Some people may know I was quite the Star Wars fan back in high school. I kept up with all the books, and had watched all the movies many times. I even went to some movie in Salt Lake just to see the trailer for Episode I. I liked it enough that pretty much everyone I knew at the time knew I was a big fan.

Last night I watched Star Wars Episode III again. I watched it once in the theater and then once or twice right after it came out on DVD but I hadn't watched it since. Watching it again got me thinking about about the vehement dislike a lot of people have toward the prequels.

I find myself associating with a lot of "geeks" on the internet. People who like programming, Star Trek, D&D and Star Wars. People who were as excited for the prequels to come out as I was. If you ask many of them, you will find a lot of these people didn't like the new Star Wars movies. They feel like they don't mach up to the old ones. Many claim George Lucas ruined the series.

I think the new Star Wars movies are every bit as good as the originals. They are action packed swashbuckling movies set in a futuristic universe. Very few of the physics come close to reality. The main characters do over the top, impossible things and come out with nary a scratch on them.

I think the biggest problem most people have with Star Wars these days is that they aren't kids any more. They watched Star Wars when they were younger and loved it. They watch the new ones and don't like them. But most of these people couldn't watch the originals and enjoy them either. Star Wars hasn't changed, they have. Kids love Star Wars just as much today as kids did 30 years ago. They definitely buy the merchandising just as fast.

There are a few places where the plot feels weak. Some of the romantic scenes from Episode II are hard to watch. These problems aren't just limited to the prequels. In Episode V Luke spent half the movie as a whiney kid. But the fact of the matter is the action scenes are awesome.

If your biggest problems with the new Star Wars movies are bad dialog and Jar Jar Binks then you're watching them with the wrong mindset. Next time you sit down to watch a Star Wars movie, don't look for deep dialog, or an amazing plot. Look for swashbuckling space heroes, and a lot of action. If you want good dialog and a deep plot watch Pride and Prejudice.

My name is Mike Oldham and I'm a Star Wars fan.