Phantom Menace not to be missed (by any Star Wars fan).

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 1999)

If you love Star Wars, you'll like Phantom Menace. If you don't know Star Wars (you've been hiding in a bomb shelter for the last 20 years or so?), I'd recommend that you see the original trilogy first, then decide whether Return of the Jedi was worth watching. If the answer is yes (or maybe even if it's no, if you loved the first two), go for Phantom Menace, too.
This Star Wars, like those made before, is great fun. After a rather slow start, it revs into the delightful, exciting, and unbelievably high tech action picture we've come to expect from George Lucas. Yes, there are lots of little problems with the film, but these can be ignored. There is one problem, however, that's pretty major, as it involves the central character, played by Liam Neeson. Ordinarily an incredibly focused and talented actor, here Neeson's habitual vacant stares and emotionless delivery cause his character to fall flat. Could it be that the high level of special effects (added later, of course) gave him trouble on the set? (Imagine trying to act when you have to pretend that most of your surroundings are there - even the being you're talking to!)
I found Phantom Menace's other characters engaging. There's even a truly spectacular bad guy, played by Ray Park and Peter Serafinowicz. (I believe Park does the close-ups, Serafinowicz the fighting.)
This Star Wars isn't the best of the bunch, but it's not the worst, either. If you enjoyed the other Star Wars movies, it's well worth the (inflated) ticket price.