Different beast, more complex, great film

Rating: 1/10 (23 May 1999)

After watching The Phantom Menace five times over opening weekend, I've come to a conclusion. The bad reviews are unfounded. Most of them center on how different TPM is from the classic trilogy. That isn't bad, it just takes a few moments to readjust your thinking. If you look at the plot of the movie, it is far more complex than any of the original movies. Especially if you read the book, which really helps you understand the film. The performances are a little above average; Liam Neeson does great, Jake Lloyd's okay, Portman's decent, Ewan's good... I especially liked Watto and Darth Maul, but Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine/Sidious) had the best performance. Overall a great film.