[JennysCool]

Podhoretz is right about Lucas's own dark transition. The new "Star Wars" flicks are almost devoid of the sense of fun that Lucas brought to "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars." It's as if the prequels exist in another, much more humorless, universe entirely.

[100%FEDUP]

Episodes IV-V-VI captured the feel of old movie serials like Flash Gordon. IMHO that's what made them great. There was no soul searching you knew who the good guys were and who the bad guys were and they fought it out. The plot twists were subtle but tied in well with the story as a whole.

Episodes I-II lacked ALL OF THAT. They seemed like a 100 level film school exercise. Although the CGI was incredible, at times it went way over the top. Many times during both films I was asking myself how the heck is he gonna swing this vast extravagant universe into the close barren one familiar to everyone from IV-V-VI.

Was George really trying to close out the trilogy or did he sacrifice the storyline to show us what big toys he has?

[WoofDog123]

"much more humorless, universe entirely."

well, the subtle humor has been replaced by fart/burp humor and slapstick visual pieces.