[ColdSteel]

Well, I also was very disappointed with the writing and story in Phantom Menace. Some of the nicer elements of the first trilogy, such as the Force with its elements of mystery and eastern mysticism, were completely junked for some lame attempt to make at all scientifically and biologically logical. Bad idea. Didn't work.

Then there was the overall plot of the movie, which to me seemed like it was written by a brain damaged 12 year old. I think they aimed it mostly at 3rd graders which was another mistake. I thought it was completely unoriginal, pompous, predictable, clichéd and self congratulatory. By the Last, I mean they fell in love with the computer generated character technology and used it to create the most obnoxious and irritating characters just because they could. Either that or they genuinely thought they were cute. No, that's just too scary to even contemplate.

Lucas hadn't made a movie in 20 years and it showed. He tried to make a 1970s movie when the Sci-Fi genre bar has been raised so much higher since then. Star Wars moved space opera and Sci-Fi out of the B and C movie doldrums but now its a whole new world. After movies like Blade Runner, Aliens, Terminator, etc., Phantom was just a boring afterthought. Heck, Farscape is more original has better effects and much better writing every single week. Now THERE is space opera the way it should be.

Now after "kiddie speed racer" in the first movie, what's next, "teenage love"? Oh spare me.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Star Wars. A lot. Still do. That's why it's so painful to watch Lucas making such an *** of himself. He should have stuck with special effects and left his legacy and reputation intact. JMHO.

-CS