When Star Wars was first released by the maker George Lucas on May 25th, 1977, it instantly became a groundbreaking, worldwide, pop culture phenomenon. It changed both cinema and box office forever and spawned the biggest worldwide franchise there is, and with two sequels, one of the greatest trilogies in cinema.
Sixteen years after the ending of the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy was born. For some fans, it was a disaster. For others, it introduced them to the galaxy far, far away. Over time it had gotten a better reputation than when it was initially released, with a lot of people even preferring it to the original. Here we look at a range of factors to determine what was the better trilogy, the originals, or the prequels.
BOX OFFICE
Box office draw is one of the things that makes Star Wars the pop culture juggernaut it is. A New Hope ($775,512,064), The Empire Strikes Back ($547,897,454), and Return Of The Jedi ($475,347,111) make the original trilogies worldwide gross $1,798,756,629 (according to Box Office Mojo).
The Phantom Menace ($1,027,082,707), Attack Of The Clones ($653,779,970), and Revenge Of The Sith ($868,390,560) add up to make the prequel trilogies worldwide total gross $2,549,253,237 (according to Box Office Mojo).
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy
CRITICAL RECEPTION
The Star Wars saga has its fair share of critical acclaim. A way of looking at this acclaim is via Rotten Tomatoes. The original trilogy movies sit at scores of 93%, 94%, and 82%, respectively. While the prequel movies have scores of 53%, 65%, and 80%.
Another way to look at acclaim is by their award wins. The original trilogy has seven Academy Award wins, two special achievement Oscars, and another 10 nominations (including Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay). The prequel trilogy, on the other hand, has zero Oscar wins and five nominations. These are not definitive, but are good indicators of their acclaim.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
FAN RECEPTION
Of course, the critical reception does not always line up with what fans think, especially when it comes to Star Wars. A look at the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes says as much. The original trilogy all sits at 96%, 97%, and 94%, respectively, while the prequel films all sit at 59%, 56%, and 66%.
Another gauge is IMDb. The original trilogy's respective scores sit at 8.6, 8.7, and 8.3, while the prequel trilogy all sits at 6.5, 6.5, and 7.5.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
DIRECTING/EDITING/EFFECTS/SCORE
The component that makes the film is the filmmaking. At the crux of filmmaking is the director who is in control of the movie and its artistic vision. There is also the editing, the effects, and of course, John Williams' score to give an emotional touch.
In terms of the original trilogy, the use of practical effects was spectacular, even winning an Oscar. The same can applies for the prequels' use of computer effects, minus the Oscar (but it did get two nominations). The directing from Lucas in A New Hope earned an Oscar nomination, and the maker is credited for his influence over the three originals (even the two he did not direct), while his work on the prequels was much weaker. The same can be said for the editing (which also earned A New Hope an Oscar nomination). As for Williams' score, the music in the prequels is spectacular, perhaps their best feature, but his iconic work on the original earned one Oscar and two more nominations.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
ACTING
Acting is a huge part of making any film work, and in Star Wars, a lot of performances have gone down in infamy, alongside those who are remembered fondly for bringing characters to life.
Other than Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor, the acting in the prequel trilogy is infamously wooden and uncomfortable. The original trilogy, though, has some iconic performances. From Harrison Ford's perfect portrayal of Han, Carrie Fishers empowering portrayal of Leia, Mark Hamill's sincere effort as Luke, and the likes of James Earl Jones, Ian McDiarmid, and Anthony Daniels, who also deliver, alongside Alec Guinness, to this day Star Wars' only Oscar-nominated actor.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
STORY/WRITING/COHESION OF THE TRILOGY
At the heart of Star Wars is its story. It may be simple in each trilogy, from the uprising against the Empire to the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the Clone Wars, to the rise of new heroes and a new threat. The writing of the story and dialogue is also essential. As is how each movie connects the trilogy as a whole.
The original trilogy's story is simple in its beauty. Its writing and dialog are memorable above all else, and Lucas' vision is clear, with each film connecting clearly throughout the trilogy. The prequel also has a simple story that has some real trouble taking off, but Lucas still manages to fulfill his cohesive vision. The dialogue and general writing, though, holds the prequel trilogy back.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION OF THE LORE
Since its inception, Star Wars has expanded and grown into a vast universe with countless stories and pieces that make up what it is. From planets to the Force, to alien species, to the Jedi and Sith, to galactic politics, and historical events, the movies have done their part to create and expand the lore of the franchise.
The original trilogy is, of course, the start of the series and so introduces concepts like the Force, lightsabers, Jedi, Sith, and various planets, events, species, etc. However, the prequel trilogy was a bombardment of planets, worldbuilding, and new concepts. With midi-chlorians introduced, the Jedi council explored, galactic politics explained, the rule of Sith, and huge galactic events, the prequels did massive amounts of lore building.
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy
ACTION
Action has been a staple in Star Wars since its inception, sitting at the forefront of every movie. Not only lightsaber battles but also colossal space attacks and ground assaults.
The original trilogy had three massive iconic battles, the Battle of Yavin, Battle of Hoth, and the Battle of Endor. Each was done spectacularly in terms of their effects and had great emotional punch. In terms of lightsaber battles, there were only three, the first between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader has not aged too well visually. In contrast, the two confrontations between Vader and Luke have retained an emotional power. The prequels have their battles in the Battle of Naboo, Coruscant, and Geonosis, which are all good spectacles. As for lightsaber battles, there are a load more, with Duel of the Fates and Battle of the Heroes being standouts and the best action lightsaber spectacles between the two trilogies, even if only the latter has a big emotional payoff.
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy (Spectacle) or Original Trilogy (Emotion)
CHARACTERS
Perhaps more iconic, and more meaningful to individual fans around the world than anything else in Star Wars are the characters. They are beloved and idolized, and the franchise would be nothing without them.
The original trilogy has perhaps the best hero trio in cinema in Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa. Alongside that, there is Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Lando, and the Emperor, all brought to life brilliantly, and all written excellently. The prequels have their great characters, but a lot of them only became great due to The Clone Wars or other media. Like Anakin, who is whiny and annoying in the first two movies, alongside a host of other problematic characters both supporting and central.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
IMPACT ON POP CULTURE
Ultimately, Star Wars is a phenomenon like no other that has impacted pop culture immensely. This category unquestionably belongs to the originals for a plentitude of reasons. The only one that matters though is that without the original trilogy's success, there would be no Star Wars, and that is the most significant possible impact on pop culture there is.
WINNER: Original Trilogy
RESULTS
The original trilogy wins a total of either 7 or 8 categories depending on your action preference. An expected outcome, and while a lot of these categories will change based on who you are and what you love about Star Wars, they are a good indicator of the brilliance of the original movies.