Give it a chance! (spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2004)

The Star Wars trilogy is such a holy of holies among film fans that George Lucas must have had nerves of steel to go ahead with his long-held plans for the prequel trilogy. The news that a new chapter was on the way was ridiculously exciting, even to an on-again/off-again casual non-fan like me, but the immense build-up that came before it was followed by a crushing disappointment as I sat through two hours of nothing-much and a gibberish-spouting lizard-fish pratting around like Sylvester McCoy. I saw it again a week later in the hope anticipation had crippled its chances, and second time around it challenged Return of the Jedi for third place in the franchise.
Set 32 years before A New Hope, The Phantom Menace details a young Anakin Skywalker's entry into the Jedi as a trade federation controlled by Darth Sidious attacks the peaceful planet of Naboo. Here we find a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, despatched to reach a settlement and protect Naboo's elected Queen, Padmé Amidala.
It sees a return to directing for George Lucas, a hugely under-rated director. Twice nominated by the Academy for his direction, twice nominated for his writing, he may not inspire the greatest performances from his cast but his films look beautiful. Every shot here is beautifully framed, beautifully photographed. And while dialogue has never been his strong point, The Phantom Menace is superbly plotted; we have the re-emergence of the Sith, the crippling of the Galactic Republic, the defeat of Chancellor Valorum, Senator Palpatine's ascension to the Chancellorship, Anakin Skywalker's entry into the Jedi under Obi-Wan, the first meeting of Anakin and Amidala, of Threepio and Artoo, and the grotesque Jabba giving the Hutts a presence across all six films.
The Star Wars universe succeeds because of its detail; the lightsabres, the Tie Fighters, the Imperial Walkers, and The Phantom Menace introduces some of its greatest assets. The Battle Droids are my favourite element of all the films, Darth Maul's make-up is astonishing, his double-edged light sabre pant-wettingly exciting and, of course, the character names are as great as ever. The new hardwear fits well with the original trilogy, the clean lines and bright colours of the Naboo starfighters and cruisers contrasting with the beat-up ships of the rebel alliance. With the exception of the midichlorians, everything it adds to the established universe fits perfectly. A notable highlight is the depiction of the Jedi, here in their prime as keepers of the peace. The lightsabre fights in the original trilogy come from an old guy past his best and a young Jedi wannabe on work experience. Here we have two knights at their peak fighting an agile Sith who makes Darth Vader seem like he had his shoelaces tied together.
It's hard to review The Phantom Menace without addressing the criticism it's attracted. Despite being the highest-grossing of all the Star Wars films  and ticket sales at least suggest popularity if not quality  it's assumed that everyone hates it. It deserves to be defended against criticism that is mostly unfair, often uninformed. A lot of the criticism comes from people lacking the foresight Lucas has for his empire. When Episode III is released and the audience no longer has to join the dots, The Phantom Menace will stand a better chance of being seen as a slow-boiling first act that sets up the epic story with considerable skill.
The dialogue is wince-inducing in places, but is grand and broadly mythic; certainly no worse than in the Lord of the Rings films. At times the CGI looks less than real, the fields of Naboo impossibly green, the skies impossibly blue - but impossible only to our polluted frame of reference. For the most part the effects are remarkable and deserved to take the Oscar from the one-trick-pony that was The Matrix.
The much-criticised title fits nicely with the B-movie hokum of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The weakest title in the franchise is easily A New Hope, an uninspired and now uncharacteristic addition. I do agree, however, that the finale is underwhelming; a small-scale repeat of the assault on the Death Star, victory relies on a kid making a mistake and Jar Jar Binks falling over.
Mr Binks is, of course, the biggest problem. He undermines every scene he's in and destroys much of the darker tone that creeps into the second half of the film. But let's at least remember that people initially hated Threepio in A New Hope and the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi; it's only our collective rose-tinted nostalgia that remembers otherwise.
What frustrates me is that much of the criticism levelled at The Phantom Menace belongs equally to the original trilogy. Think Ewan McGregor's bland as Obi-Wan? Try Mark Hamill. The dialogue's awful? Harrison Ford said of the first film, 'George, you can type this but you sure can't say it.' Natalie Portman's just there to look pretty? Think Carrie Fisher's gold bikini. Daul Maul is underused? Think Boba Fett. We've seen the finale before? Return of Jedi resorts to a second Death Star! Let's lose the idea that the original trilogy is perfect. Before The Phantom Menace was released people considered Jedi to be a weak finish and the Ewoks an annoying marketing tool. Now suddenly it's as perfect as New Hope and Empire! I won't buy into that kind of revisionism just to better criticise the prequels.
For all its faults, The Phantom Menace remains a remarkable achievement. Four films into the franchise, 22 years after the first film, George Lucas is still showing us new worlds and finding surprises in a story we all know inside out. When the prequels are finished and all six films tied together, I hope The Phantom Menace gets the re-evaluation it deserves. In the meantime I'll enjoy it alongside the original films, happy that I can see the prequels as their equals.