The Sith Menace

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2011)

As a kid, I watched Star Wars 4, 5, and 6 on videotape countless times. I absolutely loved those films. Then when I was 8, I froze at the news I was given. The Star Wars saga was being continued.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, this is the only one of George Lucas' science-fiction fantasy masterpiece series that I did not see at the cinema, so I had to wait for it to come out on video. It was well worth the wait.
The film goes back thirty two years before Episode 4, back to the beginning of the end for the Old Republic. The tranquil planet of Naboo is threatened by the greedy members of the Trade Federation, who have recently been angered by the Republic increasing the taxation of trade routes. They are secretly backed by the scheming Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the future ruler of the Galactic Empire. Two Jedi Knights are sent to intervene.
The events of the film are then set into motion when Sidious orders the Federation leaders to kill the two Jedi and invade Naboo to force its democratically elected Queen to sign a treaty which would allow them to bypass the trade routes. The Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi escape to find the Queen and escort her to the Republic capital of Coruscant. To stop them, Sidious sends his apprentice Darth Maul to hunt them down.
Many fans of the series believe that this installment is a weak one for its story and characters. I myself believe that is a mistake. It is the role of the Jedi to complete their missions with compassion and only interfering with planetary roles when necessary. As for the complaints about Anakin, the point of the way Jake Lloyd plays the role is that he is supposed to be an innocent child. He is not evil from the day he was born. With Padme/Queen Amidala, yes she is only fourteen years old and has much to learn in the role of being a planetary representative, but she is sharp minded and ready to defend her people in any way she can. And finally, Jar Jar Binks. Many say he's horrible, but I say he is one of the most enjoyable characters I have ever seen on the big screen.
The Phantom Menace tells the beginning of a film legacy and commences the rise Of Anakin Skywalker to becoming a Jedi and his subsequent fall to the dark side as Darth Vader. It is a fantastic opening to the best film series of all time, and I would not have had it any other way. If any of you believe me in this, then the Force is with you... always.