I can’t do a top 10 for the Original trilogy and Disney Trilogy without bringing in the Prequel Trilogy. Love them or hate them, the prequels brought Star Wars back to theaters. For years the series was limited to comics, novels and video games. Hype for Phantom Menace was massive and fans loved it…at first.
Now the fan base is split. Many older fans hate the prequels, while younger fans who grew up with them love the films. Neither side is right or wrong. They’re art and your opinion is valid either way. It’s okay to love or hate these films.
Personally, I don’t feel strongly enough about them to say I love or hate the films. They have some great and terrible elements. I’m going to focus on what I enjoy about the films. Here’s my final Star Wars Top 10 list presented in chronological order.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan against the Trade Federation
The trade Federation leaders are terrified of the Jedi aboard their ship. They attempt to murder them with poison gas. Our Jedi heroes, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan escape the trap. Nute Gunray calls to seal the bridge doors and order more droidekars. “It will not be enough. We will not survive this.”
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan easy slice their way through smaller droids until they reach the bridge. Then we get the coolest use of a lightsaber in the whole movie. Qui-Gon pushes his lightsaber into the center of the massive metal door. The heat from the blade begins melting the door. The visual is fantastic.
The opening of Phantom Menace establishes the power of the Jedi instantly. They’re a force to be reckoned with. We’d never seen what the Old Republic Jedi could do, and this lived up to the imagination.
Duel of the Fates
There’s been complaints about online about the choreography during this battle. I don’t share them. Any flaws in how moves connect are minor. When played as a whole they’re invisible. Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Ray Park give it their all. The fight is a thrill to watch.
Elevating the action scene is the best piece of music in the entire Star Wars series. The orchestra and choir swells while lightsabers clash. The theme is iconic, earning its place in pop culture alongside the Imperial March and the main theme.
Anakin and Padme’s Picnic
Yes, Anakin riding the bug-cow thing is a bad effect. I cannot deny that, but I love the rest of the picnic. It’s the first time in Attack of the Clones that I feel Anakin and Padme connecting as people. They share insight into their political and personal beliefs. Anakin tease Padme playfully.
Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman bring the dialogue to life. Both are amazing actors. Shattered Glass and Black Swan hold amazing performances. Neither of them can quite overcomes Lucas’ poor dialogue and directing in the prequels, but this scene shows signs of what the films could have been.
In a trilogy stuffed with action, it’s nice to show two characters having a quiet moment. There’s not enough of these scenes in the prequels. I want more moments like this between all the main characters.
Anakin finds Shmi
Captured by the Sand People, Shmi Skywalker lives just long enough to be reunited with her son. Powerful beyond anything he dreamed of as a child, Anakin fails to save his mother. Shmi’s death and Anakin’s reaction to it set the direction of his character arc.
We always knew Anakin would fall to the dark side, but this was the first time we got a real hint of it. Anakin in Episode One is a child. Lucas gave him an innocent beginning. Now the dark side creeps in. Hayden Christensen struggles with the dialogue, but focus on his face. Look at his eyes. He goes from heartbreaking sorrow to absolute hatred in seconds.
Enraged he kills the entire village. Men, women and children. We only get a glimpse of the violence, but its enough. We know exactly what will happen. It’s painted on Anakin’s face.
Obi-Wan vs Jang Fett
Rain pours down on Kamino as Obi Wan confronts a fleeing Jango Fett. His blue lightsaber blade glows in the darkness, with added refraction from the rain. Setting and lighting are a large part of what I love about this scene. It feels different from previous Star Wars fights.
I also consider this the only piece of fan service I really appreciate in the prequel films. There’s no need for Jango to be a Mandalorian. This is pure fan bait, and it’s fine. Seeing Jango flying around and using his bazooka jet-pack is a lot of fun. Star Wars is just being a lot of fun.
Fight in Separatist Stadium
Mace Windu casually strolls up to Dooku. Lightsaber to his neck, Dooku laughs at the Jedi Master’s demand to surrender. Dozens of Jedi Knights surrounded the arena where Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme are in chains. Enter the droid army. A massive battle between droids and Jedi ensues.
For the first time in the prequel trilogy we get to see the Jedi at the height of their power. Not just one or two, but a whole bunch of them. Human and alien fighting Jedi, with the aliens having some fun creature designs. This is a fun action scene.
I’ll end by saying it’s great to see Natalie Portman holding her own among the Jedi. She threw herself into combat at the end of Phantom Menace, and shows her prowess with a blaster again. Padme doesn’t get a lot of action scenes in the prequels, but the end of Attack of the Clones is a strong point for her character.
Anakin kills Dooku
The entire opening sequence for Revenge of the Sith is great. Anakin and Obi-Wan seem like friends, colleges for the first time. Together they fight through a space battle, infiltrate a Separatist cruiser, and rescue Palpatine. It’s all fun, but the highlight is the confrontation between Dooku and Anakin.
Anakin easily defeats Dooku. The actual lightsaber battle ends quickly, showing just how powerful Anakin has grown since the last film. Palpatine tells Anakin to kill him, but he hesitates. “I shouldn’t.” Palpatine eggs him on, and Anakin beheads the Count.
“He was an unarmed prisoner. I shouldn’t have done that. It’s not the Jedi way.” This one line sets up the entire narrative of Revenge of the Sith. Anakin spends the rest of the movie struggling with the Jedi code. What does it mean to be a Jedi? He finally breaks when Mace Windu attempts to kill Palpatine, an unarmed prisoner. This is great setup.
Palpatine reveals himself to Anakin
Anakin reports to Palpatine, telling him Obi-Wan is fighting General Grievous. Anakin shares his feelings about the Jedi council excluded him. It’s in this moment that Palpatine tells Anakin he’s the Sith Lord, admitting that he knows the ways of the dark side of the Force. It’s a great power play by Palpatine.
Anakin’s angry with the Jedi council, and fears Padme’s death. Palpatine knows this, and he chooses to share information with Anakin. He includes Anakin, the exact opposite action the Jedi Council has been taking. The audience can see the manipulation happening, but Anakin is blind to it. He’s too conflicted and scared.
Ian McDiarmid is wonderful in the prequels. He’s subtle when the script calls for it, and deliciously over the top when he should be. “Are you going to kill me…I can feel your anger. It gives you focus. Makes you stronger.” Hayden Christensen plays well off him too. This is my favorite scene with the pair.
Order 66
More than any other scene in this film, Order 66 lingered in my mind. How could it not? Palpatine gives the order, and across the galaxy clone soldiers gun down the Jedi. We’re given a few brief scenes of death and destruction, with Yoda sensing each loss of life.
There’s a lot happening, but the editing is paced perfectly. Spending too much time on each scene would feel gratuitous. What we get is enough to feel the betrayal. Most of the Jedi are hopelessly outnumbered. Some will survive, we know this from the original films, but not many. It’s a brutal scene in a dark film.
Anakin burns
I’m not a huge fan of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s climatic battle. It’s cool and the actors clearly gave it their all, but it’s too long and overstuffed. No, it’s not the battle itself that I like. It’s the end of the fight. Obi-Wan cuts Anakin down, his body tumbling towards the river of fire.
Anakin screams “I hate you” while Obi-Wan talks about loving him like a brother. The juxtaposition of the two men is great. Lost in anger, Anakin devolves into a rage monster. Obi-Wan weeps for his lost friend, feeling the sadness of loss. Emotion pours from the two actors.
This is the climax of the not just one film, but the entire prequel trilogy. Everything lead to this moment and it does not disappoint. Anakin Skywalker is truly dead. Burned away in the fires of Mustafar. All that remains is Darth Vader.
is that it lets you play out so many cool moments connected to those films, like the Battle of Hoth and the confrontation with Boba Fett. Admittedly, this one was kind of clunky to play when it first came out, but an HD remake could iron out the kinks.