Belated Media Fixes All the Problems with ‘Star Wars Episode II’

We all complain about the Star Wars prequels. While we all hate on Episodes I, II, and III on differing levels, practically no one offers a constructive plan to fix George Lucas’ mess. YouTuber Michael is our only hope.

Michael a.k.a. Belated Media previously revealed his plan to reconstruct Episode I to make it an enjoyable story. That video earned him over 1.4 million views and hearty praise from even the strictest haters. Now he’s back with a revised Episode II outline.

In the first video Michael concisely and accurately assesses the prequels’ major flaws. “George made the misstep of thinking familiarity meant characters,” he begins. “It also helps to have a main character. Episode I was very muddled in that regard. You aren’t really sure who to point to.” That pretty much nails it.

A big reason why the original trilogy works is because of Luke, Leia, and Han. This trio serves as the heart of the film. And on the flip side, Darth is a consistent baddie. Clear protagonists, clear antagonist. Those are the makings of likeable stories.

Back to Michael’s revisions. If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you visit his Episode I video first. The tangents he makes here reverberate in his story for Episode II (and eventually Episode III).

Of course his plot for the second film seems good. A big reason is because we want it to be. Michael also has the luxury of dashing off the story in 15 minutes rather than two hours. His third act seems a bit muddled in its own right but the overarching themes are valid. Dooku’s redemption is brilliant and foreshadows, you know, something in Episode VI.

Everyone wanted a love triangle between Anakin, Obi-wan, and Padme in the prequels. Rather than simply tacking it on in the Episode III, Michael establishes it really well. Actually, he laid the groundwork with Episode I’s revisions.

What I don’t like is the use of Owen Lars. I very much agree the Lars subplot in the real Episode II was awkward but here it seems forced. In Michael’s version, does this young pilot simply retire to Tatooine for Episode IV? Even if that’s his charge for Episode III, to care for young Luke, why would he be so resistent to Obi-wan? You’d think they would be partners in this endeavor.

The video itself is an improvement over Michael’s first one. He’s less snarky here and just gets to the point. I also love the comic storyboards by Jackie Whisler. They are excellent at illustrating his story.

What do you think? There are so many different ways we can slice and dice this, as we should. But, alas, George Lucas’ Episode II will remain in its broken form. (Collective sigh)