Re:Target Demographic (Score 1)

I think you underestimate children. When Douglas Adams wrote for Doctor Who he said that you had to make the plots complicated enough for the kids to enjoy and simple enough for the adults to enjoy. Kids can handle alot more complexity than Holloywood marketing people can appreciate.

In general it is hard to compare the original trilogy with TPM, even in terms of demographics because the two trilogies face two different audiences: one that did not know how the trilogy would end and one that does. The OT had surprise on its side. We didn't know what was going to happen. With the prequels we know what the end is. Star Wars is a major part of popular culture now. We all know so much about it. This calls for a different approach to the drama on screen. Lucas knows that we are watching TPM looking for clues to why Anakin turned, how Palpatine became emperor etc. So he gives us in TPM a great action film with astonishing set pieces but with a plot line that goes "Look how Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor. Look what he'll do to get power. Look how the Jedi will not act decisively when Anakin is brought before them. Look at the good people manipulated by others. Doesn't this scare you because you know where this will all end up?

Essentially TPM is a much more complicated beast than people make it out to be. It has a wonderfully foreboding atmosphere and is extremely frank about how easy it was for Palpatine to achieve his goals due to bureaucracy, procrastination and willful blindness of those around him. That is what is there for the adults, the kids and the fans and I believe that it fulfills Douglas Adams requirements admirably..