Extremely satisfying, if flawed...

Rating: Null/10 (13 October 2000)

The brilliant chemistry between Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford is what made the first STAR WARS trilogy so good. Qui-Gon, Obi Wan, Jar-Jar, and Amidala don't have that edge, so PHANTOM MENANCE isn't as much fun. However, critics who claim that the plot of PHANTOM MENACE is the weak link are really off the mark. The political maneuvering of Senator Palpatine is fascinating, the illustration of the Galactic Senate awesome, and depiction of a society on the brink of an insidious fascist takeover, well, realistic. I admit that the more you know about the Star Wars galaxy, the better PHANTOM MENACE seems to be. So be it. George Lucas has delivered an essential (if flawed) addition to the Star Wars canon.