The Phantom Menace Named 2nd Worst Summer Blockbuster

They're full of crap. TPM is a fantastic movie. I can name oodles much worse than it.

Aside from Waterworld, most of the movies on that list were weaker than TPM. If nothing else, GIJoe: The Rise of Cobra, Transformers, and the other two Star Wars prequels should've "beat" TPM.

Can something from this summer (2011) really fit on an "all-time" list already? Howard the Duck should be higher.

Just read their list. I say 'Eff 'em!" They picked a list of films that got a lot of heat online and that would be easy to continue to pick on. I could argue with the writer on a number of points but why bother? Moving on...

There were far worse films on that list, no way TPM should've been #2.

Time for Stilla to jump in with his comments on the prequels....









ohh thats right he isn't around here anymore :mybad:

Battlefield Earth should have been number 1. I don't understand how TPM is on this list yet ATOC is not.

I can only assume they're measuring expectations against results. In that case, TPM should be #1 and the first Matrix sequel should be #2. The first new Star Wars film in 16 years and it's "Are you brain dead?" and Jar Jar and that weird Radiant VII captain woman and "Yippee!" and so much bizarrely-disconnected acting? I can see why it ranked so high on their list, it's a touchstone for bloated movies with too many bad ideas against too much hype for something fantastic. Even if you love it, you have to see it's got a lot of those faults.

I saw Speed 2 and Batman & Robin on the same day, in that order, seeing Speed 2 first made B&R far less awful by comparison.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

I saw Speed 2 and Batman & Robin on the same day, in that order, seeing Speed 2 first made B&R far less awful by comparison.

That you're still alive today can be nothing short of a miracle.

Was "Titanic" considered a "summer blockbuster" or was it a "for the love of God will they ever stop screening this thing" blockbuster?

Its too easy for people to pick on TPM. Its not what many of us expected but still. I strongly criticize these critics who pick on the same movies over and over. Obviously they have not seen enough movies to be qualified as true critics. Besides, Star Wars is not meant to be a literary work of art, I say its meant to be fun and entertaining and I definitely think you cant argue that it is not.

Originally Posted by sith_killer_99

Was "Titanic" considered a "summer blockbuster" or was it a "for the love of God will they ever stop screening this thing" blockbuster?

No, it came out in December.

Originally Posted by nohagent

Its too easy for people to pick on TPM. Its not what many of us expected but still. I strongly criticize these critics who pick on the same movies over and over. Obviously they have not seen enough movies to be qualified as true critics. Besides, Star Wars is not meant to be a literary work of art, I say its meant to be fun and entertaining and I definitely think you cant argue that it is not.

If it's "too easy to pick on TPM", then there's a good reason for it, it's like saying "it's too easy for people to pick on the AMC Pacer" - it's easy because there's something substantially wrong.

I am fed up with these claims that "it doesn't have to be good, it's just meant to be a fun movie", that is ludicrous, as if being a popcorn film excuses bad work. Raiders of the Lost Ark, SW:ANH, Jaws, Close Encounters, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Matrix, Terminator 2, Iron Man, Back to the Future, Aliens, Predator, Robocop, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, X-men, Die Hard, Ghostbusters, Spider-Man - none of those are meant to be "important" films beyond just being solid entertainment, mere popcorn films, and yet they are head and shoulders above TPM.

And I can certainly make arguments for why TPM is not consistently "fun and entertaining", it's got plenty of long, boring sections with a few ok bits here and there, some good ideas covered up by bad choices and poor directing.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

I am fed up with these claims that "it doesn't have to be good, it's just meant to be a fun movie", that is ludicrous, as if being a popcorn film excuses bad work. Raiders of the Lost Ark, SW:ANH, Jaws, Close Encounters, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Matrix, Terminator 2, Iron Man, Back to the Future, Aliens, Predator, Robocop, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, X-men, Die Hard, Ghostbusters, Spider-Man - none of those are meant to be "important" films beyond just being solid entertainment, mere popcorn films, and yet they are head and shoulders above TPM.

All of those movies are the greatest movies ever made.

...and most of them show up on the "best movie" type lists....JT did you lift that from somebody?

Everything else on their list belongs there. Everything else on that list either killed an ongoing franchise, strangled one out of the gate, tarnished an earlier version of the property or was just plain bad. TPM may have it's faults, but it has it's fans, it's about to be re-launched in 3D with a major theatrical release. The franchise it's a part of is alive and ongoing.... I would've put "Matrix Reloaded" on that list instead....talk about a sequel that took the original's premise and just dove off a cliff into wretched excess...

You'll all notice that Speed Racer is not on that list. Because it's awesome.

Originally Posted by JimJamBonds

...and most of them show up on the "best movie" type lists....JT did you lift that from somebody?

Not at all, that is a truncated version of a list I've been coughing up with this same argument for a few years now.

Originally Posted by jedibear

Everything else on their list belongs there. Everything else on that list either killed an ongoing franchise, strangled one out of the gate, tarnished an earlier version of the property or was just plain bad. TPM may have it's faults, but it has it's fans, it's about to be re-launched in 3D with a major theatrical release. The franchise it's a part of is alive and ongoing.... I would've put "Matrix Reloaded" on that list instead....talk about a sequel that took the original's premise and just dove off a cliff into wretched excess...

IMDB user ratings:
ANH - 8.8
ESB - 8.8
ROTJ - 8.3
TPM - 6.4
AOTC - 6.8
ROTS - 7.8

There's a theme running through the general moviegoing population which sees Episode I as the low point in the saga. I personally don't agree, I feel it's the most Star Warsy of the prequels, but each film has over a hundred thousand votes, that's a very large voting selection.

I would agree that Matrix Reloaded definitely should have been on that list, it was awful, I didn't even see the 3rd one in theaters or for years afterwards because that movie was so bad.

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

You'll all notice that Speed Racer is not on that list. Because it's awesome.

Uhh... sure, that's why. I suspect they just forgot about it, it's surprisingly forgettable. It has at least as weak ratings as TPM with IMDB readers, and significantly weaker ratings with critics.