Two quotes. side-by-side:
Quote
This new Vader cycle (the prequels) has split the one-time Old Republic that was Star Wars fandom into two warring factions: the Rebellion, and the normal people with a sense of perspective who don’t need a term from the Star Wars lexicon to define them. The Rebellion is populated by the joyless, cynical ubertrolls who, sadly, take up the most space on the Internet. These are the hollow men and women who marched into the prequels demanding that Lucas recapture their lost Star Wars youth for them – that simple time in their lives when they had the excuse of prepubescence to explain why they were still virgins. With that much investment in make-believe, its little wonder they emerged as more twisted by the dark side than young Skywalker himself. The rest of us who grew in the sixteen years between Jedi and Phantom Menace view the new trilogy for what it is: three movies, not three impossible-to-fulfill expectations of folks who need a bearded billionaire in flannel to dream for them.”
- Kevin Smith, Rolling Stone Magazine Interview, June 2nd 2005
Quote
"The original 'Star Wars' movies," said Parker.
"Yeah," echoed Stone. "The feeling I had when I liked it."
"That movie was our religion," said Parker. "It was basically saying, 'Hey, there's this power out there, and we can all sort of tap into it, and it's us and it's everything, and anyone can do this.' And then suddenly the new ones came out, and it's like, 'Well, no, it's all genetics. It's all in your blood.' "
"Horrible," Stone said of the prequels. "Beyond all the wooden acting and the stupid fights and all the terrible scripts, the very core of 'Star Wars' was ruined in these new ones. The idea that you're born with the force is so anti the original 'Star Wars.' Even though George Lucas made them all, he's wrong."
When asked which character they hate the most, Parker doesn't miss a beat: "Anyone in the prequels."
"Anything in any of the new ones," Stone agreed. "They don't exist to me. I don't even know what you're talking about. The new 'Star Wars' don't exist in my reality. Lucas is just an insane guy up in San Francisco now."
Strangely and ironically enough, these two parties don't really disagree with one other. Standing alone, both quotes are 50% right and 50% wrong. But again, together they don't really disagree with one other.
BTW, I consider Kevin Smith and Trey Parker/ Matt Stone are on the same level of excellence as filmmakers.