Not much of a movie, but a great time nonetheless.

Rating: Null/10 (23 May 1999)

The Phantom Menace is a BAD movie. The plot is underdeveloped, the direction is callous, the dialogue is campy, the acting is uninspired, and the movie as a whole is severely over-edited. It has the scope of a three-hour epic, but has been condensed to fit a standard two-hour time slot. In the process, it has lost valuable screen time necessary for developing key characters and building tension.
Did I hate this film? No, I loved it! It is a sensational audio visual experience that resembles less a movie and more an art exhibit/concert. I enjoyed it enough to gladly pay to experience it again, and again.
But I really would prefer Episode II to be a movie movie.