Great special effects and setup for story

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 1999)

Phantom Menace is the perfect setup for the story we know is coming in chapters four through six. All the cues are there, from the hints in the dialogue to the camera angles used to the music score. It's all there.
Also, the special effects are stunning, as expected. Lucas uses the computer animations to deliver humor, and not just from Jar Jar. Also, Lucas replaced his Kill-A-Plenty stormtroopers with robots that have about as much armor and life span as the original white-armored vict...errr, extras. His planets are gorgeous, esp. his representation of the capital planet.
The one thing that many people may not like about Phantom Menace is that it lacks the sense of urgency and overwhelming fear that Star Wars had in such abundance. One of the reasons I think people feel this way is a lack of a definite "bad guy". There's Darth Sithious, and Darth Maul, and the Trade Federation, but none of them act as a central "bad guy"--instead, they share the role, and none of them get effective treatment. Also, the fight scene with Darth Maul lacked conviction. Maul was much more a "hammer"--something just to deliver a blow rather than to really be a fully developed "bad guy". The whole ending seemed to be a bit lightweight, as if people are waiting for something to happen(as we know it will, since this is a prequel).
I don't think it was worth camping out for(and I didn't), but it was worth the hour and a half wait in line for decent seats.