The story of the so much adoration from fans over the years. In execution, though, the three movies and the trilogy as a piece of work have a handful of problems that have been the cause for so much criticism as well.
The story may have been incredible, but the way it was structured and presented to fans was not the best. Then there is the technical side of the film production that brings about its own set of issues. However, most of these problems do have some potential fixes, even if it is unfair to armchair quarterback well over a decade later.
Problem - The CGI
It is no secret that George Lucas has not only been fascinated with but has helped usher in a whole new era of film technology over the decades since Star Wars was released. In the prequel trilogy, Lucas changed cinema with his use of CGI.
Creating completely CG characters, totally green screen movies, and using CGI in various ways alongside some practical costumes and designs, the trilogy was revolutionary. That does not mean it was consistently great, however. To many, the use of CGI was too much and relied on too heavily. On top of that, even though it was two decades ago, the CGI was not as consistently fantastic looking as what audiences in 2021 are used to.
Fix - Use Less Or Wait For Technology To Catch Up
One fix for it would simply be pushing the trilogy to years later when technology had caught up with George Lucas' imagination. Of course, that is an unfair criticism to make.
It is more understandable to simply say, use less CGI. There were an unreal amount of practical effects in The Phantom Menace, but there was still a ton of oftentimes unnecessary CGI. Using less blue/green screen in favor of practical sets would have likely made the trilogy easier to enjoy for some fans.
Problem - Acting & Chemistry
One of the most consistent criticisms of the trilogy comes from its acting. While Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid delivered knockout performances, this was not the case for everyone in the trilogy.
Particularly this is true of Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen, as well as Natalie Portman, with the chemistry between the Anakin and Pamé actors being non-existent. This hurts every movie, especially since the two were such a vital part of the trilogy. Even as individuals, they did not deliver good work, even though Christensen's better than a lot have given him credit for.
Fix - Different Directors
A New Hope, he could have benefited from other directors for the prequels.
More experienced, talented directors to work with the actors and help them perform to the best of their ability could have seriously helped the trilogy. George, of course, would be right there with the director, but different directors could have definitely added some chemistry and brilliance to performances.
Problem - Fan Expectations
Fan expectations are something that has hurt many movie franchises over the years, including Star Wars. Look at the sequels, they did not pan out the way a lot of people thought it would and wanted it to, and this has led to it becoming vilified and hated by many.
Of course, it is part of the fun of a franchise like Star Wars to speculate and have theories. But when stuff like Galactic politics, peace treaties, and Jar Jar Binks took up the time when fans were expecting a slew of Jedi in badass battles and exploration of Anakin and the Force, it left many disappointed.
Fix - There Is Not One
After the original trilogy, and given that the prequels are the story of Anakin becoming Vader during the time of the Clone Wars when Jedi were everywhere, it is understandable why the bar was set so high by the fandom.
Unfortunately, there is no fix for when these expectations do lead to some disappointment, other than the artist, George Lucas in this case, making something a few people would consider better. Fans will always expect things from something they love like Star Wars. Even though the trilogy is beloved by generations who grew up on it, the original trilogy children had their hopes, and the prequel trilogy left many angry.
Problem - Anakin & Pé
Anakin Skywalker and Pé Amidala is the most important romance in all of Star Wars, and the prequel trilogy should have displayed their romance in a fitting manner.
Unfortunately, fans only got glimpses of their potential. A big issue with the pair was the performances and chemistry mentioned earlier. They rarely looked like they loved each other as much as they were supposed to, and overall it was hard for fans to understand why Pé even liked Anakin to begin with.
Fix - More/Better Exploration
Luckily, like many story and character-based problems with the trilogy that lacked proper exploration, The Clone Wars.
That is pretty much the fix to the problem. However, an alternative would have been to explore their love in the movies properly, if they had time to do so, explaining why they loved each other so much. On top of that, other actors or different directors likely would have upped the chemistry, which the two were seriously lacking in the trilogy.
Problem - The Dialogue
Without a doubt, the biggest issue with the trilogy is the dialogue. While the story of the trilogy was excellent, and things like politics could be interesting and fantastic (as shown in The Clone Wars), the dialogue was atrocious throughout.
The trilogy definitely has some great lines. But, it also has a lot of terrible ones that make audiences cringe and wonder how they could have ever gotten to screen. While so many memes have come out of the movies, lines like "I don't like sand." will forever be ed as one of the worst lines in all of Star Wars.
Fix - Help With The Screenplays
The fix for all this terrible dialogue that helped in making actors looking stiff and hammy is quite simple. George should have had screenplay help.
Co-writing the screenplays, as he did for the last two movies of the original trilogy, would have led to more three-dimensional dialogue that was not stiff, flat, and boring. George put a lot of pressure on himself to create the prequels, writing and directing all of them on his own, as well as seeing over everything see that went into the movies. He is unfairly criticized often, but had he gotten help with the writing and directing side of the trilogy it would have likely worked out far better.
