I remember being taken out of TLJ, where the escape pods are slowly being obliterated one by on by the First Order. People on these escape pods are looking out of the windows and seeing other escape pods with their friends, family, fellow Rebels on board being slaughtered. And there is nothing from the people on board. No reaction or emotion on their faces at all or from their bodies at all. There was no direction, or this was a shot used fro another scene, but for such an emotional moment, the Rebels being wiped out, you’d like to think they would at least try and get the little details right. But no.
The Prequels: I can’t remember any scenes either like those from the OT. Likely due to the green screen or blue screen CGI backgrounds, and the focus of direction. Unless it had a thousand ships or vehicles whizzing around in the background (“so dense, so very dense”), there wasn’t much going on like in the OT.
The same here for me. It is something lacking in many films. Perhaps it is the framing, direction, or lack of immersion in modern films, in comparison to that OT era and before?
That’s just me guessing, though.
I’m going to have to go watch Empire again, appreciate it from Kershner’s crafted and patient piece of the Star Wars universe.