You know i have always felt that TPM was very harshly treated, but even with all the hype, with all the expectations, it still is a bit dissapointing. It wasn't at all like i thought it would be but i still mostly liked it but thats more because I'm a star Wars nut and would give the films so much leeway. And i don't think you can count all the above factors into the masssive wide dissapointment over the first two prequels. TPM was much more innocent and kid-friendly but people would have loved it if it was engaging and well made--the same way people loved Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter, which are very similar in tone and premise. ESB also is the COMPLETE opposite to what a sequel to ANH was expected to be but most fans feel this is even superior to the original, so its not about expectations. The truth is that it was poorly directed, badly written, awkwardly edited and overall not engaging or compelling, except for in the category of visual FX, which was purely due to the budget and technology. The experience of watching the films was dazzling because of the jam-packed frames and the sheer overwhelment of FX--in fact if you read Eberts actual review this is all that he talks about. But once that wears off and you actually look at the content theres not much there. Not that its terrible--that status goes to AOTC--but it certainly is justified in its designation as "dissapointing." And sure, many kids liked TPM--but kids don't have high standards. They also love Power Rangers The Movie, and Bad Boys 2. The true test of a great film is if adults can enjoy it as much as kids. The Lion King is a prime example of this, and any typical Pixard film, all of which i don't think any adult would classify as "dissapointing" or "just okay" the way most fans do for the PT.

Really i think we are spoiled when it comes to Star Wars because the first two were as good as any films possibly could be. ROTJ on its own is pretty lame in most places but it rides on the coat-tails of ESB so most go along with it, even if its "imperfect." The PT however not only is much worse than ROTJ but it can't be carried on the strength of movies before it. Really, is it any surprise that only half of a series is actually "good" and only 1/4 is actually "great"? Most series only have the first one or two films actually be worthwhile. Star Trek has about half the films being crappy, and of the ones that are worthwhile only two or three are actually "good." Most people feel the same way about Terminator, Aliens, Matrix and many other such franchises. Its simply inevitable. Its a law of averages. Not every film can be a hit. Maybe you enjoy the series overall but certainly theres no point in living in denial that some entries are lousy. I love the Star Wars series but as more time goes on and I view them with more and more objectivity now that the SW hoopla has died down i can see that the reason i loved the PT so much was because it was exciting to have more star wars films--i love the world so much that i even read some of the EU books, many of which are among the worst literature i have read. I think most people love the sequels so much because they simply lower their standards when it comes to Star Wars. Many people who love the PT as much as i love the OT also like movies that i would classify as "crappy" as well and its only fuelled my belief that most people are fucking morons when it comes to film. Its no wonder why Jerry Bruckheimer makes $200 million every time he releases a film but most people have never even heard of Wong Kar Wai and would find his films "dumb" and "boring" if they ever saw one.