Pretty good prequel, doesn't live up to expectations.

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2000)

Well, the critics have been up and down this film already, and I don't imagine that I am going to add anything huge to the debate, but I feel that I have to add my two cents in anyways.
As said in the summary, this film didn't live up to my expectations. I never thought it would, to be honest. Episodes IV, V, and VI were so far ahead of their time when they were released that they made movie history. It's very difficult to top something like that. While this film is packed with computer animation and has some very excellent action scenes (the pod race scene is excellent), I believe that the animation put the film over the edge. Put simply, there was just too much of it. I'm sure that every director and studio just loves computer animation, and this film had pretty good effects! But when compared to the earlier films, taking into consideration the fact that those films used a lot of models for their shots, the animation here is just saturating.
Having said that, this movie gives us the beginning of the history behind Episodes IV, V, and VI. The storyline here is actually pretty good, and follows well with the type of plot that should be expected of any Star Wars film. This movie certainly remains true to its "roots" , so to speak, and that was nice to see. I'm also glad that Lucas didn't stray from the art of telling a good story by showing us events happening in other areas. He also kept the usual Star Wars "scene change" of having the current scene replaced by one in a different place by having the new scene move in across the old one. While some believe that is a 'cheesy' effect, it still remains familiar, and I'm glad it's kept here.
Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) are good in their roles, and Jake Lloyd is excellent as a young Anakin Skywalker. However, I think that Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) steals the show here. Her acting is above that of Carrie Fisher as the female 'lead' in the earlier Star Wars series, and it will be interesting to see how they develop her character in the rest of the prequels.
This film is mandatory for any Star Wars fan, but I'm sure it will have a lower appeal to the average person, which is the reason why Episodes IV, V, and VI were released earlier in the first place. However, "The Phantom Menace" carries on the tradition of one of the best science-fiction franchises in the history of film.
My Rating: 9.5/10