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Line 239: Conversely, some argue for the prequel trilogy's positive elements, including its handling of political issues, especially involving the rise of [[fascism]]. This includes ''[[Star Wars: The Last Jedi]]'' director and writer [[Rian Johnson]], who also praised its [[visual effects]] innovations. Jar Jar Binks has been regarded as the first fully CGI character in a live-action film, and perceived as paving the way for [[Gollum]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Agar|first=Chris|date=2020-06-29|title=Rian Johnson Explains Why George Lucas' Star Wars Prequels Are Great|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-prequels-good-why-reason-rian-johnson/|access-date=2020-08-13|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111155329/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-prequels-good-why-reason-rian-johnson/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Placido |first=Dani Di |title=Looking Back At The 'Star Wars' Prequel Trilogy |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2016/12/15/looking-back-at-the-star-wars-prequel-trilogy/#2e9a9c8f2a9c |website=Forbes |access-date=May 31, 2019 |date=December 15, 2016 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814150645/https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2016/12/15/looking-back-at-the-star-wars-prequel-trilogy/#2e9a9c8f2a9c |url-status=live }}</ref> [[J. J. Abrams]] praised the acting of [[Ian McDiarmid]] as Darth Sidious, stating that the scene where he recounts the tragedy of [[Darth Plagueis]] is the best of the trilogy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url = https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/26/jj-abrams-favorite-star-wars-prequels-scene/|title = J.J. Abrams reveals his favorite 'Star Wars' prequels scene|magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date = August 13, 2020|archive-date = June 6, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200606074737/https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/26/jj-abrams-favorite-star-wars-prequels-scene/|url-status = live}}</ref> George Lucas has responded to the negative criticism by saying that, like the original films, they were intended "for 12-year-olds", while acknowledging that fans who saw the originals when they were young had different expectations as adults.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mancuso |first=Vinnie |title=George Lucas: 'Star Wars' Is a 'Film for 12-Year-Olds' |url=https://observer.com/2017/04/george-lucas-says-star-wars-is-for-12-year-olds/ |website=Observer |access-date=May 31, 2019 |date=April 13, 2017 |archive-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722005531/https://observer.com/2017/04/george-lucas-says-star-wars-is-for-12-year-olds/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Brooks">{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Dan |title="All Films Are Personal": An Oral History of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=StarWars.com |language=en}}</ref> The prequels have been noted as retaining a dedicated fanbase, primarily composed of [[Millennials]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Leadbeater |first=Alex |title=When Did The Star Wars Prequels Become Cool? |url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-prequel-trilogy-good-popular-underrated/ |website=ScreenRant |access-date=June 1, 2019 |date=June 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918050814/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-prequel-trilogy-good-popular-underrated/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Generation Z|Gen Zers]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-09 |author=Caitlin Chappell |title=Star Wars: Gen Z Has Turned Revenge of the Sith Into a Cult Classic |url=https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-gen-z-turned-revenge-of-the-sith-into-cult-classic/ |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=CBR |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119040131/https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-gen-z-turned-revenge-of-the-sith-into-cult-classic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> who were children at the time of their release.<ref name="DoG Prequels">{{cite web |last1=Blair |first1=Andrew |title=The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Helped the Prequels Age Surprisingly Well |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-sequel-trilogy-prequels-age-better/ |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=14 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326141925/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-sequel-trilogy-prequels-age-better/ |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |date=March 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Charity |first1=Justin |title=The 'Star Wars' Prequel Renaissance Has Begun |url=https://www.theringer.com/star-wars/2022/5/26/23142799/star-wars-prequels-renaissance-obi-wan-kenobi-show |website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]] |access-date=14 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526144443/https://www.theringer.com/star-wars/2022/5/26/23142799/star-wars-prequels-renaissance-obi-wan-kenobi-show |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |date=May 26, 2022}}</ref> Additionally, the animated series [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'']], which Lucas made with animation artist [[Dave Filoni]], has been noted to have retroactively improved the perception of the prequel trilogy among fans.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Neill|first=Shane|date=2020-01-28|title=How The Clone Wars Fixes Anakin's Star Wars Prequel Arc|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-clone-wars-anakin-skywalker-prequels-story-fix/|access-date=2020-08-13|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716030527/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-clone-wars-anakin-skywalker-prequels-story-fix/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the late 2010s, the prequels have amassed a [[cult following]] via [[meme]]s on social media, with Neel Patel of [[Syfy Wire]] attributing this to the internet being a "paradise of irreverence, just like George Lucas' scripts."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Patel|first=Neel|date=2020-07-05|title=The Star Wars prequels are finally beloved because they were made for the internet|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-prequel-trilogy-memes|access-date=2021-06-06|website=[[Syfy Wire]]|language=en|archive-date=June 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606191117/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-prequel-trilogy-memes|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the conclusion of [[Disney]]'s sequel trilogy, ''[[Screen Rant]]'' compared the way the prequels ended the saga compared to the sequels, writing, "Amidst the bad execution of the story, the fact of the matter is, the prequel movies tell one coherent narrative, with a clear through-line between movies – this is something sorely lacking in the sequel trilogy."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dumaraog|first=Ana|date=2020-08-07|title=Rise of Skywalker Gave Star Wars Sequels A Worse Ending Than The Prequels|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rise-skywalker-revenge-sith-ending-comparison-bad/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=September 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928141845/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rise-skywalker-revenge-sith-ending-comparison-bad/|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, ''Den of Geek''{{'}}s Andrew Blair wrote that the prequels were "enjoying a deserved reappraisal" following vocal discourse surrounding the sequels. He considered the prequels to be the superior trilogy as, in contrast to its successors, the films had "consistency" and "the product of a singular vision."<ref name="DoG Prequels"/> | |||