Worth the wait - great effects, classic good vs. evil

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 1999)

Liam Neeson is a little stiff. Ewan McGregor makes a great Obi-Wan. Natalie Portman was good, as was the kid who played young Anakin. Cityscapes were dazzling. Detail was beyond ILM's usual excellence. Too many robo-droid warriors. Yoda looked like a sock puppet, but so did Samuel L. Jackson! Too many Gungans, although Jar-Jar and a few were okay. I liked the subtle creeping evil of Palpatine as the master puppeteer of all of it, the Naboo blockade merely serving as a ruse to let him get power over the Senate. Liked the bittersweet ending. Can't wait for the next one!