A masterpiece and a fitting first chapter in the saga...

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 1999)

I'm not a doctor, so I'd be the last to give someone medical advice. Nor am I a lawyer, so I wouldn't be the guy to instruct a person on matters of the law. Unfortunately, when it comes to movies, everyone feels they're experts. The net result of such assumptions are negative reviews about certain movies, such as some of those that were written for Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. It is, was, and shall remain a movie for fans. True fans that have enough sense to realize that Phantom is the first chapter of a three-part trilogy, which is, in turn part of a six-part whole. To criticize Phantom for having under-developed characters like Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) or Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) only demonstrates ignorance of this fact. And guess what? If you're not a Star Wars fan, you're not going to dig it anyway.
Phantom Menace is a stunning achievement technically and visually, and that is a fact. However, what a person thinks about the movie -- and indeed about any art form, any movie -- is truly subjective, and it's folly to try to bend someone to your personal opinions (mind-tricks aside).

As a true fan, I'm confident in saying Phantom Menace is mind-blowing -- a masterpiece and a fitting first chapter in the saga. I've seen it nine times in the theater and have shared my opinions about it to Lucas and company personally.
For those who call themselves Star Wars fans and claim to be disappointed with the film, I recommend highly seeing it more, and you may think differently about it.