The force is with George. Critics, reviewers-the dark side are they.

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 1999)

I waited for Episode I for years. I tried to guess what it was going to be about. I read the bogus plot on IMDB with the Mandalorians. The film opened in Australia 10 days ago, almost two weeks after it did in the States, so we were all subjected to the lukewarm reviews by then. Was I disappointed. No! Was it a great Star Wars film? YES! Not a great sci-fi film as such, just a good one, but then none of the Star wars films is great just by itself. It is the entire epic, the story of the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker that is a work of genius. Does this one fit into this overall picture? Yes, perfectly. Let's consider the standard criticism offered: 1. The plot is not good.
The answer to this is simple: the plot is so good and subtle most people miss it. I discussed this with some of my die-hard-fan mates and we have concluded that most critics have not realised that Senator Palpatine and Darth Sidious/Emperor-to-be are the same person. If you don't realise that, then the movie is indeed a collection of FX and not about very much at all. If you got that, however, then the subtlety of the plot is obvious, Palpatine engineering the entire trade dispute just to be elected Chancellor. Admittedly it's not too hard to miss this point: you have to know that the Emperor's name in the original trilogy is Palpatine, and that's only disclosed in the novel. So you have to be really into it in order to realise what is going on. They can use this to criticise the Phantom Menace by saying it's strictly for fans, but I AM a fan, it's a great movie for me and I don't care!
2. Jar Jar Binks is bad, annoying. offensive.
I found him slightly annoying at the start cause I couldn't catch his dialect too well, but then I thought he was really funny. And offensive? He is not a villain or anything, is he? The entire race are good guys, so why get offended.
To summarize, Episode I is a great movie. Only most people don't understand it. I suggest everyone watch it several times, then wait for the next two installments, and may the Force be with you.