Revenge of the Sith, the final film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, was released 20 years ago, in 2005. The film is returning to theaters this April 25 for the anniversary. To celebrate, let us look back at the impact the prequel trilogy has had on Hollywood.
Complicated History
The first three Star Wars movies are important. They are:
- Star Wars (later called A New Hope)
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Return of the Jedi
Those 3 films connected with a generation of movie fans like never before. The prequels to those 3 movies have a much more complicated standing with fans.
When Return of the Jedi was released in 1983 many wondered if the series would continue. Lucas promised more space adventures, but it took almost 20 years before he released Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
The prequel trilogy also included Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. The films served as a backstory to the beloved original trilogy.
As we all know many hardcore Wars fanatics were not thrilled with the quality of the prequels. The reasons for fans' lukewarm responses have been discussed many times. The quality of art is subjective. Regardless of what anyone thinks about the prequels—they did help to usher in a widely utilized filmmaking device.
007
Believe it or not actors are human. They get older and often evolve in terms of the types of projects they want to be involved with.
Sean Connery brought the character of James Bond to life for the screen in the 1960s. After 6 appearances he grew tired of the role and wanted to move on.
The Bond franchise was so successful that filmmakers never considered retiring the character with Connery’s departure. Many actors followed in Connery’s footsteps and have portrayed Bond in the series. The films never explained why James Bond looked and sounded different. The filmmakers hoped audiences would accept the new actor.
Another Way
Just replacing an actor with another in a film franchise is not necessarily the most creative approach. The prequels showed Hollywood there was another way to keep its franchises alive when it loses its stars. You could look back in time and focus on a younger version of a character. For example, Episode 1 showed a child Darth Vader.
Many studios now utilize the prequel approach with a “reboot.” The reboot strategy has been used with James Bond when Daniel Craig played the role in Casino Royale. The reboot lets a stu-dio begin a story from the start. It also makes it easier to change actors or cast.
Alive & Relevant
The Star Wars prequels may not have pleased die-hard fans like the originals did. However, they still influenced Hollywood, just like the originals. The prequels showed studios a financially viable way to keep their properties alive and relevant.
- Adam C. Better
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