Recently watched TPM on mute, I appreciated it a lot more just by taking it all in visually, so much great design and I could follow the story pretty well despite having not seen it in a long time. I’ve heard another good thing to try if you hate the line delivery is to watch the prequels dubbed in a foreign language with subtitles. Moments still took me out of the movie but they were fewer and farther between, the acting is the biggest fish of the problem, that improves with each prequel.
TPM also I can understand feeling underwhelming to those who really would have preferred to see the characters they already loved in an episode 7, instead it feels like the pilot of a tv series or like the first or second Harry Potter. So it feels like a rejection of the new characters made worse by wooden performances and an overall resistance to change leaving a bad impression. I can admit I just didn’t grow up with these movies first and it does influence my bias, but I’ve come to welcome the prequels to the table when I consider the generation that would actually grow up watching 1-6 in order and don’t have an implicit bias. Anyone is allowed to ignore them but I don’t really think a Gungan is dumber than an Ewok. The way I remember the theatrical releases most people at the time were confused by the sleeker ships and droid technology, and that they wanted to cut to the chase and see Anakin become Darth Vader. But it starts lighthearted and slow and people got impatient. The OT is a classic many fans don’t want tampered with, for some that includes backstory.
George mentioned the last bits in interviews in the 80’s and 90’s.
“If the first trilogy is social and political and talks about how society evolves, Star Wars is more about personal growth and self realization, and the third deals with moral and philosophical problems. The sequel is about Jedi Knighthood, justice, confrontation, and passing on what you have learned.”
I will attach the 90’s quote when I find it.
It really makes me sad to consider what may have been if he made his Sequels. It feels like a natural progression.