Chiral
Salacious Crumb
Posts: 72,901
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Post by Chiral on Dec 12, 2018 22:07:07 GMT -5
I was like 5 or 6 and I saw it 9 times in the theater. I kept falling asleep during the middle though.
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Dec 12, 2018 22:22:55 GMT -5
I remember kinda liking it at the time...
I can only assume it was just deep denial...
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Post by Fade is a CodyCryBaby on Dec 12, 2018 22:51:07 GMT -5
I was only 11. I had recently gotten into Star Wars when they went HAM with Shadows of The Empire and the Special Editions. I was absolutely hooked. I watched the OT over and over again, sought out comics, games, books, toys, anything I could get my hands on.
I still remember the trailer coming on TV for the worldwide debut. I thought Darth Maul was Exar Kun. Still jolting they were portraying Anakin as a kid..I thought he’d be older. But I was hyped. That soundtrack. Young Obi-Wan. Star Wars was back!
I recall Taco Bell, Pizza Hutt, KFC, Pepsi all running promotional shit for the movie. I got the game for PlayStation (which sucked). I stood in line to get the first action figures (which also sucked, strangely enough.articulation was weird on some of em.)
When I watched it..even as a kid, I knew something was off. All the political diatribe was boring. But it didn’t feel like Star Wars. Even as a kid, I knew it was the performances. Everyone was so god damn wooden in the movie. Not a single performance came anywhere near Mark, Harrison, Carrie, Alec Guinness, JEJ, Anthony Daniels, etc..
So it was a bit of a bummer. But I don’t get into a lot of things, so I stuck with it. Even if it was shit. Hey, it still wasn’t the worst prequel lol.
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Post by Mister Pigwell on Dec 12, 2018 22:54:36 GMT -5
Didn't hate it as much as others, I actually liked it a bit when I first seen it.
It has many, many faults obviously, but also a cheesy charm to it.
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Post by cabbageboy on Dec 12, 2018 23:21:07 GMT -5
Here's the weird thing. I was 19 (almost 20) when TPM came out and had only gotten into SW again right around the time the 1997 reissues came out. I watched the old VHS tapes. I have to admit I'm not quite the exactly target audience for Star Wars since I am too young to really remember the original series in theaters all that well, but I was about 19-25 when the prequels were released and thus not in the target younger demo there either.
The first thing that jumped out to me was how jarringly stereotypical all the CGI characters were. Jar Jar is obvious, but the Trade Federation were embarrassing Japanese businessman stereotypes, while the bug slaver owner dude Watto seemed like a Mexican or something.
The biggest problem it had though is that I couldn't cheer for Anakin when the plot demanded it. When he's racing for freedom I thought "Well, he's going to be Vader so should I be for him here or not? I dunno..."
Overall it wasn't a good movie but it's not like I was hostile or anything. It was meh but then once Attack of the Clones came out I was right there to see it, and actually quite liked it.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,260
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 13, 2018 2:46:43 GMT -5
I was mid 20s. Got the last two tickets opening weekend. After the film kept thinking "f*** I should have just worked overtime today instead of seeing this shit."
Honestly before the prequels came out I was a Huge Star Wars fan. After the prequels my passion for star wars died down. And now it is dead. Still haven't bother seeing TLJ,Solo or that other film. And doubt I ever see them.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Dec 13, 2018 2:55:11 GMT -5
I was working at a movie theater at the time, and we had to end up running it through the night before we premiered it, so, me and my girlfriend at the time watched it after the theater had closed for the night. I was a pretty big STAR WARS fan at the time, but as the movie unfolded, I could feel my fandom kind of slip away. Yeah, it had 20 minutes towards the end that was good, but the rest of it was crap. Good looking crap, but crap none the less, and the other two of that trilogy really just added to that.
This is why I can't get too upset about these newer STAR WARS movies. They may not be up to the standards of the original trilogy (well, I would argue ROGUE ONE is the exception to that), but they are WAYYYYYYYYY better than that CGI wank fest that was the prequels. I felt bad for the actors in those movies, having to act as lifeless as the CGI creatures around them, and forced to regurgitate that crap dialogue. Uck!
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Dec 13, 2018 4:50:03 GMT -5
'Well, that was disappointing, but not unsurprising given Return of the Jedi and everything he added to the originals.'
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Dec 13, 2018 5:55:29 GMT -5
Bored.
That goddamn podrace pretty much summed up the whole movie - looks flashy, but nothing happens and it goes on forever.
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Post by EvenBaldobombHasAJob on Dec 13, 2018 6:02:16 GMT -5
I enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters but when it came out on video I watched it again and thought, "did I like this?". I was 13 at the time.
it's one of those movies that I disliked more every time I watched. and that was before I got older and noticed all the creepy racism.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Dec 13, 2018 6:50:36 GMT -5
I remember enjoying the film at the time. As time has gone on I see it now as more of an average amusing children's star wars film. Nothing terribly dark happens (sure Qui-Gon is killed but he's only in this movie), a lot of the creations are ideal for toys and Jar Jar. It is harmless. Still enjoy: The opening 5 minutes - Two Proper Jedi doing Jedi stuff on a spaceship (for the first time on screen.). The pod race - This is still good and I like it a lot, Sebulba is a decent tertiary villain The music - arguably one of the best pieces of star wars music. Brian Blessed as Boss Nass - I just like annoying people by doing an impression Darth Maul - He is basically the 2nd trilogy Boba Fett, looks really cool, has some nifty moves & then dies.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Dec 13, 2018 7:05:25 GMT -5
Mostly I was “eh, that was alright.” I remember really looking forward to Darth Maul and Jar Jar, but the former didn’t get as much screen time as I had hoped and the latter I felt got too much. In retrospect, I feel really bad about how Ahmed Best was treated for that role.
Today I’m still meh on it. Don’t like it as much as the original trilogy or the Disney stuff, but there are far, far worse movies out there. The political stuff drags, but when that’s out of the way it turns into a fun adventure romp.
Jake Lloyd wasn’t a good fit for Anakin but he did the best he could. The podrace was awesome.
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Post by sfvega on Dec 13, 2018 7:11:21 GMT -5
I liked it, but also I was like 12 at the time so I didn't what what good was. I also hadn't seen the first 3 movies until last year.
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
Grimlock
The Ultimate Arbiter of Right And Wrong
Spent half my life here, God help me
Posts: 14,951
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Dec 13, 2018 7:40:17 GMT -5
I've actually never seen it.
Loved the originals, saw the 1997 re-releases first day.
But I just looked at it and thought "that looks terrible" I've seen a scene here or there, but it's just never interested me. The only one of the prequels that did was Revenge of the Sith.
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on Dec 13, 2018 7:41:37 GMT -5
Disgust
the first twenty minutes are great and the last act is great, but that middle is so f***ing boring.
I saw it in theatres six or seven times
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Post by James Fabiano on Dec 13, 2018 7:50:56 GMT -5
I wanted to like it. It was friggin' Star Wars so I felt how could it miss? Then I saw reviews in the papers and etc. Still wanted to hope for the best.
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clifford
King Koopa
Shingo Takagi stan
Posts: 10,667
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Post by clifford on Dec 13, 2018 8:30:13 GMT -5
Here's the thing. I was like, 11. And it was a new movie, all shiny and colourful and one I got to see in the cinema! So at the time, I loved it. My 11 year old self thought it was really cool.
As much as I liked the older trilogy as a kid, this felt like 'my' Star Wars film, as opposed to my Dad, who always talked about how the original films were a huge deal when they came out when he was in his late teens.
To me as a kid, the Pod Race was cooler than the AT-AT attack on Hoth. Darth Maul was a better villain than Darth Vader. The lightsaber fights were cooler cause they had music and a 'double' light saber. Anakin was a kid, and I was a kid, so it was more relatable to me
So in 1999, I loved the Phantom Menace.
I also remember watching it as a 14 year old in 2002 before AOTC came out and thinking it was the worst Star Wars film ever made.
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Dr. T is an alien
Patti Mayonnaise
Knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them
I've been found out!
Posts: 31,306
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Post by Dr. T is an alien on Dec 13, 2018 8:34:56 GMT -5
I had some issues with it, but I enjoyed it well enough. Unlike everyone else who bitched and moaned about it, the economics and political aspect of the prequels did not bother me in the least. In fact, they were necessary. I do have some things I would have done differently in the prequels:
1) Anakin needed to start out a little older. I would have made him a teenager just slightly younger than Luke was in the original (Luke was 20). He should have also been a bit street smart and charming. I would have also had him just discovering his connection with the Force on his own, using it subconsciously while racing and interacting with the Tatooine scum on the streets. He can still be quite smitten with Padme though.
2) I would not have cut the scenes on Naboo where Anakin and Padme get to know each other better. I don't care if it throws off the movie's pacing a bit. This is the relationship that will help tear the Republic asunder. They just were reintroduced to each other after being apart for years. They need to develop that relationship.
3) I would have had a couple of scenes outlining the corruption of the Jedi. One scene could have been some of the Council members discussing the fact that the Jedi's role in the war is hurting their public image and one could have been Dooku and Sidious discussing how they could take advantage of that. In fact, apparently it is canon that Dooku was quite sincere when he tried to recruit Kenobi as he saw Kenobi as having perhaps the best reputation of the bunch and having enough idealism instilled in Qui Gon to be susceptible to the same temptations as he himself was (it certainly worked on Anakin).
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Post by 2coldMack is even more baffled on Dec 13, 2018 9:27:18 GMT -5
I enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters but when it came out on video I watched it again and thought, "did I like this?". I was 13 at the time. it's one of those movies that I disliked more every time I watched. and that was before I got older and noticed all the creepy racism. This is how I feel. It's not a movie that stands up to re-watching. The first time you see it, you think "Eh, that wasn't great, but it was fine.", and each successive time you watch it, you notice more and more stuff that makes it worse.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Dec 13, 2018 9:47:04 GMT -5
I enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters but when it came out on video I watched it again and thought, "did I like this?". I was 13 at the time. it's one of those movies that I disliked more every time I watched. and that was before I got older and noticed all the creepy racism. Me down to the exact age. Up to that point I was a huge Star Wars fanatic. Like I had all of the Essential Guides books, and could name you every little stupid side character down to the 6 breasted lady in Jabba's Palace. Phantom Menace started the slide away from that level of fandom, which was complete by Revenge of the Sith. I still love the OT and some extended universe stuff, but it is mostly just another IP now to me. Especially after The Last Jedi.
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