Entertaining if nothing else!

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 1999)

This first installment of the Star Wars saga has been so wonderfully done. George Lucas comes through again with a wildly entertaining movie that contains a perfect balance of drama, comedy and action.
The Trilogy was never highly regarded for superb acting (except for Alex Guinness) and so nothing changes in Episode I - there are no dazzling performances, but there are GOOD performances. All the actors are seasoned professionals who do the job well in guiding us through the story.
Though the story has a political plot, it still manages to appeal to younger kids. This might be due to the presence of in the now infamous Jar Jar Binks. Occasionally annoying, Jar Jar and his civic leader, Boss Nass provide some necessary comic relief.
If you are not amazed by the acting, or by the plot, you have to be amazed by the amazing special effects. CGI characters such as Jar Jar, Boss Nass and the flying Watto are the most amazing computer graphic images ever placed on the big screen. In fact, much of the movie is done by computer animation. Quite often there are scenes in which nothing is really there - it's all computer originated. Amazing!
As a Star Wars fan, I find the movie intriguing till the very end, but those who are not particularly interested in the saga should at least find it classic entertainment.
The Phantom Menace is not the best Star Wars ever, but it is still extremely well done. It will win a couple of Academy Awards (possibly Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects, Visual Effects and Dramatic Score) and most of all, it deserves a spot in history as part of the epic saga that took place long ago in a galaxy far, far away.