The flawed Star Wars prequels have been a frequent target for fan editors, luckily. These editors remove awkward dialogue and unnecessary scenes. Sometimes, deleted scenes are re-integrated back into the movie. Overall, almost any fan film is a better experience than the original versions that were released in the theater and on DVD. There are many versions of each movie available. Of all the versions, I recommend the following three to be included in your Star Wars DVD collection:

Star Wars Episode I: Shadow of the Sith

Star Wars Episode II: Path to the Darkside – The Diamond Cut

Star Wars Episode 3 – Dawn of the Empire

Phantom Menace - May 1999

On May 15th, 1999 THE PHANTOM MENACE was unleashed. Feverish fans who has been waiting in front of theaters were let in (some waiting for a month or more!) and witness the first new Star Wars movie since 1983. The screaming was deafening as the immortal crawl stretched across the screen. 

Judging by the amount of money it has made so far, The Phantom Menace has not disappointed the fans. I for one was impressed, and actually liked it more the second time around. 

The biggest comments I have heard about this episode is that the storyline was weak, or that the movie was too slow at times. George Lucas stated several years ago that the reason why he made Episodes 4-6 first is because there was more action in that segment of his huge plot. In a recent interview for The Insiders Guide CD-ROM, Lucas admits that Episode One is mainly used to "set up" Episodes 2 and 3 - they will be where the true action unfolds.

The first episode concentrated around the young Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, and Queen Amidala. The main story arc that it produces is the rise in power of Senator Palpitine. The Phantom Menace is a fitting title for this movie -  The Trade Federation and its Droid Army are not the true enemy here. Darth Maul, for obvious reasons, is not either. It is a plan set in motion by the mysterious Darth Sideous which will have the greatest consequence on the characters. Senator Palpitine is now Grand Chancellor of the divided Republic, and well on his way to his future destiny as Emperor. 

In the course of the trilogy, we will discover how Anakin is swayed to the Dark Side by The Emperor (and Senator) Palpitine. Anakin will be a young boy meeting his future wife in Episode One. He will also meet Obi-Wan, and Yoda. The enemies will be the Sith Lords, including Darth Maul and Darth Sideous. In Episode Two, an older Anakin will learn about the Force, and fall in love. In Episode Three, Anakin will fall from grace, and Darth Vader will be "born".

The  DVD release  of Episode One is jammed packed with features. It was released in September 2001. It features 40 minutes of deleted scenes, a number of documentaries, the trailers, audio commentary by Lucas and other, fully animated menus and much more. A must have, even if you are not a huge fan of the film. The Blu Ray was released in 2011 and features the puppet Yoda replaced with a digital version.

Attack of the Clones - May 2002

Reviews for the film were mixed, with most critics panning the movie, and most loyalists praising it. In their original theatrical cuts, it is my my least favorite of the new trilogy (see above for superior fan edit versions). Too many bad lines, and acting that sends shudders up my spine...

Episode 2 was released on DVD  November 12th 2002 and on Blu-Ray disc in 2011.

Revenge of the Sith - May 2005

As with Episodes One and Two, the theater lines were long, and the buildup was huge. Marketing  was everywhere, including a large number of items in the grocery store. I saw Episode 3 at its first midnight screening at the local Pacific Theaters (since then it has been converted into an Arclight Cinema).

I left my first screening of Episode 3 with mixed emotions. I knew this: it was indeed better than Episodes One and Two. But was it this amazing piece of cinema that most reviews were making it out to be? I didn't believe so. All I could see was missed potential everywhere, which saddened me. As I did with Episode 2, here is the good and bad:.

Although my list of good things seems very short, let me say that Episode 3 has many great moments in it. I wish this movie would have delivered the goods as "Return of the King" did. The fall of Anakin to the dark side seemed pushed and artificial (but then again, it had to deal with the movies that proceeded it).

There was one huge void missing in this movie: Not once do you see Darth Vader (in human or suit-clad form) kill a Jedi in this movie. It is inferred, but never seen. As a matter of fact, besides Obi-Wan, the only "good guy" we see Anakin fight with a light saber is a Jedi on a hologram playback. To make matters worse, the only characters we see Darth Vader kill are most of the bad guys of this trilogy (Dooku, Nute Gunray, etc). It is inferred that he killed the Jedi younglings, but we never see it. Nor is it fully explained why he would kill virtually harmless children when he is trying so hard to save his own wife and child. This would not have been such a big deal if the Darth Vader we know and love at the end of Episode 3 was seen igniting his light saber and seen hacking away at Jedi survivors. But, no. All we get is the Frankenstein monster and Vader crossing his arms on the bridge of a Star Destroyer. I don't want to get into how long it takes to build a Death Star (20+ years for the first, 4 years for the second???), or the throwaway explanation of Jedi's communicating from beyond the grave.

So for the reasons mentioned above, I am happy this new trilogy has come to a close. All in all, many great moments in-between too many irritating scenes. Mr. Lucas, next time I hope you decide to pass the reigns to a younger and truly inspired director. The saga is complete. I can finally stop squirming. If you want to see Star Wars films in a whole new light, you need to know about Star Wars Fan films - click here to find out more!

*EPISODE 3 RUMORS ADDRESSED*

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