Finding My Inner Kid (or How I Learned to Love the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy)

You heard it here first. I am a big fan of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, in all of its poorly-acted glory. Of course, this wasn't always the case. I was one of those Star Wars fans who, for years, thoroughly derided the films. I grew up on the original trilogy. I spent my childhood collecting the toys and staging elaborate battles between Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker in the trees of the Ewok Village, and between Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi in the Imperial Attack Base. I even went so far as to freeze Han Solo in real ice in my freezer, which sadly causes his arms to crack off. So when the new movies came out, I was pissed. I analyzed every flaw in acting, script, and characterization. The plot, you see, was far too political and convoluted. And the heavy inclusion of droid armies, I felt, had completely removed the human element that was so rich with the original trilogy. And my god, the pacing. I mean, almost nothing happens in the first two movies, and then the third movie has enough material for at least two movies on its own. WTF? And then there was, of course, Jar-Jar, the destroyer of all that was holy about Star Wars. I could go on, but I won't. Because something really weird happened of late. My nerd rage subsided. And I actually became a fan.


I'm not sure how or why the change came about. Maybe it was having a baby boy. Or maybe it was the Buddhist thinking I've been doing of late. Whatever the reason, I was able to release myself of some delusional thinking and realize that in order to appreciate the new Star Wars trilogy I had to let go of what I wanted these movies to be (i.e. the greatest movies ever made) and accept them for what they are (which is three deeply flawed, acolescent-level sci-fi films that also happen to be spectacular triumphs of the imagination). And once I was able to let go of my expectations, turn off my overly-analytical "adult" brain, and watch the trilogy through the simple innocence of my childhood eyes (believe it or not, they do still exist), the movies suddenly became very cool. I was able to appreciate all of the aesthetics; the spaceship designs, the costumes, the sprawling city landscapes. And I found myself thoroughly enjoying the plot, the philosophy, and yes, even the dialogue. And, while I don't think that I'll be laughing at Jar-Jar's jokes any time soon, these movies have become worthy parts of the Star Wars canon in my eyes, for which I'm thankful. They really are incredibly imaginative films and I look forward to watching them with my son (not to mention buying him the toys and seeing him come up with his own playful reenactments of the movies most iconic scenes). So, in commemoration of my newfound appreciation of the prequel trilogy, here are three of the most iconic scenes from the new Star Wars movies.

Episode One: The Phantom Menace

Episode Two: Attack of the Clones

Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith