A somewhat commercial treatment of the classic "magic"

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 1999)

This is a good movie, but some elements were seemingly put in for no other reason than to expand the fan base. For instance, Jar Jar is annoying, but I figure is there to keep the kids' attention.
Highlights: the pod races are great. Saber duels are extremely well done. The 'droid designs are cool, and believable. The ground combat scenes are pretty sweet. I like the way they started to flush out the Jedi culture. This movie compares with The Matrix for CG visuals.
Lowlights: Darth Maul, the big baddie, has one line; this is as little character development as I've seen. He's such a hollow opponent that we just don't care what happens to him. The space combat is weak compared to previous movies. I hate movies where kids (e.g. Anakin) save the world instead of those who have committed their lives to it, and this is another movie that does that... :-(