Hmmmmm...also mixed emotions

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 1999)

I think Jeff Shannon has hit the nail on the head....I would have liked to have seen a lot more of Darth Maul then Jar-Jar Binks and his idiotic slapstick John Ritteresque comic relief. I thought that the climactic lightsabre duel was awesome, but there were other parts of the movie that lacked any sense of timing whatsoever. I know that this first movie needs to get some very serial balls rolling, but Jeezus, how much time do we need (in a Star Wars movie otherwise devoid of emotional charge) to see Anakin walking away from mommy? Sheez.
The pod race was excellent--and so were the Tusken Raiders. And the political intrigue, that was pretty cool. But I have to say, it could have been a lot better simply by dropping out one character: Jar-Jar Binks.