Star Wars Ep. I - 10 years later

[Presto-digitation]

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[Mandalorian Hunter]

 

As a child of the prequels I don't really have anything bad to say about them. Even though I was lucky enought to be introduced to the series through the 1997 releases. People may scoff, but I still enjoy The Phantom Menace every time I watch it because it has that magical quality that was present in the OT, which is lacking in the later two.

 

Also, I'm yet to meet someone face to face who can actually give me a legitimate reason why Jar-Jar is bad. All I get is 'Jar-Jar ruins the movie' but no back-up. Isn't the media wonderful!

[Prince Sphinc-Tor]

Man...that's a lot to read....so I won't...I didn't like the prequels, especially Phantom Menace, although The second wasn't too bad.

[ReRushed]

I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith!

 

I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN. Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels. As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are.

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (Mandalorian Hunter @ May 26 2009, 12:39 PM)

As a child of the prequels I don't really have anything bad to say about them. Even though I was lucky enought to be introduced to the series through the 1997 releases. People may scoff, but I still enjoy The Phantom Menace every time I watch it because it has that magical quality that was present in the OT, which is lacking in the later two. Also, I'm yet to meet someone face to face who can actually give me a legitimate reason why Jar-Jar is bad. All I get is 'Jar-Jar ruins the movie' but no back-up. Isn't the media wonderful!

My biggest knock on the character is his overuse. He not only appears in but his foibles are featured (usually in some silly way) in nearly every scene where he appears and that read to me as too much. Was the character inherently awful? No, I don't think so anyhow. But he was overused when a little went a long ways. That's my single biggest gripe. He seemed to be intentionally over-featured because he was this successful all-CGI character and I think Lucas could've pulled that back a bit more.

 

Lucas definitely over-anticipated what he suspected would be a collective adoration for the character.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 12:57 PM)

I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith! I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN.  Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels.  As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are.

Twice Lucas has been nominated as Best Director (in addition to twice being nominated for screenwriting), so while the prequels may not be his best work, I don't think it proves he's a crappy director anymore than 1941 or Youth Without Youth suggests that Spielberg and Coppola are horrible directors.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:04 PM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 12:57 PM) I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith! I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN.  Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels.  As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are. Twice Lucas has been nominated as Best Director (in addition to twice being nominated for screenwriting), so while the prequels may not be his best work, I don't think it proves he's a crappy director anymore than 1941 or Youth Without Youth suggests that Spielberg and Coppola are horrible directors. Hey, three bad ones in row, he struck out!

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 01:09 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:04 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 12:57 PM) I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith! I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN.  Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels.  As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are. Twice Lucas has been nominated as Best Director (in addition to twice being nominated for screenwriting), so while the prequels may not be his best work, I don't think it proves he's a crappy director anymore than 1941 or Youth Without Youth suggests that Spielberg and Coppola are horrible directors. Hey, three bad ones in row, he struck out!   Coppola:   Rumble Fish The Cotton Club Captain EO   Spielberg:   Catch Me If You Can The Terminal War Of The Worlds   ...all in suc(k)cession.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:11 PM)

QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 01:09 PM) QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:04 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 12:57 PM) I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith! I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN.  Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels.  As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are. Twice Lucas has been nominated as Best Director (in addition to twice being nominated for screenwriting), so while the prequels may not be his best work, I don't think it proves he's a crappy director anymore than 1941 or Youth Without Youth suggests that Spielberg and Coppola are horrible directors. Hey, three bad ones in row, he struck out! Spielberg:   Catch Me If You Can The Terminal War Of The Worlds   ...all in suc(k)cession. Oh come on! Catch Me If You Can is a very good movie! I'll give you The Terminal. War of the Worlds was at least half good.   Oh yeah, and didn't Lucas need Spielberg's help with Attack of the Clones, or is that just a rumor?

[GeddyRulz]

First, I think "Catch Me If You Can" is a great movie! Now onto the SW prequels...

 

I'll be honest, I haven't the patience, desire, or time to read all of that looooong post, but I, too, am a supporter of the prequels. Do I like the first trilogy (episodes 4-6) better? Absolutely! No doubt about it. But the prequels really aren't all bad, either.

 

"Phantom Menace." Yes, I hate Jar-Jar (and even the kid, Mannequin Skywalker), and the "diplomacy" part gets boring, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is freakin' killer! Seriously. When I was growing up, Kenobi was just a boring old man... now, in "Phantom Menace," he's young, quick, and can really swing that lightsaber. Finally, we get some cool, fast-paced, real Jedi action! The duel between Darth Maul on one side and Kenobi/Jinn on the other was the best lightsaber action we'd ever seen before in a SW movie, and I for one am a HUGE fan of lightsaber fighting.

 

"Attack of the Clones." Sorry, this is my least favorite. More action than the last, but almost TOO MUCH action, in my opinion. The lightsaber fighting is once again fast... but so fast, you can't tell what is happening. A flurry of laser blasts and "busy" backgrounds behind the characters, and I couldn't really tell you what happened during the action scenes.

 

"Revenge of the Sith." Great. Very dark, but still very good. Good pacing during the Kenobi-Skywalker duel, and good psychological story about Palpatine's mind-trip corruption of Skywalker. The pacing of the whole film was actually very good. Probably a much better film, overall, than "Menace."

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 01:15 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:11 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 01:09 PM) QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:04 PM) QUOTE (ReRushed @ May 26 2009, 12:57 PM) I fell asleep during The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones was barely bearable and Revenge of the Sith is, well, a pile of sith! I enjoyed the original Star Wars films because they were FUN.  Lucas proved himself a horrible director with the prequels.  As films they lack everything that made the originals as appealing as they are. Twice Lucas has been nominated as Best Director (in addition to twice being nominated for screenwriting), so while the prequels may not be his best work, I don't think it proves he's a crappy director anymore than 1941 or Youth Without Youth suggests that Spielberg and Coppola are horrible directors. Hey, three bad ones in row, he struck out! Spielberg:   Catch Me If You Can The Terminal War Of The Worlds   ...all in suc(k)cession. Oh come on! Catch Me If You Can is a very good movie! I'll give you The Terminal. War of the Worlds was at least half good.   Oh yeah, and didn't Lucas need Spielberg's help with Attack of the Clones, or is that just a rumor? Actually that was with Sith. The two brainstormed a few ideas that were implemented in the film.   Speaking of those two collaborating, any Star Wars prequel was better than the foul Indy & The Crystal Skull mess. Yikes..!

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 01:41 PM)

Speaking of those two collaborating, any Star Wars prequel was better than the foul Indy & The Crystal Skull mess. Yikes..!

Ya got that right!

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 26 2009, 01:37 PM)

First, I think "Catch Me If You Can" is a great movie!    Now onto the SW prequels... I'll be honest, I haven't the patience, desire, or time to read all of that looooong post, but I, too, am a supporter of the prequels.  Do I like the first trilogy (episodes 4-6) better?  Absolutely!  No doubt about it.  But the prequels really aren't all bad, either. "Phantom Menace."  Yes, I hate Jar-Jar (and even the kid, Mannequin Skywalker), and the "diplomacy" part gets boring, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is freakin' killer!  Seriously.  When I was growing up, Kenobi was just a boring old man... now, in "Phantom Menace," he's young, quick, and can really swing that lightsaber.  Finally, we get some cool, fast-paced, real Jedi action!  The duel between Darth Maul on one side and Kenobi/Jinn on the other was the best lightsaber action we'd ever seen before in a SW movie, and I for one am a HUGE fan of lightsaber fighting.  "Attack of the Clones."  Sorry, this is my least favorite.  More action than the last, but almost TOO MUCH action, in my opinion.  The lightsaber fighting is once again fast... but so fast, you can't tell what is happening.  A flurry of laser blasts and "busy" backgrounds behind the characters, and I couldn't really tell you what happened during the action scenes.  "Revenge of the Sith."  Great.  Very dark, but still very good.  Good pacing during the Kenobi-Skywalker duel, and good psychological story about Palpatine's mind-trip corruption of Skywalker.  The pacing of the whole film was actually very good.  Probably a much better film, overall, than "Menace."

Well please find the time to read it. If you enjoyed the prequels, you're who I want to read it.

 

I generally agree with you.

 

From a plot persepctive, especially, I actually prefer the prequels to the original trilogy. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Senate, the Jedi, etc. From an acting standpoint I prefer the OT....(although I think Sith was a nice emotional effort from all involved, especialy McGregor and McDiarmid).

 

I think what I liked best about Ep. II was the gum-shoe detective aspect of it. That was a new twist in a SW movie.

 

I think they actually progressively got better, Sith definitely being the best of the lot and second only to Empire in the entire series as far as I'm concerned, thanks in no small part to Ian McDiarmid.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 01:44 PM)

....second only to Empire in the entire series as far as I'm concerned

Heresy!

 

I know a lot of folks prefer the "darker" story of ESB to the fluffier RoTJ, but putting either of them before the original '77 film?? Sacrilege! How old are you? I saw "Star Wars" on the big screen back in '77, again and again; there was never anything like it before. Just from a purely historical standpoint (and the fact that re-watching it sometimes makes me feel 10-years-old again), I pick the original "Star Wars" as the best of all six films. My opinion, of course.

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 26 2009, 01:52 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 01:44 PM) ....second only to Empire in the entire series as far as I'm concerned Heresy!   I know a lot of folks prefer the "darker" story of ESB to the fluffier RoTJ, but putting either of them before the original '77 film?? Sacrilege! How old are you? I saw "Star Wars" on the big screen back in '77, again and again; there was never anything like it before. Just from a purely historical standpoint (and the fact that re-watching it sometimes makes me feel 10-years-old again), I pick the original "Star Wars" as the best of all six films. My opinion, of course. I was eight when Star Wars opened.   I don't think it's sacrilege to choose the best prequel as fitting in with the best of the OT or thereabouts. Sith certainly has more gravitas than Jedi, which was too neat and tidy by my standards. Seriously, if Han had died in that film it would've AMPED the dramatic tension for the rest of the movie. As it was, it was just too picture perfect. Easily the worst of the OT and, in fact, Jedi is my least favorite of all six....although it has some incredible (!) moments, both action-wise and emotionally.   I love the original film though...no doubt. That I'd rank it third isn't a slap in my book.   None of them touch Empire anyhow.   By my tastes:   Empire Sith Star Wars Clones Menace Jedi

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[Mandalorian Hunter]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 06:44 PM)

thanks in no small part to Ian McDiarmid.

Not forgetting Ewan in Sith either. Looking back, he was awful in AotC but I'd put that down to poor dialogue rather than his acting talents. In Sith I liked the humour he gave to the role and his speech to Anakin on the Mustafar hillside was superb. You could really believe him.

 

One problem I've had with the prequels is the flow of them. For some reason the constant chopping and changing of location really gets on my nerves, especially the Coruscant scenes when it goes from the council to Palpatine's chambers, then back to the temple, via a few Coruscant air-road scenes. I feel like I can't settle when that happens.

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (Mandalorian Hunter @ May 26 2009, 02:08 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 06:44 PM) thanks in no small part to Ian McDiarmid. Not forgetting Ewan in Sith either. Looking back, he was awful in AotC but I'd put that down to poor dialogue rather than his acting talents. In Sith I liked the humour he gave to the role and his speech to Anakin on the Mustafar hillside was superb. You could really believe him.   One problem I've had with the prequels is the flow of them. For some reason the constant chopping and changing of location really gets on my nerves, especially the Coruscant scenes when it goes from the council to Palpatine's chambers, then back to the temple, via a few Coruscant air-road scenes. I feel like I can't settle when that happens. Yeah and Lucas is a furious cutter. LOL. Sith is no exception for sure. Still I'm glad that there are some very un-Lucas-like moments, like when Anakin and Padme have that cross-Coruscant gaze just before Skywalker heads out to stop Mace from confronting Palpatine. The music in that sequence is incredible. Nice poignant moment from Lucas...(courtesy of Francis, so rumor has it).   Agree about Ewan. The "you were my brother...I loved you" line is so compassionate. McGregor is great in this film, no doubt.

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:00 PM)

Easily the worst of the OT and, in fact, Jedi is my least favorite of all six....although it has some incredible (!) moments, both action-wise and emotionally.

I'm probably in a minority, especially among the "darker is cooler" crowd, but I like RoTJ better than ESB. The lightsaber duels in both are very good, and I'll call those a wash. But I was somewhat disappointed (at 12-years-old!) when ESB first hit theatres. Sure, I liked Yoda and the "I'm you're father" drama (and, of course, the duel), but little else. The pacing is wrong. I don't care about the Battle in the Snow or even the Chase Through the Asteroids, really. And the film looked different than SW; it almost cheapened the SW Universe as I imagined it. Something was out of whack. (I partially blame the absence of talented film editors Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew, who'd taken all the crappy footage George shot and helped turn it into the visual miracle of 1977's "Star Wars.")

 

RoTJ I liked very much. It wrapped-up the Skywalker Family Drama... although suddenly throwing Leia into the mix seemed like overkill; going in, we were still unsure whether Darth Vader was telling the truth about this "father" business, and now suddenly another major character is also a Skywalker??? But the action was great, right from the start. The fight on the sailbarge was terrific, especially that business of Luke jumping off the gangplank, flipping back up, and catching the lightsaber launched by Artoo. Great! And we'd no sooner caught our breath from watching that action sequence when we were blessed with the high-speed bike chase. Bonus! (The Ewoks, like Jar-Jar, are almost forgivable. Lucas has done this in each of the films: added a cutesy little character or animal species for the adoration of the littlest viewers. It's like in Disney films, where there'll be a talking cricket or mouse or teacup or something.)

Edited May 26, 2009 by GeddyRulz

[Soni]

Edited May 26, 2009 by Soni

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 26 2009, 02:46 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 02:00 PM) Easily the worst of the OT and, in fact, Jedi is my least favorite of all six....although it has some incredible (!) moments, both action-wise and emotionally.  I'm probably in a minority, especially among the "darker is cooler" crowd, but I like RoTJ better than ESB. The lightsaber duels in both are very good, and I'll call those a wash. But I was somewhat disappointed (at 12-years-old!) when ESB first hit theatres. Sure, I liked Yoda and the "I'm you're father" drama (and, of course, the duel), but little else. The pacing is wrong. I don't care about the Battle in the Snow or even the Chase Through the Asteroids, really. And the film looked different than SW; it almost cheapened the SW Universe as I imagined it. Something was out of whack. (I partially blame the absence of talented film editors Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew, who'd taken all the crappy footage George shot and helped turn it into the visual miracle of 1977's "Star Wars.")   RoTJ I liked very much. It wrapped-up the Skywalker Family Drama... although suddenly throwing Leia into the mix seemed like overkill; going in, we were still unsure whether Darth Vader was telling the truth about this "father" business, and now suddenly another major character is also a Skywalker??? But the action was great, right from the start. The fight on the sailbarge was terrific, especially that business of Luke jumping off the gangplank, flipping back up, and catching the lightsaber launched by Artoo. Great! And we'd no sooner caught our breath from watching that action sequence when we were blessed with the high-speed bike chase. Bonus! (The Ewoks, like Jar-Jar, are almost forgivable. Lucas has done this in each of the films: added a cutesy little character or animal species for the adoration of the littlest viewers. It's like in Disney films, where there'll be a talking cricket or mouse or teacup or something.) The Ewoks were never a concern of mine, quite honestly. I think that's the most overbashed thing in the whole canon.   I just hated that it was so tidy and predictable. Kill Solo (as both Harrison Ford and Lawrence Kasdan suggested to Lucas) and use something other than "another" Death Star (for Godsake, at least change the shape) as a recycled plot element and the movie would go way up in my estimation.   Not that I have much to complain about given that I enjoy the prequels but the acting in Jedi is pretty abysmal compared to SW and Empire. Fisher is coked out of her gourd and it shows...Ford does fine, but has little to do in this film overall. The best acting comes in the sequence between Vader, Luke and The Emperor.   The space battle is unprecedented and still probably the best of the entire lot of them.   However I'll still take the Vader/Luke duel in Empire over the one in Jedi. The best part about Jedi's duel isn't the action so much as it is the emotion behind Luke's aggression at the end. That's what makes that sequence....the "I'm a Jedi, like my father before me." Awesome.

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (Soni @ May 26 2009, 02:56 PM)

Unlike my dad who wasn't so sure, but that was ok, this was the beggining of my own star wars era! When we came back home, my brother and I spent the rest of the day, either talking about it or fighting with our plastic lightsabers... This is really one of my most cherished memories, and if it wasn't for my dad, I wouln't have felt such an emotion! The force runs strong in my family...

Thanks for sharing. Great story. My son still has fond memories too.

 

This is exactly what I mean. To YOU at a then-young age (still fairly young...lol), it was to YOU what Star Wars had been to people like GeddyRulz and I...and everyone else our age who saw and loved it back in the stone age. That's exactly what I'm getting at in my reflection, that Lucas didn't write the prequels for GeddyRulz and I -- he wrote it for you. Just like he didn't write the original trilogy for 35-year-olds in 1977, although they could enjoy it too. He'd written it for our age group then.

 

Fans my age don't dig that. They wanted the prequels to grow up with them to some degree or another. Some less so, some just vehemently upset by the kid-quality of Episode I among other things.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Presto-digitation

[rushgoober]

I grew up a huge fan of the original movies as well, with only the ewoks marring a perfect trilogy. The updated versions of the original trilogy really helped Return of the Jedi. Yes, the overly cute ewoks were still present, but the new ending really helped it become a little less sugary.

 

I was beyond excited for Episode 1. I even saw a Thursday midnight show, the only time I think I've ever done that. At the time I was pretty overwhelmed and didn't know what to think. It took a few views and a little time and perspective to really get a grasp on what I thought of it.

 

Unfortunately, most of what really stands out for me is the horrible acting of the young kid who played Annakin and of the woman who played his mother. I mean, really unforgivable bad acting for a movie of that stature. It made me really question George Lucas's judgment. And then there was Jar Jar Binks. I don't even think I need to say anything else about that.

 

The fact that a large section of the movie was that race/competition thing was also a bit of a letdown. It was very cool looking, but it was a bit silly. And then some of the dialogue just really needed some help, and that goes for the next two movies as well. George Lucas really needs an editor, someone who isn't afraid to stand up to him and tell him that certain dialogue is just too clunky and awkward and people just DON'T TALK LIKE THAT.

 

There were good aspects of the movie, and I'll still enjoy it from time to time. If anything else, it set the stage for the far superior (if still nowhere as good as the original trilogy) Episode 2 and 3, but overall it was a disappointment for some elements that didn't work.

 

If the original trilogy was the first Matrix, then the second trilogy was the 2nd and 3rd Matrix movies - good eye candy, but you can't help think that maybe things would have been a lot better had they never come into existence...

[GeddyRulz]

"Matrix" sucks.

 

 

 

I was thinking more about "Phantom Menace" since my first post, and - being honest with myself - there are actually large sections I don't care for at all. The opening was excellent - with Kenobi/Jinn fighting dozens of battle droids - but their trip underwater to the Gungan City was boring. The Podraces were supposed to thrill us all, like the chariot race in "Ben Hur" (I think the podrace was modeled after that very footage!) or the far-superior speeder bike chase in RoTJ. It didn't; at least, it did nothing for me. Watching the Imperial Senate stuff... yawn. And as for the three-simultaneous-action-sequences ending (this is practically a Lucas/SW formula!), I only cared about the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul; the Gungan ground battle and the Padme-and-entourage-escaping-the-castle parts were just so-so.

 

I guess only a couple things saved the film for me:

 

1. Kenobi was finally young, cool, and a badass with a saber... as opposed to the old, slow, and preachy Alec Guiness Kenobi.

2. The lightsaber fighting itself was all very fast-paced and excellent, from the aforementioned opening of the film to the final duel with Maul. I loved it all! Every time Kenobi and/or Jinn ignited their saber(s), it was a treat.

Edited May 27, 2009 by GeddyRulz

[lerxt1990]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 26 2009, 01:28 PM)

May 19 marked the 10th <snip>.

 

First of all... oh MY its 10 years already!?!?!?!

 

Secodly, I couldnt agree with you more on your post - wonderful.

 

I have some minor beefs, but nothing major - I enjoyed the movies despite some of the stiff acting, the horrible love scenes, and Jimmy SMits saying "protocol droid" - leaving us to believe that R2D2 knew everything the whole time, and worse, that somehow he just dropped those awesome little jets somewhere and lost them.

 

But in the end, Viva Star Wars! I grew up with the first trilogy and enjoyed those prequel ones too....

 

And finally - a tribute to all the geeks that made it possible - the infamous Triumph The Insult Dog Star Ward Premier Interviews (hilarious):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E

 

Part II

Edited May 27, 2009 by lerxt1990

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ May 26 2009, 07:38 PM)

"Matrix" sucks. I was thinking more about "Phantom Menace" since my first post, and - being honest with myself - there are actually large sections I don't care for at all. The opening was excellent - with Kenobi/Jinn fighting dozens of battle droids - but their trip underwater to the Gungan City was boring. The Podraces were supposed to thrill us all, like the chariot race in "Ben Hur" (I think the podrace was modeled after that very footage!) or the far-superior speeder bike chase in RoTJ. It didn't; at least, it did nothing for me. Watching the Imperial Senate stuff... yawn. And as for the three-simultaneous-action-sequences ending (this is practically a Lucas/SW formula!), I only cared about the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul; the Gungan ground battle and the Padme-and-entourage-escaping-the-castle parts were just so-so. I guess only a couple things saved the film for me: 1. Kenobi was finally young, cool, and a badass with a saber... as opposed to the old, slow, and preachy Alec Guiness Kenobi. 2. The lightsaber fighting itself was all very fast-paced and excellent, from the aforementioned opening of the film to the final duel with Maul. I loved it all! Every time Kenobi and/or Jinn ignited their saber(s), it was a treat.

That reminds me, I actually didn't care for the whole Darth Maul subplot at all. It did absolutely nothing for me other than ooh boy, he's got two light sabers in one. Episode 1 overall really was kind of meh...