Good sci-fi movie; so-so Star Wars movie

Rating: 6/10 (11 May 1999)

I waited 17 years for this movie. Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theater (I was seven). Needless to say, I was expecting a lot from the newest entry in the Star Wars saga and I must admit I was slightly disappointed in what I feel is the weakest of all the films.
Lucas spared no expense on special effects, but the eye-popping CGI effects in this movie are so perfect that they are almost TOO perfect. In many ways, the original Star Wars films -- with their models of space ships and on-location sets -- look more realistic than entire landscapes and battle scenes done on computers, IMHO.
This is a movie for kids of today, not kids like me who grew up with Star Wars and are now twentysomethings. There is no other explanation for the annoying presence of the computer-animated character Jar Jar Binks, who seems to serve no other purpose than to interrupt otherwise serious dialogue with barely decipherable, inane banter (he sounds like a Jamaican on crack). Sure, the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi were annoying and almost sank that epic, but at least they didn't speak English. Jeez. I anticipate a slew of "I hate Jar Jar" pages after this movie is released to the general public.
Episode I is filled with non-stop action and I enjoyed seeing familiar characters like Yoda, Tuskan Raiders, Jawas, Jabba the Hutt and especially C3PO and R2-D2, because we get to see how they met for the first time. Natalie Portman is lovely as the queen and her costumes are exquisite. Liam Neeson could have benefitted from some caffeine for this role -- he looked bored as hell. Ditto for Ewan McGregor. In fact, many of the characters droned on and on in monotone voices -- there were no colorful personalities like Leia or Han Solo, which really hurt this film. Even Darth Maul, the bad-ass Sith who looks so cool and has a great musical theme when he is on-screen, doesn't have enough screen time. Actually, NO ONE is given enough screen time for us to develop any real attachment to except Jar Jar Binks, who is deposited in almost every scene for what Lucas must have felt was necessary "comic relief." At least the light-saber battle with Maul, Neeson and McGregor was killer (a-hem!).
I know I'm dwelling on the disappointing aspects of Episode I but don't get me wrong -- this is a compelling science-fiction film, competently made and certainly no embarrassment. But "Star Wars" is so much more than that, and this one is lacking some of the magic.