Highlights
- Hayden Christensen suggests fans' sense of ownership over Star Wars characters led to the backlash against his prequel performance.
- Some fans argue quality issues with acting, dialogue, and script as the main reasons for the criticism of the prequels.
- Regardless of opinions, it may be time to stop rehashing criticisms of the Star Wars prequels and let them be.
While Hayden Christensen's Star Wars prequel performance has elicited mixed feelings for several reasons, the actor has recently come forward with a new perspective on why it received such backlash, and fans aren’t buying it.
Where the original Star Wars trilogy had Luke Skywalker, the prequel trilogy would tell the story of his father, Anakin Skywalker, who would become the villain Darth Vader. The role of Anakin would be portrayed for most of the prequels by Christensen, a role that he more recently reprised in the Star Wars miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka on Disney Plus. His performance, and the prequel trilogy in general, were received with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, albeit with the cushion of record-breaking box office performances for all three films.
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In a recent interview with Empire, Christensen, who also spoke about his experience with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, gave more of an insight into his feelings surrounding the prequels and why he believed that the fans deserved some of the blame for the less than stellar reception the prequels got. When asked about the negative elements of playing the part, Christensen said, "Because Star Wars has had the cultural impact that it has, these characters almost become public domain, where people feel a sense of ownership over them. The character was criticized, my performance was criticized, and that part sucked. But I also felt like I had some context that perhaps helped a little bit." He then explained what he believes happened in the wake of the Star Wars prequels.
When Episode I came out, there was a lot of excitement that they were making a new Star Wars, and it was going to be the backstory of Darth Vader. But I had friends that were upset that the character was starting off as this young kid. And I watched the film, and I loved it. It was everything I wanted and more. And I didn’t understand the disconnect between the movie that I saw, and the negativity in some of the reviews. In a way that sort of criticism, I think, comes from a certain failure of their own suspension of disbelief. If you’re gonna go sit in a theatre, and the opening scroll starts with, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away”, that’s setting the stage that anything is possible. These people don’t need to sound and behave the way that we might expect. And if you’re going to sit down and think that you’re getting something that is of our current zeitgeist, then you’re setting yourself up for something else. You know what I mean?
While Christensen certainly makes a very valid point about the attitudes of some viewers, fans online were quick to point at a much more prominent reason behind the backlash, with many taking to X to highlight their dislike of the quality of the Star Wars prequel trilogy with a specific focus on some of the acting, dialogue, and script overall. This has long been a major facet of the complaints leveled, with Christensen's iconic co-star Ewan McGregor admitting the Star Wars prequels weren’t Shakespeare as a commentary on the quality of writing. Notably, McGregor's performance is often seen as the highlight of the prequel trilogy, and it's one of the reasons why his Obi-Wan Kenobi character is the timeless fan-favorite that he is. As for Christensen, he’s had some more appreciated roles since, but Anakin will always be his most prominent, so it’s expected that he’s a bit defensive.
Whether or not fans agree with Christensen, the Star Wars prequels need to be left alone at this point. The constant tie-ins to this era in the franchise and the oft-renewed waves of criticism serve no one. So, while fans have a right to critique whatever they want, and the IP holders can explore whatever part of the timeline they want to, it might be time to admit that the statute of limitations on both these things has run out where the Star Wars prequels are concerned.
The Star Wars franchise is available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space, including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other mediums like comics, video games, TV shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.
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