Happy 20 to the start of the prequel trilogy

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2019)

Episode 1: The Phantom Menace isn't as strong as the original trilogy, sadly. The performances from Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best as young Anakin Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks are not that good, the writing is very mediocre, and the pacing dragged on for a bit too long, but everything else makes up for it. The performances from Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and the other actors were decent enough, the action sequences are spectacular, the visual effects while a bit dated still looks really solid even after it came out in 1999, and John Williams delivers a satisfying music score especially the cue "Duel of the Fates" in the epic lightsaber duel between Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. So, overall, not the best and I understand why some people hated it, but its a decent start to the prequel trilogy after twenty years.