It seems like Star Wars fans have seemingly forgotten about the prequels with Lucasfilm's Star Wars sequel trilogy set to end with the release of Star Wars: Episode IX later this year. However, while many have been preoccupied with all the different leaks and rumors that have been giving away details about the franchise's "course correcting"the sequel to The Last Jedi, a review of the prequel trilogy's history shows how much reviews for Star Wars Episodes I-III have changed over the years.
Screen Rant just recently revisited the Star Wars prequel trilogy's reception on Rotten Tomatoes, and thanks to the Wayback Machine we can see how much fans' view of Star Wars: Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III have changed over the past 14 years.
According to the publication's findings, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, one of the lowest-rated installments in the Star Wars saga, actually had a pretty decent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes back in 2005. Starting out at a 62% rating, The Phantom Menace eventually dropped to a rotten 57% score after the film's 3D rerelease in 2012. Now, in 2019, the film sits with a 54% critic score.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, on the other hand, fared better. While the film's 64% critic score in 2005 is just a little above rotten, fans' perception of the film remained more or less the same with Episode II swaying somewhere between 65% to 67% over the years.
Among all of the films in the prequels, Revenge of the Sith had the best scores. Starting with an 83% score during its release in 2005, the film eventually lowered to an 80% rating. Once Star Wars: The Force Awakens released in 2012, the film dropped by one point, going down to a 79% critic score.
However, fans perception of the film has changed drastically over the years. After starting with a 96% audience score a week after its release, the film leveled to a high 85% for the next five years. But in 2010, new votes made the score plummet to 64%, raising only by one point after the arrival of Disney's sequel trilogy in 2012. Now, Revenge of the Sith sits at an average of 65% for its audience score.
What are your thoughts on the prequel trilogy? Feel free to use the comment section below.
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