What criticisms?

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 1999)

Here are all the things wrong with this movie: It's too kiddified, Jar jar is annoying, there's too much FX, there's no story, the acting is bad, etc, etc, etc. All of these criticisms are stupid.
Hollywood would do well to watch this movie (repeatedly) and TAKE NOTES. Instead of giving us hundreds of 'hip', brainless action movies, schmaltzy 'character dramas' and other endless tripe, they should watch the Phantom Menace and see what real imaginative filmmaking is all about.
They are far too concerned with adding just enough pointless sex and blood splattering gore to avoid the 'awful' PG rating that would otherwise label their movie a 'kids' movie (since when did PG mean 'children's movie'? I thought it meant parental guidance suggested. On that thought, why do G movies have this label?) Dialogue? You want to talk about dialogue? What about all the gen-x, hip, smartass dialogue that spouts ad infinitum out of every other movie out there? The dialogue in Star Wars isn't Shakespeare, but it is at least free from cynicism and (half) witty euphemisms.
Call me defensive, but Star Wars transcends everyday films. Why? Because it is art.
That's right, CGI effects or not, the atmosphere and mood setting in this movie are georgeous art. I don't care if it is accomplished with computers or not. What's the problem? Computers are tools, like canvas and paint, and Star Wars oozes visual magic and loving attention to every detail in every single frame from start to finish. Lucas is a master of mood and visual tone.
And the music! Operatic, dense, flowing and beautiful. The choral piece at the end invites us into a pagan world of mysticism and magic ritual, to the scene of laser sword hyper-fighting that dazzles the mind.
If you don't know this by now, Star Wars is at it's heart a silent movie. The music is much more important, the visual spectacle carries the story, and the sounds and melodies surround you with the mood. That is why so many people don't understand them. It isn't about dialogue, or even characters and story. But we love the story, because it is as old as myth, and we love the characters, because we experience the magical worlds and imaginary vistas through their eyes. They don't have to be interesting, they ARE us.
If you don't understand that, you don't understand Star Wars. It is unlike anything Hollywood can conceive, since all they are interested in doing is cranking out cheap copies loaded with trendy mega-stars. It pales in comparison to this richly weaved tapestry of imagination. I don't care what anyone says, Star Wars is a masterpiece.