| I have never seen a fictional character that had galvanized the moviegoing public to such hatred as Jar Jar Binks.. I was chatting with a few of my friends the fourth time I saw Episode 1, and I noted that they were all "old school" Star Wars fans. I think that most of the folks who saw Episode 1 had forgotten to go into the theatre as a wide-eyed child, just like most of us did when we first saw the original trilogy.
I took my three kids with me to watch it, and snagged a half-dozen neighborhood friends of theirs. Their ages ranged from 5 to 11. They all absolutely loved the movie, and all but one thought Jar Jar was very funny and was an asset. Personally, I liked the CGI but hated the character. But, if I looked at his role without the filters we adults strap over our eyes, I discovered I could enjoy the sheer Loony Tunes comedy that Jar Jar brought into the flick. The kids didn't care about how cute the Princess was or where the Force was derived from. They wanted to be dazzled, to laugh and to just be kids.
I think George Lucas got it right. The kids loved it, and they liked Jar Jar. When my kids take their kids to watch Episodes 7, 8 and 9, I hope they can also remove those filters and just be kids again. | 
