Not Quite Up To The Original Chapters but I liked it

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2003)

My Rating: ***1/4 out of ****.
Yes, The Phantom Menace is a flawed film but in no way does that make it bad. Its quite entertaining and visually stunning. George Lucas finally made the movie after 16 years apart from Return Of The Jedi. I know why some people are disappointed but I didnt mind the film at all.

The acting is fine but I have a few complaints. Liam Neeson is quite good as Quigon, its in no way up to what the actor did in Schindlers List but its a good performance. Ewan McGregor is also good. Natalie Portman is fine, but she doesnt seem to have much to do here. Jake Lloyd is occasionally annoying but overall I think he does a credible job as young Anakin. Samuel L. Jackson has a brief but memorable role. Ahmed Best provides the voice for Jar-Jar Binks, and he makes the character so annoying, I think they should have reduced the character's screentime. The Best Performance comes from Ray Park who plays Darth Maul, he doesnt require as much acting as the others but he has one hell of a presence and has the right looks for the part. One of the disappointing things about this movie is they kill him off in the end.
Star Wars was never known for having a grade A script, the script isn't weak here but occasionally has some bad dialogue. I like the way how Lucas planned everything out in this film, some scenes maybe be a bit familiar at times but are overall still satisfying. The ending is great, it does echo the ending of the original Star Wars a bit but the images are great looking and you see a connection between the characters.
However, the script nor acting are not the most important things about this film, the special effects are. The Special Effects are quite brilliant, the pod-race is phenomenal and exhilirating. An underwater sequence is absoulutely beautiful. Lucas is known for applying great special effects to his films and he succeeds here. The Phantom Menace maybe flawed but it is certainly not a bad movie, it is enjoyable. It is in no way up to the first in the Original Trilogy but nevertheless provides a good start to the prequel trilogy.