Mark Hamill Explains Why He Was Impressed By the Star Wars Prequels

The Star Wars prequels are particularly divisive among an already divisive fanbase, but you can count Mark Hamill among the admirers. The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith didn’t go over well with fans of that decade, they’ve found an audience with some younger fans who grew up with them. And apparently Hamill himself, who told IndieWire he was ‘impressed’ with them.

“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably like said back in 1976, there weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of Star Wars films, but across the board.”

The films were incredibly successful when they released in 1999, 2002, and 2005 but were criticized for their overreliance on CGI, storytelling, acting, and dialogue. The most recent trilogy has, of course, become even more polarizing among fans.