As a young fan and first-time Star Wars movie watcher, I was drawn in through The Mandalorian and my friend who is a major Star Wars geek and raved about the Star Wars lore. He suggested the chronological order: I, II, Clone Wars movie + TV series, III, etc. From what he's told me, there are some canon comics and non-canon TV show that were released before Revenge of the Sith and that this movie was more of a fan service.
However, judging from my standpoint where I'm coming from the TV series, the prequel trilogy pales in comparison and has disappointed quite a bit in terms of acting and direction. I'm imagining the trilogy without the existence of The Clone Wars (2008) series, and it's clear this movie leaves many gaps and explanation for some things, such as the Jedi Council's suspicion of the Chancellor and Anakin's distrust of the Council. Order 66 was also thrown in there but not even explained. The good thing about watching animated series is that it adds more depth to all the major characters and provides much needed context. Otherwise, the end of Episode II where the Clone Wars began to Episode III where the Clone Wars is ending feels like a huge jump.
Additionally, Anakin in the show appears more complex and has more reasons for why he may want to leave the Jedi Order and why he distrusts the Council--reasons that are less self-serving and ego-based.
Lastly, the acting...my goodness. One would've thought that Hayden would've improved since The Phantom Menace. Almost everything he says seems unnatural and stiff. Mind you, even if Jedi are supposed to be kind of unemotional/serious, there's a way to make it believable. His switch to the Dark Side felt too sudden, and while some plot developments are spelled out too matter-of-fact through dialogue, this one would've benefitted from more clarity. It's still hard for me to figure out how Anakin had spent so many years fighting for the Republic and the Jedi Order then easily caved to Darth Sidious and all his orders.
Aside from Anakin, Palpatine and Padme appeared more melodramatic than expected too. They don't talk and react like how I'd expect them to from the show. Natalie Portman spends half her lines wailing and Palpatine was no longer the evil genius mastermind from the animated series. For example, Palpatine yelling "unlimited power!!" was so cringe and assigning those ultimate orders to Anakin, as opposed to also utilizing some Separatist armies, felt too much like "Palpatine x Ani vs. the world."
The fighting scenes have definitely improved since Episode I, and there were some epic moments, ex. with Obi-Wan Kenobi, that actually drew me into the story more. I still enjoyed the movie, but I think it would've benefited from the same team that crafted The Clone Wars series.
However, judging from my standpoint where I'm coming from the TV series, the prequel trilogy pales in comparison and has disappointed quite a bit in terms of acting and direction. I'm imagining the trilogy without the existence of The Clone Wars (2008) series, and it's clear this movie leaves many gaps and explanation for some things, such as the Jedi Council's suspicion of the Chancellor and Anakin's distrust of the Council. Order 66 was also thrown in there but not even explained. The good thing about watching animated series is that it adds more depth to all the major characters and provides much needed context. Otherwise, the end of Episode II where the Clone Wars began to Episode III where the Clone Wars is ending feels like a huge jump.
Additionally, Anakin in the show appears more complex and has more reasons for why he may want to leave the Jedi Order and why he distrusts the Council--reasons that are less self-serving and ego-based.
Lastly, the acting...my goodness. One would've thought that Hayden would've improved since The Phantom Menace. Almost everything he says seems unnatural and stiff. Mind you, even if Jedi are supposed to be kind of unemotional/serious, there's a way to make it believable. His switch to the Dark Side felt too sudden, and while some plot developments are spelled out too matter-of-fact through dialogue, this one would've benefitted from more clarity. It's still hard for me to figure out how Anakin had spent so many years fighting for the Republic and the Jedi Order then easily caved to Darth Sidious and all his orders.
Aside from Anakin, Palpatine and Padme appeared more melodramatic than expected too. They don't talk and react like how I'd expect them to from the show. Natalie Portman spends half her lines wailing and Palpatine was no longer the evil genius mastermind from the animated series. For example, Palpatine yelling "unlimited power!!" was so cringe and assigning those ultimate orders to Anakin, as opposed to also utilizing some Separatist armies, felt too much like "Palpatine x Ani vs. the world."
The fighting scenes have definitely improved since Episode I, and there were some epic moments, ex. with Obi-Wan Kenobi, that actually drew me into the story more. I still enjoyed the movie, but I think it would've benefited from the same team that crafted The Clone Wars series.