There have been a number of films in the past that I was really excited about for various reasons. I recall being so stoked that these things were going to happen only to be completely let down in the cinema, one of which I waited in line for hours to see.
For the most part I enjoy going to the theater and even if I am alone, I will still go especially when I have anticipated a movie for a long time.
These are the films that seriously let me and many others down who were really looking forward to them.
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I was watching a completely unrelated film in the theater with a fellow sci-fi nerd friend of mine. I don't even remember what the movie was but previews were something I enjoyed as much as the film sometimes. They did a good job of getting us pumped up for what we were going to see next and when the preview for Star Wars: Episode 1 came on it was a simple film preview with the sound of Darth Vader breathing and baby Anakin doing baby Anakin stuff on the screen. When it was complete my friend that was sitting next to me said "I think I need to change my shorts!"
Draw whatever conclusion you want to with that.
Anyway, this was the movie that we had to wait in line for hours to get tickets. When we were in the actual theater someone who works there had to come and tell us that the movie was completely sold out and needed everyone to move to the left to accommodate everyone. I felt bad for the even-more-nerdy-than-us duo that had clearly arrived many hours earlier than we all did to get the "sweet spot" seats about 20 rows back in the middle. I could see the disappointment on their faces so I shouted down the line and asked everyone to step over these guys because they camped outside all day to get these seats. I think they were grateful because everyone complied.
This was back in the days before you chose your seat online before ever even arriving to the theater so I think that camping outside the cinema is a thing of the past. Now there's just ripoff websites that charge a premium for anyone seeking special access. I don't know which option I hate more.
Anyway, the film.... what a shitshow that was. Unlike Star Wars episodes in the past there was a huge focus on CGI rather than puppet work and while this might be the "go to" now, I actually thought the immense work that George Lucas and co put into creating realistic space battles without using really any computers was much better than the CGI nightmare that was this film.
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The kid who played baby Vader was just atrocious and unless I am remembering wrong he had very little in the way of an acting resume prior to this role. He was only 8-10 years old during filming so maybe I was expecting a bit much from him but in my mind he was just awful. Of course I have a profound hatred for almost all child actors so this shouldn't be surprising. I also didn't much care for any of the other characters including and especially Jar Jar Binks. I can't imagine what they were thinking by creating such an annoying character that screws things up much more than he helps and why they had to give him such an annoying voice is beyond me. One would think they would have test audiences for this sort of thing prior to spending $115 million on something.
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There's probably some information about this out there somewhere, but the negative criticism of the film during the release was mostly focused on how much everyone hated Jar Jar and you will notice he has a signficantly diminished role in episodes 2 and 3, perhaps directly because of this.
By the time the film was over, I was actually quite relieved to get out of the cinema. There was actually some "boos" coming from the crowd at the end and this is something I had never experienced before.
Despite the film being a massive letdown for almost everyone, the movie managed to garner over a billion dollars at the box office and therefore... well....critics be damned. Unfortunately this same idea that Star Wars is going to make money no matter what we do with it, has only gotten worse as time has gone by.
On that particular day though, a part of my Star Wars fandom died because of that ill-fated day. I lost all anticipation for Star Wars anything and purchased none of the merch for this one. Because of this film I didn't even bother to go see Episode 2 on opening weekend and just waited until the next week when the crowds would be significantly less.
I suppose Darth Maul was pretty cool but honestly, that wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the movie.
I have been told that over time and perhaps because of the latest trilogy, that a newfound appreciation for this film can be experienced if you rewatch the film today. I am going to do exactly that and see if any of what I felt on that day was perhaps because of the fact that my expectations were set so high that there was no way that they were ever going to be able to reach them.
I do know that this day was so powerful and how repulsed I was by the film that it stands out in my mind 25 years later still. When I watch it a second time perhaps my feeling will be different but somehow, I doubt it.
Were you equally as disappointed by this film back in 1999? If so, let's talk about it!