It was difficult to find anything I disliked in this film.

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 1999)

I had the honor of seeing the first official showing of this film at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning (May 19). Two thoughts crossed my mind as I left the theater. My first was, "I can't wait to see this again." and "I don't know if I can wait for part II." I must admit that it was difficult to think there was going to be a new Star Wars movie without characters like Luke, Han Solo, Princess Leia, etc. I have now seen Phantom Menace twice now, and I realize the more I see it, the more the characters will become a part of me...just as the classic ones have. Qui-Gon had that perfect calm yet confident attitude that is the perfect attitude for a Jedi. Obi-Wan with the anxious Jedi pupil outlook (I look forward to following Obi-Wan's experiences in the parts II and III). All the real (non-computer generated) actors I found true the Star Wars tradition ... except two. Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker) was somewhat of a drawback to TPM in that is acting was cardboard and quite unemotional. The emotional scene with Anakin and his mother was a bit uneffective as a result of Lloyd's acting. I also have an extremely hard time believing Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. Reason being, Mace is a highly respected member of the renound Jedi Council. As I watch, all I can think is "Pulp Fiction. I also think he was trying way to hard to act like this respected character. There's times when he's on screen and he appears to be over-acting to the point that it's actually bad acting.
I've heard that something like 90% of this film is digital. Before I saw the movie, I must admit I was quite nervous about this statistic. I have found that some digital scenes in other films look quite fake. In Phantom Menace, however, there were actually times when a character was on the screen that to this day I still can't figure out if he was computer generated or a person in a costume. The digital and special effects were by far the most state of the art and realistic I've seen to date.
Now...the plot. I've read some critic's reviews, and a few are saying the plot is thin and could have been told in a 30 minute film. I personally have no clue what movie they watched. All I know is the movie I saw was a fitting beginning to a classic series. The way this movie progressed is that for a good part of it you find yourself learning more than anything. A lot of time is spent on learning characters and understanding what is taking place. About 2/3 of the way through is when the tension absolutely reaches out and grabs you. If you are a die-hard and life-long Star Wars fan like myself, you'll find yourself feeling various emotions and feeling quite satisfied once this film is over. I truly believe Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is without a doubt equal to the hype, and faithful to its predecessors.