Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Hmm, it's weird. Being very familiar with the OT didn't cause me to hate the PT. I actually find it entertaining and enjoyable (for the most part) and most of my hatred for it comes from how it is utilized justify changes in the originals. I find it weird that seeing the PT first would cause someone to not enjoy the OT. I mean, is the whole thing really effects-driven?

I'd probably have a much easier time with the prequels if Lucas would just swallow his pride for a split second and actually acknowledge the OOT. His whole filmmaking/business philosophy during the mid to late 90's really hurt Stat Wars. Instead of being responsible and making his prequels to fit the originals, he changed the originals to fit the prequels before they were even made. Then, later on, he changed them even more and is bound to change them yet again. I'm sorry, but no amount of changes will ever link the originals to the prequels in an anywhere near seamless fashion.

Also, I'm really wondering what happenned between '95, when Lucas said that he'd be getting other people to direct the prequels, and '97 when he decided to do it all himself. That's just one of many things he could've done differently, but I think the biggest root of this problem tree is the SE release in '97.

EDIT: now that I think about it, he probably screwed himself out of ever getting anyone to direct the prequels after they saw what he'd done to the OT.

Star Wars in many ways belongs to the late 70's/early 80's in that it wasn't merely a product of that era but something that actually defined it. Maybe part of the problem with the prequels is that Lucas is so totally out of touch with the world and is still living in the 70's in his head, which is a bad combination. If the prequels had been made with late 90's/early 00's sensibilities by today's filmmakers it probably would've been much, much different.

I think it would've been best to leave episode IV as the only George Lucas directed film, it's pretty awkward now with I-IV bearing his name.