The Emperor has no clothes!

Rating: Null/10 (2 June 1999)

Let me say at the outset that I am a Star Wars Fan. I own all three original movies on video and have watched them many, many times. Watching Phantom Menace made me realize that while all of the Star Wars movies are entertaining, none of them are particularly great movies.
People complain about the lack of character development in this movie and they are right. But the original characters are all very two dimensional as well. I remember watching SW for the first time and regretting it when Obiwan was killed because I didn't think we had gotten to know his character.
People complain about the quality of acting in this movie, and the are right. But Mark Hamil was never in danger of winning an Ocsar either. And let's be honest, it's not the best work of Harrison Ford's career.
I don't understand people's complaints about the amount of computer animated creatures in this movie. It makes no difference to me whether a creature is computer drawn, a manipulated puppet, or a guy in a suit. None of them look particularly real to my eye. Who hasn't watched the first three movies and noticed creatures that looked like cameos from the Muppet Show?
But, as a Star Wars movie, this one was very entertaining. It answered a question or two and raised a few more. It is wonderfully made, and very fun to watch. And one final note: I did not find Jar Jar as annoying as many folks did. The creature that drove me nuts was that undersea king who kept shaking his cheeks and slobbering.