Immature and confusing; then again, I'm no STAR WARS fan

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2003)

STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) *1/2 (D:George Lucas) - Immature and confusing, but then again I'm not a fan of the STAR WARS franchise anyway. Jar Jar Binks gets on my nerves; the new kid actor displays little flair for the craft and is unconvincing as a youthful Darth Vader; Liam Neeson and his partner make for a good team; the villain is good albeit too short-lived. But the good points are lost in a maze of whirling SFX and muppet-like creatures, with minimal attention paid to a storyline. At the time of its release even diehard fans were disappointed.