Almost excellent

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 1999)

"The phantom Menace" has most of the things a movie should contain. A brilliant story, the best visual effects ever...ever, and a very evil bad-guy in Darth Maul. The reason I gave the film 8 and not 10, is because of my expectations. I thought it would be the thrill of a life time, and it only became the thrill of the month. In reality, it's probably better than most films, but it didn't reach up to what I thought I was getting.
I have to admit I saw it on a bootlegged version with bad sound and picture, but after seeing the movie, I don't think the sound and picture was THAT important. The story, acting and directing is in my opinion the most important thing in a movie...even in the Star Wars Hexalogi. Based on this, the movie isn't perfect, though close. The acting was not bad, but not excellent either. Aside from the acting, is the storyline and directing brilliantly executed. John Williams' music is great as always (no imperial march, though), and the humor is excellent (sorry if i'm using the word excellent too much, I'm from Norway, for crying out loud).
All in all, "the Phantom Menace" is a great movie experience, but it's not the best you've ever seen. 8 out of 10.