Well that just means, the dialogue will be better. 
Here is my simple three step receipe for fixing the sequels, aka: What drives Solai f’ing bananas. Such simple fixes I should write a blog post about it…
- Get a line producer to punch up the script (Yo, Joss Whedon, c’mere)
Everyone agrees every word uttered in the prequels is garbage. Let’s fix that.
- Let someone else direct
You have said on the record that you don’t like to direct. It shows. Step aside and let someone go Empire on these. Hayden Christiansen needs direction. He isn’t a terrible actor, but he needs to pointed in the right direction. Shame on you for making Natalie Portman, Samuel Jackson and Liam Neeson seem wooden and unsympathetic. Thank the gods Ewan Macgregor is so talented he essentially self directed.
- Increase the depth, realism and remove the lowbrow comedy of Jar Jar and all Gungans, Boss Nass and those toothpick “Roger, Roger” droids.
It is very simple in my mind, you don’t need to erase Jar Jar, just don’t make him utterly loathsome. Make him empathetical. Make him interesting. Wouldn’t you enjoy Jar Jar if he was more Wash than buffoon? Wouldn’t that final stupid war scene of Gungans (who you don’t care about) against the toothpick RogerRoger droids actually mean something? I died a little inside every time one of those freakin’ toothpick robots would say, “Roger, Roger” in a squeaky ridiculous voice. There was never any tension like you felt with a Stormtrooper. Stormtroopers looked bad ass, couldn’t aim for craaap but you felt like who they were shooting at were in danger.
That’s it. Simple, right? With this in place, everything else falls into place. The plot with all of its holes would be transformed and while still flawed not glaringly obvious. (oh, and I would drop the mitichorlian thing too. Just leave the father unknown and be done with it)
Stewart made a brilliant comment on the nature of fandom: He told Lucas, "My kid’s favorite movie is The Phantom Mencace. And I keep trying to explain to him, ‘No, it’s not. Episode IV is.’ "
Good suggestions.
On the Hayden note: I dont think direction would have saved him. His acting has surely improved since his first appearance but even at his current skill level I wouldnt have cast him. The disparity between his skill and that of his cast mates is downplayed because of the things youve mentioned, fixing things would only make him seem worse imo.
First thing I’m doing once I get a Time Machine, write these notes on George’s desk circa 1996.
Omg his neck! I was almost hypnotized because I couldn’t take my eyes off it. If it weren’t for the cuts to Stewart laughing his sb off, I surely would have. ^^
I thought you guys were exaggerating, but I was expecting a long tongue to attach to Stewart and he’d get swallowed followed by Lucas burping… Hey, where have I seen that before…? stroking chin
Anyway, it was a good show all kidding aside. You can watch the whole thing at:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-january-5-2010-george-lucas
Sometimes I think Stewart picks on Fox too much, but they just give him so much material…
I enjoyed it, I’m kind of used to Lucas’s jabba-neck now. The next day’s episode hda a “Making Of” which was hilarious!
I find it interesting that the commentary on THX1138 proves he’s very film literate. It’s just a shame that he’s not a consistently good director or writer.
What I had been saying for years was that someone else should have directed all the prequels. Episode V was such a great movie, precisely because George Lucas didn’t direct it.
Harrison Ford put it perfectly, when he said that Lucas is impatient with the acting process. If Irvin Kirschner had not directed Episode V, then we wouldn’t have gotten the famous “I love you…I know.” scene, I’m convinced.
Plus, I think it was a big mistake to kill Darth Maul in Episode 1. It would have been so much better to have him get away, and have Obi-wan trying to teach Anakin the good side of the force, while trying to repress his feelings to avenge Qui-Gon at the same time. That could have been a more solid basis for Obi-wan failing Anakin as a teacher.
I’ve seen him in Shattered Glass, and he’s pretty impressive. His other big film was In the Bedroom, but I haven’t caught it. Based on Glass though, he obviously has talent. He played a sniveling weasel who came off charming and puppy-dog-cute at first, but by the end, without any makeup or costume changes, I actually found him physically ugly. That performance needed to be there in Anakin, and it was not.
Perhaps you refer to this? 
(salty language here, especially at the last :60)
Damn, that’s a good idea! Episode II needed a better heavy than Dooku (no offense, Mr. Lee; like the rest of the actors, it wasn’t your fault), and I always felt Darth Maul needed more build-up. I’m not typically a fan of keeping a character around for longer just because he’s cool–it wears out the welcome–but Maul never really blossomed for me. He looked so cool, and was gone so soon.
No. I have never heard that before. That was frakkalakkin OSSIM!!
I think Dooku was a better character than Maul, but that’s mostly because I’m a fan of Christopher Lee. Plus, Dooku was actually Yoda’s apprentice. Might have worked to have Dooku involved from the beginning and get away at the end of Phantom Menace. Maul seemed there for for saber eye candy.
Wouldn’t have helped the prequels all that much, but still.
Yeah, but that name…Dooku…it’s so uuuggghh! That in itself makes him a hard character to get into. Besides that, he was just a bland villain.
Darth Maul could have had so much more going for him than just the look. We never got to find out where he came from, why he joined with Palpatine, or anything else like that. I think if they had developed him correctly, he could have been such a boon to the prequels.
But, of course, this is George Lucas we’re talking about, so that wasn’t in the cards.
No, this is why he’s so intriguing. George didn’t give him as much attention, therefor he was allowed to shine. Dooku had the opposite attention.
I still can’t believe they named him Dooku. Sounds like something that dropped out of a Tauntaun. Yes, I know it is an homage to him having played Count Dracula…but it was yet another of a long line of horrible ideas.
Dooku’s light saber was the coolest part of the prequels for me, well, its tied for first with war wookies.
All kidding aside here are my final thoughts on George Lucas-
There is an infamous YouTube video where the fellow compares Lucas to Rocky, where Lucas used to be the first Rocky but after he won the belt he got soft and lost that ‘eye of the tiger’. And got his ass kicked in Rocky 3. There is some truth to that, I think having less money and fewer resources forced Lucas to be more inventive and creative. And once he had an empire beneath him he got soft.
I prefer to think of him more as Kenobi, Lucas used to be an inventive and creative man who bucked the system and fought hard for the movies he wanted to make. But after sitting in a hut in the middle of nowhere for a number of years he lost his edge, and now he has become a mentor. He is a very gracious man who freely gives access to his ‘Skywalker Ranch’ and recording studios to up and coming film craftsmen. I admire that about him, he may not be a hot commodity anymore but to help new film makers get their first break, and to help ‘groom’ and provide resources to young artists is admirable.
And lets be honest here, Lucas’ marriage went south shortly after ‘Empire’ and he openly stated that he wanted to spend more time with his family. A family which has continued to grow over the years as he has continued to adopt more children. The man has his priorities right if you ask me…
That said, I don’t understand why he did not do with the prequels what he had done with V and VI. Let some one else direct, just over see the production and make sure your vision is intact. Let some one who will demand more from the actors direct, get more intensity and emotion out of them. Help the audience to form a connection to the characters, make us care what happens to them, make us feel they are in imminent danger!
Final thought-
I find it infinately ironic that PIXAR, a company Lucas founded but sold off. Is making movies that are far better than his own, and just as iconic if not more so.
Can you find it?
Oh, of course. Forgot that bit. Thanks.