The New Movies

I have become very disappointed in Lucasfilm, sure, the original trilogy was incredibly good and still my favorites movies. But I did not enjoy the new one, phantom menace, nearly as much. In fact, I would go as far as to say it has pretty much ruined star wars, at least in my opinion. It had been hyped up so much, but arrived with only special effects to back it up, but where was the classic story line that is so familiar with the original Star Wars movies?

I must agree with you
these day only special effect make movies
it's hard to find a movies with a good stories

The problem with The Phantom Menace was not that it wasn't good, it was that people actually started to believe the hype and had completely impossible expectations. You can say that the story isn't entirely original, but if you say it's no good you also say that the classic trilogy stories are no good because Phantom Menace contains so many elements from Episodes 4-6. (The other problem was either the acting or the directing, depending on whom you want to blame.)

Star Wars has not been ruined. I've been reading Star Wars novels since the original Zahn books were published, and I can attest that there has been plenty of material much, much worse than Episode 1. At the same time, there have been books that rival the classic trilogy in excellence.

These days, Star Wars is not just a series of three (now four) movies. It's also a series of books, a universe, a roleplaying game, a <insert your favorite Star Wars group here>, and a community of fans. The last is the most important. We were doing just fine before we even knew that Episode 1 was going to be made, and I predict that we'll be there long after Episode 3 is a (possibly bad) memory.

No Sarah, normally I would agree that overly high expectations can ruin a movie, but in this case, even if I had never heard of Star Wars, this would not have been a good film. Yes it has similar themes to the original, but its excecution and the plot and dialogue around them is sub par.

Here are some reasons:

1. Lack of meaningful dialogue. Much of the movie was filled with Jar Jar nattering on about pointless and unfunny things while the cast sits in silence. For example, look at the scene where Obi Wan, Qui Gon, and Jar Jar are underwater in the sub. This would have been a good time for meaningful character interaction. Instead, Jar Jar natters on about absolutely NOTHING for 5 minutes while Obi Wan and Qui Gon sit in silence.

2. Jar Jar- He was meant to be comic relief, but is only funny to small children. Occupies WAY to much screen time for a supporting character and is generally just annoying.

3. Silly star trek voyager like Techno babel- Metichlorians? What the heck kind of garbage is that? Its almost like it was thrown in as an afterthought.... just look at the scene where Qui Gon is explaining them to Anakin... some of the worst most forced dialogue in the entire film

Ack, I could go on and on, but I better stop now. Basically Lucas made a kids movie, he did not make a movie adults could enjoy and easily identify with. He made a movie to sell toys to children.

Ah! I had a wonderful response, and the window crashed right as I was trying to copy it! No fair!

::sigh:: I just can't face writing that all over again...

Wait a minute! I never said that Episode 1 was a good movie! I'm actually a film student! (Well, sort of.) I have some taste!

I never meant to imply that if the hype hadn't ruined the movie first, there weren't a host of other catastrophes waiting to do the same thing.

There is, however, a tendancy to focus on the negative aspects of the film and completely ignore the positive side. First, you have to admit that the lightsaber duel was just plain cool. C'mon, wasn't at least just the tiniest bit worth it just for that one scene? And I vividly remember the soundtrack (the CD, w/o poor acting to distract me) giving me goosebumps the first time I listened to it.

1) Dialogue: you're right, it's lousy. (Although I'm more inclined to blame the directing---that scene in the sub was a lot funnier in the novelization.)
2) Jar Jar: What is worse---Jar Jar in the movie or the fan community's reaction to him afterwards?!? Sure, he's silly and rather obnoxious. But that's it. He certainly gets on my nerves, but I don't hate him! That's ridiculous! He doesn't merit that much concern!
3) The midichlorians are stupid. I fully agree with you there. For years I raved about how cool it was that the origins of the Force remained a mystery. Then Lucas wiped that idea down the drain. Just this once, though, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I will wait for the next two movies and see what else is revealed. (And then I'll be a midi-chlorian hater.)

I too was disappointed by the film. I went to special effort to get those opening night midnight tickets because I knew how much my sister wanted to see TPM. Now there were some good lines in there. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had some good philosophical lines, but they were overshadowed by the other nonsense of the film. I'd pull out my quote book and write some of them down but I'm in class. You'll have to wait till I get home. I remember thinking as I drove home that I had been more excited over seeing the Special Edition in theater than TPM. I also remember that I felt I had stayed up late and drove an hour for nothing. The movie premiered a day after my graduation so I was a little tired from post-graduation events. But my sister, who is 12, immensely enjoyed it and it made it worth while.

The thing that detracted from my enjoyment of the movie was my knowledge of the characters. It was hard to be concerned for Obi-Wan or Anakin when you knew that they *had* to survive. You knew they survived. There was no question. Like wise for Amidala.

Oh yeah and on a conceptual note? Anakin was concieved by midichlorians? Give me a break! I suppose that is supposed to make it more "mystical".

But on the plus side I liked the novelization and I enjoyed Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. And the lightsaber battle was spectacular!

When i first see it i was not that disapointed cause i had take great pain not to see ANY preview. After when i see it again i begin to find out what all other people were whinning about.

And i must say that Jar-Jar isn't that bad in english. You should see and heard it in the frensh traduction :x

That does sound scary!

Actually I hated Jar Jar as soon as I got done watching the film for the first time, had nothing to do with fan community and everything to do with the fact that he HOGGED EVERY SCENE instead of letting more interesting characters and more important characters do their part.

But I don't mean to give the impression that I hated it, not at all. It was an ok film. It just could have, and should have been a lot better. There were a few good scenes... I LOVED the pod race, and the opening scene where the two jedi run amok on the control ship and get run off by the VERY COOL Destroyer Driods, and of course I like everyone was drooling all through the incredible lightsaber duel. But notice... all of those scenes contain no dialogue. When it comes to meaningful character interaction, SW 1 failed utterly. But it succeeds in interesting action scenes.

I just realized something. Really what made the original trilogy so memorable was the character interaction. Memorable lines, memorable moments between characters... those are the things you really remember. Even action scenes were used as character developement (ex. Luke flying his X-Win into the death star as a huge internal conflict rages and he tries to learn to trust in the force) SW 1 had none of that. Action scenes were there for the sake of action, character interaction was NIL thanks to that nattering Jar Jar, and dialogue was mediocre at best.

As i say earlyer everything in the special effect and in action scene

and nothing in a good script

sad but that's how Hollywood make film these day

That is how a lot of Hollywood films are these days, but not all, and it is by no means a new phenomenon.

I think part of the problem with Episode 1 is that Lucas is so big. With better screenwriters and directors involved, the movie could have been great.

When I first saw the movie, I was a bit dissapointed, but after I saw it two more times I grew to like it much better.
As many people have pointed out before me, this is an introductory movie, so no one should have expected it to have as much backstory as the originals; I do feel, however, that Episodes 2 & 3 will be much better, and I do believe that some news of a lot of the fans' reaction has reached George Lucas, and he'll probably try to cover up some of those points next movie (why do you think their release dates were extended).
And anyway, when you compare it to most of today's other sucky movies (an area in which most people will disagree; I thought The Matrix was bad, which shows my taste for movies very well...), TPM can be considered excellent.

And about the chloriflourides, I think that really depends on what you believed in in the first place; I, for one, liked that part; probably because I'm not religious (I believe that if there is ESP there is a scientific explanation for it which we will soon find)...

I did think that Jake Floyd's acting needed a boost in places, especially during the part when he asked Queen Amidala if she was an angel.

Also, someone mentioned that there was no suspense because you knew that the characters had to survive.
Well, most people who saw that movie didn't know the details about Anakin and Amidala's wedding, so most people didn't know that she had to survive and it's your own falt if you did. You also didn't know if Qui'Gon would survive, and that added a huge suspense to that (nearly) last scene. You also didn't know whether Darth Maul would survive into the next Episode or not. And you didn't know if most of the minor characters would survive either.

Although really, when I watch an exciting movie I don't really think as I'm watching it who will survive and who want; same when I read a Star Wars book. I know it in the back of my mind but am completely oblivious to it during the time I watch the movie or read the book.

The whole theory that Anakin was conceived by midi-chorians is utterly ridiculous.

I don't care if Lucas intends for it to be the truth. It's ridiculous.

If George Lucas told me personally that this theory were true, I still would refuse to believe it.

C'mon. It's just stupid.

I would like to point out that it was patently obvious that Amidala has to be the famed "Mrs. Skywalker". (We called her that for years before we knew her name.) The role would obviously have to be quite vital, and if she wasn't at least a major supporting character in Episode 1 she would be at best a supporting character in the trilogy. And, let's face it, there are only two female roles in The Phantom Menace: Amidala/Padmé and Schmi Skywalker. Hmmm...I wonder which one is going to be the love interest.

All of which is really irrelevent to the argument, because there's never really any situation where we think Amidala might die, so her being destined to survive is really not all that important in that regard. (Sorry if I came on a bit too strong there---I haven't gotten to do this in months. And remember, I took the other side last time! :lol: )

As far as the other characters you mentioned, though: (Feel perfectly free to stop reading this; this is the kind of stuff I absolutely love to examine and like I said, it's been months.)

Qui-Gon's death was very predictable, and would have been even if it hadn't been given away on the soundtrack. And who would really have expected Lucas to give away something so important on the soundtrack?

I always rather disliked Darth Maul, so I was kind of hoping he would die from the start and I cannot judge in his case. (You want to see me really getting vicious? Try to convince me that Darth Maul survived. If that really happened, btw, it would be the one thing that would make me loose faith in Star Wars.)

::sigh:: You're really very lucky, you know. I almost can't stop analyzing and just enjoy the action. (That's why Magnolia was one of my favorite 1999 movies---it was one of the only movies that absolutely, completely surprised me. I love to be surprised. It just doesn't happen a lot.)

Their is two way Darth Maul can be brouth back in next movies

First One the Darth Maul that die was not Darth Maul but a Clone. (I don't think this gona happen)

Second one they will Clone Darth Maul in next movies (Now this is the most probable scenario, Remember the nxet movies will be the Clone war)

Third; Darth Maul uses force to heal himself very quickly before hitting bottom of pit and floats up in the air using the force (both of these feats have been touched on in the EU, not that it makes them completely genuine, but still).
If that somehow does happen, though, it would probably be Darth Sidious who cures him, since he's stronger in the force than Darth Maul.


And about the "Queen Amidala" topic, I never thought that she might be Luke's mother; I always thought that that would appear some time after Episode 1, so I didn't suspect her until someone told me.

Remember that most viwers just enjoy the movie as it goes (at least on first watching).

Darth Maul is not coming back.

That would be a cheap trick. While I would not entirely put it past Lucas, it would be a cheap trick.

Enemies coming back as clones (or the dead one being the clone) is a terrible cliche. It's been done. (In the Star Wars universe, even!) I'm quite serious when I say that something like this happening would be the one thing that could make me loose faith in Star Wars.

No where in the EU do we ever encounter evidence that someone could heal himself after being cut in two. That is highly improbable. It's theoretically possible that Darth Maul could have been rescued before hitting the bottom, but that would require an accomplice, and we know he didn't have one.

The next episode will be the clone war and to involve jedi it will need sith at least that's what i think

so we'll be seeing a movies with maybe 20 Darth Maul

I'm not saying that cause i like the personage
only because i think this is what will happen

and it's almost certain that Amidala will be the mother of Luke and Leia
Even if she look maybe 10 years older than Anakin

We already know that Darth Maul is not exactly the only Sith to ever exist.

That's an interesting theory, and not one that I have ever heard before. (I will still revolt if it actually happens, though.) I have heard rumors that the big enemies during the Clone Wars will actually be Madalorians. (There is definitely evidence that Mandalorians will be involved.) Thus, there could be a significant Sith presense without needing to have huge numbers of Sith.

It isn't almost certain that Amidala/Padmé (I'm still trying to figure that one out---is Amidala a title? a formal name? a surname? or is Padmé a nickname?) is Luke and Leia's mother. It is as close to certain as anything ever is with George Lucas involved. Looks aside, in The Phantom Menace Amidala is said to be fourteen, while Anakin is said to be nine or ten ( I don't remember which!)---that's even closer than the five-year difference between Han and Leia. (But still. I agree that it feels a little weird.)