Entertainment at it's best!

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 1999)

The previous summer hyped up films were always a bit of a disappointment. GODZILLA was horrible, ARMAGEDDON was only o.k., LOST WORLD was different, INDEPENDENCE DAY was silly, TWISTER was sillier, and BATMAN FOREVER was just plain stupid. Not since the original JURASSIC PARK as finally a summer hyped up film worth it. And it had to take the brilliance and genius of George Lucas to save the summer movies with his latest installment of the famous STAR WARS films, THE PHANTOM MENACE. I'm guessing that some people aren't liking this film because they are either, A.) expecting to see something phenomenal and different or B.) the greatest movie of all time. I for one wanted to see something entertaining. And thank god I got entertainment! First of all, don't expect THE PHANTOM MENACE to be a full blown action/adventure picture. Like EPISODE IV, (the original STAR WARS to you and me) there wasn't much action. It was more of a character and plot development film. It took EMPIRE and JEDI to show the trilogy had plenty of action. And I think George Lucas is going to have tons of action in EPISODES II & III. But we're talking about EPISODE I, and it's a very well done film. Lucas proves his imagination is still strong with the different planets and creatures. Hs has some very spectacular action scenes, the pod race is a STAR TOURS style fun race, and the fight scene between Qun-Gon-Jin, Obi-Won, and Darth Maul is very tense and exciting! By the way I forgot to mention that Darth Maul is one vicious S.O.B. Liam Nesson, Ewan McGregor, and Natlie Portman are all very good in their performances. Yeah, they are kinda "cardboard" characters, but they try their hardest to make them real. Jar-Jar Binks (the computer generated creature) is cute and funny (sometimes he's annoying). And Jake Lloyd as Anakin is decent. However, sad to say, Lloyd is the flaw of the film. I mean, Lloyd did a decent job playing Anakin, but he's too young! Lucas should have a 15 or 16 year old play Anakin, not a 8 year old. I can't believe an 8 year old boy, who hasn't gone through puberty yet, fall in love with a 16 year old beauty. That seemed a little unreal to me. Otherwise, is it worth the wait? Is it as good as the other STAR WARS films? Is it worth paying $7-$10 for? Yes, yes, and yes. It's well worth it. It's not my personal favorite film of the year, but it comes close. It is very entertaining, and that is all you should ask for. I know some critics will say that they didn't like it, and they have that right. I didn't like THE CRYING GAME, ENGLISH PATIENT, and USUAL SUSPECTS, and that's my American right. Overall, EPISODE I is a delighful prequal to the classic trilogy, and I can't wait for 2002, for EPISODE II. Is it a surprise that I give this film ***** (out of five)............. I guess not. And I won't change my review in the future, I'm sticking with it. DON'T MISS IT!!!!