The Star Wars Prequels Still Are Not Masterpieces, But Their Story Is

Were the Star Wars prequels actual masterpieces all along? That question keeps coming up, and I do not think the honest answer is yes. But buried inside three deeply flawed movies is a story so strong that it explains why people keep going back to them.

If you have been on the internet recently, you have probably seen plenty of people arguing that the prequels were secretly great from the start. I think there are two big reasons that reappraisal has taken hold now.

Why the prequels are suddenly being called masterpieces

The first reason is that the sequel trilogy left a lot of fans disappointed, and the things the sequels did poorly are exactly what the prequels did well. The prequels have a clear story, a consistent vision, and fantastic world-building.

The second reason is nostalgia. Many of the kids who grew up with the prequels are adults now, and they view those films through rose-colored glasses because the movies were such a big part of their childhood. That kind of affection is real, but it is not the same thing as the films being well made.

Liking a movie is not the same as it being well made

This is where some of the modern reappraisal of the prequels goes a little too far. Liking a movie and thinking it is well-made are two totally different things.

What I do think is true is that the story George Lucas was trying to tell is genuinely brilliant. The idea underneath the trilogy is strong. The problem is not the story itself, it is how that story ended up on screen.

George Lucas's own admission about his weaknesses

Lucas has said, by his own admission, that he has never considered himself a particularly strong screenwriter. He has also said that he does not really enjoy directing all that much either.

What if Lucas had stepped back the way he did with the original trilogy

On The Empire Strikes Back and the final film of the original trilogy, Lucas oversaw the story while handing the reins to writers and directors who were better suited to actually executing his ideas. Had he done the same thing with the prequel trilogy, I think we might be talking about a prequel trilogy that surpassed the original films.

But that is not what happened.

A masterpiece of a story that never quite made it to the screen

So 27 years later, I want to be clear that the prequels have not suddenly become great movies.

But buried inside three deeply flawed movies is a masterpiece of a story that George Lucas never quite managed to put on the screen. That gap between the idea and its execution might be exactly why, after all these years, people keep going back to them.

Do you think the prequel trilogy could have surpassed the original films if Lucas had handed the writing and directing to someone else?