I grow weary of oft-repeated opinions and claims lacking sufficient support. It is common to see the riot mentality propel a loose-footed idea into the public sphere with the intention of making it a universal truth. Some are designed as pre-packaged quips for one to utter in order to feel accepted and credible in the standing of their relevant society. Cheap tricks, I say!
Here is a list of such cheap tricks, in no particular order:
- Nickelback is a terrible, awful musical group.
- Nintendo is dead and irrelevant in the video game industry.
- The National Basketball Association lacks true defensive play.
- Cheaters. That is who the New England Patriots are.
- The Star Wars prequel trilogy was forgettable.
The last item strikes drives me anger; the second comes in a close second-place but will not be discussed here.
Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III indeed were lesser of films compared to their original counterparts, but who is to say that each of these films hold no value? Truly, there are issues and shames abound in them. Uncomfortably stilted dialogue, lethargic pacing, and an over-abundance of CGI mar the movies. I hold these complaints suitable regarding the filmmaking aspect. However, these hold no merit when it comes to the story building and the lore of Star Wars.
My annoyance with people scoffing and dismissing the Prequels with ease has been compounded with the equal of ease people have accepted Episode VII. Suddenly, planet Earth is a Star Wars enthusiast again! While this should be a joyous moment, I curmudgeonly grit against this.
I cry, "Where were you when times were difficult for Star Wars? What had you said when the Prequels were easy targets? How flimsy is your loyalty to Star Wars?"
I will cease digressing after this: those who joined in the stoning and mocking of the Prequels but now lavish in the thrills of The Force Awakens are not true Star Wars fans.
There, it is done; what was just said and written is therapeutic for me.
I understand how Trekkies must feel today. Patrons of Star Trek have the rights to a bigger gripe than mine. For years, even decades, Star Trek was derided as dorky, boring, campy and wrought with peculiarities. All of these were washed away when JJ Abrams revived the series with a shiny, fast, and mass-appealing movie entry.
Suddenly, Trekkies were cool, at least tolerated; in a flash, Star Trek was relevant. (Perhaps Abrams is to blame for all this. He is the necessary evil Star Wars and Star Trek needed?)
Admittedly, I was one such viewer gushed by the bells and whistles of the 2007 Star Trek film and its follow-ups. I saw the light of what Star Trek was, is, and could yet become. Since then, I have gone back to the source of the light and indulged in the original series. Well, mostly The Next Generation.
I am not here to cast a force field around the Prequels. It would be un-American to disallow any sort of criticism lobbed towards it. Freedom of speech is a beautiful, wonderful thing. Say what you want and hold to it, be that what you say is defensible and reasoned.
If you are to embrace Star Wars, embrace it all. Cherish what has been given to us. Like salt to a wound, endure the pain of its failures. Lo, I foresee a shroud of darkness over the future of Star Wars.
In the beginning, each Marvel film was an event, a spectacle. Now, we are bombarded with sequels, spin-offs, reboots and crossovers. A superhero movie comes and goes.
I caution against a yearly - or worse, a bi-yearly - entry into the Star Wars franchise. First was Rogue One: exciting, gritty, but misfired on human emotion. Will the Han Solo film do the same? And what of the next spinoff? When we wanted to dive deeper in the expanses of the galaxy far, far away, literature and video games assisted our Star Wars hunger. That canon has been shredded.
They will come, and they will go - an over-saturation of the greatness of Star Wars.
Less is more. More will not make the Prequels go away. Each of them served a purpose. I fear Disney dishing out new Star Wars films every year will diminish its wonder.
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