‘Menace’: At Least the Controversy Is Epic

Thank you, George Lucas, for proving to the world that the art of great movie-making is not lost! Thank you for making a movie for those of us who are weary of four-letter words, sick of bloody violence, embarrassed at open sex and appalled at the glorification of drugs and smoking in today’s films. Thank you for making a first-date movie, a movie that dads can take their daughters to, sons can take their mothers, and grandparents can take the whole family. Thank you for making a movie filled with excitement and wonder, with humor, morals, values and a good story.

The curmudgeons who have nit-picked this “Star Wars” (“The Prequel Has Landed,” Kenneth Turan’s review, May 18) must be jaded by the last two decades of mediocre filmmaking. Too bad they’ve missed the joy that comes from seeing a beautifully made and totally fun movie.

SUE WILLIAMS

La Palma

*

I’m a big “Star Wars” fan. Make that a big “Star Wars” fan of Episodes 4, 5 and 6 only. After seeing “The Phantom Menace,” I was deeply disappointed. There was no interaction between the characters like there was in the previous episodes. The story was dull and at times confusing. The special effects were expected. “The Phantom Menace” is nothing more than a feature-length commercial for “Star Wars” merchandise.

DENNIS A. PIERCE

Los Angeles

*

All the huffing and puffing by professors and their ilk to inflate the significance of the latest “Star Wars” travesty is a lot of bull (“The Mything Link,” May 14). This is not an epic like “The Iliad” but a cartoon for people with no lives and puny imaginations. It began in the junkyard of comic books and Saturday morning serials and was marinated with half-baked mysticism and mythology. It’s filled with crummy acting, unspeakable dialogue and not a minute of emotion or intelligence. It is all technology and no soul. If this big, dumb video game is our new religion, God help us.

DAN O’NEILL

Los Angeles