Were not for the name, we wouldn't still be talking about it

Rating: 4/10 (9 May 2003)

Stop for a moment, and pretend this movie is not a part of the Star Wars trilogy x 2. Watch the film, and judge it on its own merits.
Typical of Lucas, Star Wars Episode 1 employs an amazing amount of Industrial Light and Magic wizardry to execute a dazzling display of special effects and graphics. Obviously a lot of money was spent here.
However, after the CGI, the list of pros for Episode 1 seems absent. Fundamentally, the plot is poor, and the character development is even worse. Quite honestly, I did not care for a single one of these characters. In fact, in some cases, I would have been quite happy if they had disappeared.
It's a pity that films don't gross dollars in the box-office based upon the merits of the quality of the film, but on the hype and advertising stigma around it. We expected a sequel to be better than the originals? Not really, but we didn't expect it to be THIS bad.
Entertainment? Hold off Episode 1, and pick up some bubblewrap instead.