The Phantom Menace

Rating: 4/10 (4 October 2007)

The Phantom Menace was ripped to shreds by the generation that waited 16 years for another chapter in their beloved Star Wars. Fortunately for me, I am not in that generation. Indeed, the film seemed to have little to do with the original trilogy. Devoted fans may have learned a lesson, not to expect too much from a middle-age writer who has made his fortune. Hype will always outweigh end results. The acting here is lame. The kid who plays Anakin has no personality. He exhibits no signs of being fated to become Darth Vader. There is a disconnect. Special effects dominate. Darth Maul's potential is never realized. Jar Jar Binks was criticized as a racial stereotype. What I saw was a duckbill dinosaur crashing into Star Wars from Jurassic Park. Phantom Menace is easy to forget.