Are the 'Star Wars' prequels the worst movies of all time?

Revenge of the Sith

I am a fan of great bad movies. Films like Showgirls and The Room are in a class by themselves. And these films have a certain charm because the filmmakers were earnestly trying to make something great and just failed miserably. George Lucas' Star Wars prequels constitute a very different kind of colossal failure. They are the results of thousands of craftspeople and man hours to be sure, but they are also some of the most cynical and soulless movies ever produced.

I used to try to convince myself that Revenge of the Sith was a good film and that Attack of the Clones at least had a few dazzling moments, but after repeatedly watching the brilliantly subversive online reviews of "Mr. Plinkett", I have begun to think that all three films, especially the reviled Phantom Menace are cinematic atrocities of the highest order.

And I say this as an enormous, unabashed fan of the original Star Wars trilogy (who is cautiously optimistic about the J.J. Abrams film coming this December, which aims to continue the saga). Those films, all three of them, are cohesive, emotionally-fulfilling and funny. I would go so far as to argue that they rank among (if not at the top) of the greatest cinematic trilogies of all time.

So what went so horribly wrong? Documentaries like The People vs. George Lucas and Mr. Plinkett's YouTube reviews explain the prequels' deficiencies at great length and excruciating detail. I will add my voice to the chorus, and will make the point that what makes the films so galling is that they could have been great, and yet so many poor decisions were made during the filmmaking process that we are now stuck with them. That is, of course, unless somebody at Disney or whichever studio owns the rights decides to remake them -- which I actually hope they do, because these three films can only be improved upon.

Anakin Skywalker evolution into Darth Vader could have been compelling, it was a story that Star Wars fans wanted to see, but for reasons that can largely be attributed to greed, Lucas put an emphasis on "stuff" instead of substance.

Now, we're stuck with three films that not only pilfer (in some cases full scenes) what we loved from the originals, it almost deliberately detracts from their magic and originality.

Essentially these films rank among the worst for me because they were a vehicle to sell merchandise. And yes, while most modern commercial movie-making has similar goals, there has been at least enough creative spark in products like the Avengers films to suggest that the people behind the camera wanted to actually tell stories as opposed to just make money.

The last film of the prequel trilogy came out 10 years ago, which I guess it what motivated me to look back on these disappointments now.

Again, I used to defend these movies, out of affection for the Star Wars universe, but also because as a fan you almost wanted to will yourself to like them, because they were the only Star Wars game in town.

The trailers always looked phenomenal and you'd get excited for a moment of cinematic bliss, like when Yoda lifted Luke's X-wing out of the swamp in Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back (still one of my favorite moments in movies). And yet, even as I write that I can barely recall a single memorable moment from any of the prequels.

The two moments that come to mind as even remotely noteworthy are Yoda fighting with a lightsaber, which really was gimmicky in retrospect and the scene where Anakin is burned alive and transitions to become Vader (which, I will admit, was pretty cool). Everything else is a talky, poorly acted blur.

Speaking of a blur -- the visual effects which overwhelm all three of these movies, don't even look good now. They are the worst kind of rubbery CGI. Entire sets for the most part were shot on soundstages with blue screens, so no one appears to be really interacting with the space they're in or the people they're talking to.

The worst part of it all is -- that each one of them was an enormous hit. In fact, the worst one of them all -- the inert and culturally tone deaf Phantom Menace -- still ranks among the most financially successful films of all time. So Lucas won and we, the fans, lost.

Still, nothing can diminish the impact of the original trilogy, in fact the prequels only enhanced how great the storytelling, characters and action was in those movies.

And I may get duped again. The Force Awakens has a similar vibe to the prequels in some ways. A title that invites more derision than excitement and a trailer that is eye popping but short on actual story. Yet, my love for this universe is so strong I am willing to take a chance on it.

I just hope the force is with me.