If anyone's to blame it's Lucas for writing the words, which are sometimes embarrassingly cliched and contrived, but, jeez, this is a sci-fi movie. Jar Jar Binks is to The Phantom Menace what the Ewoks were to Return of The Jedi- an annoying waste of time. Jar Jar speaks like an illiterate rasta man and is a burdonsome, silly attempt at comic relief. The one dimension this film glaringly lacks is a character like Han Solo- someone to step back and point out the absurd with a bit of wit and cynicism. If anything this film takes itself too seriously.
Relationships are thin.
There are no bonds like Luke, Leia and Han had. Emotional attachment is difficult with these characters. Lucas really is just playing out the facts without making us sentimental, which in the long run will hurt this picture.