The Star Wars prequels were definitely divisive when they were first released, but the apparent hatred for The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith only increased in the years that followed.
However, the tide has changed somewhat recently; we're not sure if it's because the sequels were even more divisive or the fact that kids who grew up watching those movies now look back at them fondly. Either way, they've become a real talking point among Star Wars fans again.
There's also been a huge amount of excitement surrounding Hayden Christensen's Obi-Wan Kenobi return, and the actor looked back at his early stint as Anakin Skywalker during a recent interview with The Guardian (via SFFGazette.com). "I think it just goes back to the sort of ownership that people feel towards these characters," he said of the mixed response to the movies.
"It’s almost like public domain. These characters really do belong to everybody," Christensen continued. "I guess the impression that I got from [Star Wars creator] George Lucas was that if they don’t like them, then they don’t 'get' it -- and that was good enough for me."
That's an interesting take on the much-maligned trilogy, though we're pretty sure the actor is referring to the fact that George Lucas has always said he made the movies for children (not hardcore fanboys). Either way, Christensen would go on to also defend the awkward dialogue we heard in the Star Wars prequels, putting it down to the franchise being set in "a unique world."
Regardless of whether you agree with the comments made here, it's awesome to see the Darth Vader actor defend his work, especially as we'd argue that he did his best with the material he had to work with.
Based on today's episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, though, we'd say Christensen is finally getting his shot at redemption...