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I happen to like Phantom Menace. There are some definite problems, but it has some great moments and one of the best swordfights in movie history.
The fighting is great, especially the final duel which is greatly enhanced by John Williams, again pulling through 100% for SW. He has not let us down yet. However, the way in which Darth Maul is killed is quite questionable, if not upsetting...
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Hayden is a good actor from what I saw of him in Life as a House and Shattered Glass. The problem is that he played Anakin the same way he played his character in Life As a House. Jake Lloyd is an annoying, but so are all child actors.
I agree that Hayden does play the same character he did in Life As A House, and it doesn't work. I find it hard to believe that Darth Vader was ever such a wimp, but then again maybe that's why he was so easy to turn.
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I think everything is bigger because it is a Republic rather than a Dictatorship.
The thing that made the OT so great was that it was this great outer space adventure, but it was happening in a world that is somehow familiar to us. George Lucas has many times mentioned his idea of a "used universe". With the new movies, I never find myself watching something which I think is actually happening, like you do with the OT. That is also a problem with the DVDs. You are buying into the story, and then a big terrible looking CG monster walks by for no reason! (see the Mos Eisley scene in ANH) Good examples of unbelievable scenes are the Gungans vs. The Battle Droids and Anakin and Padme in the droid factory. You feel as though you are watching a computer game and not a movie, and that just isn't how SW should feel.