Lucas does it again

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 1999)

I have lived most of my life as a huge Star Wars fan so when I read critics' reviews of The Phantom Menace I gave them no regard. Having seen the movie all I can say is: WOW. George Lucas did it again. The special effects were incredible and they were seamlessly implanted into the movie. You could tell what was CGI and what wasn't but it looked so real that you didn't mind seeing it. As for the plot, acting, etc. I think that critics of the movie don't understand that this is the FIRST part of a 3-part series! You cannot give away everything in the first movie and Episode I did what it was supposed to do: establish the main characters like Anakin, Amidala, and Obi-Wan; and establish main plotlines that will be followed and explored in the next two films like Anakin's Jedi training, the Trade Federation's secret alliance with Senator Palpatine (the future Emperor), and the possible relationship between Amidala and Anakin. I had extremely high expectations for this film and I can say that I was very pleased with the film. While not necessarily the best of the Star Wars films it still was fantastic. After all, it IS Star Wars and that is all that matters.