WhatsMyName said:
Qui-Gon was good, because he was unique from the other Jedi. He was his own character and really made me want to see more of him in the movies.
Qui Gon was interesting only because Liam Nesson is interesting.
Other than that, Qui Gon is a card board cut-out of a character we are supposed to relate to and understand, but he ends up falling flat with just a simple gust (because that's what card board cut-outs do).
That's the big problem with TPM, I just can't really care about what's going on. I generally watch it for the pod race, the duel, and the shear fact that it is visually interesting.
It feels like George is writing for the effect instead of the affect. You could easily say the same thing about A New Hope, but those effects had a good reason to be there, they drove the story forward.
Star Wars was true story telling. It was a futuristic telling of saving the princess who is stuck in the evil fortress.
I don't know if George came up with the line or borrowed it from another director who really knew what they were talking about, but years before the prequels, "A Special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing" was a line that stayed instilled in my mind.
It seems like pure contradiction when you watch the prequels after hearing him say that.
There was just a magic about the original films. Down in my parents basement laying on the carpet watching those VHS's in my PJ's while the other kids were watching Sesame Street or Gumby, it was my heaven. Watching the asteroid chase in empire, or the death star duel in return. I miss it.