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Star Wars Prequel VS. Sequel scores


Josh500

Which do you personally prefer?  

73 members have voted

  1. 1. Star Wars Prequel VS. Sequel scores...

    • Prequel scores: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith
      50
    • Sequel scores: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi
      22


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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. 

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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. 

 

 

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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.

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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"...

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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!

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

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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? :devil:

It truly would change everything.

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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". 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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