J.J. Abrams on his favorite scene from the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

By Kevin Fraser

Posted 6 years ago

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

After years of hype, the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy couldn't really be anything but a disappointment, and while I doubt that many fans are placing THE PHANTOM MENACE, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, or REVENGE OF THE SITH on the top level of their STAR WARS lists, attitude towards the films has softened in recent years. With the upcoming STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER not only set to serve as the conclusion to the Sequel Trilogy, but also as the culmination of the entire nine-film Skywalker Saga, we're likely to see a few more elements from the Prequel Trilogy pop up before all is said and done.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER director J.J. Abrams was asked what his favourite scene from the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy is. Abrams chose the scene from REVENGE OF THE SITH when Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) seduces Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to the dark side with his tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise.

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There’s just something about that scene. There’s just two people sitting there. It’s visually interesting. But I just think Ian’s performance in it is spectacular.

Abrams then asked Ross what his favourite scene was, to which Ross responded, "the lightsaber battle in PHANTOM MENACE." Abrams acknowledged that the sequence had an incredible score, but expressed his diappointment that the character of Darth Maul was killed off before he had the chance to develop. "It was over too quickly," Abrams said. "This character that I thought was… the begining of something that will take me somewhere, I just remember when it ended, I was like, 'what?' I mean, the scene is amazing, but…" Getting back to J.J. Abrams' scene of choice, I've got to agree with him. In a film full of over-the-top visuals and CG characters, there's something very appealing about a simple conversation between two characters, complete with an unsettling score from John Williams. Thankfully, we'll be getting a little more of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor when STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER hits theaters on December 20, 2019.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Tags: Action, Adam Driver, Adventure, Anthony Daniels, Attack of the Clones, Carrie Fisher, Chris Terrio, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Dominic Monaghan, Fantasy, Greg Grunberg, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Keri Russell, Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Revenge of the Sith, Richard Grant, Science-Fiction, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Phantom Menace

About the Author

Kevin Fraser

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Favorite Movies: Alien, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, read more Braveheart, The Bridge on the River Kwai, City of God, Cloud Atlas, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Edge, The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Godfather Parts I & II, Goodfellas, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Magnificent Seven, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Prestige, Prisoners, Psycho, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rear Window, The Shining, Sorcerer, The Talented Mr. Ripley, There Will be Blood, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Zodiac

Likes: Drawing, cooking, watching movies, trying and failing to come up with read more more items for my likes list.

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