Good movie, but doesn't quite fit with the originals

Rating: Null/10 (22 April 2002)

Having been a huge Star Wars fan since a child, I was thrilled when Phantom Menace came out. I saw it 4 times in the theater and loved it just the same. But with Episode II almost in theaters, I feel a need to defend Episode I. It was very different from the original trilogy with a variety of new elements. Episode I showed children for the first time in the entire series, something I don't think many fans realized. Jake Lloyd did the best he could with the character that was meant to act like goofy kid and not a lifeless slave. Yes, the midiclorian-thing is rubbish and Jar Jar is the worst thing to ever happen in the series, but if you look past that, you'll see that Phantom Menace was a pretty good movie. I think hype is what killed it. I've noticed the hype around Ep. II is pretty subdued compared to Ep. I, and that's a good thing.
The biggest problem with P.M. is that it tried to be too many things at once. It tried to please the older fans of the original trilogy by introducing a cool villain, light-saber battles, a complicated Trade Federation plot and the inclusion of younger versions of favorite characters from the originals. At the same time, Lucas was trying entertain to kids, some of them not knowing a thing about Star Wars. Here's where young Anakin and his friends, Jar Jar and those annoying pod race commentators come into play. The result is that each audience likes certain things, but hates the rest. Try explaining why Senator Palpatine is evil to a 6-year old, or try getting a 27-year old to giggle at Jar Jar's stupidity. It doesn't work. That's my reasoning as to why this movie wasn't very well-received by long-time fans. I think it's a great movie in itself, but when compared to the first trilogy, it's hard to remember that P.M. is really a Star Wars movie. I think as the new trilogy progresses, the connection will be made.