A flawed diamond, or classy trash?

Rating: 8/10 (6 June 1999)

Is it possible to say anything about this movie that hasn't been (and still will be) said a thousand times? As a scifi film, it's brilliant. Watch it without context or expectation and you will not be disappointed. Think Jurassic Park meets Epcot Centre, throw in Sean Connery in First Knight, and add a claymation Muppet. There's not much that can go wrong with that. The special effects are definitely groundbreaking in their scale, if not entirely in originality. (C'mon George, is this Episode I or a remake of Episode IV the way you wanted it?) The acting gets a bit stiff in parts, but these are alien cultures we're dealing with, and so could be expected. However, if you ever felt the need to explore the Arthurian mythology of the original Star Wars, or if you ever described "The Empire Strikes Back" as "dark", "brooding" or "gothic", "Phantom Menace" just might not be your cup of tea.