10 Movies Ruined By Impossible Expectations

1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dcqnEFIw3A What We Expected: Quite possibly the most hyped film of all time, Star Wars Episode I came along on a massive platform of fanboy optimism, given that it had been 16 years since the original trilogy ended, and fans were keen to know more about how Darth Vader came to be. We expected an exciting sci-fi space opera that would introduce us to a young Anakin, expand the mythology and move the character in the direction of the Dark Side, in preparation for the sequels that followed. What We Got: Arguably the most maligned and contentious sequel to a hugely popular film ever, The Phantom Menace had queues lining up around the block for hours ahead of midnight screenings, and those fanboys, dressed up as their favourite characters, emerged from the cinema 2 hours later crestfallen and bereft of hope. The Phantom Menace was not a great film, nor was it even really a particularly good one. It was perfectly adequate, having the look and feel of the Star Wars movies - abetted by plenty of CGI - but not a whole lot of the spirit. Jake Lloyd's performance as young Anakin was widely derided, but it was really George Lucas' inept script that was the problem. The pod racing goes on too long, Darth Maul looks awesome but ends up getting beaten too easily, and really, this just left people not expecting a whole lot from Episode 2. Still, in comparison to Attack of the Clones, The Phantom Menace is great fun; at least it's not dull and doesn't bog itself down in too many verbose political dialogues. Star Wars fans didn't even know it yet, but the worst was yet to come. Which movie was worst affected by your own ridiculous expectations? Let us know in the comments below.