A movie which is only remembered because it's a Star Wars title.

Rating: 2/10 (11 March 2016)

Since I was a kid I've always loved Star Wars. But even the most famous saga of all time has its limits, here are my thoughts of the first episode of the Prequels.
While The Phantom Menace does deliver some entertaining moments, updated visuals, and astonishing new soundtrack by the great composer John Williams; Episode I as a Star Wars movie, just lacks the dynamism of Episode IV, the depth of Episode V, and the character development of episode VI. When a prequel to a great trilogy is being planned, two thoughts could easily cross anyone's mind: you either play it safe so as to keep the reputation of the fore mentioned original movies, or play it bold so as to deliver a whole new experience and add value to the franchise. The problem is, episode I does neither. It's a movie that is mostly filler almost entirely brought to life by computer-generated-imagery, which, as opposed to the now memorable and iconic practical effects from the original trilogy, as a CGI based film ages, it becomes outdated and obsolete rather than classic. Late 90's visual effects such as seen on this movie, just lack the character, the creativeness, the fun, and the attention to detail we were used to in the original trilogy's amazing physical scenarios, costumes, and hand crafted scale models.
The characters seen in this movie are mostly OK, nothing that special whatsoever besides those already introduced in previous movies, but overall they're what some may call "semi-decent". That is, for the most part. Huge exceptions will be mentioned further.
We're firstly introduced to Qui Gonn Jin: Jedi Master, and his apprentice Obi Wan Kenobi. The dynamics and relationship between these two characters throughout the movie seem acceptable, Liam Neeson's acting as Qui Gonn is in my opinion very good, he is wise and patient yet powerful, he doesn't follow the code to the letter and mildly challenges the Council which add a nice "don't always play by the rules" touch to the character. Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan, is also well done. He is reckless, impatient, but obedient and loyal to his master, he is young and energetic. Everything a Jedi apprentice should be. Let's continue with the main villain, the Sith Lord Darth Maul.
Although costume design is amazing, it is a very unfinished, vague, superficial, uninteresting character. He appears three or four times during the entire movie adding perhaps a bit more than 30 minutes of screen time, he speaks a couple of unimportant lines, fights and then dies. Leaving the spectator with enormously unfulfilled expectations, especially if we bear in mind the villain we all loved from the original trilogy, Darth Vader. We don't know where Maul comes from, why is he evil, what motivates him. We don't know absolutely nothing about this character. Hence delivering a generic, dull villain to which none could sympathize to, due to almost nonexistent character development. Then there is this goofy, silly, and obvious comic-relief CGI alien, which brings close to nothing to the film. Jar Jar Binks. He is unnecessarily and forcefully made "essential to the plot", though he is objectively an unbearable character which could easily be replaced. One is forced to endure this absurd and less than mediocre excuse of a Star Wars creation throughout most of the movie's screen time. Expendable, stupid: Enter Jar Jar Binks.
Episode 1 is all about unnecessarily lengthening unimportant events to painfully and obviously build up for the more fun moments. The phantom menace could and should have been nothing more than a trailer to its sequels Episode II and III. An introduction, an epilogue at the most. Almost everything we love about the Star Wars universe is barely touched or bypassed, and everything we hate seems recurrent, constantly forced into the viewer's mind. i.e. the trade federation is over-explained, so is the bureaucracy in the senate, and even the Force. Yes, the awesome concept of energy that "surrounds us, and binds us" was degraded and mocked, by trying to explain it with "midi-chlorians". An intelligent microscopic life-form, which, with the proper concentration, gives its living host, the power to become a Jedi. The mysticism and depth associated with the Force in episode V was destroyed to become an arbitrary concentration of a microscopic "sort-of-thing" on a random boy on a random planet, randomly found by Qui Gonn Jin. Those, ladies and gentlemen, are the grandiose origins of Darth Vader. Way to go Lucasarts.
Moreover, there are various miserably failed attempts to connect elements from the original trilogy. For instance, why does Obi Wan say in episode V that he was trained by Yoda? Why did Obi Wan say Owen didn't want Luke to follow him as Anakin had? Anakin didn't follow Obi-Wan and Owen hardly knew his (step) brother. Furthermore, we are somewhat acceptably introduced to R2D2, C3PO appears as well and we're told it was actually built by Anakin Skywalker a.k.a Darth Vader, both needless "links", which just raise more questions such as: how did Obi Wan didn't recognize both of the droids when they meet again further in episode IV? How come a slave 9-year-old boy built a protocol droid which speaks over 22000 languages?
Overall, we're presented an unnecessarily long movie with hardly any substance on it, with obnoxious characters, frustrating plot holes. A movie full of disappointments. A movie which only gives us thoughts of regret and impossible imaginative scenarios of how good it could have been. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom menace, a movie which only lives in the viewer's memory because it disgracefully bears the Star Wars name.