First of all a quick word about Star Wars merchandizing: Star Wars is by far the most over-merchandized property out there. Nuff Said. People "investing" in that junk need their heads examined. You get better returns on a standard bank CD.
As for the movies, Attack of the Clones wasn't a bad movie, I really enjoyed it. There were a few too many "Side-Scroller videogame" elements to it, but the story wasn't bad and I remained interested the whole time.
Phantom Menace on the other hand is just a terrible movie. Lucas really went overboard and wound up making a movie that was nearly unwatchable. People blame JAR JAR all the time, but screw that.....Jar Jar isn't HALF as annoying as JAKE LLOYD.
He's like the worst child actor I've ever seen. He doesn't even come off convincingly as a KID, forget as some "someday to be dark jedi master". Every Time he opened his mouth I cringed. I mean he was literally a kid with absolutely no personality. Did anyone find his pod-race convincingly real? All I saw was some dumb child actor getting shaken around in a pod.
Heck, watch the DVD extras and documentary on the Phantom Menace disc. Even when they are filming him on bluescreen for the pod race shots, he's too stupid to act! The director shouts "OK Something just exploded to your left!". What does he do? he sits there getting shaken around. Does he look left, like any normal person would? Does he jerk himself sideways? Nope. He sits there.
Then the director, whos still shouting at him via a megaphone.."Ok Now..somethings comeing up on your left....its closer...WHAM! Something just hit you from the side!".
And our boy....just sits there...looking forward...getting shaken around in the prop pod while they film him.
I mean...howmuch acting talent does it take to figure out that if someone says "Something just exploded above you!", you "ACT" by looking surprised and flinching back as you look up!
Its his entire performance like this throughout the entire movie that really ruins it for me.
I mean, poor kid, prolly under huge pressure....making Star Wars of all things.....but still, he was terrible. I'm sure part of it is Lucas's lousy directing style.....I dont mind Jedi being wooden and deadpan, but his overly-cutesy emphasis on the entire film, and the inclusion of Jake Lloyd as..bleh..anakin skywalker? Ruined....utterly ruined.
Want to see some horrible actiing? Watch the part where Jake has to leave his mother and go with QuiGon. Think about it...you're like 10....you're leaving your only relative to go with a guy you met a day ago. Jake walks behind QuiGon. Then he stops...he pauses for like 4 seconds (I swear you can see him counting), then turns....and says to his mom..."I just can't do it!".
UGH.....an 8 or 9 year old would go running crying to his mom..."I CAN'T GO!"....tears streaming. But our boy Jake just stands there...delivers his line, then turns after Shimi says whatever she says, he delivers some more "reading off the cue card" diologue, and the scene ends.
....and so does the hope that this film would be anything more than pure suckage.
