MOVIE NEWS – Natalie Portman admitted it was a “bummer” when she heard about the relentless Star Wars prequel trilogy bashing. George Lucas restarted the franchise for his prequel narrative in the 1999 and time has been actually pretty good on them over the years. Still, that doesn’t mean that everybody loves those movies now, but they were torn to pieces, when they have been released dates back in the day by just about everybody. The negative response was, and still is, overwhelming.

The Phantom Menace was actually one of the most anticipated films in cinema history. George Lucas took some pretty big chances in starting another trilogy, which takes place before the beloved first three instalments. With that kind of hard pressure, it’s virtually impossible to please everyone. Natalie Portman, who acted in all three movies, was asked about the prequel reactions and had this to say in a recent interview.

“It was hard. It was a bummer because it felt like people were so excited about new ones and then to have people feel disappointed. Also, to be at an age that I didn’t really understand that’s kind of the nature of the beast. When something has that much anticipation it can almost only disappoint.”

The new Star Wars movie trilogy had the same backlash that the prequel trilogy went through. Still, it has been nearly 20 years since The Phantom Menace was released and there is a younger generation who grew up watching the prequels. For some, it was their introduction to the franchise and they prefer it more than anything else. Natalie Portman recognizes that aspect today.

“With the perspective of time, it’s been re-evaluated by a lot of people who actually really love them now. There’s a very avid group of people who think they’re the best ones now! I don’t have enough perspective to weigh in,” she explained in an interview to Empire.

While some Star Wars fans are still hating on Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, the film may become a fan-favorite in the years to come. It’s too early to tell, but ultimately, there are too many expectations to create something that everybody is going to enjoy. Johnson took chances and he had a big backlash, while J.J. Abrams is hated for playing it too safe. Still, the franchise is still moving forward.

The Star Wars franchise has a huge audience of fans and it is possibly bigger now than it ever has been. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is coming out at the end of the year and it will be the final movie in the Skywalker saga. Disneyland and Disney World are both opening up new Star Wars-themed lands to the parks, with the Anaheim park opening at the end of this month. Reservations to visit the new area for a total of four hours sold out in less than two hours online. There are complaints, but people are still packing theatres and now theme parks too.

Source: Empire