A good film answering many of the questions on Luke Skywalker's and Leia Organa's origens and previous generations, but still not providing the same sort of excellent screenplay and details seen in the first

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 1999)

Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace was an incredibly pleasing movie, allowing me to understand how a relationship came about between the parents of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. The film also had that undercurrent of unease about Anakin Skywalker, displayed prominently when the Jedi Committee tested the boy and Yoda found the feeling of fear in him and explained how such a feeling would lead to his role in the Dark Side. One who saw Episode I but not the first three could even have a bad feeling about where Skywalker was headed, where his destiny would take him, whether or not they had heard through others that the storyline was on a young Darth Vader. Also, the saber duel- or shall I say trio? triel?- between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul, was much more active and convincing than the "hokey" saber duels between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the first three installments.
However, somehow the plot lacked the incredible detail and explanatory scenes and dialogue that made Episodes IV, V, and VI go so well over with critics and audiences. During the saber match between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul, the fact that a powerful Jedi master could be so easily destroyed, even by one as powerful as Darth Maul seems to be unacceptable with that audience of my family. And that a Jedi APPRENTICE, no matter how powerful himself he may be, could destroy one powerful enough to destroy his MASTER is equally, maybe even more baffling. (Have I overused the word "powerful"?) When Anakin Skywalker fired at the main reactor in the Star Destroyer (?) when sent on automatic pilot to the space battle, and the 'droid army fighting Jar-Jar Binks's people on the planet (Naboo?) below just suddenly STOPPED and was deactivated, well..it was just sort of a disappointing ending of the battle. Victorious, yes, especially for Skywalker, but still, simply..disappointing. The fact that Jar-Jar's people would have been driven to their knees in surrender or would have fled puts a sort of damper on the victory. It was yet a joyful victory and somehow shameful. Because without the mistakes of a young boy that might not have happened realistically, evil would have triumphed over good. But I suppose it all just depends on how the storyline is written and how each individual perceives and critiques it.