Nothing could live up to the Hype, but this does deliver...

Rating: Null/10 (8 August 2002)

First off, the Phantom Menace is the worst Star Wars film. There, I've said it. However, that doesn't necessarily make it bad. In comparison to the original trilogy, all classics, and a movie that should prove to be a classic, Episode II, most movies do pale. However, that doesn't mean the movie doesn't have redeeming features. It just means that the movie is at a level where we have to point out its redeeming features, if you follow. When I first saw this movie, I was bowled away by the special effects, ideas, locations, and yes, the acting. Liam Neeson's and Ewan McGregor's performances were exceptional, and there were other fantastic bits of acting from Natalie Portman, Terence Stamp, and Ian McDiarmid. Indeed, there were only two real slackers in the cast, but here is where the real problem is. Jake Lloyd does not do a good job portraying Anakin. Although he does somewhat capture the precocity of a gifted nine-year-old (having lived with one, I know), it mainly comes off as bad acting. Plus, the "romance" they are trying to create is misplaced. With Portman and Hayden Christensen in Episode II it works because it is believable. Here it comes off as stupid. A nine year old and a fourteen year old? Please. It isn't helped by the fact Portman looks far older than fourteen. Jar Jar is also a problem. I don't find him as annoying as others, but I can see where people would hate him. In Episode II he works well as a bit player, but as a costar in Episode I he can get aggravating very quickly. In the end Episode I is a must for Star Wars fans, if not "crazed" ones. It works best for casual fans as an introduction to the series, not as the first entry into one of the most popular series of all time after almost 20 years. Keep an open mind and you'll love it. Expect a movie of the caliber of The Empire Strikes Back and you will be doomed from the start.