
"His abilities have made him, well, arrogant.

In Episode III, he finds a healthy balance of himself and Qui-Gon. And he cares for Anakin as a person and Jedi. "You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you."

I can understand sentiments that their relationship seems strained in AOTC, and while both of them can come off as harshly cold to one another, I never got the feeling they despised each other. Even in their more playful moments like the Gundark scene, Anakin is obviously nervous, but even his snark towards Obi-Wan seems like "Oh, hey, gimme some credit where it's due at least, bro." And when Obi-Wan admits Anakin is right, Anakin does give a natural laugh imo but easily goes back into nervousness, implying Anakin is a bit irritated, not because of Obi-Wan, but the upcoming situation of seeing Padme again.

Even when discussing Anakin's skills with the "Only in your mind, my very young apprentice," Obi-Wan's tone is still playful and Anakin even gives him an amused look imo. Even in ANH, Luke and Han seemed constantly annoyed and disappointed in each other throughout and they barely see each other after ANH.

However, it's refreshing to see a dynamic of two arrogant people clashing with one another. Conflicting negative personalities hadn't been seen in a SW movie before. Personally, I find it entertaining. Both of them have their issues but, even though their relationship ends up badly, it isn't ruined through this film as we know how their relationship evolves during the Clone Wars and Episode 3.

Plus, the unsubtle insults from both more seem like a product of 10 years of experience. Obi-Wan raised Anakin through adolescence and still has that overly-protective/worried father vibe while Anakin is 20 years old, unable to escape dear old dad Kenobi.

While, I can see maybe, their opening scenes in Padme's apartment could have been more friendlier, BUT I see their relationship during Zam's assassination attempt and during Geonosis as basically the OT cast in ANH. There's friction but deep down the cold exteriors, there is love, which we see a bit during Geonosis.

AND while nobody on either side is saying thay they needed to be friendly throughout the trilogy, too much of friendly relationship isn't a good thing imo, I find Poe and Finn's relationship extremely forced and awkward with the whole "Hey buddy!" Shtick.