Have you ever had that friend or family member who constantly complains about something from the past? You know, that person who has told you hundreds of times how they feel about something that happened years and years ago.
Eventually it gets so old that you don’t even care anymore. It just causes you to sigh, roll your eyes and you tell them to LET IT GO (I apologize if that triggered a song from a certain animated movie). At one time, you might have even agreed with their position, but since you’ve heard so much complaining, not even you care anymore.
That’s what Star Wars Prequel Bashers have become.
They might as well be Uncle Rico complaining about how much better the football team would’ve been if they’d just put him in. Instead, people are still complaining as if the prequels would be better if George Lucas would’ve let them take over.
If Lucas had put me in…we would’ve won an Oscar.
The Phantom Menace came out 16 years ago. Revenge of the Sith came out 10 years ago. Meanwhile, new movies, TV shows and theme parks are being made, and people still find ways to complain about stuff that’s over 5,400 days old.
While I’m not a prequels basher myself, I wouldn’t say I’m their biggest champion either. I can watch them even though I have certain problems with characters, story and dialogue. I can accept them as Star Wars movies, and in the end… that’s all that matters. In the last 15 years, not much has changed about my opinion. However, it doesn’t matter as much because in 2015 I have bigger things to talk about:
We have a new Star Wars movie coming out each year for the next several years
We have a TV series to watch every week
We have new toys, t-shirts and collectibles to get
We have theme parks coming
We have new video games to play
We have yet to hear all of the other things Disney is planning to do next
All of this is happening and yet people are finding ways to continue to whine and nag about the prequels? How does this even make sense?
With two months until the release of The Force Awakens, we should be uniting. Star Wars fandom is no longer about those of us who grew up with the original trilogy. It’s multi-generational. Every fan should be thankful because THAT is going to be key to the future success of Star Wars.
We now have legions of fans that are going to buy merchandise, play games, watch movies/TV shows, go to conventions, visit theme parks and show off their Star Wars pride. Think about that for a minute. Aren’t you glad Star Wars is THAT big? It means you don’t have to consistently explain what it is or why you love it to people who have never heard of it (or get it).
Some fans love the originals, and some grew up with the prequels. For others, Star Wars Rebels is their first exposure to the franchise, and there’s probably people out there watching Episodes 1-6 for the first time so that they can experience a movie in the theater.
While all that’s going on… people are still bashing the prequel movies?
As mentioned earlier, I am one of those people who can agree with some of the issues that fans had about the prequels. However, hearing people complain all these years later has me rolling my eyes more than nodding in any sort of agreement.
It should be noted that I’m mainly talking about bashing opportunists and jaded fans.
These are people who are working hard to find ways to interject their complaints into the joyful conversations most of us are having about our passion or the future of the saga.
I hated to see the announcements for The Force Awakens turn into a way for original trilogy and prequel fans to strike up the old feuds. It goes without saying that each generation will experience the new movie differently. Why do those differences have to be a point of contention? Well, one reason is people still want to complain and fight over 10+ old arguments. This leaves me to wonder — What’s the point anymore?
I get the impression that some of the haters have the same problem that Doc Holiday talked about in Tombstone. They have a hole in them that is so big, they can’t ever complain about the prequels or attack those who like them enough to fill it. At a time where there’s much more to be excited about, having a problem like that is bigger than any of the issues the prequels had.
It’s as comical as it is exhausting to have a prequel basher use any Star Wars conversation or platform to get in their usual jabs about George Lucas, Jar Jar Binks, ruining Star Wars or other prequel bashing hits.
You didn’t like them. Others do. That’s the way movies work.
Now move along. You’re embarrassing yourself.
Move along. Move along.
I understand that some in this camp are just trolls looking to get everyone riled up, and that’s a whole other thing. Yet, the reaction to them should be the same – snicker, roll your eyes, facepalm, shake your head, etc. Then, spend time thinking about what you love about Star Wars and smile.
Again, I like the original trilogy more than the prequels. A big part of that has to do with my generation. As a result, I have my own reasons for why I’m excited for the new movie that might differ than others. However, I bet there are plenty of reasons for my excitement that are exactly the same as other generations – and that’s what we should be celebrating.
It all could’ve ended in 1983. Yet, here we are in 2015, and Star Wars is bigger than ever. It’s better to indulge in it instead of complaining about one part of it that happened 10-15 years ago that you didn’t like.
The saga and the fandom has grown, and there’s room for everyone. Incessant complaining about old frustrations no longer brings any value, meaning, relevance or credence to what’s happening today. If more prequel bashers can embrace that idea, I think they’ll feel better.
It will also reduce the amount of eye rolls they’ll get.
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Contact Scott at Scott@AssemblyofGeeks.com or on Twitter @MrScottMurray.
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