Slow, but decent

Rating: 6/10 (21 May 1999)

This movie proves that not all 'Star Wars' movies are great. The plot of 'The Phantom Menace' was fairly engaging, but no real surprises are left for the viewer: we know what becomes of most of the characters. (As a side, if Darth Maul had kidnapped Anakin Skywalker for part of the movie, this would have created more suspense).
I also felt the total use of computer generated images (CGI), in place of animatronic puppets proved to be distracting at times. Although the CGI seemed real, some movements did not seem real enough for some of the characters. (In Lucas' defense, I felt that the battle droids were exceptionally done.) At other times, it appeared that the actors did not know where the CGI character was located.
Any viewer should also be able to see strong parallels between events that occur in this movie and within 'Episode 4: A New Hope'. Part of the problem that I had with this movie is there was no sense of urgency to escape an immediate threat, which was found within the first three 'Star Wars' movies.
I'll be back in 2002 to see the next installment, but I don't plan on a return visit to the theater for this one.