I don't know about you guys, but my childhood fascination with Star Wars has worn off. I would probably buy the DVD edition of the trilogy, but its release doesn't exactly make me giddy as a schoolgirl (like Stitch). My taste in film has gained much sophistication since I was twelve, and I have come to realize that the original Star Wars, while truly ground-breaking in the realm of special effects, does not deserve all the accolades that it has received. It's a very simple story with local Shakespeare theatre-quality acting and a great reliance on visual effects (like an Armageddon or Independence Day). The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, is a superb film and Lucas's most mature work; it's the one film in the trilogy that makes the DVD purchase worthwhile. Return of the Jedi, while passable, was a foreshadowing of the atrocities to come -- Lucas demonstrated that he was perfectly willing to compromise story for visual effects, and he showed a compunction for pleasing the kids in the audience with silly and annoying creatures. Even as a little kid, I thought the ewoks were lame. They were Care Bears with guns.

The Star Wars trilogy has been supplanted as the benchmark sci-fi/fantasy epic. Long live Lord of the Rings.