Like every movie worth watching, it must be viewed with the right perspective to be enjoyed.

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2016)

Perspective is everything. That being said I shall try to avoid opinion and bias as evidence and try to use facts as much as possible. That also being said everyone is biased. But here we go.
Star Wars (1977) was originally intended for children. So was The Empire Strikes Back (1980) as well as The Return Of The Jedi (1983). And the younger audience ended up being the biggest fans of the films. But 16 years later, a kids movie marketed for kids was bashed and hated by the same audience. Why? Because they were 16 years older. No longer kids. They watched the film with adult eyes that had grown accustomed to sci-fi blockbusters that came in Star Wars' wake. Films like the first two Terminator films, Independence Day (1996) and The Fifth Element (1997). Of course there was no way adults could enjoy "Menace" when it was compared to these films. It was made for their kids. The children of 1999 of course loved the film as they should have. Step back and look at the film from a child's perspective and you quickly understand that Jar Jar Binks isn't there to please the adults. Jake Lloyd as Anakin isn't there to please the adults. The Podrace isn't there to please the adults. If you take a step back and get some new perspective you see that this is the first chapter of a story. Those who say this film is unnecessary to the Star Wars saga will see that this film is the exposition and the introduction of characters. It's not gonna be as exciting as a film set right in the middle of a war. You need a few boring trade disputes to trigger the much more intriguing downfall of a republic and rebellion against an empire. Yet few can argue that this episode contains one of, if not the best lightsaber duels in the entire series. And like every episode before it, it pushed the boundaries of special effects. Long before we ever saw an army of Uruk hai storm the gates if Helm's Deep, an army of Gungans defending their home from and army of thousands of battle droids.
I could go on and on, because I'm a nerd who cares about these things for some reason. But Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace IS a great Star Wars movie. Not a great movie. A great Star Wars movie. George Lucas created a series of film that exist apart form the rest of cinema. They are so different, they can only be compared to each other and be judged by the episodes that came before it. Adults will watch this film with critical eyes towards dialogue and character development and other "movie measurements." If you wanted my review of Episode I as just a basic movie, it would be much poorer. But as the brilliant Roger Ebert observed: "I prefer to evaluate a film on the basis of what it intends to do, not on what I think it should have done." The Star Wars movies intend to capture the imagination of children and the child-like spirit of adults. And by that criteria, Episode I succeeds as much as IV, V, and VI. So if you've already seen The Phantom Menace, give it another look. If you haven't seen it, watch it with a child's eyes. George Lucas' true vision for his saga will come through. Perspective is everything.