Don't Believe the Lukewarm Reviews

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 1999)

Don't be distracted or delayed by the baffling spate of negative reviews to this movie, which I attribute to backlash against the months of hype. It exceeded my expectations on every level. Neeson and McGregor are powerfully exciting--Luke may have been a Jedi, but if he was trekking around with these two, he would have been carrying their luggage. Their fighting scenes are breathtaking in their speed and grace. Jar Jar isn't great, but he certainly doesn't ruin the whole movie, as some have said.
Jake Lloyd does a great job playing a nine-year-old exactly as a kid that age would act, and the knowledge that this terrific kid will eventually succumb to evil makes all his scenes bittersweet. Darth Maul is a terrific villain, and yes, he could have had more scenes, but the climactic lightsaber battle is unforgettable. As for the complaint that it doesn't pack the same punch as the original Star Wars, consider that the Apollo 14 mission to the moon didn't garner 5 percent of the attention that Apollo 11 did. Star Wars changed movies forever; it blazed a new trail. It is impossible for another movie in this series to have that kind of zeitgeist impact. But for two hours, George Lucas gives us the thrill ride of the year. I would still rank The Empire Strikes Back as the best of all the films, but Phantom Menace is at least as good as A New Hope