5 Overrated Characters in Star Wars
By Nik Edlund
Anakin Skywalker (Movie Version)
Anakin Skywalker should be a beloved character in Star Wars as the first six chapters are all about his rise, fall, and eventual redemption. Instead, he’s a character who has been botched since his first on-screen appearance, yet he is beloved by millions of Star Wars fans around the world.
Anakin made his first appearance in The Phantom Menace. He comes off as a whiny, annoying little kid who actually is quick to anger. It’s hard to judge Anakin at this stage because he is so poorly acted by Jake Lloyd, that you don’t get the sense that there is even a character there. It’s just a kid badly reading lines.
It’s in Attack of the Clones where we get a sense of who Anakin is. He’s now a whiny, arrogant teenager who disobeys authority and is a bit of a creepier and verbal abuser. Yet he gets what he wants, and that is the love of Padme Amidala. In Revenge of the Sith, he doesn’t get much more likable. After his turn to the Dark Side, he goes out and kills younglings. The murdering of children is an unforgivable act and makes his redemption at the end of Return of the Jedi a little hard to swallow.
It’s just hard to root for Anakin Skywalker the way he’s portrayed in the films. He’s kind of an ass and isn’t a very likable character. The Clone Wars animated series goes a long way in fixing this major flaw. It shows sides of Anakin we don’t get to see in the films, fleshing out his character and making him one we can all get behind. Still, as botched as this character was, he is well revered by many fans.
Who do you think are overrated characters in the Star Wars?