Forget the hype. Please, please forget the hype!

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 1999)

*No spoilers below. I swear*
Well I was one of the lucky people to check this movie out opening day and have been thinking about how I'm going to write this up. Now I will.
While not nearly as good as any of the original trilogy (TPM is just a hair below ROTJ) it is still very good. I hate how the critics are tearing this movie up. First on the chopping block is Jar Jar Binks who is voiced by Ahmed Best. Now while I call this kind of character a Blue Monkey (after the horrible monkey sidekick in 1998's LOST IN SPACE movie) I found myself kind of liking the guy. He does get annoying and is overplayed but I thought about how I looked at R2-D2, C3PO, and Chewbacca the first time I saw and heard them.
Next up is Jake Lloyd. I found him unbearable in HOME ALONE 3 but in THE PHANTOM MENACE I thought he was good for being a child actor. He was well cast.
A few of my favorite things about this film (without getting into spoilers) are how well Liam and Ewan did with their characters. I have liked these actors for quite some time. The beautiful Natalie Portman did well in both her roles. She, along with Reese Witherspoon and Christiana Ricci are going to lead the way for young female roles in Hollywood very soon.
Overview: Go into EPISODE 1 with a clear, spoiler less mind that is not touched too much by the hype TV has created (no TV spots, just all news reports) and you will come out of it having a fun time and a great way to use 130 minutes.
***1/2 out of ****