Lacks everything that made Star Wars and epic! Except R2

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2002)

I grew up wearing "jammies with Yodas and S**T" (Raising Arizona-Great Flick!) and my dog is named Chewbacca. Although I don't go stalking Mark Hammill or hoard unopened toy boxes but I LOVE the original trilogy.
Episode I opened and I was there front and center. I was very disappointed and hadn't viewed it again till last night to freshen up for Clones since I blocked everything out. After the pod race scene I turned the movie off, utterly bored, again!
What MADE Star Wars so great was the wonderful charactersbe them stiffs (C3P0), wise-asses (Solo & R2), dependable side-kicks (wookie), evil masterminds, slimy gangsters or fuzzy little runts. Maybe it was because I was 5 when Jedi came out but I liked the Ewoks. These movies all had so many universal themes (Good Vs. Evil, human failure, family disruption, impatience, greed, and friendship).
Episode I with all it's flash and hype gave us nothing but filling in some answers to questions. We are rushed into a confusing and boring dispute over taxation with no room to allow charters to develop. McGregor and Nesson do all they can with the few dry lines they are given. The BEST ACTING is R2D2, and only because he stays in character.
Comic relief of the droids and wookies is replaced with silly, stupid jokes. I have to admit Jar Jar was more tolerable the second time around because I realized he was the only developed character (but he still sucked.)
And those stupid animated robots! They just didn't look as real as guys in suits. None of it compared to the cantina or Jabba's palace. It all looked REAL because there were actors not pixels.
In the end I left with a feeling that I didn't like any of the characters or care about what happened to them. What was missing was energy and a script with dialogue.
I hope Clones is better. It can't get much worse for Star Wars. I'll always have my Wookie night-lite to keep me safe at night and keep the memories alive.