Fantastic movie, but it does have some flaws...

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 1999)

When I wrote my first review for Episode 1 on this site, it had been a week since I saw the movie. I had seen it opening night, with all the fanatics. People had lightsabers and were whooping and hollering and clapping and cheering...it was the best experience I had ever had at the movies. Well, when I wrote my first review, I still was coming off that high. I was all pumped up and wrote a quick, four line review. One week later, I saw the movie again. "Fantastic," I thought,"were those critics who disliked this movie on crack?" After a few months I decided to see the movie again. Then, I started to see a few flaws, but hey, it's Star Wars, it's great anyway. I saw it once more and noticed even more flaws. And now that the Summer has faded(sniff), I can look back and take a better perspective on the whole ordeal.It breaks down like this:
Acting: The acting, overall, is good. Liam Neeson does great, and is obviouosly trying not to be overwhelmed and overshadowed by the F/X. Ewan McGreggor is good, but Obi-Wan isn't really as big of a character as expected. Natalie Portman is pretty stale as Queen Amidala, but is better as Padme. Jake Lloyd is good some of the times, but sometimes he isn't, and makes Anakin seem a little too modern. But overall he isn't bad. Sam Jackson brings a good touch to the movie in his cameo, and I hope to see more of him in Episode 2. Terrence Stamp is also good in his small but important role as Chancellor Valorum. Like I said, the acting, overall, is good, but you get the impression that these actors could do these roles in their sleep.
Direction: George Lucas directs the action sequences with skill and craft, especially the lighstaber duel at the end and the pod racing scene. The Gungan-droid battle is also well directed. The space-battle scene is exciting and looks great, but is a bit too short.
The Score: The score is great! Very faced past and classical, and it fits the mood of the characters.
The F/X: The F/X is terrific. The best ever in a movie.

Jar Jar: Jar Jar is actually the most fleshed-out character in the whole movie. He definately isn't racist, and is actually pretty funny most of the time.
Overall it is a great movie, and I hope I didn't over analyze it. I 'm already counting down the days to Episode 2. 4/5 stars.