Good, but not great

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2000)

How to start this review? Episode 1 was probably one of the most hyped and anticipated movies since Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its hype nearly as well as Empire did. The movie was good, don't get me wrong, but it lacked the things that made Episodes 4 - 6 great. To start, it was way too FX intensive; the computer animation was excellent, true, but it distracted from the fact that the movie is weak in character and plot development, two of the things that set A New Hope and sequels apart. In its quest to appeal to a younger generation, Phantom Menace sold out on the ideals and epic scope that made A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi true classics.