After the hype has passed, this film falls flat.

Rating: 6/10 (2 March 2000)

I have cogitated on this film since May, wondering where to place this film in the Star Wars canon. This film undeniably set the standard for visual effects and sound design, much like A New Hope did in 1977. There is no denying the technical accomplishments of this film. For many, it is this technical accomplishment that is used to judge an entire film. The pod race is perhaps one of the most exhilarating race sequences to ever be put on film, and the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul certainly has energy. From beginning to end the film is full of visual "treats."

That said, Episode I ultimately has to have more to be a good film. A New Hope had more with its epic feeling, ominous star destroyers and sleek x-wings, the presence of Darth Vader who makes an impression from scene one, and the archetypal, mythical appeal of Luke, Obi Wan, Han Solo, and Leia. And this all from episode IV--in medias rez. Episode I should be all that more compelling having such a complete future already established. Obi Wan and Anakin inspired no such feelings and neither did any other character. We all know the ultimate realization of these characters, but they play flat and unrealized in spite of what we know they will become. Not a good start for a film series.
The story also falls short. There is no clear conflict and the villains are laughably ineffective. Darth Maul is only a villain because he opposes the Jedi, but there is no development of why he should be considered a villain. Stripped of a few battles, there is no conflict and no solid, developed explanation for why they are fighting (Yeah, yeah, yeah I know about the Trade Federation blockade and such nonsense, but that is a thin veil for lacking conflict). The main problem is that Episode I is working too hard at being the prologue to Episode II and not enough at being its own movie. We get too much foreshadowing and setting up for events to come (which makes the die hard fans giddy with moments of realization but makes for a shallow film). Despite its interconnectedness with future and past films in a series, this film needs to hold its own and it does not.