And yeah, so the OT had bad reviews. So did the PT, yes. But if you read reviews for any movie, they all have some in their closets somewhere. But I'll guarantee the PT's reviews are far more consistantly negative, if not downright critical of how shitty the movies became, whereas the OT was at least a moderately original movie with no prior storyline to ruin. And whereas the acting can also be blamed in part on a director who can't direct his way out of a paper bag, George really seemed to hit rock bottom with the PT. There's no subtlety. For shit's sake, Episode I is a weak copy of Episode IV! It isn't a trilogy, it's a cash cow with pretty pictures. Lucas had an excuse for his actors not always hitting their marks during a time when he was a less influential (and therefore less likely to haul in the big names for every role), but he doesn't have one when the PT is full of seasoned, well-known actors.
The day I saw Phantom Menace in the theatre, I sat during the credits absolutely stunned, wondering what the hell I had just seen. There was no meat to the story; there was no heart. Instead, I had wasted my money on a special effects masturbation when I had been expecting the equivalent of a heartfelt lovemaking session. A piece of shit that had contradicted the three movies before it within the first ten minutes that left me completely shocked. I wanted to cry.
Instead, I saved my money. I've watched I once, II twice, and III twice. And I never bought the DVDs. Perhaps if this big mondo super boxset comes out with the options of OOT versus OT (I mean, if Apocalypse effing Now can do it....) plus the PT, I'll finally buy them.