Slashdot Mirror
Episode II Gets Rave Review
Astin writes: "Dark Horizons has obtained a copy of what it believes is the script for Attack of the Clones, and has posted a review. Apparently they got this one right, with epic battles, lots of action, and that sense of adventure that was missing from Episode I. Canoe.ca is also carrying a synopsis from the site."
"a movie with such a horribly bad title"
... like Star Wars?
woof.
`return of the jedi`?
They are all just pulp fiction. I cant believe people take it so seriously! I can imagine people over 30 who saw it the first time around may have some sort of emotional attachment...or a highly developed sense of irony, but the idea that intelligent, grown men are going to queue up and pay good money to see `star wars 5 - attack of the clones` is a little disturbing.
Epic Battles eh? I hope so, since from the trailer that is currnetly doing the rounds at the cinema it looks like an over blown love / teenage angst story.
The months are just too short. I can count the number of days on one hand.
Hmm. Cheesy first film, somewhat like Star Wars (be honest), and what looks like a cracking second film (just like ESB). Just what is it with Lucas and trilogies anyway? It always seems to take him a film to get upto speed, then he makes another that rocks, and then runs out of steam for the third and throws in things like Ewoks.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
Two things to consider:
One: The director of Attack of the Clones is the same person who directed The Phantom Meanace, so we can assume that the directing style and quality will not change much.
Two: We should compare both scripts, and see if this script is actually better.
If the Attack of the Clones script is better than the Phantom Meanace script, then I think we have cause for exitement. If it turns out that the Phantom Meanace scrip is just as good or, God forbid, better, then we should all just form a good ol' fashioned mob and storm Lucas's ranch. I'm sure my wiffle bat could beat some sense into him...
TIMMMMMAY!!!!!
"Cheeze it!" - Bender
Appearently he his. Once more Watto, the stupid flying thing, has taken to wearing a beret in an attempt to be yet more queer. To say nothing of what some people are calling the "Forbidden Love" trailer that some saw before Fellowship of The Ring. It looks like it will go past bad. The question is will it stop at bad, but funny, or head straight for The Alien From L.A. bad. At least Nsych is back in it, without them I'd wonder if George Lucas would be able to ever completely defile his creation.
--Jimmy has fancy plans; and pants to match.
Oh, that's an easy one... just don't go to see the film... wait until it runs for the nth time on TV. That way, Jar-Jar dies.
A short, shallow review of something that might be the script for Episode II hardly qualifies stopping th presses.
A decent script is neither a guarantee of quality, nor necessary for it. The script for Episode IV looks like a fourth grader wrote it, and yet it produced a film that both children and adults loved. The magic happens in the casting, sets, costume, makeup, acting, lighting, camerawork, direction, FX and post production editing. Even if it's a genuine script (what reason have we to believe that? There must be dozens of fan scripts doing the rounds) then the final product might be almost unrecognisable.
It's an interesting bit of speculation, but I'm giving it no more credence nor weight than any other fan generated hype.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
But the heart and soul of STAR WARS is undeniably the characters: rakish Han Solo the rogue with a heart of gold, trading insults with spunky Princess Leia, so beautiful and so brave; gung-ho Luke Skywalker, the hero right out of Joseph Campbell, who manages to be annoying and inspiring at the same time; even characters like R2-D2 and Chewbacca, who don't have a coherent line in the script, are developed as recognizable personalities! A cast straight out of Shakespeare or Dickens is what makes Lucas' film an immortal classic.
Don't get me wrong, Space battles and lightsaber duels are great, but let's hope Lucas is able to inject some life into the two-dimensional caricatures who pranced around onscreen during Episode I (name three differences between Obi-Wan and Kwi-Gon-Jinn's personalities, or for that matter, between Obi-Wan and Queen Amidiala), otherwise those of us for whom the STAR WARS flame burns bright in our hearts may be in for another ho-hum prequel.
I doubt the script is real.. and seeing how much of a freaking lunatic George Lucas can be, he'd probably decide to change the script if the real one that got leaked out were the real one.
I saw the trailer of Episode 2, and I can't believe how fucking cheesy the dialog is. "Anakin, you have grown."; "So have you, Princess. In more ways than one.", or "What if something you want is really here.", said while they're holding hands before Anakin has to go fight some aliens. fffUUUCCCKKK!!! In contrast, Dawson's Creek may not have realistic dialog, but at least it's better than watching a dialog that looks like it was stolen from a conversation between a Britney Spears-listening, boyband-loving bimbo teenager and his duh football-jock boyfriend.
Stupid Hollywood shit, I can't stand watching most films nowadays, goddamn unrealistic plot development and fucked-up acting of unrealistic dialogs...
What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
Lazy bum! if you want real news for nerds, find interesting bit that you think are worthwhile and submit em here, instead of just whining. I get sick and tired of people who complain about news here but who do not contribute themselves. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Kudos to all who do post news here.
I intend to live forever, so far so good.
In one hilarious finale, Anakin dies, Jar Jar Binks becomes a new Sith apprentice as "Darth Jar Jar". Jar-Jar having something to do with the dark-side would explain a lot!!!!
See my journal, I write things there
All Slashdot says is that "Dark Horizons has obtained a copy of what it believes is the script for Attack of the Clones" (emphasis added); and there's a link to the site and the relevant page. Unless you think Dark Horizons is simply trolling, you can hardly say Slashdot is being taken in. It's just publicising something interesting, which is pretty much what it's supposed to do.
And anyway, if it is a hoax, how are the editors supposed to know? The synopsis is perfectly plausible, and Dark Horizons is a well-respected site, which reviews many scripts ahead of release. It's not (AFAIK) normally given to perpetrating hoaxes or excessive credulity. In the absence of any "official" material, this is about as convincing it's going to get until the thing's released.
If you start blasting Slashdot for running reports like this then where does it end? Olaf Christ running TCP/IP on Mindstorms? Uncorroborated. Linux for the PS2? We only have Sony's word for it. Judge grants request to bar the media from the MS trial? That's what he says. Etc. etc.
The "review" seems to be written to so obviously make Ep2 everything people wanted Ep1 to be? "This time, its great, fantastic, its perfect!" Bit too obvious.
They havent seen the movie, even if the script is fine, it dosent guarentee a good movie. This has to be a hoax, and even if its not, you should take it with a grain of salt. Its not a review of the movie, its a review of a questionably-authentic script, of unknown revision.
Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random numbers is, of course, in a state of sin.-John von Neumann
SuperShadow's site is known to be 100% bogus. Do a search at Google on "supershadow" to find out for yourself.
1. SuperShadow doesn't personally know Lucas.
2. SuperShadow doesn't work at LucasFilm.
3. The "script" for Episode II he says he got himself, was actually made by TheForce.net fans and others collecting spoilers/leaks from various sites and compiling them into a speculative "script".
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
You can remove it yourself
14 posts about Natalie Portman (petrified or otherwise)
23 posts calling for the death of Jar Jar
18 posts wondering if CG was done on Linux boxen, and if not, why not
12 posts arguing whether or not Boba Fett is the coolest Star Wars character of all time
Written the way Yoda speaks, 9 posts there will be
6 links to fan fic that are remarkably similar to the plot in the affore-mentioned script
Yup, saw that one. My friend summed it up in 4 words: "Less sex, more fighting!"
Bear in mind everybody that when I read Phantom Menace script I too thought it was going to be a great movie because it was such a great script. The two things that ruined Phantom Menace were Jake Lloyd's bad acting and Jar Jar Binks irritating voice. On paper, it would be impossible to tell what they were like. I thought Binks was going to be a Chewbacca type character, loveable without being too Disney. I was wrong. Not even Disney would associate themselves with that guy! Attack of the Clones has a terrible name. That was a bad choice on Lucas' part. It just seems like he's jumping on the cloning bandwagon we've been seeing lately in sciencefiction. However, Hayden Christian looks good in the role of Anakin, and Natalie Portman looks well...fabulous as she always does. It's a pity that this looks like it's going to be romance heavy, so I really hope there's a good twist in there somewhere, a la Empire Strikes Back.
Ok, JarJar's going to be a main character again. May as well put the 'nSync footage back in. Expand it even. Write Briteny Spears into the script. Perhaps even petrify her. And what the heck, why not re-unite Menudo and give them a role too.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Tinseltown has shown remarkable ability in playing with people's brains, and this is yet another example of it.
Yeah, the trailer I saw was full of teenage forbidden love and sappy-cuteness. But I doubt that's going to be the content of the whole film. I mean, it wouldn't be a Star Wars movie without a decent space battle and lightsaber duel. Even Lucas realises this.
[rant]
Besides, I'm _very_ glad that the trailer doesn't reveal everything - The Ep 1 trailer showed far too much. Like Darth Maul and his double bladed lightsaber. Go back in your mind to the first time you saw the film. Now replay the scene where Maul lights the second blade - as if you _didn't_ know he had one from the trailer. That could have been a "holy f*cking sh*t!!!" moment that would have made the entire film. Who cares about Jar Jar when you've got a scene like that? But no. They had to go and spoil it...
[/rant]
IIRC, Lucas said that Ep 1 was an introduction to the characters and time period. 2 is _mostly_ a love story, while 3 is much darker. I for one can tollerate a little glucose content in 2, as long as it doesn't detract from the story (or get in the way of some bad-guy ass-kicking Jedi style).
And as for the title, I am still holding out hope that it's a ploy to screw all the fake merchandise that's bound to appear. I'm not sure, but I don't recall the trailer explicitly calling it "Attack of the Clones" - it was just "Episode 2". Am I right?
Maran
Wow, that's odd, let's think about it. Anakin is a teenager, Amildala is a teenager they fall in love. HOLY SHIT you're right, how dare he make a movie about two teenagers falling in love when he's telling the story about how two teenagers fell in love which eventually results in Episodes 4,5, and 6. It would be SO much more satisfying if Amidala just has Luke and Leia with no explanation.
I'm the big fish in the big pond bitch.
Buttercup: Ugh! Can't anyone get that right?
Blossom: It's Powerpuff!
Bubbles: No "D"!
Your line, Mr. Luthor...
:-)
Even if the script is good, we're still gonna get clubbed over the head with wooden acting on this one, if the trailers are any indication.
I saw Life As A House with Hayden Christensen. He can act. Here's to hoping Lucas remembered how to direct on this one.
Woz
Even if this script isn't the real one, pretty much everyone involved in Episode II has remarked that this one has the potential for greatness. Ewan McGregor, not exactly silent on how bad Episode I was, remarked early on that this script was great. In fact, last week on the Today show, while promoting Black Hawk Down, Ewan again remarked how good he thought Episode II was going to be. There was genuine sincerity in his voice, not the usual Hollywood bullshit.
If you really want to see the promise in Episode II, you'll need to view the "Mystery" trailer. Yeah yeah, I know, only available to Phantom Menace DVD owners, only available to Windows users, whatever. It's a good trailer, and shows the sense of adventure much better than the "Forbidden Love" trailer.
For the book says, "We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."
""Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets, while Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and the now-adolescent Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) have been off training and becoming involved in a variety of adventures.
Anakin and Obi Wan are called upon to act as bodyguards for Amidala after she is the subject of a foiled assassination.""
Stupid Assassins, they never aim for the right one.
------------- I didn't know she was your sister I swear!
This is the same script that has been out for months here. What's new about it? From what I've read and seen, it's dead on accurate with the officially released trailers, and was posted long before they were released.
there are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
back around the time when Episode I was about to be released, was still the time when another 'Epic' (touted by the creators) entertainment event was unfolding. That event was the conclusion of the Ultima series. For just under 6 years, fans and even new initiates to the series had eagerly awaited not just the release but any snippet of news, screenshots, story, etc. The excitement built up this mere game both amazed and scared some who did not understand the game (hey, what do THEY know). Literally hundreds of sites devoted themselves to this next epic conclusion known as Ultima IX, and then Ascension later. Many fan sites had a ton of fiction and story lines, many a serious (and often very nasty) discussion on forums was held about what the origin of blackrock, the guardian and this whole mess really was. There where even rumors of published books. (I for one never saw them) In a stated attempt by Origin|EA to not scare off potential new customers they would stealthily release tidbits of information to select organizations (usually in other countries than most of the fan sites, but that is merely a demographic issue). It was touted as just another action adventure game, and the title changed to reflect that no player had to have any existing experience with the series.
However, things began to go sour. Long time devoted fans (made obvious by their volunteer time and effort given so generously to the community) found that they where THE ONLY source of information about the upcoming game. Questions about why they, the fans, must volunteer their time (as in free) to promote and advocate the game, ask questions that never where answered, be put off by EA|Origin staff, yet not get paid or compensated for it. (In case you don't know, free is not accurate. The fans in fact take a loss from the costs to bandwidth and hardware, not to mention loss of real life productivity) EA|Origin obviously did not care about this issue, and could not seem to spend the money to either help out some sites, through direct assistance or just providing a few hours here and there for knowledgable employees to act as liasons. Soon, many web sites began to disappear, feeling dejected that they would not only be denied any information, but where often lied to. (as evidenced by answers from staff that where directly contradicting a press release that would be released a day later to a gaming magazine, usually in a foreign language) It soon became apparent that EA|Origin either where taking the existing fan base for granted (in a VERY extreme case), or simply did not wish to make a game that appealed to them and thus felt some sort of guilt or shame, leading to the alienation treatment of the fans.
While the term 'understand' can be used to describe how the vast majority of fans felt in relation to the game appealing to a larger market, many where worried that if the development/producing team did not have the integrity necessary to first produce a game that answers the call of the fan base (regardless of whether they dress it up later a bit to appeal to others) then it would manifest as a bad game that appeals to none (neither the new crowd or the existing fans). This was warrented not only because of this situation happening so many times in other games and even non entertainment and/or computer industries... but more importantly, was the fact that when it had been tried with Ultima 8, it only ended in disaster. No one liked the game (by no one and none used earlier I mean a significant enough sized group to justify expenses, much less keep people interested in later releases). Like a restaruant that serves fecal matter and wonders why no one ever comes back and why negative word of mouth travels faster than positive word, EA|Origin proved that they refused to comprehend this basic lesson of life and business (on any level) by releasing Ascension as a... well... it didn't seem like an "Ultima" at all to me and many others. Some will argue pro or con of its merits as a stand alone game, that is not my concern here. The fact was, it not only continued a series and a story line, but was a very eagerly anticipated final wrap up of the entire series. Just looking back at that time period, you see how eagerly people where to once again travel to Britania and face its perils. Fan art, fan fiction, fan news sites, fan organizations of real life events and sub-press conferences... all of this translated to a very easy market for Origin and EA. They could have layed off their marketers for this. Or in efficiency and logical terms, they could have better applied their resources to the tasks that most made sense. Put that marketing (including marketing management, oversite, corporate interaction, overhead, etc) into development of code, art and story. (not to mention QA) Not to go into a rant on the futility of and inefficiency of corporate/bureaucratic mentality and processes... they simply did not prioritize correctly. End result was yet another game and public relation status that angered many and alienated many more.
But wait, theres more... if you order now we include this guide, "How to take your one saving grace and flush it down the toilet". One of the most devestating (now seen in hindsite and admited by many ex employees including Garriot himself) was the mistake that trully relates to the Star Wars issue here. First, the comparison. Obviously many had awaited a long and often frustrating yet exciting time for Episode I to come out. Any news was lapped up like a marooned man in the Saharra laps up the dew off of a blade of grass if he finds it. Fans dressed up in silly costumes and acted out there favorite scenes from books and movies alike. Like with Ultima, fans devoted huge amounts of time, bandwidth, hardware and good ol fashion brain power to present news, art, rumors, facts and even fan based fiction. Even more than Ultima, Star Wars spawned an entire (and sometimes frightening) sub-culture of its own.
However, some began to see signs of impending doom in the commercials, trailers, interviews and art. I for one remember a particular ad on TV that scared the bones from my body... it was narrated by this woman who's inflections, voice tenor and choice and timing of words where obviously of the sort used by advertising agencies to appeal to small children. Complete with the choicest tidbits of scenes that all featured everyone's favorite CGI loon, Jar Jar. If no one had ever hear of Star Wars, then they would have been left with the impression that this 'new movie' was merely a fun and cute childrens flick, much like a Disney animated film (well, not just animated, and no that is not necesarilly a bad thing on its own). This seemed to contrast the existing movies, books, story, etc that made up the fantasy universe of Star Wars.
Now back to Ultima... the biggest single issue that destroyed the game and its effect on fans and newbies alike was the botched PR of the leak of the original game plot/script. (no, it is not ironic, at least not from a historical and 'Big Picture' perspective) Due to most likely a lack of consistent (or I should really say, just a sheer lack of PR in the first place) PR policy, growing tensions within the Origin camp and against its 'overlords', EA... a very large mistake happened. Besides the first mistake of leaking the script, the real issue was how they handled it. First they denied it, in an attempt to (as a prankster would perform if his joke was beginning to be suspected) turn the tide away from the discovery of the plot, Origin (whether directed or not) decided to redo the story. The result was a simplistic story with no real substance, much less any tie in with past releases and 'unanswered questions'. Very much less than any 'Epic' feel to the grand conclusion of one of the most popular and succesful (by various definitions) game series of all times.
Now fast forward to the present... now we hear of a release/leak of the plot. Should we be concerned at all that they would change it, not really. I doubt any film studio would ever throw away its existing film already recorded, not to mention the CGI already in place in most parts. Even though it has happened in the past (like when an actor/actress dies before completion), I doubt personally anything major COULD be changed. However, I just hope (as in 'New Hope'?) that this next movie will break the 'cycle'. I look forward to it, and hope that it returns to the Episode 5 look and feel.
Note that this was meant to really be silly to a large degree, so this does not necessarily reflect the internal ramblings of my rational mind... I know it is around here somewhere.
I seek not only to follow in the footsteps of the men of old, I seek the things they sought.
more creative, more interesting characters, better acted, better plot and allegory, uses technology to enhance the story instead of technology *being* most of the story.
Watch Star Wars again and youll see that even it was cheesy and sucky--it just sucked less that most Hollywood drivel.
Me, I'll wait for the DVD on Netflix like I do for most dogs. LOTR was worth a trip to the theater.
Cheesy first film, somewhat like Star Wars (be honest), and what looks like a cracking second film (just like ESB). Just what is it with Lucas and trilogies anyway?
:-)
In the "Special Edition" VHS series of the original Star Wars movies (not the remastered versions), Leonard Maltin interviews G.Lucas. Among other things, Lucas describes the first Star Wars trilogy as a "three-act play". He goes on to say that, in a three-act play, you introduce the characters in the first act (Star Wars), put them in the worst possible situation in the second act (Empire Strikes Back), and then get them out of it in the third (Return of the Jedi).
So, I guess if Lucas stays true to this formula, then Ep2 will be a dark cliffhanger. Anyway, I'll be there, if only to see Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor.
-- D
"The Bastards have landed!" -- Peter Jackson, Bad Taste
What made the original trilogy great was the "human" aspect of the characters. Han's scoundrel-turned-reluctant hero. Leia calling Han a "scruffy-looking nerfherder" and Chewy a "walking carpet." While the fate of the galaxy hung in the balance, the main characters were really just a bunch of crazy kids having a good time. It was light-hearted in the face of impending doom.
That element was utterly missing from TPM. Qui-Gon was serious and dour. Obi-Wan was serious and dour. There was no sense of fun in the face of grave danger, but rather a sense of solemness in the face of bland political intrigue and trade embargoes. Jar-Jar was an attempt to inject the needed element into the movie, but it was forced and stale. If Jar-Jar had been a human, or at least a live actor, it might have worked.
I also have a great fear about AOTC: the trailers clearly are geared towards the "WB crowd." A cheezy romance story (unlike the childish and subdued Luke-Leia-Han triangle that was not the focus but rather a "fleshing out") isn't going to fit well into the arc of the Star Wars saga in general. I fear it's going to be forced, stale, and drag down a trilogy that already shows deep flaws.
dinner: it's what's for beer
It had hoards and hoards of detail. No, it didn't have as much detail as the book. A movie can't; they're different media and have different strengths. All the characters looked exactly as they should have (ok, the hobbits were too thin, that's minor though), and all the scenery was gorgeous. The movie would have been much, much worse if they had tried to make it a perfect rendition of the book, it works much better this way.
Nicotine free Amish .sig.
A Star Wars fan site is psyched about an upcoming Star Wars movie?
Color me amazed.
------
Today's Top Deals
Why can't we have N'Synch singing at a cantina bar when Jar Jar Binks walks in - Hears the music and has his big floppy ears explode from the sonic disodence...
Oh well maybe it is just time to go back to alt.ensign.crusher.die.die.die and read about the klingon rape fantasies...
Man, everybody's a critic...
Hmmm...so, he also directed American Graffitti and THX 1138, and the original Star Wars. Coming from that argument, Saving Private Ryan was no better than Hook...
Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the animated character Jar Jar Binks are both members of the Senate, representing their respective planets, while... [emphasis mine]
I thought Jar Jar was fine for comic relief, but I can't buy him as an Imperial Senator. But then, I've found Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to be a succession of entertaining US Presidents, so anything's possible.
"How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
The only reason the were able to give the advance review is so that they could give a positive one.
They wouldn't have seen the script if their opinion hadn't been determined before seeing it.
As usual:
from GUNS OF NAVARRONE:
INT. NAZI OFFICE (Is. of Crete)
FORD: "Yes, Sir"
They could have put in alot of details with the time they spent having Vigo stare at the statue.
and all the time spent showing Fraggle Rock
And make it painful... --Richard
Is this character based on a real person?
Ideology is for ideots.
The one I saw up here in the Frozen Ass North (or not so Frozen this year!) looked like a trailer for some sort of (ick!) romantic drama rather than a kick-keister-and-take-names sci-fi action flick....
-- Mal: "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious."
Now replay the scene where Maul lights the second blade - as if you _didn't_ know he had one from the trailer. That could have been a "holy f*cking sh*t!!!" moment that would have made the entire film.
Terminator II was much the same. If you look at the way it was filmed, you'll realize that up until the T1000 and T800 go at each other to save Sarah Connor's son (name escapes me), you don't know that Arnie is a good guy. He walks like the original T1000, talks like him, and as you see him coming down the corridor discarding the box of roses to pull out his shotgun, you would have _assumed_ he was the same bad-ass-bastard come to whack the young'un. Until the other guy and he started going at it, and then you'd have said "WTF?" and the movie would have been a neater experience. But the trailers sold that hold plot device.... I hate people who make movie trailers or write novel covers... they either are so formulaic as to be painful or they spit out the whole story or they do both.
I'd mod the trailers that are produced like that -1 Revealing....
-- Mal: "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious."
No, Star Wars 5 is "The Empire Strikes Back".
Yeesh, I'm almost 30 too...
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
Britney Spears is in some schlop called "Crossroads" - a movie about growing up as a teen.
:P
*yawn*
Of course, I'll go see it as a matinee, hoping for the swimsuit scene.
Not to knock LOTR (though i didnt think it was Spectacular, just good), but Blade Runner and 2001 (among others, these are the first i know that did this) both spent a lot of time creating an environment for the actors, not just the viewers; creating such an environment is not revolutionary to LOTR. Blade Runner featured newspapers and magazines with actual falsified articles in them, in locations unseen by the viewers and 2001 had fake futuristic brand names sewn into underwear, to name a couple of unseen details.
oh, and to keep this post on topic, Harrison Ford rocks. if they want E-II to be as good as the originals they need him in them. HARRISON FORD I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABY!!!!!
well, as long as you tell me you regret having done Six Days, Seven Nights.
er, sorry, my head cold 0w3nz me.
-f
www.blackant.net
Now, I personally think that for what Lucas is doing with the SW series it works. The series is a space opera - don't even think of it as SF or you'll hurt your head. It's a fantasy told in space, end all and be all. Its roots are in the serials like Flash Gordon, which are really bad (trust me). BTW, they're from the 30s and 40s, not the 50s.
Nobody's accusing Lucas of being a good director - he's decent, nothing more. I liked TPM because I was able to bear in mind that it is Act I of a six act play (basically). Last time I looked, the first act of anything never really worked well on its own. I'm looking forward to AOTC because I realize its place in the series.
My mother and wife also look at me and call me the tallest four-year-old they've ever known when it comes to SW. Maybe it's because I can watch movies (note, I said movies, not films - I do know the difference...my minor was film studies...) and know they aren't designed to be great art. I can seperate BASEketball from Citizen Kane and enjoy both because I realize the levels they're working on...
Nothing from the SW series will match, let's say, 2001 or Blade Runner because they are more in the vein of Time Bandits, Legend or The Princess Bride (and all of them, except for ROTJ, are much better than Legend, IMHO).
In the end, it's strong moviemaking...not filmmaking.