Cool but...

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 1999)

Great effects. Not a lot of depth or insight. It will be interesting to see how this ship gets turned towards the Star Wars world we know.
Jar-Jar Binks (the computer animated lizard guy) was too whiny. He was an amphibious Ewok. Unfortunately, Binks role was much too involved with the film. Darth Maul had the opportunity to be one of the great villains of all time, but the character wasn't given enough development or film presence.
Lucas' effort towards creating a family film was very apparent. We appreciate the effort but a little more subtlety would be more appropriate. Perhaps he should watch a couple more Disney films, which can entertain children and adults with the same humor. The balance of suspense and action with family fun wasn't even enough for us to give it anything higher than an over-all 8. If there weren't such great special effects and it wasn't Star Wars, Jar Jar (and his annoying voice, actually mostly his annoying voice) would have dragged it down to a 6.
The cinematography was phenomenal as expected. Highlights on the cool list: all robots, the senate chamber, Darth Maul, pod racing scene, light saber duel, underwater creatures and scenery.