It's too obvious the die hard fans loved this movie before they actually saw it.

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 1999)

I grew up with "Star Wars" the same as many people did. I remember going to the theater to see "A New Hope" many times with my friends and loving every minute of it. Of course I couldn't wait to see "The Empire Strikes Back" and, when I finally did, I wasn't disappointed. Then, three years later, we got "Return of the Jedi" and that, my friends, was the beginning of the end.
What started as a great sci-fi series in the tradition of the old chapter-plays of early cinema has turned into a sappy soap opera filled with inconsistencies.
The first three installments are what fueled our expectations of "Phantom Menace".
In "Phantom Menace" the Force has been totally demystified.
I expected Darth Maul to be a truly evil presence and a most formidable opponent. At least that is what I was led to believe with all the prerelease advertising and marketing. But what happens? He gets about five lines of dialogue. Maul was the kind of character I wanted to see battle the Jedi again and again winning some and losing some of their encounters.
The Gunguns, and especially Jar Jar Binks, are the Ewoks of this film. They are completely unnecessary to the story.
As a fan of the Star Wars Saga, I was utterly disappointed with this installment. Lucas can't see the forest through the trees. The effects are incredible but the story is what made the Star Wars Saga a saga. I think Lucas got lost in the world he created.
The next two films should be better because Lucas has less room to stray from the story. He has to end the third film at the point "A New Hope" begins. I believe, and hope, this series of films will get better as they progress; the opposite direction the first three took.