Adolescent Fun

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 1999)

As a fan of the first trilogy, I was rather disappointed by this effort. The Phantom Menace is really nothing more than a piece of adolescent fluff (albeit a looong one). There is no doubt that the visuals are impressive (especially the exciting lightsaber duels), but one can't help but get the feeling that this computer generated imagery will date even faster than the models of the original SW (just look at Jurassic Park). In all, fun for the kids, but a disappointment for those of us over 16. Still, I probably should have known that no movie could live up to the hype that surrounded this particular release.