A Great Beginning to an Epic

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 1999)

First off I must admit that I am a Star Wars fan and have been for years, but when I saw the Phantom Menace, the first fifteen or twenty minutes made me fear that all the critics were right and it wouldn't be that great, but as the film went on it became more and more apparent that the critics were wrong and this is a great beginning to a great movie series. The pod race is outstanding (and very reminiscent of Ben Hur), the underwater city is great, the battle between the people of Jar Jar Binks and the Droids is immaculate, and the final show down between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the vicious Darth Maul is just outstanding. All in all this movie is a worthy starting point to a great epic that makes me hungry for episodes II and III. The critics just don't get it.