Star Wars Prequel VS. Sequel scores

[Josh500 1,620]

So far, which do you prefer?

 

For me, there's no question. I love all Star Wars scores, but I grew up with the prequel scores. They're my number one.

[MrScratch 296]

TPM & ROTS > TFA & TLJ > AOTC

 

(I voted Prequel scores)

[Tom 6,153]

IX will swing the balance in the final analysis.  TPM is better than TFA, but TLJ is better than ATOC. 

 

In terms of movies, the prequels are interesting stories poorly executed, while the sequels are boring stories well executed in VII and blandly executed in VIII. 

[Josh500 1,620]

The prequel scores have an almost mythical quality and appeal to me. I find them endlessly listenable, fascinating, and masterful. I spent many, many hundreds of hours in my youth listening to those.... And I still listen to them today.

 

The sequel scores, as great as they are, just can't compete.

[Not Mr. Big 4,890]

ROTS > TFA > TPM > AOTC > TLJ

[John 2,033]

TPM > TFA > TLJ > ROTS > AOTC

[artguy360 2,154]

Without ranking specific scores and without IX yet, the prequels are better scores but the sequels are far better films. TPM is a very special score. It has a richness, a complexity, a delicate touch, and a bombastic energy that no Star Wars score has matched since. AOTC is a far lesser score but with a killer new theme. I find TLJ lacking from this particular perspective. TFA is a lot of fun and I love all the new themes and how deftly JW mixes them into the existing SW musical landscape. I think IX will decide how I feel about the sequel trilogy as a whole. ROTS is a score with some really rich passages but the new main theme is event specific and a lot of the music sounds like first pass stuff without the refinement I hear in TPM.

[Arpy 4,224]

AOTC > Every other score.

[Smaug The Iron 746]

TLJ > TFA > ROTS > TPM > AOTC

Sequel wins. 

[Holko 11,737]

I'd place TPM before ROTS, maybe even before TFA on some days, but yeah, that's pretty much my order too.

[Bilbo 4,153]

Prequels 

[tmarps 218]

 

just... this. I voted for prequels. 

[FBC Director 10,389]

I love the thequel thcoreth.

 

The theme for Rey ith played at every feminitht gathering at my camputh.

[Brundlefly 2,400]

7 hours ago, Josh500 said:

The prequel scores have an almost mythical quality and appeal to me. I find them endlessly listenable, fascinating, and masterful. I spent many, many hundreds of hours in my youth listening to those.... And I still listen to them today.

 

The sequel scores, as great as they are, just can't compete.

No wonder, they were from the composer's most fascinating phase.

[crocodile 9,429]

The prequel scores are probably more stylistically daring and exciting than the sequel ones...but I never had that much of an emotional attachment to them. Took me many listens to start appreciating AOTC and ROTS. The sequel scores are safer and less experimental but I had an instant reaction to them.

 

Karol

[Josh500 1,620]

4 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

No wonder, they were from the composer's most fascinating phase.

 

Not sure whether this was JW's "most fascinating phase," but when these scores were written I myself was lucky to be at the most impressionable phase. 

[Xander Harris 8,704]

The Prequels.

 

And it's no contest.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,606]

Rey's theme honestly has my affection more than anything in the prequel scores, but beyond that, the prequel scores are way more consistently entertaining. 

 

...though I'd still take Last Starfighter any day. 

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 12,312]

Not wanting to split hairs, but...I prefer to wait until compete scores of Episodes I-III, and Episodes VII-IX are available, until I make any final decision. 

Right now, however, I'd say that, although Episode I is my current favourite, Episodes VII and VIII seem to be, stylistically speaking, closer to to the original trilogy, than Episodes I-III.

[Josh500 1,620]

10 minutes ago, Richard said:

Not wanting to split hairs, but...I prefer to wait until compete scores of Episodes I-III, and Episodes VII-IX are available, until I make any final decision. 

 

Sure, same here. And that's why I wrote in my original post "so far"...

[Naïve Old Fart 12,312]

I know you did, and that's why, I wrote "right now" 

[Bespin Copilot 10,208]

Sequels, anytime.

[Josh500 1,620]

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

I don't quite like TPM or AOTC because majority of them don't have TOO many notable bits. ROTS is the only that gets some love in this face off from me. TFA and TLJ are similar, but the more I listen the more I realize they are so different, even thought they use the same themes a lot, they use them in new and exciting ways. I don't know. I hate talking about which Star Wars score is better and that stuff!

[Bespin Copilot 10,208]

Release an expanded boxset called "John Williams - The Star Wars Prequels Collection" and I may change my mind... who knows? 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

4 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Release an expanded boxset called "John Williams - The Star Wars Prequels Collection" and I may change my mind... who knows? 

It truly would change everything.

[Thor 9,327]

3 hours ago, Philippe Roaché said:

The Prequels.

 

And it's no contest.

 

Indeed. Different leagues altogether.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,606]

Rogue One.

 

Was trying to come up with a silly wisecrack about Giacchino's Rogue One to post here, but couldn't think of anything clever or witty. 

Then I realized "really, just say Rogue One and that in of itself is the joke. That's where we're at, people". 

[Naïve Old Fart 12,312]

Here's a silly wisecrack: BUGGER ROGUE ONE!

[Kasey Kockroach 2,606]

Roach One.

[Brundlefly 2,400]

1 hour ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

It truly would change everything.

The C&C of AotC would change a lot of people's mind.

 

2 hours ago, Richard said:

Right now, however, I'd say that, although Episode I is my current favourite, Episodes VII and VIII seem to be, stylistically speaking, closer to to the original trilogy, than Episodes I-III.

So what?

 

6 hours ago, Josh500 said:

Not sure whether this was JW's "most fascinating phase," but when these scores were written I myself was lucky to be at the most impressionable phase. 

Well, not necessarily the best phase, but maybe the most divergent and therefore rather fascinating phase.

[DominicCobb 196]

3v2 is a little lopsided. If we're talking TPM and AOTC vs TFA and TLJ, it's definitely the latter. TPM and TFA are about on par, but TLJ is soooo much better than AOTC. Considering it's also better than ROTS, I'm going to say sequels. Unless IX is shit, I doubt this will change.

[Trent B 354]

14 minutes ago, Brundlefly said:

The C&C of AotC would change a lot of people's mind.

 

 

I've made an intended C&C of AOTC and it definitely has changed my mind. Yes it's not the strongest Prequel score but it's pretty damn good.

[MrScratch 296]

5 hours ago, kaseykockroach said:

Roach One.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,606]

[Holko 11,737]

A truly complete intended RotS will probably change my mind about it, but I've only ever listened to a C&C-style AotC, and I still think it's the weakest Star Wars score. It's meandering, bland, when there are thematic elements, they are the two now themes, neither of which do I like (Across the Stars can work for me in small, low, dark segments, but to the big sweeping statements I just have no emotional reaction at all, so they're just kinda there, and that goddamn Separatist motif... It has no personality, and every single appearance of it might as well be tracked, it's just stated over and over and over again with no orchestration changes or progression (playing it all again in a slightly higher pitch doesn't count as progression), it's almost infuriating), the action scenes have some cool ideas in them but not too greatly executed, and don't even have proper endings, they just slowly dissolve into more bland underscore. But I guess Johnny really had nothing good to work with in that unwatchable pile of shit.

[Chen G. 5,596]

Casual audiences won’t be able to recall the separatist motif at all, so they’ll be left just with Across the Stars. Ideally, you’d want two memorable themes to play off of each other, e.g. The Imperial March and Leia’s love theme in Empire Strikes Back; otherwise, you’re left with just one theme which cannot help but become tired.

 

But, to me, the caliber of that theme still makes that score more accessible, especially to wider audiences watching the film and for that I will say it is the better score, and rank the two sequel scores as the least of the bunch.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,312]

4 hours ago, MrScratch said:

 

That's living, alright!

[Ludwig 1,180]

6 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Ideally, you’d want two memorable themes to play off of each other, e.g. The Imperial March and Leia’s love theme in Empire Strikes Back

 

No. There is another.

[Chen G. 5,596]

Oh sure, Yoda! But it’s a theme that only really pops up well into the second act, whereas those two themes appear through the entire score.

[FBC Director 10,389]

I don't believe Williams composed a love theme for ESB, did he?

[Jurassic Shark 15,674]

He didn't, it's Han's theme.

[John 2,033]

The only love theme Williams composed for ESB is the droids motif.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

The only love theme composed for ESB was for Yoda and the rock.

[bollemanneke 4,191]

Sequel scores!

 

Why is AOTC generally disliked here?

[Kasey Kockroach 2,606]

This is the only love theme for Star Wars I can remember.

 

[hornist 1,240]

Three vs. two? Unfair!! And the best one still to come.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

Happy beeps, guys, happy beeps!

[Manakin Skywalker 5,790]

3 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Sequel scores!

 

Why is AOTC generally disliked here?

It's not disliked, it's just generally considered the weakest of the prequel scores.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

Correct. I mean seriously, can anyone think of three, maybe four tracks superior to Duel of the Fates, Battle of the Heroes, Padmes Ruminations, The Flag Parade, or anything else good from ROTS and TPM. Not really. Zam the Assasin is breifly nice and ATS is obviously one. But.... Exactly!