Episode 1 - A triumphant return.

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2000)

The highest praise I can give this movie is that I rate it alongside the original trilogy. It was with some trepidation that I entered the cinema, having heard how awful the film was from many "learned" sources. However, criticism was rather harsh to say the least. Jar Jar was mildly irritating yes, some dialogue was stilted and there could have been more emotional resonance at the film's climax.
However, this is far outweighed by the positive aspects. The end is probably my favourite scene from any movie - absolute excitement and amazing choreography. Visuals throughout were, of course, stunning. The Star Wars mythology was enhanced and threads were lain for future episodes. As for all this whining about how it's so boring to build a plot around tax/trading etc, surely this doesn't matter -it still boils down to good vs evil. The three leads were all convincing for me and I look forward to Ewan McGregor taking a more prominent role next time. A special shout for Pernilla August, who I thought was brilliant as Anakin's mother.
In summary, those who appreciated the ethos of the original trilogy will not fail to be moved by the expansion of the Star Wars universe in a technically brilliant and piece of film-making.