A must see for the Star Wars fan and enjoyable for anyone else.

Rating: 8/10 (21 May 1999)

First, I would like to say that I was one of many people who waited in line for several hours to get tickets to the Phantom Menace on opening night. Secondly, I want people to know that it was well worth the wait.
Overall, I thought this edition of the Star Wars saga was very solid. The visual effects were awesome, and the story was very good. It leaves the viewer very anxious for Episodes II and III.
Now, I want to comment on some of the criticisms I have heard concerning the Phantom Menace, and how I feel most of them are unfounded.
First, I have heard several people comment that the characters weren't developed well, and if you weren't a Star Wars fan, you would not understand what was happening. This argument may have some merit, but I don't think it would have been possible to go in depth into all the characters. The purpose of this movie was to set up the story for later episodes. If much time were spent on the characters, there would have been no time to set up the story. Also, the vast majority of people watching this movie have seen the original trilogy. To redevelop old characters would be boring and a waste of time. Finally, I felt the new characters were given more in-depth coverage (excluding Darth Maul), providing a background to build upon later.
Secondly, I have also heard complaints concerning the deaths of two main characters, Qui and Maul. This complaint is unfounded because both characters HAD TO DIE. Qui had to die so Obi-Wan could take over the training of young Anakin, a development very important to the saga. Also, at the end of the movie, Yoda states that there are always two Siths, a master and an apprentice. Therefore, Maul had to die to allow the master (Palpatine) a new apprentice (I'm sure everyone understands who this will be). My only complaint is that Maul should have been developed into a better villain (although screen time might not have allowed this).
Also, some people have complained that the acting was poor. These people feel that there was no Alec Guinness or Harrison Ford to hold the movie together. I feel this is off-base because the movie did contain Liam Neeson as one of the major players, a man considered to be a very good actor.
Finally, I have heard a lot of comments about Jar-Jar. Granted, he is somewhat annoying and no Chewbacca, but he's not nearly as bad as some people are letting on.
To wrap things up, I would like to say that this is a very solid flick. A must see for any Star Wars fan, and enjoyable for anyone else. The film's innocence, which brings much of the criticism, is welcome in a cynical world and exactly as it should be.