‘The Phantom Menace 3D’ featurette reminds viewers why they hated the prequels

Will Perkins
·Blogger

Do you remember that night in May 1999 when "Star Wars" returned to the big screen? The release of "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" was a crushing blow for many fans of the original trilogy, replacing swashbuckling adventure and space battles with dreary intergalactic politics and insufferable computer-generated characters. Older fans were left cold by the film, but a new generation of kids — who, to be fair, didn't know any better — seemed to love "Episode I" and its unfortunate follow-ups.

With that younger audience in mind, it should come as no surprise then that the marketing push for the 3D re-release of "The Phantom Menace" is being aimed squarely at children. A new featurette released this week by Lucasfilm makes it painfully clear that the first "Star Wars" prequel is meant for children and nobody else. The video highlights some of the worst moments from the film with an obnoxious and grating radio-style voice-over.

Don't say you weren't warned. You can watch the painful "Episode I" featurette below:

Is the annoying schtick of Jar Jar Binks actually a selling point to anyone over the age of six? Thankfully, the overlong trailer skimps on the mind-numbing trade negotiations that bored many viewers to tears, but it leaves in some of Anakin Skywalker's most irritating antics. There are simply no two ways about it: "The Phantom Menace" is a losing proposition for anyone past puberty. It's highly unlikely that the addition of 3D will improve the experience or help salvage the film in any way. In fact, it might even make it worse.

Elsewhere on Yahoo! Canada Movies:
Chewbacca returns to 'Star Wars' to answer fans' questions
We could totally beat Mark Hamill in 'Star Wars' trivia
'Star Wars' gets new tweaks for Blu-ray release

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