George Lucas

After releasing the first ‘Star Wars’ prequel ‘Episode I - The Phantom Menace’ in 1999, director George Lucas soon found himself at the centre of fan fury.

In fact, the following movies, ‘Episode II - Attack of the Clones’ and ‘Episode III - Revenge of the Sith’ were also met with harsh criticism from fans due to the movies’ wooden dialogue, perceived over-reliance on CGI and their more overt focus on politics.

Even so, Lucas said the ‘Star Wars’ prequels weren’t made for fans of the Original Trilogy per se, and attributed the vitriolic hatred of the three films to “critics and fans who had been 10 years old when they saw the first one”.

He explained: “It was supposed to be a kid’s movie for 12-year-olds that were going through puberty, who don’t know what they’re doing, and are asking all the big questions: What should I be worried about? What’s important in life?

“And ‘Star Wars’ has all those things in there. They’re buried in there but you definitely get it, especially if you’re young.”