I’m going to be controversial and confess something today.

I love the Star Wars prequels.

I love the excitement, the pace, the special effects and the characters. I love Darth Maul and Jar Jar Binks and Queen Padmé Amidala and while I agree Jake Lloyd was an annoying screechy little shit as baby faced Anakin Skywalker, I love him too. Liam Neeson with long hair is also a treat.

When I go back and watch these films I think of them more fondly than the original instalments in the Star Wars franchise. I don’t proclaim to be a Star Wars nerd, I don’t know the name of every character or planet or ship to exist in the films, but I just thought I’d chip in and say ‘Hey! The prequels really weren’t that bad, guys.’

It might be because I essentially grew up watching them, Episode I The Phantom Menace came out when I was 9 and I remember going to the cinema to see it with my Mum, Dad and sister. Not long after my Dad treated me and my sister to backpacks, one featuring a huge plush Darth Maul face and the other Jar Jar Binks. I thought I was seriously cool carrying Ray Park’s face around on my back into town at the weekend.

My sister dressed up as Amidala for her 8th birthday party, she also had a Jar Jar Binks toy that when you squeezed his tummy his tongue shot out and he made a noise like he was eating something. You can’t deny that the marketing team made the most of the film, even if people now call them awful.

I know the acting isn’t great but for their time but the special effects were good and storylines engaging enough to enjoy for the good 2 hours they are on the screen. I’m probably offending a lot of passionate Star Wars fans here because I am simply basing my love for the films on a nostalgic principle.

But I think that’s where a lot of our love for things comes from, we remember them fondly, even if when we watch them now we cringe a little at Anakin’s exchange with his Mom when he leaves and just in general at Jar Jar Bink’s, who was thrown into the film for comedic effect – but to be honest I’ve always thought C3PO and R2-D2s exchanges met that requirement.

Although when you think about it, the character of Binks is a little more complicated than that, people have actually accused the writers of racism, alluding to the fact that the character’s voice sounds like some sort of hideous variation on the Jamaican accent.

Of course all this nostalgic rambling alludes to the fact that the new trailer for the film aired Monday night and as I watched I actually got a little excited. I’m probably not going to pre book tickets, I might just hope to get into one of the late screenings at my local cinema, but I do really want to see the film and am looking forward to seeing what they have done with a new cast, as well as performances from classic characters, such as Han Solo and Leia.

What do you think to the prequels?

Jade

*Pictures link through to their original sources