I don’t think we’ve made it a secret here that we’re not big on the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, but we admit that it’s not all bad. There are some great moments that even the biggest Lucas-haters can’t deny. Here are seven of the most undeniably awesome moments in the prequels.
1.Darth Maul (The Phantom Menace) – Is there anyone out there that can argue against Darth Maul? Then you’re in the minority. He single-handedly transformed the way we saw lightsaber-fighting with his flips, kicks, and dual-blade twirls. His final battle with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn never gets old.
(Note: Yeah, I know the editor on this clip changed the ending. But the clip itself is high-quality, and the ending is kinda funny)
2. Podracing (The Phantom Menace) – It was one of the most high-octane, adrenaline-fueled sequences the world had ever seen. Tiny cabins pulled by massive engines hurtling over the desert sands of Tattooine, whipping through canyons, and rushing through mountains. The camera put us outside, inside, and over the racers as they roared to victory, and it still makes our hearts pound every time we watch it.
3. Yoda Fights (Attack of the Clones) – One of the big questions before this movie was “how could Yoda be a Jedi master? He’s so short! And old!” The idea of Yoda wielding a lightsaber was a joke. But we all stopped laughing the moment he force-pulled out his saber, and went to town on Count Dooku. Well, I admit I started laughing, but only because it was so incredible to see Yoda flipping, jumping, and whirling as he schooled Dooku in the art of battle. We never saw Yoda the same way again.
4. The Battle of Geonosis (Attack of the Clones) – One thing we all wanted desperately to see in the Star Wars prequels was a bunch of Jedi fighting. Thankfully, Lucas delivered in this scene, where the Jedi rush to Geonosis to rescue Anakin and Obi-Wan. The moment when the Jedi charge into battle against the Federation’s robot army is a flurry of lightsabers, force pushes, and laser bolts flying. The land battle that follows between the clone troopers and the robot army is a definite bonus.
5. Battle Over Coruscant (Revenge of the Sith) – The opening sequence about Obi-Wan and Anakin rescuing Senator Palpatine from the evil General Grievous was like a movie all by itself. Space battles, a re-match between Anakin and Dooku, and a crashing spaceship all delivered an awesome visual feast that set the stage for the movie to come.
6. Obi-wan vs Anakin (Revenge of the Sith )- Say what you will about the acting, dialogue, motivation, or staging, there’s no denying that the final battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was the biggest, most furious, and most complex lightsaber battle in the entire series. Seeing as this was the most anticipated duel in Star Wars history, it had to be. It’s hard to watch this sequence and not be hit by its scope.
7. The Birth of Darth Vader(Revenge of the Sith) – This was the big moment, the one we all came to see – when Anakin Skywalker was transformed into Darth Vader. The moment when we first hear that familiar breath was the moment I had waited for twenty years. Thank Lucas for not screwing that up.
Did you love these moments as much as we did? Any other moments that you loved in this much-maligned trilogy? Let us know in the comments.
The Darth Maul fight and the Battle over Coruscant are the only ones I agree with on the list. The Yoda fight was pretty cool too…
Film Society on
I just can't agree with 'The Battle of Geonosis', 'Obi-Wan vs Anakin' or 'The Bith of Dark Vader'.
C3-PO is annoying in Attack of the Clones, and that battle (while often fun) doesn't feel as cool as say, when the clones turn on the Jedi in Episode III
The Anakin/Obi-Wan fight? Sooooo unnecessarily long! Are Jedi trained to keep fights going that long? I get that Anakin and Ben are both very powerful, and conflicted on battling one another, but… it goes on and on. Also, how much more obvious can you get with that volcano planet?
The birth of Vader might be neat at first, but that "Nooooooo!" at the end kills it for me.
rainestorm on
The podrace was good (if you remove the ridiculous racing announcer) and Darth Maul was good (until his absolutely moronic death).
The rest are utterly forgettable.
The Mogul on
They were ridiculous. Even the author attempting to defend them mentions that he couldn't resist laughing. I can agree with some of the scenes on this list (the birth of Darth Vader would have been amazing if not ruined by the "Nooooooooooooo!" that followed) but to describe the Yoda fights as "undeniably awesome" is simply false as most people I know consider them awful.
James Seldi Seldon on
So where is the 70 utterly sh*t moments from the prequels?
One thing that really bugged me was the Yoda fight scene if he is 600+ years old how can he do all that and yet is old and feeble 20 years later. If your that old 20 years isn't a big deal, that's like a month from his perception.
someguy on
I thought the Yoda fights were absolutely ridiculous….
Bret Dorman on
So basically all the action stuff. Got it. If only Lucas was as focused on character development and story as he was on making things look cool. Also agree about ending the Vadar clip before the
"Noooooooooooo!"
remo4711 on
I agree with all of them – except podracing, which I find to be a tedious sequence (or whenever it appears in any movie in another racing guise). There is no suspense, and it seems to go on forever – feeling like the other three movies Lucas once promised us before it finally wraps up.
AlexJCavanaugh on
And if that last one had ended before the infamous "Noooooooooooo!" it would've been even better.
Anonymous on
So, you guys are pretty superficial, huh. THAT'S all you liked from the prequels? Pretty shallow.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="40840 ">10 Comments
The Darth Maul fight and the Battle over Coruscant are the only ones I agree with on the list. The Yoda fight was pretty cool too…
I just can't agree with 'The Battle of Geonosis', 'Obi-Wan vs Anakin' or 'The Bith of Dark Vader'.
C3-PO is annoying in Attack of the Clones, and that battle (while often fun) doesn't feel as cool as say, when the clones turn on the Jedi in Episode III
The Anakin/Obi-Wan fight? Sooooo unnecessarily long! Are Jedi trained to keep fights going that long? I get that Anakin and Ben are both very powerful, and conflicted on battling one another, but… it goes on and on. Also, how much more obvious can you get with that volcano planet?
The birth of Vader might be neat at first, but that "Nooooooo!" at the end kills it for me.
The podrace was good (if you remove the ridiculous racing announcer) and Darth Maul was good (until his absolutely moronic death).
The rest are utterly forgettable.
They were ridiculous. Even the author attempting to defend them mentions that he couldn't resist laughing. I can agree with some of the scenes on this list (the birth of Darth Vader would have been amazing if not ruined by the "Nooooooooooooo!" that followed) but to describe the Yoda fights as "undeniably awesome" is simply false as most people I know consider them awful.
So where is the 70 utterly sh*t moments from the prequels?
One thing that really bugged me was the Yoda fight scene if he is 600+ years old how can he do all that and yet is old and feeble 20 years later. If your that old 20 years isn't a big deal, that's like a month from his perception.
I thought the Yoda fights were absolutely ridiculous….
So basically all the action stuff. Got it. If only Lucas was as focused on character development and story as he was on making things look cool. Also agree about ending the Vadar clip before the
"Noooooooooooo!"
I agree with all of them – except podracing, which I find to be a tedious sequence (or whenever it appears in any movie in another racing guise). There is no suspense, and it seems to go on forever – feeling like the other three movies Lucas once promised us before it finally wraps up.
And if that last one had ended before the infamous "Noooooooooooo!" it would've been even better.
So, you guys are pretty superficial, huh. THAT'S all you liked from the prequels? Pretty shallow.