Neeson was right.

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 1999)

So was Lucas. It was, a movie. Sure, I'm gonna get flamed for this, but, poor stuff canceled out the great to make it that. Neeson was terrific, as was McDiarmid.(I don't normally pay attention to roles like that.) I was happy for the negotiations between Neeson and Lucas that brought "a hint of intimacy" between Shmi and Qui-Gon. McGregor, Portman, and Lloyd disappointed me. Ewan didn't seem Jedi-like enough. Natalie... Why'd she get cast? Jake- There's more to movies than just the look. Not enough of Darth Maul, and I couldn't get over the pronunciation of Qui-Gon (Why make it sound like Kwai? Sounds too much like "Quack"!). The costumes and sets blew me away. CGIs did push the limit. Jar Jar and the whole Gungan race got to me. Dialogue seemed a little too earth-based. Never breathed a second and blinked sparingly during the pod race and light saber duels even though I knew what happened. Overall, it was a movie. Titanic's hit the iceberg, sunk, rusted, and faded in our memories after this movie (Oscar and box office wise, thank God!). I know I'll see it again because the whole thing went by too fast. Who knows, maybe I'll gain a second opinion. It's not a movie to miss, nor is it a movie to truly put all previous life on hold for. I, myself, did get a little carried away from my norm (Skipped a half-day of school for tickets and spent about seventy bucks making a costume.) and loved it for the experience and euphoria. This movie is in a class all its own having created a varitable religion (taught such wonderful, true morals and so much more), but, for the books, the movie itself was just a movie.