The Star Wars prequels are a mixed bag with great moments mixed with some not so great ones. Here are three characters who stole the show in each film.
The Star Wars prequels are a series of films that divide fans. There’s a large group who growing up, these films were Star Wars to them, and they love these flawed movies with all of their hearts. There’s another group who realizes that while they do have their moments, these movies are riddled with issues, from pacing, to acting, to the actual dialogue.
Whether you love or hate the prequels, it can’t be denied that there were characters in each movie who were so engaging that it was hard to pay attention to anyone else when they were on the screen.
To conclude this ongoing series we will take a look at a scene-stealer from each film of the prequels starting with The Phantom Menace down to Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars scene stealer No 1: Darth Maul
Darth Maul was the face of The Phantom Menace when it was released in theaters. The mysterious dark warrior with a face that resembled a Cherry Coke can and his double-bladed red lightsaber captivated fans across the globe, and they were intrigued to see what this Darth Maul brought to the table.
While his appearance in The Phantom Menace was brief, it was extremely memorable. Maul was a horrifying character to look at with his horned, tattooed face and red and yellow evil eyes. Though looking like a monster, Maul surprisingly spoke in a mellow smooth voice.
Maul basically redefined how a lightsaber battle in Star Wars should look. His attacking style was almost graceful while also being aggressive. It was almost like a dance and the way he wielded that double-sided lightsaber to fight off two Jedi at once, was truly impressive.
Darth Maul was a very capable warrior and was strong enough to take down the mighty Qui Gon Jinn. While he got cut in half and apparently died at the end of the film, fans were ecstatic to see that wasn’t this end, and his return in The Clone Wars, Solo, and Rebels fleshed out his story and gave him an arc that was nearly as cool as his overall look.
Darth Maul was an amazing addition to Star Wars and stole the show every time he showed up in The Phantom Menace.
Star Wars scene stealer No. 2: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Attack of the Clones is a mess of a film. It hurries the love story between Anakin and Padme resulting in it being very unbelievable. It also has some almost cartoonish animation when the Clone Army is first introduced and has a weak plot. However, one thing that stands out about the film is Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This is the film were McGregor takes the role of Obi-Wan and makes it his own. This movie is better every time McGregor is on the screen. He perfectly captures Obi-Wan’s dry wit, with his seriousness, and truly seems to enjoy every second spent playing this character.
His story of finding the source of the Clone Army and encountering Dooku is the driving force of the movie. He has plenty of fantastic action scenes and chews up every bit of scenery that he’s in, whether he’s interacting with another human character, or hugging a completely CGI-created friend who happens to be a weapons expert who owns a diner.
Stream the Star Wars prequel trilogy on Disney+.
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi is easily one of the best things in the prequel trilogy and Attack of the Clones is where he begins to make fans think of him, and not Alec Guinness when the name Obi-Wan Kenobi is spoken.
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Star Wars scene stealer No. 3: Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Ian McDiarmid has always seemed to very much relish his role of the Emperor in all the Star Wars films. The one film where he gets the most time to really revel in the evilness of this Darkest of all Sith is in Revenge of the Sith.
Before he becomes the Emperor as we see him in Empire Strikes Back, McDiarmid steals the show as the Chancellor. From his being a “helpless prisoner” of the Separatists to his telling Anakin of the tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise, Palpatine is a master manipulator every time he’s on the screen and is a true joy to watch.
While he is playing the Chancellor role, Palpatine acts as though he’s truly on the side of the Republic, though through little eye movements when he speaks we know he has ulterior motives. Halfway through the film, Palpatine gets to drop the act and fully embraces his true evil self.
After his battle with Mace Windu, he continues his manipulations by telling the senate he was left deformed and speaks in an over the top “Poor me” type of voice. In his battle against Yoda, Darth Sidious truly emerges and he’s a cackling, confident dark warrior who seems to enjoy mocking Yoda just as he much as he would like to destroy him.
Ian McDiarmid’s work as Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious was a masterful job. Every time he was on the screen, it was hard to pay attention to anyone else, as we all just wanted to see what this evil manipulator was going to do next.
Who else stole the show in the films of the prequel trilogy?