Gets better with time

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2014)

I have watched all "Star Wars" movies many times and I can consider myself a fan of the series. The hate this movie attracts is beyond me. It has 6.6 here and nonsense like "Interstellar" get 8.9? Now that's just wrong. "The Phantom Menace" is not a perfect film, but there was no way George Lucas could please all people by going all the way back and re-inventing the whole story. Out of 6 films made up to this date, I rate this one the 3rd best. Why? Because it simply feels that way after watching all of them so many times. It is a very good start to the story, centered around a young boy who is given great talent and an opportunity to make his mark in the galaxy. This is essentially what the whole series is about - rise, fall and redemption of its main character. And his rise must begin through a child prodigy subplot. The pod racing part remains for me one of the most powerful in the whole series. The whole film is a bit cheeky and childish, but which episode of it isn't? These isn't serious drama making and it never was. It's a space opera with good guys fighting the bad guys, with shiny space background, wonderful worlds and delicate music. I do admit episodes 2 and 3 had certain problems in storytelling, but this first trilogy nicely connects with the original one and they both together make a wonderful epic.
The only thing leaving a negative impression is the CGI. In some way "The Phantom Menace" pawed the way for all-CGI spectacles which dominate cinema today and (for me) this was never a positive revolution.