What are people expecting??

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 1999)

I don't get it. I just don't. How can so many people compare The Phantom Menace and A new Hope and think A New Hope was actually better?? How can so many people tell me that TPN's plot is thin and that A New Hope's is great?? Come on people, some courageous boy (a knight) and his buddy try to save a princess!! A princess, of all people! Could have been someone's sister or cousin, but it was a princess!! Is that Super Mario Bros enough for you?? Sure, TPM's plot wasn't great if you consider it alone, but that's the thing though, it's engulfed in all the movies. Episode 4's script was reinforced by Episode 5's and 6's. Now, Episode 1's will be by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The acting is terrible????? Do you people remember one Mark Hamill? He has got to be the worst leading character in recent history! Except for Samuel L. Jackson, whom I absolutely adore but was seriously miscast as Jedi Master Mace Wandu ('You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force', awful awful line), I thought there was nothing wrong with the acting. Ewan and Liam did a pretty good job, especially Ewan, I thought, for having Kenobi's speech pattern down so well. As for Jake Lloyd, he's just a kid!! Would you have preferred Makauley Caulkin or one of the great stars of Baby Geniuses? Give the kid a break...
Character development... Can someone tell me exactly what development there was in A New Hope? The stereotypes were so profound that there couldn't be any! The character development occurred throughout all three episodes, as many questions were answered but many more were asked. Now is the time to get some answers to all those asked.
Now, I will agree that George Lucas is no superstar director. But you can't tell me he did a better job in A New Hope. It's the very same cold, no artifact style that he used in both Episode 1 and 4. I do hope he gives up the direction of Episode 2, and why not to Irvin Winkler, director of Empire?
And as for Jar Jar's critics, well, ok he did suck. But, not more than those stupid cute little Ewoks, with their chants and dialect made to sound sooooo cute and adorable. If I had to choose between the two, Jar Jar is my choice, without hesitation.
I am not trying to say TPM is the greatest movie ever, although I do believe it is a pretty good one. The storyline is very adequate (read pretty good), the acting is fine, the fighting scenes coupled with the music are astounding (the music is just... well, what else can we expect from John Williams?) and the special effects (though not very important in my mind) were just great. But my point is, this is a prequel to Star Wars, not to The English Patient. And this is the first of 6 movies! So relax a little and enjoy the show. TPM is no worse than A New Hope and we have two movies to look forward to to support TPM's storyline.