Lightning doesn't strike twice

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 1999)

To produce a cultural icon requires a unique combination of talent, drive and resources. I feel that even when someone possesses these, that person may only be entitiled to one cultural icon per lifetime. Phantom Menace helps prove this point. It simply does not have the enduring qualities of the first three films. Characters are not developed, dialog is strained and while the CGI effects are striking, you're left with the impression that George was trying just a little too hard to compensate for the lack of story. Where is the amusing banter between C3PO and R2D2, or the Han-Leia sexual tension, or even Luke's laughable whining?
Still, Phantom Menace is enjoyable and I intend to see all three in this cycle, mostly due to the larger-than-life status of the first trilogy, which I will continue to view many many times