Note: I will do my best to
de-rantify my original thoughts and put them into this un-
prejudiced,
unbiased node.
Star Wars: Episode I was a great hit. Kids loved it, SW fans went wild, people of all ages thought it was a great movie with great special effects.
Now why did I feel like I was watching a Disney movie?
I never had the privilege of watching the original Trilogy in the movies. Sure, I watched the "updated" versions, but the late 70's and early 80's weren't my generation. I wasn't even BORN yet. Still, every since my early teen years, the Star Wars Trilogy fascinated me, as well as the books. I was hooked. I watched the news, saliva dripping to the floor as I heard about the new movie. I waited and waited and waited and FINALLY it came out. I rushed to the theaters and saw the movie. It was one of the greatest disappointments of my life. No shit. Episode I had nothing absolutely NOTHING to do with the Star Wars I knew and loved.
Something went wrong. It was probably because the producers wanted a broader audience, especially young kids. Death-inducing stormtroopers wouldn't do I guess. Darth Vader was probably too nightmarish (Do you really think Darth Maul is scary?). Anywho, at the very latest, it was Jar Jar Binks who should have told you that this movie was crap and just for kiddies. I have never seen such an annoying character in my whole life. He practically screamed "cartoon character". Humor is also an essential part in Star Wars, but Jar Jar and his fellow "Gungans" took it overboard. They really ruined most of the movie. Then of course our young Anakin. Fine, Darth Vader was a child back then. But I could never imagine, not even in Star Wars, that a child could blow up an orbital battlestation out of sheer dumb luck. That was really the last straw. The practically only highlight in this disaster of a movie was the lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Still, there was no way I could seriously take this film as a prequel to the Star Wars Trilogy.
The special effects may have been some of the greatest I've seen in my life. But they alone don't make a good movie. I can only hope that our beloved George Lucas can see his folly and turn the next two films into the kind of Star Wars that is meant to be.