Luke Skywalker star Mark Hamill has never been shy about voicing his criticism of the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy - particularly when it comes to their portrayal of his iconic character - but the actor did have some positive things to say about George Lucas' prequel films.
Though financially successful, The Phantom Menace, Attack of The Clones and Revenge of the Sith received a lot of backlash from fans and critics alike at the time - although many Star Wars aficionados have re-evaluated the movies since the release of the sequels.
Hamill was asked about the prequels during an interview for J.W. Rinzler's biography about The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark producer Howard G. Kazanjian.
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” he said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of Star Wars films, but across the board.”
To be fair, the movies were criticized for a number of other reasons, and many would likely cite the woeful dialogue and less-than-stellar performances as being bigger issues than the things Hamill mentions here.
What do you guys make of Hamill's take? Do the prequels deserve a reappraisal in the wake of the recent sequel films? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.