Disappointment is an understatement.

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2001)

This is the film that Lucas proclaims as his original vision for the original Star Wars. What a load of rubbish. The original Star Wars, (or now called Episode IV: Star Wars: A New Hope) is much better.
I actually watched this film in 1999 in the cinema, and I thought it was barely passable back then. I found it irritating, annoying and no real flow.
But I didn't really want to write a review of the film until I had saw the original trilogy - I was one of those rare people who hadn't seen the trilogy and wanted to make a fair, balanced judgement of this film. After seeing the trilogy on video, I can honestly say that this is a complete mess, a complete disappointment and an excuse for Lucas to turn his "vision" into a money-making scheme, where the "force" - once something mystical, "something all around us" and spirtual is now turned into a marketing tagline explained away by chemicals known only as midichlorians.
The premise of this is the fact that two Jedi ambassadors are sent to achieve peace from the invading, and so obvious Japanese styled alien invaders. But of course, they realise its a trap and soon try to rescue the princess or whatever and soon take out the alien invaders which leave Senator Palpatine in control, thus making the situation much worse than it originally was.
So, okay the idea and plot isn't bad - every legend needs a first step, and indeed this is it. I am not complaining about that, what I am complaining about is the sheer horridness of this film.
For example, Jar Jar is just a pain in the CGI ass. What was his role in the film? Did he have a purpose other than to sell toys? Of course not, Lucas sold out to toy makers. The same could be argued about the pod racing - it has no real purpose in the film.
The CGI is very well handled, well except for close-ups of Jar Jar and Obi-Wan Kenobi (MacGregor) and the action sequences seem fine until the end where Lucas strives to impose a sense of an "adrenaline rush" to viewers, but ends up ruining the exceptionally cherographed lightsaber fight sequence.
Anakin is also a problem, typecast as a nine year old kid who says "Golly" and "Uh Oh" and stuff. Darth Vader doesn't say stuff like that. The horridness of Anakin's character is eptiomized when he "accidently" blows up a younger version of the death star in a fighter jet. Oh boy, this is just plain bad.
Well, Lucas says that this film isn't made for the trilogy fans and says that this is a kids film. What hogwash, if it were, why would the original trilogy have a darkness style to them?
Overall this is a disappointment, not only to a sci-fi fan, but to star wars fans. Personally I enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - which is what this film (indeed the whole trilogy, or the whole sextant) should feel and be like.
My overall view is that this film can only be summarized as being disappointing...but even that is an understatement.
Overall: 3/10.