Let's get real...

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2008)

I am a Star Wars fan, however, I only got to see the original trilogy on it's last VHS release (the original 70's and 80's version) when I was about eight years old. Even so, I got hooked, and loved it to this day.
So, when I saw Episode I with my entire family, being the child that it was when it premiered, I was stunned. Loved the effects, loved the action sequences, loved the music (I may be inclined to admit that John Williams was the first film score composer I had met by name and work).
Anyway, looking back, I was pretty much left the same. It's not my fan status blinding me, trust me. There are some really annoying aspects in this episode. Of course I'm mentioning Jar Jar Binks. Even as a kid, I thought he was some really stupid and pointless character. The best example I can think of is in the battle against the droids. While our beloved Chewie quickly hijacked an enemy vehicle in Return of the Jedi, stupid Jar Jar stays holding on a tank cannon and isn't able to catch a "boomer" in mid-air, neither climb aboard the tank and turn on the rest of the droids.
Darth Maul, the coolest of all the villains in the saga, even of all the characters, get's killed off with just fifteen minutes on screen and after delivering less than three lines in the entire film.
Acting goes from terrific (Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor), to ghastly (Portman and, most especially, Jake Lloyd). The script has many great quotes, but also completely unlikely dialogs (the setting is another galaxy, so that can be defended).
The story goes way too political, even though, as a kid, you don't really pay much attention to it. Yet, if you see it as a stand-alone movie, independent of the rest of the chapters, the politics can be useless or irrelevant. But that's about it. You'll get the whole politics better after seeing episodes II & III (in that order).
Other than that, it's a great addition to the Star Wars saga. Many people can criticize it for not having anything to do with the original trilogy. Well, hello! It's a prequel. The galaxy wasn't exactly the same for all that time.
The visual effects, costume designs and make-up effects are actually flawless (except for the Yoda puppet). The pod race, the duel of the fates (along with the music. Much better than "Battle of the Heroes") and the "Activate the droids" scenes are my personal favorites.
The movie makes a great introduction to a different setting in the whole Galaxy, primarily Coruscant and Naboo, and a "return" to Tatooine. We get to see a different world, and get accustomed to it for the next two chapters.
It's not the best Episode, I know. It carries Jar Jar's face all over the thing. Still, it's family fun and an additional volume to the saga for every fan.
No, George Lucas didn't ruin the saga (fan films do more harm). Just as Anakin, he's just a child in directing. in the next episodes, he has matured.