Not digging the lightsaber, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Loved literally everything else, and the final Falcon shot with the main theme blaring was...

...Emotional.

If anyone hears a very loud schoolgirl like squee of excited joy....

That was GM Chris of the Order 66 podcast down in Texas

I'm trying very hard to be cynical and bitter. It's not working.

I'm trying very hard to be cynical and bitter. It's not working.

It's Star Wars man. Embrace the fact that you're excited to see a new Star Wars movie in the theaters, especially if you're of an age to remember (however dimly) seeing the Original Trilogy in theaters back in the day.

However, just remember the principle lesson of Episode I. Namely, don't get your expectations so high that you'll be nothing but disappointed. While TPM certainly had it's flaws, it wasn't as bad a movie as folks claim. And frankly, there's not a director in the history of cinema that could make a film that would live up to over a decade's worth of hype and fan expectation.

Very true. With all the anticipation of TPM, Lucas could have scheduled the second coming on premiere night and personally handed out solid gold bricks and everyone would be "Awww, my brick is scratched". No movie in the history of film could have lived up to the expectations laid at the feet of that flick. So when it turned out to be just an average little, not great, not bad flick and not the apex of human achievement, the backlash began.

My only concern - and I didn't mind E1-3 - is that I just don't like JJ's work. Not Star Trek, not that Monster movie, not Mission Impossible - He just does nothing for me. I'm far more excited to see what the guy that did Godzilla has up his sleeve for that stand-alone.

As much as I love Star Wars I object at calling The Phantom Menace not bad. It was terrible and would have been just as terrible without the hype.

The only thing I like about it is seeing the species, planets and ships. The rest I can't stand... It is the only one of all the movies I stopped watching. (Just for the record, the "I object" part was in jest.)

Abrams I am okay with, he hasn't blown me away thus far but I did like Super 8 a heck of a lot... He got the 80's movie feel down to a tee in that one. I also liked both Star Trek movies he did but then again I was never a Star Trek fan so that might be why.

When I mean not bad - I mean its not like, oh say Man of Steel bad, Battlefield Earth bad, Lone Ranger bad. You want really bad, try Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, or Dunston Checks In or House of the Dead or any of the 'movies' by Seltzer and Friedberg where the 'jokes' (and I use that term VERY loosely) consist solely of pop culture references.

These movies? These movies are BAD. Phantom Menace is merely a flawed film with wooden characters, bad acting and a slave to the spectacle of special effects over story - like every single movie to come out of Hollywood these day.

I have no idea why the server decided to post the exact same message three times. . . .

. . . so here, watch a REALLY bad movie: Pumaman!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM23CiiKRo0

While TPM was far from being a cinematic masterpiece, I don't see it as being anywhere near as bad as some folks say, especially when compared to the list of stinkers that Desslok mentioned.

The best thing that could happen for the franchise was for George Lucas to take a step back and stick with being a consultant/idea guy. Which is what's happened with the franchise now that it's under Disney's care.

I'm open to seeing what J.J. Abrams can do with the Star Wars 'verse. I have been since it was announced he'd be directing it, have been after seeing the teaser trailer, and will be when I take my seat in the theater on opening day.

I'm open to seeing what J.J. Abrams can do with the Star Wars 'verse. I have been since it was announced he'd be directing it, have been after seeing the teaser trailer, and will be when I take my seat in the theater on opening day.

Sydney IMax with my Grandmother, who took me to the original in the cinema.

There will be 4 Generations of Amanal's there.

Hahahahaha, I would call The Phantom Menace bad and those other titles horrendous, awful, torture...

Wonder if the CrossHilt Projectors are Cortosis, To prevent them from Getting Sliced off

Was the chick on the speeder Jaina Solo?

I like the German Longsword Lightsaber. I thought that bit was cool except they wouldn't actually protect the hand since the light blade part doesn't go all the way to the grip. I will be very impressed if the wielder actually uses a few traditional long sword moves. I doubt it but it would be frikkin cool.

Upset about the loss of 20 odd years of storyline, there's no reawakening of the force since Luke restarted the Jedi Academy soon after the Battle of Endor, the current crop of jedi is working on its 2nd generation graduating. Oh well. Maybe they are referring to the rebirth of the Sith and an attempt to bring balance to the force, right now it should be really tilted towards the light side.

Has anyone been following the uproar over the "black" storm trooper? Rather humorous on multiple levels. We don't know the story yet. We don't even know if its a storm trooper or someone in a storm trooper costume. Did that many times in the old d6 system. Even if it is a real storm trooper, whats the problem? The clones died out decades before, and open recruitment began on every loyal Imperial planet.

Be interesting to see if the war has been going on all along or if the Empire resurgent attacks the New Republic by surprise led by German Longsword wielding Sith guy/girl. My main issue is if the Empire is led by a non-human. That would be annoying. Nothing against JJ, ok that's a lie, I refuse to acknowledge that his Star Trek movies are real Star Trek movies, but he is no Timothy Zahn and making a non-human leader or main lackey is kind of cliché for a xenophobic empire.

Wonder if the CrossHilt Projectors are Cortosis, To prevent them from Getting Sliced off

Well Lightsabres ARE immune to Sunder...

Was the chick on the speeder Jaina Solo?

Doubtful. I don't think we'll see any actual named characters from the EU. Inspiration may be taken from it, but it is more likely to be original stuff we see.

To you naysayers out there, about the new lightsaber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TiabUnjU84w

To you naysayers out there, about the new lightsaber:

LOL thanks. And that's was pretty much one of my explanations in the other trailer thread.