Good, but doesn't hold up with others in the Star Wars universe!!!

Rating: 7/10 (3 May 2005)

I saw PM when it came out, I liked it, and was less harsh than most fans and critics. The expectations for this film were unrealistically high, George Lucas was going to get it from all angles. After 6 years and many viewings I still believe that it is entertaining, but it doesn't hold up to the other Star Wars films. Visually it is as good if not better than the previous trilogy, the planet of Naboo is impressive. What really doesn't hold it up is that it doesn't feel like a Star Wars movie at times. Many people complain about Jar Jar Binks as the problem, that the film was made to cater to the kiddie crowd. In a way, I agree that Lucas consciously went for the younger ones here, which is fine, but the main character of Anakin fails to capture the audience as he should. The movie really belongs to Liam Neeson. as Qui Gon, he creates a character that we like and respect, much as we did with Alec Guiness as Obi Wan in the previous trilogy. The obvious problem is that the movie had to set up a lot of plot points in one movie, the whole political situation leading to the invasion of Naboo bogs the movie down a bit.
Still, can it honestly be viewed as a bad movie? Not at all. I believe that if this movie would have not had the Star Wars title that it would have been much better received by all. Out of the 5 films that are already out, it is the weakest least memorable. But if given a chance, there is much to appreciate. For instance, it has what I consider to be the BEST light saber fight of all the films so far. It had Darth Maul, a very cool villain w\ho is painfully underused. Give the movie a break, though it is not as good as it should be, it is better than we are leads to believe.
Grade: B-