Star Wars is one of the most successful movie franchises out there, but it has definitely had its ups and downs. As most fans are aware, the original trilogy is considered to be the best, probably because they were very innovative at the time and bring back lots of nostalgia for fans. The prequels, however, are not regarded at the same level as the originals. Films such as The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are considered mediocre compared to the older movies.

Despite this, I have always loved these three movies for what they are, and I do not think they are as bad as some fans like to say they are. A big topic of debate among Star Wars fans has been comparing the prequels to the newer sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX). While these movies are good, I still think they do not compare to the prequels.

This could just be nostalgia speaking here, but I much prefer the prequels to the sequels. I think they add more to the overall story of Star Wars than the newer movies do. Although some characters and scenes are unnecessary, I think they bring an early 2000’s charm to these films. This is a reason that some don’t like the prequels: the characters. Some common complaints about the characters are that some such as Jar Jar and others are annoying and don’t do anything for this story.

While there are some characters that are unnecessary, I think the prequels overall have better characters than the sequels. Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi alone make these three movies so much more interesting. Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker tries to include a romantic dynamic between Kylo Ren and Rey. This seems forced and not something that feels like it belongs in the story. In the prequels, however, Anakin and Padme’s relationship is much more natural, as it takes place over two movies and does not seem like a last-minute decision to add.

I also prefer the writing and how the characters behave in the prequels. Going back to Episode IX, which is by far the worst Star Wars movie in my opinion, the writing seems lackluster. One specific line that fans always make fun of online is “Somehow, Palpatine returned”, with nothing else provided. It is a lazy way of delivering the story without providing context or how he returned.

I think the prequels have a clearer direction which exists throughout the movies. Of course, this is easier to do since they take place before the original movies. Speaking of the original movies, the prequels do a great job of showing what led up to the events of Episode IV- A New Hope. Specifically in Revenge of the Sith, we see how Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side of The Force and eventually becomes Darth Vader.

The sequence of events in the sequels feels like the writers ran out of ideas at times. There are lots of scenes that seem like filler just to make the movie longer. There are also scenes like this in the prequels, but there are not nearly as many, and they seem to make more sense overall.

One more aspect of the prequels that people do not like is that they don’t look great. To a certain extent, I agree with this statement. In the early days of CGI, this was what they had to work with, and the animators did the best they could. For the time, the early 2000’s, I think the movies look pretty good. The animated cities, planets, and species look good enough, even today. Of course, the newer movies are going to look better because of better technology and resources. While the prequels may not look as good as the sequels, that doesn’t mean they are bad.

Overall, I prefer the prequels because of the better characters, storytelling, and unique locations and species. While the newer movies are decent, they do not feel the same as the others. They lack a certain charm that the prequels and the original trilogy have that make them memorable.