Well worth the wait, but not perfect.

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 1999)

After 16 years, the wait is over. Seeing a new Star Wars movie in theaters is nothing less than a "magical" experience. The overall story is excellent, leading up to the events of A New Hope with Palpatine's thirst for power shaping the events of things to come. The main action sequences, such as the pod race and lightsaber duel, are fast-paced and exciting, maintaining the high consistency of thrills that the first three films pioneered. Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) add respectability to the film as the main Jedi, and the other supporting actors such as Pernilla August, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Sam Jackson help round out the cast of quality actors. John Williams' score is excellent, adding new themes to the classic score, yet keeping continuity in the music. What didn't particularly appeal to me was the humor. Jar-Jar ranged from tolerable to annoying, and a lot of the movie's humor seemed, at times (and pardon the pun), forced. The classic movies relied more on subtle humor such as facial expressions, one-lines and movements, whereas this film had a string of poop and fart jokes on Tatooine. For that matter, I winced when Jar Jar was kicked between the legs (and not because it looked painful, but because it was unnecessary). My other problem is that the characters and dialogue sometimes took a backseat to the numerous special effects in the film, making it lose some of its emotional impact that the first films were so rich in. To me, Star Wars, has always been about the characters, not the worlds they visit. Despite these few problems, The Phantom Menace has been one of the more entertaining films I've seen in quite a while, and it only continues to fuel the Star Wars frenzy that will continue in the next two films. This movie is only meant as a chapter in an epic. It lays the groundwork for future events, and gives plenty of thrills along the way. An enjoyable film.