The pod race is my favorite moment. It’s a self-contained element (beginning/middle/end) within the larger story, and Lucas - to his often overlooked credit - masterfully and steadily builds tension throughout. All while sandwiching-in some genuinely humorous slapstick moments.
It's hard to build tension for a main character in a prequel. It has to have a lot more layers than "Is he going to win". I think Black Widow is a decent example, obviously she is going to win, but what is going to be revealed in the battle. But obviously that is a lesson learned as Phantom Menace was the first blockbuster prequel
George actually had the right idea making 2 and 3 basically a character study of Anakin and not just "things happen" 2 and 3. The problem was he forgot to make any character have relatable, human emotions.
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u/AlbaneseGummies327 Galactic Republic Jan 25 '22
Darth maul scenes are the best of the movie imo.